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''Pancharatra'' (
IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...
: ''Pāñcarātra'') was a religious movement in
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
that originated in late 3rd-century BCE around the ideas of Narayana and the various avatar and forms of
Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
as their central deities.Pancharatra: religious movement
, Encyclopaedia Britannica
The movement later merged with the ancient Bhagavata tradition and contributed to the development of
Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...
. The Pancharatra movement created numerous literary treatises in Sanskrit called the ''Pancharatra Samhitas'', and these have been influential Agamic texts within the theistic Vaishnava movements.Oriental Institute, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (1940). Gaekwad Oriental Series, Issue 86, p.7. Literally meaning ''five nights'' (''pañca'': five, ''rātra'': nights),Jones, Constance and Ryan, James D. (2007). Encyclopedia of Hinduism, p.321-322. Infobase Publishing. the term ''Pancharatra'' has been variously interpreted. The term has been attributed to a sage Narayana who performed a sacrifice for five nights and became a transcendent being and one with all beings.Sharma, C. D. (1991). Critical Survey Of Indian Philosophy, p.336. Motilal Banarsidass Publications. The Pancharatra Agamas constitute some of the most important texts of many Vaishnava philosophies including the Madhva Sampradaya or Brahma Sampradaya of
Madhvacharya Madhvacharya (; ; 1199–1278 CE or 1238–1317 CE), also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' (dualism) school of Vedanta. Madhva called his philosophy ...
and the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya of Ramanuja. The Pancharatra Agamas are composed of more than 200 texts;Datta, Amaresh (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo, p.95. Sahitya Akademi. likely composed between 600 CE to 850 CE. The '' Shandilya Sutras'' (~100 CE) is the earliest known text that systematized the devotional Bhakti pancharatra doctrine and 2nd-century CE inscriptions in South India suggest Pancharatra doctrines were known there by then. The 8th-century
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...
criticized elements of the Pancharatra doctrine along with other theistic approaches stating Pancaratra doctrine was against monistic spiritual pursuits and non-Vedic. The 11th-century Ramanuja, the influential
Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...
scholar, developed a qualified monism doctrine which bridged ideas of Pancharatra movement and those of monistic ideas in the
Vedas FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...
. The Pancharatra theology is a source of the primary and secondary
avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
-related doctrines in traditions of
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
.


History

Pancharatra has likely roots in 3rd-century BCE, as a religious movement around the ideas of a sage Narayana, who much later becomes identified as an avatar of
Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
. The earliest use of the word Pancharatra is found in section 7.1.10 of the ''Taittiriya Samhita'', a Vedic text. The section describes a person going through a Pancharatra ritual to become a master of rhetorics. The section 13.6 of the '' Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa'' mentions Nārāyaṇa as the primordial divinity who performs this offering. The Narayaniya section of the
Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...
(XII, 335–351) refers to seven rishis who say the Pancharatra ritual was made consistent with the Vedas. Though the five day ritual is mentioned along with many other sacrifices in the Vedic text, the origins of Pancaratra devotees and their tradition is unclear. The movement merged with the ancient Bhagavata tradition also around Krishna-Vāsudeva, and contributed to the development of
Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...
. According to J. A. B. van Buitenen, the word "Pancharatra" is explained in ''Naradiya Samhita'' as referring to a tradition of "five knowledges". Similarly, Jan Gonda states that the term "nights" in "five nights" in the Pancharatra tradition may be a metaphor for inner darkness, and "came to mean – how, we do not know", though indeed there have been many interpretations such as "five systems", "five studies" and "five rituals". The 1st-century works by Shandilya are the earliest known systematization of the Pancharatra doctrine. This doctrine was known and influential around then, as is attested by the 2nd-century CE inscriptions in South India. Evidence suggests that they co-existed with the Bhagavata tradition in ancient times. The Advaita Vedanta scholars, such as
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...
, criticized elements of the Pancharatra doctrine along with other theistic approaches stating it was against monistic spiritual pursuits and non-Vedic. According to Suthren Hirst, Shankara supported the use of icons and temple worship if it focussed as a means to comprehend
Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...
as the sole metaphysical reality. However, he opposed devotional theism as an end in itself and the goal of spiritual pursuits. The Pancharatra tradition has historically disagreed with claims of it being non-Vedic, states Gonda, and Pancharatra texts explicitly state that, "Pancharatra is Vedic, it originates in the Sruti" and that the "Pancharatra precepts and practices should be observed by anyone who has allegiance to the Vedas". The 11th-century Ramanuja, the influential
Sri Vaishnavism Sri Vaishnavism () is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism, predominantly practiced in South India. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vi ...
scholar, was born in Pancharatra tradition, disagreed with Shankara, and developed a qualified monism doctrine which integrated ideas of Pancharatra movement and those of monistic ideas in the Vedas. Ramanuja stated that the Vishnu of Pancharatra is identical to Vedanta's
Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...
, where Purusha reflects the eternal soul that is Vishnu, and Prakriti the impermanent ever changing body of Vishnu.
Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
worshipers of today, represented in a wide spectrum of traditions, generally follow the system of Pancharatra worship. The concept of Naḍa and Naḍa-Brahman appear already in Sāttvata Samhita or Sāttvata Tantra and in Jayākhya Samhita, two texts considered most canonical of Pancharatra texts. Ānanda Tīrtha the founder of Madhva line has written in his commentary on
Mundaka Upanishad The Mundaka Upanishad (, ) is an ancient Sanskrit Vedic text, embedded inside Atharva Veda. It is a Mukhya (primary) Upanishad, and is listed as number 5 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads of Hinduism. It is among the most widely translat ...
: "In Dvapara Yuga,
Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
is exclusively worshiped according to the principles of the Pancharatra Scripture, but in this age of Kali Yuga, the Supreme Lord Hari is worshiped only by the chanting of his Holy Name." Jiva Gosvami had stated in his ''Paramātma Sandārbha'', forming part of six principal Sandārbhas, or philosophical treatises of
Gaudiya Vaishnavism Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnavism, Vaishnava Hindu denominations, Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region o ...
, that, "Seeing that the imperfect scriptures in the modes of passion and ignorance bring only a host of troubles, and also seeing that the original
Veda FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...
s are very difficult to follow properly, and thus being very dissatisfied with both of these, the all-knowing scripture authors affirm the superiority of the Pancharatras, which describe the pure absolute truth, Narayana, and the worship of the Lord, which is very easy to perform."


Divine Manifestation

The Pancharatra theology developed over time. It presents a dualistic theory on how creation manifested from a godhead, as the Purusha-Prakriti and as the masculine-feminine manifestations of the divine., Quote: "The dualism of Samkhya-Yoga is fundamental to the Pancaratra tradition." It states that the creation emerged through ''vyuhas'' (arrangements). In the beginning, states Pancharatra doctrine, there was only Narayana as the highest changeless god and as explained by their concept of Caturvyuha, this supreme god-head transformed into four earthly emanations, the first of which was
Vāsudeva Vāsudeva (; ), later incorporated as Vāsudeva-Krishna (, "Krishna, son of Vasudeva Anakadundubhi, Vasudeva"),"While the earliest piece of evidence do not yet use the name Krsna...." in At the time of the Heliodorus pillar dedication to Vāsu ...
-
Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
(Vāsudeva literally means "indwelling deity")Doris Srinivasan (1979),
Early Vaiṣṇava imagery: Caturvyūha and variant forms
", ''Archives of Asian art'', Volume 32, pp. 39-40, 43-54
Further arrangements or emanations followed, secondly into Saṅkarṣaṇa ( Balarama) as the lord over all life, thirdly into Pradyumna creating mind, and lastly into Aniruddha as ego (''ahamkara''). Thereafter, Brahma emerged from Aniruddha who created the empirical universe. Thus, the divinity was and is everywhere in Pancaratra, but in different aspects, one form or phase emerging from the previous. During the 11th century CE Ramanuja, a founder of Sri Vaishnava traditions of Vaisnavism had established the Pancharatra system of Vaisnavism for his followers. His philosophy of worship of Narayana was based on the pancaratric teachings. Ramanuja taught that the deity absolute,
Parabrahman ''Para Brahman'' or ''Param Brahman'' () in Hindu philosophy is the "Supreme Brahman" that which is beyond all descriptions and conceptualisations. It is described as beyond the form or the formlessness (in the sense that it is devoid of May ...
, manifests in five possible aspects: Para, Vyuha, Vibhava, Antaryamin, and Archa. Living beings can interact with the divine through one or another of these five: *Para: the invisible, eternal supreme ; *Vyuha: the invisible, impermanent supreme in form; *Vibhava: also called the ''Avatara'', are the incarnations of the supreme in various ''yuga'' (eras in Hindu cosmology) such as the
Dashavatara The Dashavatara (, ) are the ten primary avatars of Vishnu, a principal Hindus, Hindu god. Vishnu is said to descend in the form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. The word ''Dashavatara'' derives from , meaning "ten", and , roughly equi ...
; *Antaryamin: not directly perceptible but can be inferred, the aspect of supreme whose presence can be felt by the devotee; *Archa: visible icon form, filled with symbolism, consecrated in temples or revered images inside home (Shalagrama, conch shell, festive decorations), a means to remember and meditate on the supreme.


Influence

The Vyuha-related Pancharatra theology is a source of the primary and secondary
avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
-related doctrines in traditions of
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
, particularly
Sri Vaishnavism Sri Vaishnavism () is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism, predominantly practiced in South India. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vi ...
. According to Barbara Holdrege, a professor and comparative historian of religions, the Pancharatra doctrines influenced both Sri Vaishnavism and
Gaudiya Vaishnavism Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnavism, Vaishnava Hindu denominations, Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region o ...
, albeit a bit different. In Sri Vaishnavism, Vishnu-Narayana is supreme, while
Vāsudeva Vāsudeva (; ), later incorporated as Vāsudeva-Krishna (, "Krishna, son of Vasudeva Anakadundubhi, Vasudeva"),"While the earliest piece of evidence do not yet use the name Krsna...." in At the time of the Heliodorus pillar dedication to Vāsu ...
, Samkarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are the four Vyuhas. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, the Vyuha theory is more complex, Krishna (Vāsudeva) is "Svayam Bhagavan" (the ultimate or Para Brahman) who manifests as Vyuhas, and he along with Samkarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are the Vyuhas and the Purusha-avataras of the material realm.


Practices

The Pancharatra tradition taught the ''Panchakala'' or five observances practiced every day: # ''Abhigamna'' or ablutions and morning prayers to god. # ''Upadana'' or collecting worship materials. # ''Ijya'' or worship with offerings. # '' Svadhyaya'' or daily study. # ''
Yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
'' and
meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...
. The significance of divine manifestation theology in Pancaratra tradition is it believes that an understanding of the process by which Vishnu-Narayana emerged into empirical reality and human beings, can lead one to reverse the process. Through practicing the reversal and moving from the empirical to ever more abstract, according to Pancaratra, human beings can access immanent Vāsudeva-Krishna and thereby achieve salvific liberation (
moksha ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...
).


Temples

The Vaishnava temples and arts since the
Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire during the classical period of the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century to mid 6th century CE. At its zenith, the dynasty ruled over an empire that spanned much of the northern Indian ...
, states Doris Srinivasan, attempted to present the Pancaratra ideas. In this system, states Srinivasan, "
Vāsudeva Vāsudeva (; ), later incorporated as Vāsudeva-Krishna (, "Krishna, son of Vasudeva Anakadundubhi, Vasudeva"),"While the earliest piece of evidence do not yet use the name Krsna...." in At the time of the Heliodorus pillar dedication to Vāsu ...
, literally, "the indwelling deity," is the first emanation and the fountainhead of the successive emanations, which may be represented either anthropomorphically or theriomorphically in Hindu art". As one circumambulates the ancient and medieval Vaishnava cave temples, the devotee walks past from the icon representing Vāsudeva (most abstract) and then the successive '' Vyuhas'' (literally, "orderly arrangement").


Pancharatra Texts

The Bhaktisūtras of Shandilya were one of the earliest systematic treatises on the Pancaratra doctrine. The Pancaratra literature constitutes the Āgama texts of Vaishnavism. Like the Shaivism counterpart, it not only presents the theology, but describes the details, symbolism and procedures of Vaishnava temples building and rituals. According to the Pancharatra tradition, there are 108 '' samhitas'', but its texts list over 200 ''samhitas''. Many Pancaratra texts have been lost. Some surviving Pancaratra texts, with their general focus, are: *''Sasvata Samhita'': treatise on divine manifestations (''vyuhas''), forty six incarnations of Vishnu, and worship methodology *''Ahirbudhnya Samhita'': discusses philosophy, vyuha theory, alphabet and rituals *''Hayashirsha Samhita'': rituals and deities *''Padma Samhita'': Panchakala practices for the devotee, festivals and mantras *''Paushkara Samhita'': iconography and worship, believed to be a gem along with ''Satvata Samhita'' *''Maha Sanatkumara Samhita'': a large text on religious practice *''Isvara Samhita'': meditation, worship and rituals. *''Valmiki Samhita:'' Vishishtadvaita, important in the worship of Rama and Sita.


List of agamas

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 are Pancharatra Agama and Vaikhanasa Agama and they conclude Brahman as Narayana or
Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
. The
Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...
subscribes to the Pancharatra philosophy in its Narayaniya section. Author Vishnulok Bihari Srivastava says, "Pancharatra has been discussed in the Narayanopakhyana section of
Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...
. It has been mentioned that Narada had imbibed the essence of this tantra from Sage Narayana. It has been accepted as part of Veda named Ekayana. As many as 215 Pancharatra Samhitas have been mentioned in Kapinjala Samhita". Given is a list of Saṃhitās based on the list of published and unpublished, complete and incomplete Saṃhitās from the catalogue prepared by Sadhu Parampurushdas and Sadhu Shrutiprakashdas: *Agastya-saṃhitā *Anantākhya-saṃhitā *Aniruddha-saṃhitā *Ahirbudhnya-saṃhitā *Ānanda-saṃhitā *Īśvara-saṃhitā *Īśvara-saṃhitā (Nṛsiṃhakalpa) *Upendra-saṃhitā *Umā-saṃhitā *Aupagāyana-saṃhitā *Kaṇva-saṃhitā *Kapiñjala-saṃhitā *Kapila-saṃhitā *Kāśyapa-saṃhitā *Kāśyapottara-saṃhitā *Khagapraśna-saṃhitā *Khagendra-saṃhitā *Khageśvara-saṃhitā *Gajendra-saṃhitā *Garga-saṃhitā *Govinda-saṃhitā *Gautama-saṃhitā *Citraśikhaṇḍi-saṃhitā *Jayākhya-saṃhitā *Jayottara-saṃhitā *Jñānāmṛtasāra-saṃhitā *Jñānārṇava-saṃhitā *Tantratilaka-saṃhitā *Trayaśatottara-saṃhitā *Dūrvāsā-saṃhitā *Narasiṃhapādma-saṃhitā *Nalakūbara-saṃhitā *Nārada-saṃhitā *Nāradīya-saṃhitā *Nārasiṃha-saṃhitā *Nārāyaṇa-saṃhitā *Pañcapraśna-saṃhitā *Padmanābha-saṃhitā *Padmodbhava-saṃhitā *Parama-saṃhitā *Paramapuruṣa-saṃhitā *Parāśara-saṃhitā *Pādma-saṃhitā *Pādma-saṃhitā-tantram *Pārameśvara-saṃhitā *Pārameṣṭhya-saṃhitā *Pārāśarya-saṃhitā *Purāṇa-saṃhitā *Puruṣottama-saṃhitā *Pūrṇa-saṃhitā *Pauṣkara-saṃhitā *Pradyumna-saṃhitā *Prahlāda-saṃhitā *Balapauṣkara-saṃhitā *Bṛhadbrahma-saṃhitā *Bṛhaspati-mahātantram *Bodhāyana-tantram *Brahma-tantram *Brahma-saṃhitā *Bhāgavata-saṃhitā *Bhāradvāja-saṃhitā *Bhārgava-saṃhitā *Maṅkaṇa-saṃhitā *Mahākāla-pañcarātram *Mahālakṣmī-saṃhitā *Mahāsanatkumāra-saṃhitā *Māyāvaibhava-saṃhitā *Mārkaṇḍeya-saṃhitā *Māheśvara-tantram *Lakṣmī-tantram *Vālmīki-saṃhitā *Varāha-saṃhitā *Vāmana-saṃhitā *Vāyu-saṃhitā *Vāsiṣṭha-saṃhitā *Vāsudeva-saṃhitā *Viśva-saṃhitā *Viśvāmitra-saṃhitā *Viśveśvara-saṃhitā *Viṣṇu-tantram *Viṣṇu-saṃhitā *Viṣṇutattva-saṃhitā *Viṣṇutilaka-saṃhitā *Viṣṇumandira-saṃhitā *Viṣṇurahasya-saṃhitā *Viṣṇusiddhānta-saṃhitā *Viṣvaksena-saṃhitā *Vihagendra-saṃhitā *Vihageśvara-saṃhitā *Vṛddhapādma-saṃhitā *Vaihāyasī-saṃhitā *Vyāsa-saṃhitā * Śāṇḍilya-saṃhitā *Śukapraśna-saṃhitā *Śeṣa-saṃhitā *Śaunaka-saṃhitā *Śaunakīya-saṃhitā *Śrī-śāstram *Śrīkālaparā-saṃhitā *Śrīdhara-saṃhitā *Śrīpraśna-saṃhitā *Saṅkarṣaṇa-saṃhitā *Sanaka-saṃhitā *Sanat-saṃhitā *Sanatkumāra-saṃhitā *Sananda-saṃhitā *Sātyaki-tantram *Sātvata-saṃhitā *Sārasamuccaya-saṃhitā *Sāṃvarta-saṃhitā *Sudarśana-saṃhitā *Suparṇapraśna-saṃhitā *Hayagrīva-tantram *Hayaśīrṣa-saṃhitā *Haṃsapārameśvara-saṃhitā *Hiraṇyagarbha-saṃhitā *(Śrī)kālottara-saṃhitā *(Śrīman)nārāyaṇa-saṃhitā Many more Samhitas, of which only the name is known and are non-extant, are listed in the work as well. In the Ranganathaswamy Temple of Srirangam, the Paramesvara Samhita, a variant of the Paushkara Samhita, is in adherence. In the Varadaraja Perumal Temple of Kanchipuram, the Jayakhya Samhita is followed. In the Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple of Melukote, the Ishvara Samhita is followed. In the Pundarikaksha Swamy Temple of Tiruvellarai, the Padma Samhita is followed. In Tirukkudantai of Kumbakonam, Aravamudhan Sarangapani, a form of Vishnu, is worshipped with the Sriprasna Samhita. Gaudiya Vaishnavas follow the
Brahma Samhita The ''Brahma Samhita'' () is a Sanskrit '' Pancharatra'' text, composed of verses of prayer believed to have been spoken by Brahma glorifying Krishna. It is revered within Gaudiya Vaishnavism, whose 16th-century founder, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ( ...
and the Naradiya Samhita. The Sreevallabha Temple of Kerala follows the Durvasa Samhita and the Ahirbudhnya Samhita.


Notes


References


Sources

*


Further reading

*S. N. Dasgupta, A History of Indian Philosophy, vol. 3 (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1975); Sanjukta Gupta, trans., Laksmi Tantra: A Pancaratra Text. *Orientalia Rheno-Trajectina, Vol. 15 (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1972); S. Rangachar, Philosophy of Pancaratras (Mandya: Sridevi Prakashana, 1991). * 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. * 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 Päncaräträgama (vol I and II). The Adyar Library and Research Centre, Madras, India, 1986. * Matsubara, Mitsunori,
Pancaratra Samhitas and Early Vaisnava Theology
', Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi, 1994, * Matsubara, Mitsunori, ''Monotheistic Theory of the early Vaisnavas, Vyuha Theory in the Early Pancaratra'', 1990. * Matsubara, Mitsunori, ''The Formation of the Pancaratra's 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 Ägama Encyclopedia: Päncharäträgama. Volume IV, Sri Satguru Publications, Delhi, India, 2005. * Sarma, Pandit K. Ramachandra (edited). Pauñkarägama. The Adyar Library and Research Centre. Madras, India, 1995. * Siddhantashastree, Rabindra Kumar. Vaisñavism Through the Ages. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 1985. * Sutton, Nicholas, ''Religious Doctrines in the Mahabharata'', Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi 2000.


External links



Surendranath Dasgupta, 1940
The Parama Samhita (English translation)
A Pancaratra Manual, translation by Krishnaswami Aiyangar, 1940
Pancharatra Agamas
on
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
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