Srikantha in the Saiva pantheon

Like many other Saiva teachers like Goraksa, Lakulisa,Ananta etc. Srikantha is also recognized as a god in the Saiva pantheon.He is mentioned as a deity in various positions in Trika school. He is often equated with SadaSiva in his panchmukha form,probably because he revealed the doctrine having five sources (panchsrotarupa). He is also considered as guardian protector of Siddhis and by that logic an important deity for Siddhas.

A mention about the Pasupata school founded by Srikantha is found in a Malkapram Inscription^[1] of a Kakatiya king Rudradeva where it is described as five-fold,as having five sources (panchsrotarupa) and all other Saiva schools are described to have originated from it.

Unlike Lakulisa whose images are virtually found from all parts of the country no images of Srikantha are found though the form of Srikantha with five faces was accepted in the Lakulisa order also. Interestingly during my field visits in Kayavarohan I came across the image of Srikantha on the outer wall of the renovated temple of Bhagwan Lakulisa.The iconography of this modern day sculpture agrees with the pen picture of him found in Rupamandana where Srikantha is described as clad in embroidered clothes and ornaments with Yajnopavita of super workmanship. He has four arms and only one face. He is carrying khadaga, dhanusa, bana and khetaka. In another description Srikantha has four arms,in two of which he carries the sula and the tanka and holds the others in abhaya and varada mudra. He is standing on a padamapitha and is draped in red garments.^[2]

[Illustration 14. Srikantha from Temple of Brahmesvara Karvan, Baroda Dist, Gujarat, 1972]

In the above image Srikantha is shown holding a khetaka (shield), bana (arrow), dhanusa (bow) and a tanka.The lower right hand holding the bow is also seen in Varada mudra hence completely following both the descriptions of Srikantha given in Rupamandana.

The Cintra Prasasti^[3] clearly mentions a temple was built for Srikantha-panchmukha by Ganda Tripurantaka. The Bilhari stone inscription of the time of Yuvarajadeva II records that he dedicated his whole empire to Saiva Siddhanta preceptor who was engaged in the worship of Srikantha. ^[4]

The following verses (40-46) inform us that Tripurantaka built five temples dedicated five statues and erected a torana supported by two pillars–a sort of a triumphal arch.

The five temples were situated according to verse 40 to the north of the mandapa or hall of the temple of somesvara close to the splendid old water clock (ghatikalaya and on the site of srikantha panchmukha

Note: this may mean either that the 5 temples were built on the site of an ancient decayed temple or that the site was sacred to the god mentioned

The Shorinarayan inscription of Jajalladeva ii pays obesience to Srikantha.The Ratanpur stone inscription of Prthvideva ii mentions the construction of a temple of Srikantha at Varelpur^[5] .

Pathak believes that the tradition of Srikantha as a teacher of the Saiva religion occurring in the works of various schools of Saivism from different parts of the country, the mention of his name in the list of teachers, his description “as unique teacher on earth” and lastly quotations from works attributed to him are very strong indications in favor of his historicity⁶².

Though Bagchi^[6] has casually remarked that Lakulisa was Srikantha’s disciple and both together were responsible for the foundation of the Pasupata religion,it doesn”t seem quite probable.There are no evidence suggesting the above and the accounts of Srikantha and Lakulisa available from literature and inscriptions do not represent them as teacher and disciple while a tradition in Agama quoted by Abhinavagupta records the receiving of the doctrine by Lakula from Swachhhanda,. plus there is a fundamental difference between their approach to religion and philosophy. Tantraloka^[7] associates Lakulisa and Srikantha and calls them as only two authorities on Siva Sasana and in the same text Lakulisa along with other Saiva incarnations are presented as proclaimers of the glories of Srikantha. This indirect yet very important connection will be explored in the next chapter.

As Pathak ^[8] observes like many other human teachers in Saivite tradition Srikantha has also been deified and so are deified the important path breaking teachers like Lakulisa, Goraksa etc. Srikantha has been mentioned as a very important deity in Trika school and is sometimes regarded as identical with Sadasiva having 5 faces probably because he revealed the doctrine having five sources (panchsrotorupa)(pg 8 note 5). The connection of number 5 with 5 chapters of Pasupata-sutra which have supposed to have been revealed by 5 faces of Siva respectively is unmistakable.His connection with Siddhas too comes across strongly by the epithet he has of guardian protector of siddhis. The fact that Kayavarohana and area around it was called Siddhi Ksetra before the emergence of Lakulisa might point at the followers of Srikantha to have been active there. So probably before Lakulisa started his activities already a Pasupata school was flourishing. Coincidently the form of Srikantha with 5 faces was accepted in Lakulisa school. All these examples go on to prove that the seeds of Pasupata thought or order were already sown probably much before Lakulisa emerged. Yet the importance that the latter got in the system points at him as being a very influential and unificatory factor, a systemitizer of sorts, some one who managed to create a theology, philosophy and practices which had their own separate body of literature.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Pathak, V.S. History of Saiva Cults in Northern India (from inscriptions 700 AD to 1200 AD). Varanasi: Tara Printing Works,1960 p.8-9

[2]:

Ibid p.10

[3]:

The Cintra Prasasti of the reign of Sarangdeva B.G. Buhler EI vol 1 1888

[4]:

V.V Mirashi ed. Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, vol iv, Ootacamund (1955) p214

[5]:

Pathak, V.S. History of Saiva Cults in Northern India (from inscriptions 700 AD to 1200 AD). Varanasi: Tara Printing Works,1960 p.9-10⁶² Pathak, V.S. History of Saiva Cults in Northern India (from inscriptions 700 AD to 1200 AD). Varanasi: Tara Printing Works,1960

[6]:

Bagchi P.C. Studies in the Tantras, Part I, Calcutta, 1975 p 6-8

[7]:

Tantraloka XII, p.396

[8]:

Pathak, V.S. History of Saiva Cults in Northern India (from inscriptions 700 AD to 1200 AD). Varanasi, Tara Printing Works,1960, p.6