Editing Shiva (section)

==== Indus Valley and the Pashupati seal ====
{{Main|Pashupati seal}}
[[File:Shiva Pashupati.jpg|upright|thumb|200px|The [[Pashupati seal]] discovered during excavation of the [[Indus Valley civilisation|Indus Valley]] archaeological site of [[Mohenjo-Daro]] and showing a possible representation of a "yogi" or "proto-Shiva" figure as [[Pashupati|Paśupati]] (Lord of the Animals" {{Circa|2350}}–2000 BCE]]

Of several Indus valley seals that show animals, one seal that has attracted attention shows a large central figure, either [[horned deity|horned]] or wearing a horned headdress and possibly [[ithyphallic]],{{refn|group=note|name="ilph_rep_l"}}<ref>{{harvnb|Singh|1989}}; {{harvnb|Kenoyer|1998}}. For a drawing of the seal see Figure 1 in {{harvnb|Flood|1996|p=29}}</ref> seated in a posture reminiscent of the [[Lotus position]], surrounded by animals. This figure was named by early excavators of [[Mohenjo-daro]] as ''[[Pashupati]]'' (Lord of Animals, [[Sanskrit]] ''{{transliteration|sa|ISO|paśupati}}''),<ref>For translation of ''{{transliteration|sa|ISO|paśupati}}'' as "Lord of Animals" see: {{harvnb|Michaels|2004|p=312}}.</ref> an epithet of the later [[Hindu deities]] Shiva and Rudra.{{sfnm|Vohra|2000|p=[https://archive.org/details/makingindiahisto00vohr/page/n10 15]|Bongard-Levin|1985|2p=45|3a1=Rosen|3a2=Schweig|3y=2006|3p=45}} [[John Marshall (archaeologist)|Sir John Marshall]] and others suggested that this figure is a prototype of Shiva, with three faces, seated in a "[[yoga]] posture" with the knees out and feet joined.{{sfn|Flood|1996|pp=28–29}} Semi-circular shapes on the head were interpreted as two horns. Scholars such as [[Gavin Flood]], [[John Keay]] and [[Doris Meth Srinivasan]] have expressed doubts about this suggestion.{{sfnm|Flood|1996|1pp=28–29|Flood|2003|2pp=204–205|Srinivasan|1997|3p=181}}

[[Gavin Flood]] states that it is not clear from the seal that the figure has three faces, is seated in a yoga posture, or even that the shape is intended to represent a human figure. He characterises these views as "speculative", but adds that it is nevertheless possible that there are echoes of Shaiva [[iconographic]] themes, such as half-moon shapes resembling the horns of a [[bull]].{{sfnm|Flood|1996|1pp=28–29|Flood|2003|2pp=204–205}} John Keay writes that "he may indeed be an early manifestation of Lord Shiva as Pashu-pati", but a couple of his specialties of this figure does not match with Rudra.{{sfn|Keay|2000|p=14}} Writing in 1997, Srinivasan interprets what [[John Marshall (archaeologist)|John Marshall]] interpreted as facial as not human but more bovine, possibly a divine buffalo-man.{{sfn|Srinivasan|1997|p=181}}

The interpretation of the seal continues to be disputed. [[McEvilley]], for example, states that it is not possible to "account for this posture outside the yogic account".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=McEvilley|first=Thomas|date=1 March 1981|title=An Archaeology of Yoga| journal=Res: Anthropology and Aesthetics| volume=1| page =51| doi= 10.1086/RESv1n1ms20166655|s2cid=192221643|issn=0277-1322 }}</ref> Asko Parpola states that other archaeological finds such as the early Elamite seals dated to 3000–2750 BCE show similar figures and these have been interpreted as "seated bull" and not a yogi, and the bovine interpretation is likely more accurate.<ref>Asko Parpola(2009), Deciphering the Indus Script, Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0521795661}}, pp. 240–250</ref> Gregory L. Possehl in 2002, associated it with the water buffalo, and concluded that while it would be appropriate to recognise the figure as a deity, and its posture as one of ritual discipline, regarding it as a proto-Shiva would "go too far".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XVgeAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA154|title=The Indus Civilization: A Contemporary Perspective|last=Possehl|first=Gregory L.|date=2002|publisher=Rowman Altamira|isbn=978-0759116429|pages=140–144|author-link=Gregory Possehl|access-date=2 July 2015|archive-date=20 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230120224137/https://books.google.com/books?id=XVgeAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA154|url-status=live}}</ref>