Page 346 Life in India or Madras, the Neilgherries, and Calcutta

Sharanagati (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

: शरणागति; IAST: ''Śaraṇāgati'' ) or Prapatti (

: प्रपत्ति; IAST: ''Prapatti''), is the process of total

surrender Surrender may refer to: * Surrender (law), the early relinquishment of a tenancy * Surrender (military), the relinquishment of territory, combatants, facilities, or armaments to another power Film and television * ''Surrender'' (1927 film), an ...

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

(

Narayana Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: ''Nārāyaṇa'') is one of the forms and names of Vishnu, who is in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, referring to the masculine principle. He is also known as Purushottama, and is co ...

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

) in the tradition of

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

. The process of Sharanagati forms the basis of devotion to Vishnu in the

bhakti ''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...

traditions within the

Sri Sampradaya Sri Vaishnavism, or the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya, is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vishnu, who ...

, propounded by

Ramanuja Ramanuja (Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmanuja; 1017 CE – 1137 CE; ; ), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a social reformer. He is noted to be one of the most important exponents o ...

(1017–1137 CE), and the Gaudiya Sampradaya, founded by

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna ...

(1482–1533 CE). Ramanuja considered surrender to

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

and his consort

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

to be the highest goal of life, while Chaitanya emphasised surrender to

and his consort

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...

as supreme.

Literature

Sri Vaishnava Sri Vaishnavism, or the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya, is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vishnu, who ...

texts offer their recognition of the practice of Sharanagati.

Yamunacharya Yamunacharya (IAST: Yamunāchārya), also known as Alavandar and Yamunaithuraivan, was a Vishistadvaita philosopher based in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, India. He is best-known for being a preceptor of Ramanuja, one of the leaders of the Sri Vai ...

posited this approach as an alternative to the conventional practices of seeking salvation:

Vedanta Desika Vedanta Desikan (1268–1369), also rendered Vedanta Desikar, Swami Vedanta Desikan, and Thoopul Nigamaantha Desikan, was an Indian polymath who wrote philosophical as well as religious and poetical works in several languages, including Sans ...

's commentary on this sloka offers his perspective:

Initiation

The formal ritual of Sharanagati is a

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

and

Puranic Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

scriptural and tradition backed ritual called the ''Pancha-Samskara,'' or "the five impressions", and another name is ''Samashrayanam''. The individual receives the following: * Nama Samskara - An initiation 'spiritual' name such as a name of

, or one of his devotees (such as Ramanuja), suffixed with the word ''dasa'' (meaning "servant", or servant of). Examples of these could be ''Vishnu dasa'', or ''Ramanuja dasa''. * Pundra Samskara - Application of the ''tiruman'', or the

Urdhva Pundra The Urdhva Pundra () is a tilaka worn by Vaishnavas as an indication of their affiliation with Vishnu. It is generally worn on the forehead, but may also be worn on other parts of the body such as the shoulders. The markings are made either as ...

, on the forehead and 12 marks on certain parts of the body, which signifies that the individual belong to Vishnu, and that their bodies, minds, and souls are the temples of

. * Thapa Samskara - Special branding on the shoulders of the conch (

Panchajanya Panchajanya (IAST: Pāñcajanya) is the ''shankha'' or conch of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, known to be one of his four divine attributes. It is stated to have been one among the various substances that emerged during the Samudra Manthana ...

) and the chakra (

Sudarshana Sudarshana Chakra (Sanskrit: सुदर्शन चक्र, lit. "disc of auspicious vision", IAST: Sudarśana Chakra) is a spinning, celestial discus with 108 serrated edges, attributed to Vishnu and Krishna in the Hindu scriptures. The Sud ...

) of Vishnu by a

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

. * Yajna Samskara - Learning to perform the archana or puja, or ritual worship, of Lakshmi-Narayana from the guru. * Mantra Samskara - Learning three special mantras dedicated to Vishnu from the guru.

Principles

Sri Vaishnavism

In the

tradition, the Sharanagati is divided into six principles: #Accepting those things that are favorable for devotion to God (''anukulyasya sankalpa'') #Rejecting those things that are averse to surrender to God (''pratikulyasya varjanam'') #Considering God to be one's protector in all circumstances (''raksisyatiti visvasa'') #Accepting God as one's maintainer (''goptrtve varanam'') #Surrendering everything in God's service (''atma-niksepa'') #Cultivating a humble attitude (''karpanya'')

Gaudiya Vaishnavism

In the

Gaudiya Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal, with Vaishnavism meanin ...

tradition, the Sharanagati is divided into ten principles: #Dainya #Atma Nivedana #Goptritve Varana #Avasya Raksibe Krsna Visvasa Palana #Bhakti Anukula Matra Karyera Svikara #Bhakti Pratikula Bhava Varjanangikara #Bhajan Lalasa #Siddhi Lalasa #Vijnapti #Sri Nama Mahatmya

Five Limbs

In the Vaishnava tradition, the Saranagathi bears 6 elements: the five limbs, referred to as ''anga''s, and the adherent of these, known as an ''angi''. # Acknowledgement of one's helplessness # Determination to not err again # Vowing to follow the rules #Possessing an unshakeable faith that God is the sole refuge #Seeking God as one's protector

References

{{Reflist * The ''Hindu newspaper'' dated ''january 08-Sunday-2017'' (article: ''Tiruppavai leads us to Sri Vaikuntha'') Special Issue - Vaikunta Ekadasi * ''Sri Vaishnavism: an Elementary treatise for beginners, published Sri Thillasthanam Swamy Kainkarya Sabha, Bangalore India & the Sri Vishishtadvaita Research Centre, Madras India'' Vaishnavism Bhakti movement Sri Vaishnavism Hinduism Hindu philosophy