Who possessed Pashupatastra other than Arjuna and Shiva?

Question

Shiva gave Pashupatastra to Arjuna but who possessed it besides those two?

Answer 1

While providing Pashupatastra to Arjuna Lord Shiva says that neither chief of Gods nor humans know of it. So, it is not possible that any other human would have Pashupatastra. From Vana Parva of Mahabharata:

भगवानुवाच | ददानि तेऽस्त्रं दयितमहं पाशुपतं महत् | समर्थो धारणे मोक्षे संहारे चापि पाण्डव || १३ || नैतद्वेद महेन्द्रोऽपि न यमो न च यक्षराट् | वरुणो वाथ वा वायुः कुतो वेत्स्यन्ति मानवाः || १४ || न त्वेतत्सहसा पार्थ मोक्तव्यं पुरुषे क्वचित् | जगद्विनिर्दहेत्सर्वमल्पतेजसि पातितम् || १५ || अवध्यो नाम नास्त्यस्य त्रैलोक्ये सचराचरे | मनसा चक्षुषा वाचा धनुषा च निपात्यते || १६ ||

Bhagavan said, 'O powerful one. I will give to thee that favourite weapon of mine called the Pasupata. O son of Pandu, thou art capable of holding, hurling, and withdrawing it. Neither the chief himself of the gods, nor Yama, nor the king of the Yakshas, nor Varuna, nor Vayu, knoweth it. How could men know anything of it? But, O son of Pritha, this weapon should not be hurled without adequate cause; for if hurled at any foe of little might it may destroy the whole universe. In the three worlds with all their mobile and immobile creatures, there is none who is incapable of being slain by this weapon. And it may be hurled by the mind, by the eye, by words, and by the bow.'" [VanaParva Chapter 60]

So, when astras like Pasupata are mentioned in other places it should be understood as weapons presided by Bhagavan Pashupati and not this powerful Pashupatastra!

Among the divine, Sri Lalita Tripurasundari also possesses this weapon Mahapashupatastra and she used it to destroy Generals of Bhandasura. It is described in Lalitopakhyana of Brahmanda Purana. This is also captured in Lalita Sahasranama as:

महा-पाशुपतास्त्राग्नि-निर्दग्धासुर-सैनिका ॥ ३२॥

She who burnt Asura Sena using MahaPashupatastra

But it is not a surprise that Devi would also have MahaPashupatastra as her form is considered as "शिव-शक्त्यैक्य-रूपिणी" / "Shiva-Shaktyeika Rupini" ie. "Union of Shiva and Shakti in one form".

Answer 2

Drona possessed Pashupatastra and he even used it against Arjuna in the Mahabharata war.

When Drona failed to gain any ascendency over the son of Pandu, the son of Bharadwaja, that warrior acquainted with the course of all weapons, invoked into existence the Aindra, the Pasupata, the Tvashtra, the Vayavya, and the Yamya weapons. As soon as those weapons, issued from Drona's bow, Dhananjaya destroyed them quickly.

(This is also mentioned in the BORI critical edition of the Mahabharata. It is in volume 6 of the translation of the critical edition by Bibek Debroy.)

Answer 3

As said Mahadeva himself to Arjuna and mentioned above by @Tez from Mahabharata, Pashupatastra can't be obtained by even gods. So, it's not possible for humans to get it.

It can only be gained by high penance and by the grace of Parmeshwara Shiva himself.

Sri Shiva Gita.:

Suta said to Saunaka sages: In this way sage Agastya initiated Sri Rama and went back to his hermitage. Here near the bank of sacred Godavari river, Sri Rama established a Shivalinga on a hilltop, and in the prescribed manner he underwent the deeksha. He smeared all his body parts with holy ash in a three horizontal lined fashion, worshiped Shivalinga with forest flowers and leaves being seated on the tiger skin. He chanted the Veda Saara shiva Sahasranamavali. This way he spent one month living only by eating fruits, next month he lived by eating only leaves, next month he sustained himself only on water, subsequent month he survived only by consuming air. He remained pious and maintained all pious qualities like serenity, sense control etc. and with a cleansed heart he meditated on Lord Maheshwara who resides in the heart, who is higher than the highest, who is of androgenous form (Ardhanareeshwara), who has four hands and three eyes, who is like lightening flash of red color, who has braided (matted) hair, who has an aura which equals the brilliance of crores of suns, whose aura is as cool as the coolness of crores of moons combined, who wears many ornaments, who wears snake as a sacred thread, who wears tiger skin as garments, who keeps one hand in blessing posture, who is saluted by all gods and demons, who has five faces, who wears a crescent moon on his head, who holds a damaru (musical instrument), and trident, who is eternal, who is unblemished, who is imperishable. In this way Rama spent four months of Deeksha. (S.G. 4.l:1-10).

Here, one can see Lord Rama performed almost exact same tapasya performed by Arjuna in Kirat Parva.

Then one day When Bhagawan appeared Lord Rama seeing the brightness and environmental activities first thought it was maya by some asura So he fired the respective weapons he had.

Thereafter Rama stood up holding his Kodanda bow in his hands, and projected in the air many divine missiles (arrows) through the power of Mantra viz. Agneyam, Varunam, Mohanam, saurapaarvatam, viShnuchakraM, mahaachakram, kaalachakram, vaiShnavam, raudram, paashupatam, braahmam, kauberam, and kulishaanilam weapons. Whatever missiles Sri Rama projected in that brilliant light, all those missiles vanished into that brilliance as like as ice cubes melt in oceans. In another few seconds Rama's bow fell down on its own and got reduced to ashes. Also, his hand shield and other accessories too fell down and got incinerated. (S.G. 4:15-19).

So, here one can see Lord Rama also fired Pashupatastra on Bhagawan Shiva along with all other weapons which gets destroyed.

But, again in the next Chapter we see the following verses.:

Then Lord Paramashiva donated to Sri Rama a celestial and great bow, an inexhaustible quiver of arrows, and the supreme weapon by name MahaPashupatastra and spoke to Rama saying: O Rama! This Mahapashupatastra is supremely terrible weapon which can annihilate entire universe. Therefore do not hurl this devastating weapon in battles of lesser scale. There is no one, O Rama, in the entire three worlds who can counter this weapon and remain alive if this is hurled against him. Therefore this weapon needs to be hurled only and only if it's a matter of survival of the self and there is no other way around. If this rule is broken in any way, there would be total annihilation of the universe. (S.G. 5:11-16).

So, from above it's crystal clear that Pashupatastra have many versions just like Brahmastra. And the lower one can be gained by anyone like in Mahabharata we see Karna, Drona, etc having it. And the main one viz Mahapashupatastra can only be given directly by Bhagawan Shiva only after performing penance.

Though Mahabharata used the term Pashupatastra in both versions but we have to understand it by comparing it with Brahmanda Purana, Padma Purana n all. Otherwise, there was no need for Arjuna or Lord Rama to perform this tapasyas if it was freely available like that. Plus, Lord Krishna again took Arjuna to Mt. Kailasha in his dream to regain the knowledge of Pashupatastra from Bhagawan Shiva.

I hope this helps. Prd..

Answer 4

1. In Valmiki Ramayana, Vishwamitra possessed Pashupatastra, which he used, along with many other weapons, on Vasistha.

Balakanda

वारुणं चैव रौद्रं च ऐन्द्रं पाशुपतं तथा। ऐषीकं चापि चिक्षेप कुपितो गाधिनन्दन:।।1.56.6।।

कुपित: incensed, गाधिनन्दन: son of Gadhi, वारुणं चैव Varuna weapon, रौद्रं च Raudra, ऐन्द्रं च Aindra, तथा and, पाशुपतम् Pasupata, ऐषीकं चापि Aishika, चिक्षेप employed or discharged.

The incensed son of Gadhi (Vishwamitra) employed varuna, raudra, aindra, pasupata and aishika weapons (on Vasistha)

तानि सर्वाणि दण्डेन ग्रसते ब्रह्मणस्सुत:।।1.56.13.1।।

ब्रह्मण: सुत: son of Brahma, Vasishta, तानि सर्वाणि all those (weapons ), दण्डेन with his staff, ग्रसते swallowed

Vasishta son of Brahma, swallowed all those weapons with his staff.

2. Ravana uses the Pashupatastra on the armies of Vaivasvata Yama.

Uttarakanda

7.21.25 to 7.21.29

ततः स कार्मुकी बाणी पृथिव्यां राक्षसाधिपः| लब्धसंज्ञो मुहूर्तेन क्रुद्धस्तस्थौ यथान्तकः||

ततः पाशुपतं दिव्यमस्त्रं संधाय कार्मुके| तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति तानुक्त्वा तच्चापं व्यपकर्षत||

ज्वालामाली स तु शरः क्रव्यादानुगतो रणे| मुक्तो गुल्मान्द्रुमांश्चैव भस्मकृत्वा प्रधावति||

ते तस्य तेजसा दग्धाः सैन्या वैवस्वतस्य तु| रणे तस्मिन्निपतिता दावदग्धा नगा इव||

ततः स सचिवैः सार्धं राक्षसो भीमविक्रमः| ननाद सुमहानादं कम्पयन्निव मेदिनीम्||

With the bow in his hand, the lord of the rakshasas (Ravana) stood on the ground. Having regained his senses in an instant, he was like another Death. He affixed the divine pashupata weapon to his bow. Saying, “Wait, wait,” he stretched his bow. In the battle, that arrow was garlanded by flames and was followed by predatory beasts. It was shot towards those forces, intending to burn them down like trees. Its energy consumed Vaivasvata’s soldiers. They fell down in the battle, like trees burnt by a conflagration. Surrounded by his advisers, the rakshasa, terrible in his valour, emitted an extremely loud roar and seemed to make the earth tremble.’

Answer 5

1. Hiranyakashipu used Pashupata against Lord Narasimha -

The confusing weapon, the weapon mAyAdhara, the dear weapon gAndharva, the jewel among the swords nandakam, the weapons prasvApna, pramathana, the best among weapons vAruNa, the weapon pashupata, whose path is not blocked anywhere, hiraNyakashipu himself sent all these weapons on the man-lion, like pouring oblations on the fire (in a yaj~na). The great soul with splendor was not even harmed a bit.

• Harivamsha: Bhavishya Parva: Chapter 44

2. Indra had Pashupata -

“O king of Devas, remember the Aghora Mantra. The missile Pāśupata had been granted to you by Rudra who was delighted. It has never been repulsed and it hits and strikes excellent heroes.” On being enlightened and urged by Hari thus, Śakra bowed down to the Bull-emblemed Lord Siva. It caused the head of Jaṃbha to fall down along with the ear-rings.

• Skanda Mahapurana, Mahesvara-Khanda, Kaumarika-Khanda Chapter 21

3. Ravana also had Pashupata -

And Ravana took up the Celestial and dreadful Pashupata-weapon, the increaser of fear in the Three Worlds, obtained from Rudra, by virtue of his rigid penances. “Beholding this, all moveable and immoveable beings were stricken with terror and the Three Worlds, including all that was animate and inanimate, Gods and Serpents, together took refuge in their abodes under the earth.*

• valmiki Ramayana 7(23)