Pashupata

An extinct ascetic community, of devotees (bhakta) of the god Shiva in his
form as Pashupati, “the Lord of Beasts.”
Although the Pashupatas have now disappeared, according to the Chinese pilgrim Hsuan Tsang they were once the
most important ascetic sect in northern
India. According to historical reports, its
members would engage in strange and
antisocial behavior intended to bring
disgrace upon themselves, although
without lust or malice in their hearts.
This practice was in imitation of one of
Shiva’s mythic tales, in which he
exposed himself to the wives of the
Sages in the Pine Forest but was without
desire for them. For further information
see Daniel H. H. Ingalls, “Cynics and
Pasupatas: The Seeking of Dishonor,” in
Harvard Theological Review, 55, 1962.