Pashu (animal) refers to that which accepts what the
external vision conveys. ‘Pashupathi’ means Lord of all, the One who has the
inward vision. The one who has not
mastered the senses is Pashu. An animal has several
innate undesirable qualities, however hard it may try to eliminate them,
they cannot be transformed. For
example, we can bring up a tiger cub with affectionate care and train it to
be gentle and obedient, but when it
is hungry, will it relish poori (an Indian dish made of wheat flour) and potato curry? No, it will only relish raw meat! Hence, the scriptures quote: "Man
indeed is the most fortunate and sacred amongst all beings, for one's
inborn qualities can be sublimated". Realizing this truth, each one must elevate theirself through
training and self-effort.
- Divine
Discourse, Vidya Vahini.