SrI UpakAra Sangraham Part - 31

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srI:

SrI upakAra sangraham – 31

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adikAram – 1

poorva upakAra paramparai

(The Foremost Series of Favours)

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SECTION – 5 (3) [continued]

(27 Favours of the Lord leading to the means for

MOKSHAM)

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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,

© 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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