1.4. Expiatory Rites in Viṣṇusaṃhitā

Viṣṇusaṃhitā, composed between 11^th and 14^th century CE,^[1] is another important Tantric work of Kerala authored by Sumati, a Brahmin scholar.^[2] This text is divided in to 30 chapters (Paṭalas) and the expiatory rites are elucidated in the 25^th chapter. Prayogamañjarī focused only on the Śaiva worship and Śaiva temple rituals, similarly Viṣṇu-saṃhitā focused only on Viṣṇu worship and temple rituals related to Tantric Vaiṣṇavism. Viṣṇu-saṃhitā also considered temple and its parts as the body of Viṣṇu.^[3]

The entry into the sanctum sanctorum or worship done by the un-initiated persons, untouchables, thief, Vrātyas, Pāṣaṇḍiṃs, Devalas etc., omission of worship, falling down or breaking down of idol, perspiration, appearance of laughing and crying of an idol, presence of blood, lymph, tear, termite soil and worms in sanctum sanctorum and other temple parts, occurrence of quarrel, birth and death in temple premises, entering of dog, worship of heretics and use of heretic Mantras, are the major causes leading to expiation.^[4]

The above described incidents cause for the impurity of temples.

Viṣṇu-saṃhitā suggest seven kinds of purification (Sthānaśudhi) for averting these impurities. They are:

1. Khanana (digging),
2. Haraṇa (removal of the soil),
3. Dahana (burning with fire),
4. Pūraṇa (filling with new soil),
5. Gonivāsana (stalling of cows and feeding them),
6. Viprocchiṣṭa (left-over of Brahmins’ food) and
7. Gavya (sprinkling with the five-fold products of cow).^[5]

In this expiation, the feet of Brahmins are washed with water and this water is sprinkled in the affected areas. Another expiatory action prescribed in Viṣṇu-saṃhitā is giving Pāyasa to a Vaiṣṇava Brahmin. After giving the Pāyasa, the left over’s (Ucchiṣṭa) are strewn in the polluted area.^[6]

In addition to these another seven types of purificatory expiations for the idol (Biṃbaśudhi) are elucidated in this text. They are:

1. Kṣālana (washing),
2. Plāvana (flooding),
3. Snāna (bathing),
4. Mārjana (brushing),
5. Dhārā (streaming),
6. Avagāha (immersion) and
7. Abhiṣeka (anointment).^[7]

Viṣṇu-saṃhitā recommended various Mantras to be used for expiations, such as:

1. Pañcopaniṣadmantra,^[8]
2. Puruṣasūkta,
3. Pavamāna,
4. Vālakhilyamantras,
5. Aṣṭākṣaramantra,
6. Nārāyaṇasūkta,
7. Śrīsūkta,
8. Rakṣoghnamantra etc.

For the removal of impurity of the temple compound and sanctum sanctorum, Viṣṇu-saṃhitā recommended several rituals like:

1. Rakṣoghnahoma,
2. Śāntihoma,
3. Kalaśa,
4. Avagāhana,
5. Snapana,
6. feeding and ritual gifts to a Brahmin,
7. Pañcaka,
8. Puṇyāha and
9. Bali.

The 28^th chapter of Viṣṇu-saṃhitā describes the causes of impurities to be affected the idol or temple premises. It considers the physical contact of the idol with low grade Brahmins, Śūdras, thieves, sculptures of seven classes, outcastes, kings, Vaiśyas, Śvapāka, ladies etc. is the main cause leading to expiation.

In this occasion Viṣṇu-saṃhitā also elucidates the remedies for the ritual lapses. They are:

1. sprinkling of water,
2. feeding of the Brahmin,
3. Snapana,
4. Homa,
5. various ritual gifts such as gold, cow etc.,
6. Kalaśa,
7. sprinkling of Pañcagavaya,
8. recitation of Pañcopaniṣadmantra,
9. Viṣṇusūkta,
10. Aṣṭākṣara,
11. Dvādaśākṣāra and
12. Vyāhṛti.

It is an interesting fact that this ritual manual points out the significance of the Pavitrotsava. The earliest Pāñcarāta manuals viz., Pādmasaṃhitā and Jayākyasaṃhitā alludes that the Pavitrotsava is a yearly expiatory ritual for pacifying every mistake that happens in the temple rituals.^[9] Ute Husken remarks: “the Pavitrotsva is performed in order to pacify any deficiency in the Mantras and so on, in order to pacify lapses in (Mantra) recitation, fire sacrifices and ritual actions….. and in order to complete what is deficient because of too less or too much, or to make good for the evil consequences of incomplete practice or because of the deficiencies in the rites in Mantra recitation, in worship and so on.”^[10]

According to Ute, the South Indian Vaiṣṇava temples obviously perform the Pavitrotsava as yearly expiatory ritual for averting any mistake that happens in the ritual procedure of temples. Moreover this ritual is mainly performed for the pacification of the lapses or excess or mistakes occurring in the previous ritual year intentionally or unintentionally.^[11] Viṣṇu-saṃhitā also have described the detailed ritual performance of Pavitrotsava in the same way.^[12] The present day ritual scenario of Kerala Viṣṇu temples does not follow the ritual procedures of Pavitrotsava.^[13]

Viṣṇu-saṃhitā gives emphasis only to the Viṣṇu. This text strictly prohibited the entry of Vrātyas and Devalas in to the temple, because the Vrātyas are the devotees of Śiva. It is observed that the Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava conflicts are not much evident in Kerala.^[14] But, the words of Viṣṇu-saṃhitā clearly show that the Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava enmity has existed here. The prominence of Brahmanical priest hood is also seen in Viṣṇu-saṃhitā This text gives importance only to the Vaiṣṇava Brahmins.^[15]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

For a discussion of the date of the text, vide Marzenna Czerniak-Drozdzowics, "Viṣṇusaṃhitā’s Five-Fold Classifications and Explanation of the Name Pāñcarātra”, Cracow Indological Studies, Vol. VIII, 2006, p. 131. Also see Tantra Literature of Kerala, pp. 37-38.

[2]:

sumatirnāma vaido'hamṛṣiridhmavataḥ sutaḥ |
yāṣṭottaraśatādhyāyā mahatī viṣṇusaṃhitā || Viṣṇu-saṃhitā, 1.8.

[3]:

prāsādagarbhapīṭhārcāḥ śarīratvena śārṅgiṇaḥ || Viṣṇu-saṃhitā, 25.3.

[4]:

Viṣṇu-saṃhitā, 25.3-14, 25.20.

[5]:

khananaṃ haraṇaṃ dāhaḥ pūraṇaṃ gonivāsanam ||
viprocchiṣṭaṃ ca gavyaṃ ca saptaitāḥ sthanaśuddhayaḥ | Viṣṇu-saṃhitā, 25.16-17.

[6]:

sumṛdbhiḥ khātamāpūrya hastipādaistu yājñikaiḥ |
gomūtrasiktamākoṭya viprapādodakaistathā ||
gāṃ nivāsyāśayed viprān pāyasaṃ vaiṣṇavān bahūn |
taducchiṣṭe hṛte siñced gavyaiśca vikīraiḥ kiret || Viṣṇu-saṃhitā, 25.19-20.

[7]:

kṣālanaplāvanasnānamārjanāni yathākramam |
dhārāvagāhanaṃ paścādabhiṣeko'tra saptamaḥ || Viṣṇu-saṃhitā, 25.21-22.

[8]:

For the details of Pañcopaniṣadmantra see Paramasaṃhitā, 2.30 and Īśvara-saṃhitā, ch.19.

[9]:

mantralopādiśāntyartham Pādmasaṃhitā, Caryāpāda, 14.34.
japahomakriyālopaśāntaye Jayākhyasaṃhitā, 21.6-7.
kriyājapārcanādīnāṃ luptānāṃ sādhakasya ca |
pavitrāropaṇād vipra ṛte nānyā bhavedgatiḥ || Jayākhyasaṃhitā, 21.3-4.

[10]:

Cf. Husken, Ute, “Pavitrotsava: Rectifying Ritual Lapses”, p. 2. Vide https:// www.academia.edu/6191892/Pavitrotsava_On_Rectifying_Ritual_Mistakes.

[11]:

Ibid.

[12]:

Ritual details of Pavitrotsava, See Viṣṇusaṃhitā:
tasya sāṃvatsarī pūjā niṣphalā kathitā budhaiḥ |
tasmāt kartavyamabde'bde pavitrārohaṇaṃ hareḥ ||
śrāvaṇasya site pakṣe dvādaśyāṃ tu yathāvidhi |
kanyayā kartitaṃ sūtraṃ kārpāsaṃ padmajaṃ tu vā |
kṣaumasūtraṃ tu vā kuryādalābhe darbhasambhavam ||
nopayuktaṃ kriyāyāṃ syādanyabhaktādidūṣitam |
triguṇena tu kartavyaṃ hīnamadhyottam tridhā ||
......................................... ||
gandhapuṣpaiḥ samabhyarcya nyased devāgrato niśi ||
tatvajñānaparaiḥ kāryaṃ pavitrārohaṇaṃ hareḥ |
ekādaśyāṃ tadabhyarcya mūlamantreṇa bhaktimān ||
.........................................
yāvanto granthayaścoktāstattvaistairanumantrayet |
sāṃvatsarīṃ śubhāṃ pūjāṃ saṃpādya vidhivanmama || Viṣṇu-saṃhitā, 28.70-93.

[13]:

The present day ritual scenario of Kerala mostly used the Tantrasamuccaya style of ritual. Tantrasamuccaya does not recommend this type of Utsavas. It is observed that the Tiruvalla (Vallabha) temple and Padmanābha Swamy Temple at Tiruvanantapuram follow a special type of Pāñcarātra method of rituals and annual rites.

[14]:

Indications of harmony and conflicts between Śaiva and Vaiṣṇavas were seen in Kerala Tantric ritual manuals. S.A.S Sarma evidently described this issue thus: “It is in later literature, such as the Īśānaśivagurudevapaddhati, that we find reflected the syncretistic tradition now commonly dubbed “Kerala Tantra”. The Īśānaśivagurudevapaddhati, although it refers to itself as work of the Śaivasiddhānta, it deals primarily with Śaiva system and describes Śaiva initiation in detail, nevertheless it also describes Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava deities, such as Gaṇeṣa, Durgā, Kṣetrapāla, Caṇḍeśvara, Indra, Narasiṃha, Varāha, Sudarśana, Vāmana etc. The text also introduced the deity Śaṅkaranārāyaṇa, which is a form that represents both Śiva and Viṣṇu. The Tantrasamuccaya, which is later in date than the Īśānaśivagurudevapaddhati, is a ritual manual widely used in Kerala for temple rituals and deals with seven deities viz. Viṣṇu, Śiva, Śaṅkaranārāyaṇa, Durgā, Subramaṇyā, Gaṇapati and Śāsta. This text is an important example of the harmonious synthesis of the Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava liturgical systems. ….. The Śeṣasamuccaya in particular further described in detail rituals related to Śākta and other systems, such as those focused on the worship of other gods, such as Brahma, Sūryā, Vaiśravaṇa, Vīrabhadra, Saptamātṛ, Kṣetrapāla, Rurujit etc…”, Sarma, SAS, “Harmony and Conflicts between the Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava Systems -The South Indian Scenario”, Darśanasudhā, ed. Sundareswaran, N.K., Publication Division, University of Calicut, p. 105.

[15]:

viprān pāyasaṃ vaiṣṇāvānbahūn | Viṣṇu-saṃhitā, 25.20;
śatahomo'ṣṭakenātha vaiṣṇavānāṃ tu bhojanam || Viṣṇu-saṃhitā, 25.83.