Source:https://ramanan50.wordpress.

com/2013/09/01/whatispancharatraofsrivaishnavism/
ThishasbeenpopularizedbySriRamanuja,PhilosopherandSocialReformerofSouthIndia(11
A.D)
VedicThoughtscontainTheologyandPhilosophy.
Ithasvariousthoughtstreams,NonDualism,Dualism,Qualifiednon
dualism.Monotheism,HenotheismandPolytheism.
ThepurportoftheVedasistoprovidetheplatformforindividualstoevolvespiritually.
Withthisinmind,theSeershavesharedtheirexperiencesandsuggestwaysofRealizingRealityor
God.
Thechoiceislefttotheindividual.
InTheBhagavadGita,LordKrishna,towardsthecloseoftheGitainformsArjuna,
Ihavetaughtyouthatwhichisthesecretamongsecrets.
Areyourdoubtsdispelled?
AreyouclearinyourMind?
NowthatyouheardMe,thinkaccordingtoyourdisposition,choosewhatisBestforyouand
follow'(Chapter18)
HinduismprescribesmanyaRoutetorealizeGod.
1.ThePathofPhysicalandSpiritualexercise,RajaYoga,
2.TheJnanaYoga,ThePathofKnowledge,
3.TheKarmaYoga,ThePathofAction,and
4.ThepathofDevotion,BhaktiYoga.
Anyofthesemaybefollowed.
Itdependsononesdispositions,Svabhava.
AllthethreeAcharyas,AdiShankara,RamanujaandMadhvacharyataketheirpremisefromthethree
Mahavakyas,
AhamBrahmaIAmBrahman,Reality.

TatTvamAsi,YouareThat.
SohamAsmiHeisThat.
InterpretationsoftheseAcharyasdiffer.WhileShankaraadvocatesNonDualism,Ramanuja,
TheQualifiedNonDualismandMadvaDualism.
IhadaninterestingdiscussionwithSriAbhinavaVidyatirthaSwamijiofSriSringeriMutt,whois
myGuru,about40yearsback.
IaskedhimthatifTheVedaistheUltimateAuthority,andifallthethreeAcharyashavetakenthe
samethreeMahavakyastofoundtheirsystems,whythereisadifferenceintheirconclusions?
Hereplied,
AcharyasknowthatthedispositionsoftheIndividualsvary.
YouwillbeabletofollowthingsthatsuitsyourNature.AndastheVedassaytheTruthisOne,butit
isspokenofasMany
(EkamSatViprabahudhavadanti)
ThereforetheAcharyashaveprovideddifferentapproachestoreachGod.
Onemayfollowanyofthese.
ThereisnoquestionofwhatisRightandWhatisWrong.
Thatislefttoreason,whichisuselessinSpiritualDevelopment.
Youfollowwhatsuitsyouanddonotbother.
YouareheretorealizeBrahman,nottoproveOneisRightandanotheriswrong
Ofthesethreeapproaches,VaishnavismplacesimportanceonTheBhaktiYoga.ThePathof
Devotion.
ThepathofdevotionisthetotalsurrendertoGod.
RamanujasystematizedtheBhaktiYogaandpopularisedthePancharatrasystem.
WhatisPancharatra?
PcartraareVaishnavaSanskritAgamictexts.[1]Literallymeaningfivenights(paca:five,rtra:
nights),[2]thetermPancharatrahasbeenvariouslyinterpreted.[3]Thetermhasalsobeenattributedto
theShatapathaBrahmana12.6whereinNarayanaperformedasacrificeforfivenightsandbecamea
transcendentandimmanentbeing.[2][4]ThePancharatraAgamasconstitutethemostimportanttextsof

theSrivaishnavaSampradayaofRamanuja.[4]ThePancharatraAgamasarecomposedofmorethan
200texts;[3]withvarioussuggestedtimeperiodsofcomposition;includingthe3 rdcenturyBC,[5]anda
periodbetween600ADto850AD.[3]

TheRealityisbothwithanddevoidofAttributes.NirgunaBrahmanandSagunaBrahman
TorealizetheNirgunaBrahman,onehastogothroughtheSagunaAradhana.
ThisSagunaAradhanaissystematisedfortheVaishnavitesinthePancharatra.
ThisispracticedbytheThengaliyarSectinSouthIndia.
WhiletotalsurrendertoGodisenoughfortheThengalaiTraditions,theVadagalaitraditionsstate
thatEffortforRealization(throughHisGrace,intheformofGuru)isalsoessential
NowontoPancharatra.
PurushaistheCosmicBeingandthePurushaSookthamdescribestheEvolutionoftheUniverse.
TheNarayanaSooktamisaboutNarayana,theManifestationofthePurusha.
VishnuSooktamisaboutthemanifestationofVishnu,inhisincarnation,whichchangesinevery
Aeon,astheProtector.(Vishnuisfromtheword,Jishnu,theonewhosupports)
InthePancharatra,Vasudeva(TheDwadasanamaofLordNarayana),
Vasudeva,characterizedbythesixgunas,issometimescalledthefirstVyuha.FromVasudeva
emanatesSankarshanainwhomjnanaandbalaalonegetmanifested.FromSankarshana
comesPradyumnatowhombelongaishvaryaandvirya.FromPradyumnaemanatesAniruddhato
whomshaktiandtejasappertain.
Aswehaveseen,thePancharatrathinkerswereverymuchparticularinsafeguardingandpreserving
thepurityandunchangednatureofthetranscendentSupremeBeing.Fromthatpointofview,the
chiefmerit,andhenceitsprimarysignificance,isthatitissuchaprocessofemanationinwhichthe
SupremeBeingremainsunaffectedandunchangedinallthefivefoldmanifestations.
ThisaspectisthatoftheAparaVasudeva,creatingandsimplifyingthingsfortheDevotees.
AvataraManifestation
Closelyconnectedwiththedoctrineofvyuhas,isthenextmanifestationofGod,namedasvibhava
(manifestation)oravatar(descent).TheonlysupremebeingthePancharatraphilosophersknewabout
wastheTranscendentOne,whowasnotinanywaydirectlyrelatedtotheworld.Therefore,
theSamhitasexplicitlydescribetheavatarasaseitherallspringingfromAniruddha,orsomefrom
Vasudevaandtherestfromtheotherthreevyuhas.Oneshouldnotbemistakenhereinassumingthat
theSupremeBeinghimselftakesavatara.Thisisapuranicconception.ThePancharatraSamhitas
nowheremaintainthattheSupremeBeing,layingasideitstranscendent,unmovingnatureassumes

thesefiniteforms.Thisisimpermissiblebythepremisesofthesystem.TheSupremeBeingismerely
aspectatorwithanattitudeofpassivityandindifference.Itcherishesnoattachmenttothemundane
world,anditisbeyonditsnaturetodoso.
AntaryaminManifestation
ThefourthmanifestationistheAntaryaminavatara,whichisAniruddhaastheInnerRulerofall
souls.Itisamysteriouspowerseatedinthelotusoftheheart.Hereagainitshouldbenotedthatthis
isnotamanifestationoftheSupremeBeing,butonlyofAniruddha,oneofthevyuhas.
ThisapproachdoesnotreallyaltertheessentialsoftheVedasortheAttributesoftheReality.
Lookatthewordused,
VyuhaStrategy.
ThisisastrategytorealiseGodhoodorreachthefeetoftheLord.
SixAspectsofSurrender.
SurrendertogodisoneofthecoreteachingsofPancharatra.Thesixaspectsareexplainedbelowin
brief:
i)AtmanikshepaornyAsaplacingoneselfcompletelyanddirectlyunderGodscare.This
involvesgivingupindependentownershipinmattersofactionsorfruitsthereof.Thisinfactisthe
realSaraNAgati.Thesubsequentfivearetoberegardingasassistingthis.TheobstacletonyAsais
phalepsAorthedesireformundanebenefits,whichshouldthereforebeavoided.
ii)kArpaNyaThisreferstoabsolutehumilityborderingonlowlinessandhonestawarenessofones
ownnaturalignorance,impurityetc.,partlybecauseofstainsacquiredthroughcountlessbirths.We
allknowtheenormousfeelingofkArpaNyathatourAzhvArshaveexpressedthroughtheir
compositions.Thisleadstoriddingthearrogancethatonemayhavebecauseofparentage,learning,
wealth,etc.,andtogetthesensethatwithouttheaidofGodhead,whateverweundertakeonourown
isboundtofail.TheenemyforkArpaNyaisthefeelingthatoneisfree,independent,andcompetentto
dowhateverhelikes(svasvAtantryAvabodha).
iii)mahAviSvAsairrepressibleandgreatfaithinGodhead.InvolvestheunderstandingthatGodis
thebenefactorofallbeings,andHiscompassionisalwaysandreadilyavailable.Thefirmconviction
thatHewillnotfailtoprotectusisviSvAsa.Thisbyitselfiscapableoferadicatingallsins.
iv)goptRThedeliberatechoiceofbhagavAnSrImannArAyaNaasthesoleProtector.Evenwhenit
isgrantedthatanywayHeisthesoleprotector,lakshmItantrapointsoutthatwhatisinvolvedinthis
angaistheconsciousandmindfulselectionofHim,theacknowledgmentthatweneedprotection,
andthatHeandonlyHecanprotectus.
v)prAtikUlyavivarjanagivingupwhateverisantagonistictoanyofHiscreationsortoHim.A
devoteemustrealizethatallbeingsarelikehimself.

vi)AnukUlyaniScayaTheresolvetodogoodtoallbeings.Therealizationthatallbeingsarein
actualitythebodyofGod,andtheresolvetoliveinaccordancewiththewillofGod.Ahirbudhnya
samhitAgivesabeautifulillustrationofSaraNAgatiusingapassengerwhowantstocrossariverina
boat.Itisthepassengersresponsibilitytogoandsitintheboat,andthatistheendofhis
responsibility;thejoborrowingtheboatisnothis,butthatoftheboatman(inthiscaseGodHimself).
SixaspectsofsurrenderaredescribedinmanyPancarAtrasamhitassuchasAhirbudhnyaSamhita,
LakshmiTantraetc.,thoughttheorderofimportancemayvary.LakshmiTantragivethefollowing:
AnukUlyasyasamkalpahprAtikUlyasyavarjanam|
rakshishyatItiviSvAsogoptRtvavaraNamtathA||
AtmAnikshepakArpaNyeshadvidhASaraNagatih||(LakshmiTantra17,5961)

ThustheorderofthelimbsgiveninLakshmiTantrais:AnuklyaSamkalpam,Prtiklya
Varjanam,MahVivsam,GopttvaVaraNam,AtmaNikshepam,andkArpaNyam.InAhribudhnya
Samhit,theordergivenis:AtmaNikshepamorNysam,KrpaNyam,MahVivsam,Gopttvam,
PrtiklyaVarjanam,andAnuklyaSampakpam.SvmiDeikanhasaddressedtheseconfusionsin
hisNysaVimSati(Slokam12),andconcludesthatthosewhoknowPrapattiSstrawellagreethat
therearefiveangastoPrapatti,andthedifferentpositionstakeninrespectofthenumberand
sequenceofimportanceetc.oftheaspectsofPrapattireallysaythesamethingintheend(sarvavkya
ekakaNThyam).
AtmaNikshepamornysamisconsideredthemainingredientofPrapattitheconvictionthatones
owneffortinattainingHimwillnotbearfruit,andplacingoneselfdirectlyunderHiscareandgiving
upownershipofonesownprotectionorthebenefitsfromanyactionstoHim.Theotherfivearethen
thelimbsforNysa,thatareofequalimportanceasconveyedtousbySvmiDeikan.Thus,for
performingsurrenderorAtmaNikshepaorNysam,oneneedsabsolutehumility(KrpaNyam),
AnuklyaSamkaplam,PrtiklyaVarjanam,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancharatra