Expiatory Rites in Keralite Tantra

by T. S. Syamkumar | 2017 | 59,416 words

This page relates ‘Expiatory Rites in Matrisadbhava’ of the study on Expiatory Rites in Sanskrit literature and ancient Indian religion and society, with special reference to Keralite Tantra. Further references to texts include those found in Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism as well as Dharmashastra literature. This study also investigates temple records and inscriptions of Kerala in order to demonstrate the connection between social life and expiatory rites and its evolution.

1.5. Expiatory Rites in Mātṛsadbhāva

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Mātṛsadbhāva^[1] is an essential Tantric treatise of Kerala which mostly deals with goddess centered (Śakti oriented) worship. The ritual system of Rurujit is an extensive example for this Śākta ritualism. Śaṅkara, the commentator of Śeṣasamuccaya considerably referred this text.^[2] Several similarities are seen between Mātṛsadbhāva and Śeṣasamuccaya It is assumed that the date of this ritual manual is in between 11^th and 12^th centuries CE.^[3] The 25^th and 28^th chapters of this text deliberate the expiatory rites. This ritual manual elucidates a detailed way of Prāyaścittahoma with Agnikārya in 25^th Paṭala. The causes of impurities affected in rituals or sanctum sanctorum seen in this text are mostly same to that of Viṣṇusaṃhitā, Śaivāgamanibandhana and Prayogamañjarī. Accordingly this ritual manual prescribes Bimbaśuddhi, Sthānaśuddhi and Śāntihoma as the expiations in 28^th chapter.^[4] These ritual details are also same to that of the early Tantra manuals of Kerala. It suggests most of the expiatory rituals in a Śākta way. Unfortunately this chapter is incomplete.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ms. No. 1017-A, 1017-B (Malayalam Script), T. 792 (in Devanāgari), Trivandrum Manuscript Library; Ms. MT 5126 (in Grantha Script) Government Oriental Manuscript Library, Chennai.

[2]:

mātṛsadbhāvādyāgamokta-kriyākramaṃ vadan || Vimarśini on Śeṣasamuccaya, 7.1.

[3]:

Ajithan, P.I., op.cit., p. 208. Sanderson has precisely noted that the date of Mātṛsadbhāva predates to fifteenth century. Vide “The Śaiva Literature”, p. 51f.

[4]:

The Prāyaścittapaṭalas (25 & 28) of Mātṛsadbhāva are given in the appendix I (B) of this thesis.

Last Updated: 13 January, 2023