Essay name: Diksha (initiation) in Pancharatra
Author:
Shanta Srinivasan
Affiliation: University of Madras / Department of Sanskrit
This English essay studies Diksha in Pancharatra with reference to important texts. Diksha refers to initiation ceremonies into a particular esoteric tradition which is given, for example, by the teacher (Guru) to the student (Shishya). Pancharatra refers to an ancient school of Vaishnavism based on ancient Tantra-like texts called Agamas which were commonly written in Sanskrit verse.
Chapter 1 - Introduction
22 (of 57)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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upaniṣad and that the ekayanaveda was the source of this Āgama, while the Ṛgveda and others are only its branches. This shows that the Pāñcarātra was considered as an upanisad of the ekāyanaveda. Viṣṇu is thus the ‘vaktā' of this veda and therefore of Pañcarātra too. Therefore, there is no antagonism between the Vedas and Pāñcarātra. The Vedas do not conceive a deity to possess a physical body and treat it to have only the mantra as its body. As against this the Agamas hold that God, though formless, yet assumes a form to please the devotees. The objection to admitting God as having a body therefore does not stand. Initiation (dīksā) is enjoined in the Pañcarātra Agama for a person who seeks to conduct worship to the deity. The objection here is that a dvija (twice born) has the first dīkṣā when he is born. and the second one when he gets upanayana performed to him'. 22
