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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00241 Dec 2007

 
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-------------- 
srI:
SrI  upakAra  sangraham â?? 31
--- 
adikAram â?? 1
poorva upakAra paramparai
(The Foremost Series of Favours) 
---   
SECTION â?? 5 (3) [continued]
(27 Favours of the Lord leading to the means for
MOKSHAM)  
-----  
        Among the Scriptures which the Lord Himself
originated, stands prominently the PAncarAtra 
literature.  The Lord, SrIman nArAyaNa, revealed the
PAncarAtra shAstra to Narada, ShANdilya and other
maharishis through Sanaka and other great ones
residing in ShvetadvIpa, "The White Island". To this
effect references are occurring in
ChAndogya-upanishad, Shatapatha-brAhmana, the rAmAyaNa
and the MahAbhArata, which point to the great
antiquity of this ShAstra. 

        Another important Agama literature is Vaikhanasa, the
origin of which is attributed to Vikhanas or BrahmA
himself who revealed it through his four disciples,
atri, marIci, kAshyapa and bhrugu. Each of them wrote
a samhita of his own. SwAmi Desikan has written a work
about the VaikhAnasa Agama also, entitled
Sajjanavaibhava. 
        
        Both the PAncarAtra and VaikhAnasa Agamas emphasize
worship on Vedic and tAntric forms.

        In the ChAndogya-upanishad, the PAncarAtra is
referred to in VII-1.
        
        "Oh! SanatkumAra, I have learnt the Rgveda,
Yajurveda, SAmaveda, Atharvana, �� EkAyana." 
(VII.I.). 
             Here, the term 'EkAyana' is taken to mean
PAncarAtra. 

        In the Satapatha-brAhmana, (XIII.6.1.1), there is a
direct reference to the PAncarAtra:- 

"sa Etam purushamedham pAncarAtram
yaj~nakratumapashyat "

        In the rAmAyaNa, uttarakANda, Sarga 7, Verse 16, also
refers to PancarAtra directly:-  

"purANaiscaiva vedaisca pAncarAtraistathaiva ca I
dhyAtanti yoginO nityam kratubhisca yajanti tam II"

        In the MahAbhArata, SAntiparvan, Chapter 359, Verse
1, there is a direct reference to the Scripture:-
sAnkyam yOgam pAncarAtram vEdAraNyakamEva ca /
jn~nAnyEtAni brahmarshE lOkEshu pracaranti ha // 

        As referred to above, the PAncarAtra is not only of
Vedic origin, but also called the EkAyana Veda, i.e.,
a Veda where the Deity is said to be the only shelter
for devotees.

        The PAncarAtra deals with the following subjects:-

(a)     philosophical theory,
(b)     meditation,
(c)     Temple architecture and iconography, and etc.

The MahAbhArata describes PAncarAtra as Mahopnishad or
the great Upanishad, and indicates that the PancarAtra
literature was held in high esteem in ancient times.
The literature on PAncarAtra is believed to be 108
Samhitas, including Isvara Samhita, ParAsara Samhit,
PAdma Tantra, Bruhad Brahma Samhita, BhAradvAja
Samhita, LakshmI Tantra,Vishnutilaka, Shriprasna
Samhita, SAttvata Samhita and Ahirbhudhnya
Samhita,JayAkhya Samhita and Parama Samhita. 

        The PAncarAtra is also divided into three sections
characterized as sAttvika, rAjasa and tAmasa. The
SAttvata Samhita, the JayAkhya Samhita and the
Paushkara Samhita are considered the best of the 108
books. 

        Sri YAmunAcharya, has established the
authoritativeness of the PAncarAtra literarure in his
work, Agama-prAmAnya.  Later, Sri BhAshyakAra also
established it in his commentary to the Brahma-sutras,
2,2.41 and 42,  where he has quoted from the SAttvata,
Paushkara and parama-samhitAs. 

        SwAmi Desikan also has proved the authority of the
PAncarAtra in his PAncarAtra-rakshA. 

(To continue)
dAsan
Anbil S. SrInivAsan
------ 


 
 
    



 


      
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