The Center for Research Libraries scans to provide digital delivery of its holdings.

In
some cases problems with the quality of the original document or microfilm reproduction
may result in a lower quality scan, but it will be legible. In some cases pages may be
damaged or missing. Files include OCR (machine searchable text) when the quality of
the scan and the language or format of the text allows.
,ISUHIHUUHG\RXPD\UHTXHVWDORDQE\FRQWDFWLQJ&HQWHUIRU5HVHDUFK/LEUDULHV
WKURXJK\RXU,QWHUOLEUDU\/RDQ2IILFH

Rights and usage

Materials digitized by the Center for Research Libraries are intended for the personal
educational and research use of students, scholars, and other researchers of the CRL
member community. Copyrighted images and texts are not to be reproduced, displayed,
distributed, broadcast, or downloaded for other purposes without the expressed, written
permission of the copyright owner.
&HQWHUIRU5HVHDUFK/LEUDULHV
6FDQ'DWH 2FWREHU
,GHQWLILHUPVQ

APPENDICES
( Three extracts from Sdttvata-samkitd)
I . T h e D iv in e T w e n t y - f o u r - f o l d M a c h i n e r y
of

E x is t e n c e

The ninth chapter of Sattvata-samkitd, after having

-enumerated the thirty-nine vibhava-s, twelve sakti-s,
and principal bodily ornaments (divine ornaments
a n d weapons) continues:
vaksye bhavopakaranam girvdnaganam uttamam |
ndndvibhavamurtindm yo vatisthate sdsane || (90)

a n d then gives the following extraordinary list (w . 91-4):

1. Tim e (kalah)
6.
2. Space (viyat)
7.
3. Regulator (niyantr)
8.
4 . T he sdstra-s with anga-s1 9.
-5. T he Vidyadhipati-s
10.

T he Rudra-s2
T he Prajapati-s
In d ra and his retinue
The seven sages of old3
The planets and fixed
stars

1 lastram nSnangalak$anam, by which must be m eant the trayi

including DharmaSastra, Purana, etc. (see above p. 126), and
possibly the Vedanta-s (U panisad-s), but not the [non-Vedantic]
philosophical systems, these being referred to by nos. 17 and 18.
2 samudrah saganak Siva}}.. T his passage appears to be corrupt,
thou gh samudra is, indeed, am ong the epithets o f Siva.
8 munayak safita ptirve ; cf. Bhagavad-gtta, X . 6 (and above
J>. 71, note 2).

170

INTRODUCTION TO THE PANCARA.TRA

11. The Vidyadhara-s1

12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.

18. Inferior Knowledge:

(apara vidya) ;2
The Naga-s
19. Fire
T he Apsaras-es
20. W ind (air)
T he plants
21. The moon
The animals
22. The sun
The sacrifices with anga-s 23. W ater
[Higher] Knowledge (^') 24. E arth
T hen follow the concluding words:
ity uktam amaleksana |
caturvimsatisamkhyam ca bha{a)vopakaranam mahat II

The non-inclusion, in this list, of men and asura-s,,

pisaca-s, etc., is explained by the word girvdnaganam in
verse 90 quoted above. For plants as devatd-s, cf.
Buddhism. The inclusion of animals, however, is
strange. I t is also noteworthy th at the Gandharva-s
are evidently included in In d ra s retinue, while the
Apsaras-es are not.
II.

F o u r K in d s o f W o r s h ip

Sittvata-samhita, II. 2-12 3

Samkarsana said: Tell me concisely, O E tern al

One, in w hat m anner worship (updsd) is enjoined on the
worshippers devoted [to the Lord].
1

clouds

i.e. atmospheric gods; cf. nabhaicard

khecarah and the names o f their kings (Jim uta-vahana, Jlm iitaketu) in Nagananda.

2 H ere w e have once more the two sciences m entioned above

pp. 111-2.
3 A very different (premature) translation o f m ost o f thispassage has been given by Bhandarkar in his Vaifnavism, etcpp. 39 ff.

APPENDICES

171

The holy Lord said: L isten! I will duly explain to

thee th at which thou hast asked me, having known
which one may be freed from re-birth.
T h at pure Brahman (sad brahma) abiding in the
heart which was the goal (ideal) of those [Siddha-s] who
held their [respective] offices at the beginning o f
creation,1worshipping the [greatlight] called V asudeva:2
from It has sprung a supreme iastra expressive of Its
nature (tadrk), bestowing discrimination, a great theo
sophy (brahmopanisadam mahat) containing the divine
path (divya-marga) and aiming at liberation as the one
[desirable] fruit [to be attained]. I will im part to thee,
for the salvation o f the world, that original [sastral
existing in m any varieties, bestowing perfection (or
magical powers) and liberation, the pure one, mysterious,
one, leading to great success.
(1)
T he Yogin-s familiar w ith the eightfold yoga,
devoted to the worship of the heart: they [alone] are
authorized for [the worship of] the One dwelling in the
heart.3

1 Literally either since creation or till creation

In th e
latter case the m eaning would b e : until creation, properly speaking,
began (begins) by the appearing o f the rajo guna, that is the activ
ity o f god Brahman. A srsfer adhikarinal} is an epithet o f the ideal
first m en also in Ah. S. (X V . 11),
2 Cf. above p. 60, note 3: vasudevShvayam mahaf}, etc.
3 This worship, connected with the diagram o f sounds ( varnacakra), the six attributes o f God, etc. is described from v. 13 to th e
end o f the chapter.

172

INTRODUCTION TO THE PANCARATRA

(2) O n the other hand, the Brahmana-s fond o f 1

mixed worship and extolling the Veda-s2 are authorized
for the worship, w ith mantra-s, of the four vyiiha-s.
[They should] not [worship the Lord] in any other
way.
(3) Again, [those of] the three [other castes,
namely the] Ksatriya-s, etc. who have sincerely taken
refuge w ith the Lord, should also, but not w ith mantra-s,3
perform the several rites connected w ith the worship of
the four vyuka-s.
(4) But for [the worship of] the mantra diagram
relating to the [thirty-nine] mbkava-s* and for the cere
monies connected therewith none are authorized but
the [truly] seeing ones, w ho have completely cast off
the idea of mine are satisfied w ith doing their duty
and wholly devoted, in deed, speech and mind, to the
Highest Lord.5
Thus much about the authorization of [those of]
th e four castes who have embraced the [Sattvata]
creed, supposing they have been duly initiated w ith
th e mantra-s prescribed.
1 For muklanam read yuktanSm.
a Cf. above p. 112, note 1.
3 Cf. our resum i o f Ah- S ., X X X V I , p. 146.
4 Explained in chapter 9 o f the Sam hita, some later chapters
Toeing apparently also referred to. In Ah. S. the vaibhavarn
devaia-cakram described in chapter 56 m ight be compared.
*
T his fourth class, then, consists o f those Brahmana-s, am ong
the Pancaratrin-s, w ho have abandoned m ixed, that is Vedic,
worship, and, on the other hand, prefer th e path o f devotion to that
of yoga (com patible with V edic worship, p. 134 above). They are
of course, also qualified for vyuha worship.

173

APPENDICES

III.

D e s c r ip t io n o f t h e f o u r

VtOhas,

for

the

PURPOSE OF MEDITATION

Sattvata-samhita, V. 9 -2 1 1

Now, the first form of the Lord is as beautiful

[as to complexion] as [are] the snow, the jasm ine
and the moon [united].2 I t has four arms, a gentle
face and lotus-like eyes. I t has a garm ent of yellow
silk and is glorified by a golden ensign.3 W ith its
chief (frontal) right hand it announces peace to the
tim id, while w ith the corresponding left hand it is
holding a wonderful conch. W ith the other right hand
it is holding the sudarsana, and w ith the other left a
heavy club resting on the ground. Let him imagine a
Vasudeva thus-shaped [dwelling] in the eastern direction.
H aving the [beautiful red] appearance of the
Sindura tree and the Sikhara,4 one-faced and four
arm ed, with a garm ent resembling the [blue] flower of
1 T his passage being badly preserved in the edition, I have had,
several tim es, to follow its (slightly m odified?) reproduction in
L aksm i Tantra (X . 27 ff.). Laksm i Tantra actually mentions
Sattvata-samhita in X I . 28.
2 T hat is: in the Krta age. In the next age (when the raja guna
appears) it changes gradually into red, then, in the Dvapara age,
into yellow, and finally, in the K ali age, into black, an analogous
change taking place as to the other vyiika-s both as regards their
com plexion and the colour o f their garment.
3 This is, o f course, the eagle ensign (garuda-dhvaja ) . It
m ust apparently be im agined as being carried by someone o f the
Lords retinue (a nitya ) ; cf. below the note on Pradyum nas banner.
4 O r Sikhara, the com pound (sindurasikharakdra) adm itting o f
both readings, w hich mean respectively a kind o f ruby and a species
o f the hem p-plant. Sind&raJikhara m ay be also translated: th e
crown o f a Sindura tree.

174

INTRODUCTION TO THE PANCARATRA

th e Atas! (flax-plant), distinguished by a palm yra tree

]as his ensign] j1 equal to the first Lord as regards his
frontal pair of hands, but holding a plough-share in
the hand in which the other has the discus, and a pestle
where the other has a clu b : on such a Samkarsana
[dwelling] in the southern direction let [the devotee]
meditate.
[Let him further meditate on] the third highest
X,ord, of the splendour of a m ultitude of fire-flies
assembled in a night of the rainy season, one-faced and
four-arm ed, wearing a garm ent of red silk, adorned
w ith his ensign (banner) showing the M akara (seaanim al) .2 His frontal pair of hands should be imagined
as before; in the rem aining left hand there is a bow,
while in the right there are five arrows. In this m anner
let him imagine [as dwelling] in the western direction
him who is known as Pradyum na.3
Let him, finally, meditate on him who resembles
"[as to complexion] the [deep blackness of the] A njana
m ountain, wears a fine white garment, is four-armed,
1 W hen Siva is called talanka, the word tala means a cymbaL
(cf. his damaru). But Samkarsanas tala is a dhvaja, as can be seen
from the parallelism in the description o f the vyiika-s, not to
speak o f other reasons. I f H indu sculptors represent Balarama with
a cym bal(?), this would seem to be a case o f sculpture influenced by
literature misunderstood. T h e palm banner is nothing extra
ordinary; Bhisma, for instance, is said to have had one.
2 Compare the same banner (ensign) carried by an apsaras in
th e description o f Pradyum nas earthly namesake (Cupid).
3 T his, as will have been noticed, is essentially a description o f
K am a, the Indian Amor, as, indeed, Pradyumna is also the nam e o f
X a m a re-born after his destruction by. Siva; cf. p. 52 above.

APPENDICES

175

largte-eyed, and glorified by the deer1 as his ensign.

His first pair of hands is described like th at of the first
[Lord]; with the two others he is carrying: in the
Tight hand a sword, and in the left one a shield (or club).
I n this way let [the devotee] meditate on Aniruddha
[dwelling] in the northern direction.
All of these [four] w ear2 the garland of woodflowers, are distinguished with the Srivatsa (Visnus
curl o f hair on the breast), and are embellished w ith the
Jung of jewels, the K austubha, on their breast, [further]
w ith lovely diadems and crowns, necklaces, armlets and
anklets, bright marks (made w ith sandal-paste, etc.)
on the forehead, glittering ear-rings in the shape of
a makara (sea-animal), excellent chaplets of manifold
ilowers, and with camphor and other delicious perfumes.
As adorned w ith all o f these: thus should they always
lie m editated upon.

1 T he mrga (deer, antelope) is also the lanchana o f one o f

th e Jain Tlrthamkara-s (Santi), all o f w hom can be seen represent
e d , with their respective emblems added above (or below) them ,
ju s t like labels attached to portraits, on the wall o f one o f the cave
tem ples o f Bhuvanesvara (Orissa).
* For the first three items, cf. above pp. 60-1.

: *'*;7

r'/ "_':

: ;

// :i i
.. v -

" '

->

-' ' '

V ;;.

. "-

' .::

: v . . .'ij'S ' '

:.-, >:.: '; ..f-j

: : f.

': V

: /'

\ '-v'
: r '.;Xp' I - . ' K v' b: V:

u ' '!;'<

V^ycL

-,">

:.>b/.-

f ; ft's,

cn. r
V ...

b *. ;
> ~ :M

r.
. - . ? ; K

3 * "

"