VAISHANAVA

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http://www.salagram.net/sstp-TempleGoersGuide.html#PanchaSamskaraIskcon

he Guru just gives a talk on the basis of Vaishnava Sadachara - the

four regulative principles of freedom - the ten offences to be

avoided - and declares his mission to serve his Guru…

Pancha Samskara Pancharatrik Diksha is anchored in five life altering

factors: One receives during the time of SamAsrayaNam the following

five samskArams: (1) Taapa SamskAram: being imprinted with the divine

disc and conch of Sriman NaarAyaNa on the shoulders (2) PuNDra

SamskAram: Inititation into the adorning of the twelve Urdhva

PuNDrams (ThirumaNN and SrI ChoorNam) on the designated sections of

the upper torso with mantrams to wear them (3) Receiving dAsa nAmam

from the AchAryan (your name is….Raama Daasan) (4) UpadEsams on

Manthra Thrayams (AshtAksharam, Dhvyam and Charama slOkam) and

(5)Yaagam / IjyA: instructions on how to perform Bhagavad AarAdhanam

(seva pujan) daily. It is pancha samskAram that marks the beginning

of one's life as a SrI VaishNavan. The beginning of one's true life

is linked to the acceptance of Pancha SamskAram. tapah pundram tatha

nama, mantro yagas cha panchamah ami hi pancha samskarah,

paramaikanti hetavah (1) Austerity, (2) wearing the marks of Vishnu

on one's body, such as 'tilak', or heat seals 'taptah-mudras' to

identify the body as a temple of the Lord, (3) accepting a new name

at the time of initiation, (4) chanting the glorification of the Lord

in the form of the Lord's Holy name, the prescribed scripture, and the

Deity (5) engaging in the performance of the 'Yuga dharma' or supreme

sacrifice, and undergoing training to render service to the Deity and

the devotees – the mission of the Guru’s sampradaya. All of the five

are interlinked; (1) Austerity, is considered the wealth of

brahminical culture, gained through spiritual re-education and

self-discipline – Simple Living and High Thinking. Austerity is also

symbolised by our marking the body with the symbols of the Lord –

Shank and Chakras. In different sampradayas there are variations of

the applications of this. In the Sri sampradaya this austerity is

done by the acceptance of branding with irons on the right (disc –

Chakra) and left (conch – Shank) shoulders, in the Brahma-Madhwa line

it is similarly done using “heat mudra” irons made of silver, but the

placement is on different parts of the upper body and temples too. In

the Gaudiya line the same symbols are marked on the body daily with

tilak or gopichand (this is mentioned in Chaitanya Charitamria

Madhya-lila 1:35., in relation to reformatory method of samskaras,

and heat mudras as mentioned in the Hari Bhakti Vilas 4th Vilas). (2)

pundram syad urdhva pundram tal chastre bahu vidham smrtam hari

mandiram tat pada krityadyati subhanaham 'Pundram' here means marking

the body with sacred clay from such holy places as Dwaraka, Prayag,

the banks of the Ganges, Yamuna, Godavari, Pampa (Tungabhadra),

Kaveri or from the soil from the sacred Tulasi plant, or from a place

where the earth was dug with the tusks of a wild boar – using that

earth. By marking the body with 'Vaishnava tilak' or 'urdhva pundra'

or the forms of the Lord's feet and weapons, such marks, worn out of

humility, recognize that one's body is the temple of Lord Vishnu,

that this body is the Lords' property and not otherwise. (3) Dasya

naama - from this day on the disciple is known under the new name

giving him/her the humble position as servant of Krishna. The

acceptance of a new name here specifically indicates severing of

ones' previous ideas and materialistic misconceptions. Sankha

chakraady urdhva pundra dhaaranaady aatma lakshanam tan naama karanam

chaiva vaishnavatam ihochyate "After initiation, the disciple's name

must be changed to indicate that he is a servant of Lord Vishnu. The

disciple should also immediately begin marking his body with tilaka,

especially his forehead. These are spiritual marks, symptoms of a

perfect Vaishnava". (Padma Purana, uttara khanda) - as quoted in the

purport of ch.1 verse 208, Madhya lila, Sri Chaitanya Charitamrta

Formerly dasyanama diksha was given by placement of a mandala on a

vedi on the ground, each section of that mandala corresponding to

different letters (ka, kha, ga gha, etc). The Acharya then gives a

name Divinely inspired according to where a flower lands that is

ceremonially thrown into the mandala by the guru for the disciple

(there are variations of this too). Other systems applied the names

to the disciple according to the Janma nakshatra padas as mentioned

in shastra like Sat Kriya Sara Dipika, again Divinely inspired.

Others again Divinely inspired to do so, chose a name for the

disciple according to their nature, while others take the first name

of the initiate and understanding that in his/her purva-ashram the

parents gave the name by the Lord’s grace, and now is the time to

purify that name giving. Of course those who were brought up in the

Vedik culture being given nama-karanam samskara and a suitable

Krishna conscious name still change their name symbolic of their

change of status in life – under father’s care, under guru’s care.

(4) Upadeshyam - Mantra diksha - the fourth samskara is that one

accepts the purified mantras of the guru parampara, which one now is

part of and represents. This consists of the maha mantra being

formally given to the disciple along with the Gayatri mantras

(according to the disciple’s development and capacity for chanting or

using them). namatra gaditam sadbhir hari bhrit-yatva bodhakam mantro

'stadasa-varnadih swesta deva vapur matah As mentioned the word

'nama' means name, the change of name is external to help the

internal change of heart to take place. The two support each other,

as one submits oneself to change one's heart one must change one's

name indicating that he is a servant of the Lord. All of the limbs of

the panch samskara system reinforce each others’ resolve for

detachment from the material world and attachment to Krishna. (5)

Yaagam / IjyA - The final samskara, Moreover this fifth limb is

that by which the disciple submits themselves to training in the

developmental culture of Krishna consciousness to serve the Lord

according to one’s potential: salagramadi pujan yaga sabdena kathyate

pramanany eshu drishyani duranadishu sadhubhih By the world 'yaga',

the worship of the 'Saligram Sila' and other Deity forms of the

Personality of Godhead are described, glorified and sung about in

great joy in the association of like minded sadhus – devotees as

indicated by the fifth samskara of samashrayanam (panch samskaras).

One does this by agreeing to accept one’s new life, a second birth,

and therefore symbolically prostrates oneself at the feet of Sri Guru

the representative of Lord Vishnu. Re-education into spiritual

life-style reflects that of the symbol of self-surrender, upholds the

first and the rest through the austerity of self-discipline. Such self

discipline is sometimes referred to as the four regulative principles

of freedom, for it frees us from material contamination as a doctor

who is properly immunized can treat his patients. From this day on

the disciple will accept formal vows (yam niyam – does and don’ts) to

refrain from activities that create or enforce the materialistic

bodily concept of life, that I’m the enjoyer, proprietor, etc, of

this world. (The principles and what they uphold - No illicit sexual

activity – cleanliness, No meat eating – mercy; No intoxication –

austerity; No gambling – time wasting and speculation) The acceptance

of vows, which, by following strictly gives assistance to help

immunize one from the influence of the material nature. So in this

way, taking the system from references throughout the Puranas and

other Vedik literatures, our Purva-acharyas (previous acharyas)

performed the 'Vaishnava agama' of spiritual initiation for their

disciples based on the Pancharatriki system. Having understood its

purpose and function the disciples can now be properly initiated:

Process: Disciples should be appropriately dressed with dhoti or sari

according to gender. Men bare chested with an upper cloth – chaddar or

anga vaastra. Men may also shave heads if practical, although not

absolutely mandatory. New neck-beads and japa mala for first

initiates. A garland for each candidate, first offered at the feet of

the Deity. Guru calls each disciple close - disciples approach Sri

Guru, and offer obeisances Satanga pranams audibly; for women (7

things touching ground - head, 2 hands, 2 knees, 2 feet), men offer

full dandavats. Dakshina is now given to the guru. Guru asks if

candidates will promise before the fire, the Deity and the Vaishnavas

to follow the principles of Krishna consciousness; No meat eating, No

illicit sexual connection, No intoxication, and No gambling. And to

also chant a minimum of 16 rounds on their japa mala daily.