Expiatory Rites in Keralite Tantra
by T. S. Syamkumar | 2017 | 59,416 words
This page relates ‘Expiatory Rites in Putayurbhasha’ 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.
1.6. Expiatory Rites in Puṭayūrbhāṣa
Puṭayūrbhāṣa, also known as Kriyādīpikā, is a Keralite work written in a hybrid language of Sanskrit and Malayalam by Vāsudevan of Puṭayūr or Pūntoṭṭaṃ family. The most celebrated Keralite Tantra text Tantrasamuccaya and Puṭayūrbhāṣa shared several common features.
N.V.P. Unithiri opines thus:
“There are twelve chapters called Paṭalas in both Kriyādīpikā and Tantrasamuccaya. A comparative study of each chapter of these two works would reveal that the contents of them are more or less the same.”[1]
Also in the case of expiatory rites, Puṭayūrbhāṣa and Tantrasamuccaya shared several common features. The Puṭayūrbhāṣa elucidates the causes of expiatory rites in a detailed way, which is seen very brief in Tantrasamuccaya A comparative study of expiatory rites in Puṭayūrbhāṣa and Tantrasamuccaya may reveal some new lights. The Puṭayūrbhāṣa has recommended expiatory rituals like Valiya Catuśśudhi, Mahākumbhā of Viṣṇu, Śiva and Subrahmaṇya, Atbutaśānti, Dahanaprāyaścitta, expiations in special occasions on impure touching (Sparśanādi-Prāyaścitta), Bhūparigrahādi-Prāyaścitta and Jalādhivāsa-Prāyaścitta. The expiatory chapters in Tantrasamuccaya did not discuss the above mentioned expiatory rituals. At the same time the commentators of Tantrasamuccaya, viz., Kuḻikkāṭṭu Maheśvaran Bhaṭṭatirippad (in Kuḻikkāṭṭupacca) and K.P.C. Anujan Bhattatirippad (In Malayalam commentary of Tantrasamuccaya) also included the above mentioned expiatory rituals.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Unithiri, N.V.P., “Is the Tantrasamuccaya an Original work?”, Indian Scientific Traditions, University of Calicut, 2006, p. 272.