Pancharatra

Pcartra are Vaishnava Sanskrit Agamic texts.[1] Literally meaning ve nights (paca: ve, rtra: nights),[2]
the term Pancharatra has been variously interpreted.[3]
The term has also been attributed to the Shatapatha
Brahmana 12.6 wherein Narayana performed a sacrice
for ve nights and became a transcendent and immanent being.[2][4] The Pancharatra Agamas constitute the
most important texts of the Srivaishnava Sampradaya of
Ramanuja.[4] The Pancharatra Agamas are composed of
more than 200 texts;[3] with various suggested time periods of composition; including the 3rd century BC,[5] and
a period between 600 AD to 850 AD.[3]

Pancharatra system of Vaisnavism for his followers and

refuted the philosophy of Adi Sankara. His philosophy of
worship of Narayana was based on the pancaratric teachings.
Ramanuja taught that the deity absolute, Parabrahman,
manifests in ve possible aspects: Para, Vyuha, Vibhava,
Antaryamin, and Archa. Living beings can interact with
the divine through one or another of these ve.
Para Manifestation[9]
The Para form is sometimes described as the rst immanent manifestation of the Supreme Being.
Vyuha Manifestation
Vasudeva, characterized by the six gunas, is sometimes called the rst Vyuha. From Vasudeva emanates
Sankarshana in whom jnana and bala alone get manifested. From Sankarshana comes Pradyumna to whom
belong aishvarya and virya. From Pradyumna emanates
Aniruddha to whom shakti and tejas appertain.
As we have seen, the Pancharatra thinkers were very
much particular in safeguarding and preserving the purity
and unchanged nature of the transcendent Supreme Being. From that point of view, the chief merit, and hence
its primary signicance, is that it is such a process of emanation in which the Supreme Being remains unaected
and unchanged in all the ve-fold manifestations.

History

Vishnu worshipers of today, represented in a wide spectrum of traditions, generally follow the system of Pancharatra worship. The concept of Naa and NaaBrahman appear already in Sttvata Samhita or Sttvata
Tantra and in Jaykhya Samhita, two texts considered
most canonical of Pancharatra texts.

nanda Trtha the founder of Madhva line has written in his commentary on Mundaka Upanishad: [6] In
Dvpara-yuga, Vishnu is exclusively worshiped according
to the principles of the Pancharatra Scripture, but in this Avatara Manifestation
age of Kali-yuga, the Supreme Lord Hari is worshiped Closely connected with the doctrine of vyuhas, is the next
only by the chanting of his Holy Name.
manifestation of God, named as vibhava (manifestation)
Jiva Gosvami had stated in his Paramtma Sandrbha, or avatar (descent). The only supreme being the Panforming part of six principal Sandrbhas, or philosophi- charatra philosophers knew about was the Transcendent
cal treateses of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, that, Seeing that One, who was not in any way directly related to the world.
the imperfect scriptures in the modes of passion and ig- Therefore, the Samhitas explicitly describe the avataras
norance bring only a host of troubles, and also seeing that as either all springing from Aniruddha, or some from Vathe original Vedas are very dicult to follow properly, sudeva and the rest from the other three vyuhas. One
and thus being very dissatised with both of these, the should not be mistaken here in assuming that the Supreme
all-knowing scripture authors arm the superiority of Being himself takes avatara. This is a puranic concepthe Pancharatras, which describe the pure absolute truth, tion. The Pancharatra Samhitas nowhere maintain that
Narayana, and the worship of the Lord, which is very the Supreme Being, laying aside its transcendent, unmoveasy to perform.[7] In the same Sandrbha Jiva Gosvami ing nature assumes these nite forms. This is impermisstates[8] that god himself, Svayam Bhagavan, had spoken sible by the premises of the system. The Supreme Being
the Narada Pancharatra, which is accepted as a prama is merely a spectator with an attitude of passivity and indierence. It cherishes no attachment to the mundane
[critical evidence] by Gaudiya scholars.
world, and it is beyond its nature to do so.
Antaryamin Manifestation
The fourth manifestation is the Antaryamin avatara,
which is Aniruddha as the Inner Ruler of all souls. It
is a mysterious power seated in the lotus of the heart.
During the 11th century AD Ramanuja, a founder of Sri
Here again it should be noted that this is not a manifesVaishnava traditions of Vaisnavism had established the

Divine Manifestation

SIX ASPECTS OF SURRENDER IN THE PANCHARATRA

tation of the Supreme Being, but only of Aniruddha, one available. The rm conviction that He will not fail to proof the vyuhas.
tect us is 'viSvAsa'. This by itself is capable of eradicating
all sins.
Archa Manifestation
The Pancharatra Samhitas, unlike Narayaniya, nally
recognize the archa manifestation of God. An inanimate
object (i.e. image of Vishnu), if duly consecrated according to the Pancharatra rites, acquires a miraculous power,
and the Shakti of Vishnu descends into it. It is meant for
the purpose of daily worship.
This archa worship is dierent from the pratima worship.
In the latter the symbol is the locus, on which the devotee concentrates his thought. But no sooner the thought is
centralized, than the locus soon gets out of his vision and
no necessity thereof is felt. But in the archa worship, on
the other hand, the devotee feels the very presence of God
in it. And as such the inanimate image soon acquires a
new meaning, becomes the object of love, of hearts hankering and of the eyes rest. This we nd in the religion
of the alvars as well, who are the Tamil Vaishnava saints.

Cosmology

iv) goptR - The deliberate choice of bhagavAn SrIman nArAyaNa as the sole Protector. Even when it is
granted that anyway He is the sole protector, lakshmItantra points out that what is involved in this a'nga is the
conscious and mindful selection of Him, the acknowledgment that we need protection, and that He and only He
can protect us.
v) prAtikUlya-vivarjana - giving up whatever is antagonistic to any of His creations or to Him. A devotee must
realize that all beings are like himself.
vi) AnukUlya-niScaya - The resolve to do good to all
beings. The realization that all beings are in actuality the
body of God, and the resolve to live in accordance with
the will of God. Ahirbudhnya samhitA gives a beautiful
illustration of SaraNAgati using a passenger who wants
to cross a river in a boat. It is the passengers responsibility to go and sit in the boat, and that is the end of his
responsibility; the job or rowing the boat is not his, but
that of the boatman (in this case God Himself).

Six aspects of surrender are described in many PancarThe Samhitas propound an elaborate and complicated
Atra samhitas such as Ahirbudhnya Samhita, Lakshmi
process of creation with characteristic doctrines of three
Tantra etc., thought the order of importance may vary.
stages and six koshas (coverings or levels) of creation.
Lakshmi Tantra give the following:

Six aspects of surrender in the

Pancharatra

Surrender to god is one of the core teachings of Pancharatra. The six aspects are explained below in brief:
i) Atma-nikshepa or nyAsa - placing oneself completely
and directly under Gods care. This involves giving up
independent ownership in matters of actions or fruits
thereof. This in fact is the real SaraNAgati. The subsequent ve are to be regarding as assisting this. The obstacle to nyAsa is phalepsA or the desire for mundane
benets,which should therefore be avoided.
ii) kArpaNya - This refers to absolute humility bordering on lowliness and honest awareness of ones own natural ignorance, impurity etc., partly because of stains acquired through countless births. We all know the enormous feeling of kArpaNya that our AzhvArs have expressed through their compositions. This leads to ridding
the arrogance that one may have because of parentage,
learning, wealth, etc., and to get the sense that without
the aid of Godhead, whatever we undertake on our own
is bound to fail. The enemy for kArpaNya is the feeling
that one is free, independent,and competent to do whatever he likes (sva-svAtantryAvabodha).

"AnukUlyasya samkalpah prAtikUlyasya

varjanam |
rakshishyatIti viSvAso goptRtva varaNam tathA
||
AtmA nikshepa kArpaNye shadvidhA SaraNagatih || (Lakshmi Tantra 17, 59-61)
Thus the order of the limbs given in Lakshmi Tantra
is: Anuklya Samkalpam, Prtiklya Varjanam, Mah
Vivsam, Gopttva VaraNam, Atma Nikshepam, and
kArpaNyam.
In Ahribudhnya Samhit, the order
given is: Atma Nikshepam or Nysam, KrpaNyam,
Mah Vivsam, Gopttvam, Prtiklya Varjanam, and
Anuklya Sampakpam. Svmi Deikan has addressed
these confusions in his Nysa VimSati (Slokam 12), and
concludes that those who know Prapatti Sstra well agree
that there are ve anga-s to Prapatti, and the dierent
positions taken in respect of the number and sequence of
importance etc. of the aspects of Prapatti really say the
same thing in the end (sarva vkya eka kaNThyam).

Atma Nikshepam or nysam is considered the main ingredient of Prapatti - the conviction that ones own effort in attaining Him will not bear fruit, and placing
oneself directly under His care and giving up ownership of ones own protection or the benets from any
iii) mahA-viSvAsa - irrepressible and great faith in God- actions to Him. The other ve are then the limbs for
head. Involves the understanding that God is the benefac- Nysa, that are of equal importance as conveyed to us by
tor of all beings, and His compassion is always and readily Svmi Deikan. Thus, for performing surrender or Atma

3
Nikshepa or Nysam, one needs absolute humility (KrpaNyam), Anuklya Samkaplam, Prtiklya Varjanam,
etc.

Pancaprasna-Samhita
Parama-Samhita
Paramapurusa-Samhita

Moksha

The attainment of the glorious and supreme feet of

Vishnu (tad vioh paramam padam). Pancharatra texts
were written before the philosophies of advaita and visishtadvaita were established and vary in regards to the
nature of the soul after liberation. In general, the soul is
seen as a portion of Laksmi (goddess) and remains forever next to Narayana (god), liberation is therefore returning to the One.
Based on the Purusha Sukta (Rigveda 10.90) the Pancharatra Agamas teach that God (Narayana or Vasudeva)
manifests the whole world from one fourth of himself.
Therefore three parts of the supreme are immortal nectar
that can be attained by liberated beings. Modern Vaisnavism evolved from the Pancharatra and its theories.

Pancharatra Texts

The Pancharatra texts are samhitas and tantras which

both classify as Agama due to subject matter. The Agamas are predominantly divided into Saiva, Sakta and
Vaishnava Agamas. The Vaishnava Agamas identify
Brahman as Vasudeva. The Mahabharata subscribes to
the Pancharatra philosophy in its Narayaniya section.
The Vaishnava Agamas are: Pancharatra Agama and
Vaikhanasa Agama. Some of the Samhitas are:

Parasara-Samhita
Padma-Samhita
Paramesvara-Samhita
Purusottama-Samhita
Pauskara-Samhita
Bharadvaja-Samhita
Bhargava-Tantra
Mayavaibhava-Samhita
Markandeya-Samhita
Laksmi Tantra
Varaha-Samhita
Vasistha-Samhita
Visva-Samhita
Visvamitra-Samhita
Visnutattva-Samhita
Visnu Tantra
Visnu-Samhita
Visvaksena-Samhita
Vihagendra-Samhita

Agastya-Samhita

Vrddha-Padma-Samhita

Aniruddha-Samhita

Sriprasna-Samhita

Ahirbudhnya Samhita

Sanatkumara-Samhita

Brahma Samhita

Sattvata-Samhita

Brihat-Brahma-Samhita

Hayasirsa-Samhita

Isvara-Samhita
Kapinjala-Samhita
Garga Samhita
Gautama-Samhita
Citrasikhandi-Samhita
Jayakhya-Samhita
Jayottara-Samhita
Nalakubara-Samhita
Naradiya-Samhita

This list is mainly based on the list of the Sanskrit texts

from the H. Daniel Smith Agama Collection, Cleveland,
Ohio.
Of these Samhitas in Srirangam Sri Ranganatha Swamy
temple Sri Paramesvara Samhita, a variant of
paushkara samhita is followed and in practice.
In Sri Kanchipuram Varadaraja Swamy temple Sri
Jayakhya Samhita is followed and in practice.
In Sri Melukote Cheluva Narayana Swamy temple Sri
Ishwara samhita is followed and in practice.
In Tiruvellarai Sri Pundarikaksha Swamy Temple Sri
Paadma Samhita is followed and in practice.

8 FURTHER READING

In Tirukkudantai (kumbakONam) Aravamudhan Sarngapani is worshipped with Sriprasna samhita. Rest

of the places use Padma samhita or its variants.
Gaudiya Vaishnavas follow Brahma Samhita and
Naradiya Samhita.

6.1

Literature

Aiyangar, Pandit M. Duraiswami, and Venugopalacharya, Pandit T. Sri Pancaratraraksa of Sri

Vedanta Desika. The Adyar Library and Research
Centre, Madras, India, 1996.
Apte, Dr. P. P. (edited). Pauskara Samhita.
Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati Series
No.54, Tirupati, India, 1991.
Bhatt, Dr. S.R. The Philosophy of the Pancharatra.
Ganesh and Company, Madras, India, 1968
Gupta, Sanjukta. Laksmi Tantra, A Pancaratra
Text. E.J.Brill, Leiden Netherlands 1972, reprint
Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, 2003.
Krishnamacharya,
Pandit
V.
(edited).
Ahirbudhnya-Samhita of the Pncartrgama
(vol I and II). The Adyar Library and Research
Centre, Madras, India, 1986.

7 References
[1] Oriental Institute, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (1940). Gaekwad Oriental Series, Issue 86, p.7.
[2] Jones, Constance and Ryan, James D. (2007). Encyclopedia of Hinduism, p.321-322. Infobase Publishing. ISBN
0816075646
[3] Datta, Amaresh (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo, p.95. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN
8126018038
[4] Sharma, C. D. (1991). Critical Survey Of Indian Philosophy, p.336. Motilal Banarsidass Publications. ISBN
8120803655
[5] Prakash, Om (2005). Cultural History Of India, p.120.
New Age International. ISBN 8122415873
[6] dvapariyair janair viu pancartrais ca kevalam kalau tu
nma-mtrea pujyate bhagavan hari
[7] Paramtma Sandrbha, Annucheda 17.
[8] pacartrasya ktsnasya vakt tu bhagavn svayam
[9] Bhatt, Dr. S.R. The Philosophy of the Pancharatra, page
38-41

8 Further reading

Matsubara, Mitsunori, Pancaratra Samhitas and

Early Vaisnava Theology, Motilal Banarsidass, New
Delhi, 1994.

S. N. Dasgupta, A History of Indian Philosophy,

vol. 3 (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1975); Sanjukta
Gupta, trans., Laksmi Tantra: A Pancaratra Text.

---, Monotheistic Theory of the early Vaisnavas,

Vyuha Theory in the Early Pancaratra, 1990.

Orientalia Rheno-Trajectina, Vol. 15 (Leiden: E. J.

Brill, 1972); S. Rangachar, Philosophy of Pancaratras (Mandya: Sridevi Prakashana, 1991).

---, The Formation of the Pancaratras Theory of the

Four Vyuhas, 1991.
Otto Schrader, F., Introduction to the Pancaratra and the Ahirbudhnya Samhita, Adyar Library,
Madras 1916. Second edition 1973.
Rangachar, S., Philosophy of Pancaratras, Sri Devi
Prakashana, Mandya (Karnatak) 1991.
Rao, S.K. Ramachandra. The gama Encyclopedia:
Pnchartrgama. Volume IV, Sri Satguru Publications, Delhi, India, 2005.
Sarma, Pandit K. Ramachandra (edited).
Paukargama. The Adyar Library and Research
Centre. Madras, India, 1995.
Siddhantashastree, Rabindra Kumar. Vaisavism
Through the Ages. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 1985.
Sutton, Nicholas, Religious Doctrines in the Mahabharata, Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi 2000.

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