184 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAVISN the word ‘Vasudeva’ denotes one worthy of respect and so {s placed as the first member.546 This evidence proves that about 800B C., the period of Panini, the word, ‘Vasudeva’, already meant the name of a person who {s shown respect. That {tis not the name ofa Ksatriya is made clear by Pataiijali who lived about 150 BC. One can say that Panini may not mean God, but only the son of Vasudeva But {t cannot be wrong to hold that Patafiyali must have been following a tradition to which Panini also belonged, ‘Vasudeva’ is the name of God and not of Vasudeva’s son alone, As the later commentators explain, there 1s justification for taking the word ‘Vasudeva’ in the sense of the Supreme Deity of the Paficardtra system. This would give a date about 800 B C when the Pajicardtva doctrines became devloped into a system It 1s held by some scholars that Arjuna, whose name 18 mentioned in the sitra cited above along with that of Vasudeva, was also respected and that there was also an Arjuna cult {no vogue then, which however became merged into the Vasudeva cult and came to be forgotten in later days 547 This contention deserves serious consideration, Four different suffixes are enjoined in the siizras (II 396-99) in the sense of ‘bhakts’, which may mean attachment or liking as the illustration apiptka, payasika, maharajska, nakulika, paniniya and others suggest Similarly, ‘bhakti? can be taken to mean devotion in the case of Vasudeva and mere affection inthe case of Arjuna Arjuna received perhaps respect from some admirers for his valour or his intimacy with Krsna, There are certain inscriptions of the centuries preceding the Christian era which suggest unmitakably the worship of Vasudeva, 846 Kasika on the Astadhyayt IV 3, 98, 847 Arjunayana was a hving creed m Jaipur and Agra areas, according to Samudragupta’s Allahabad inscaiption Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol Ill p. 8, ed, by FleetTHE PANCARATRA AGAMA 185 during that perlod. The Besnagar {nscription which belongs to the 2nd century B.C,, Identifies Vasudeva with Krsna. It mentions a column with the figure of Garuda on Its top as erected jby Heliodoros, the son of Dion and an inhabitant of Taksasila| He is referred as a Bhagavata He came as an ambassador from the court of Antialkides to King Kautsiputra Bhagabhadra. The column isfor Vasudeva, God of gods 548 It was not erected as a symbol of victory, but as connected with the temple of Vispu situated on the spot Perhaps there was a temple of Vasudeva which required a column, and that was raised by Hellodoros, Another inscription, of the first century B C,, has been found at Ghosundi in Rajasthan, It refers to the construction of a stone-enclosure called Narayapuodteka for the Images of Vasue deva and Simkarsana by a devotee of Siva who performed the a$vamedha Vide arfedtsd tar arvata aaa orerarétg aor asatavaraaiar wanagal etatoaretanarafaarvat apatnat qaraflemae arcranaea . Sircar: Select Insenptions, pp 91 f. It is found here that both Samkarsaga and Vasudeva had temples and énclosures in stone, implying their worship. The temples or at least the rmages of the two delties should have already been there, The ‘word ‘Sathkarsaga’ which occurs here as the first metiber of a compound of the dvandoa type has no sanction according to the rules of grammar, since Vasudeva is held to be more worthy of respect than Sarhkargaga. Perhaps, Samkarsana fs here to be taken to refer to Balarama, elder brother of Krsna, and so he fs to be treated with greater reapeet. 548, Sircar* Select Inscriptions, I, p. 98, Epigraphica Iadica, Vol.X, No.660, ASV—24186 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAVISH There Is an inscription549 belonging to the first century A.D. al Morawell, seven miles west of Mathura, It is called Saudas and records tbe installation of five viras by a lady called Tosa. The five viras are taken by Luders to be Baladeva, Akrira, Anadbrsti, Sarana and Vidiratha 550 TN. Banerjee idenufies them as Samhkargana, Vasudeva, Pradyumna, Samba and Ani- ruddha 551 This evidence 1s not in favour of the prevalence of the Paficaratra It is only the Vatkhdnasa Agama that admits the concept of the pancaviras852 Even the opinion of Luders docs not support any Agama tradition. To the first century A,D belongs the Nanaghat cave inscription (Bombay State) of Naganika, the Satavahana queen 583 Tt contains the expression, “Namo sarhkargapa- vasndevanam.”” WNaganika’s husband performed a number of sacrifices, including the agoamedka, The position of the word “Simkargana’ as the first member of the compound is to be justl- fied in the sam2 way as in the Ghosundi inscription The foscription of Pravarasena II in the 18th year of his reign and those of Skandagupta and the copper plate grant of Prabbavati Gupta, daughter of Chandragupta II, contain the words ‘bhdgavata’, ‘paramabhagavata’, ‘bhagavadpadanudhyata® and ‘atyantabhagavadbhakta” all of which suggest the prevalence of the Pdficardtra doctrines, But it Is possible to take the words ‘bhagavat’ and ‘bhdgavata’ as not referring to any particular Agamtc source, but asreverent references to God as Vispu, The Vatkhanasa texts use generally the name, ‘Visnu’, to denote the Supreme Being. They use off and on the name, ‘Bhagavan’, also to refer to Him.854 And so the words, ‘bhagavat’ and ‘bhagavata’, need not be from the Pdacardira exclusively. 649 Epigraphica Indica Vol,XXIV, p. 194, 550, huder’s Inscriptions, 551. T.N Banerjee 552, KA, XXX 10b-131, 883, Sircar: Select Iascriptions I, p. 186. 884, VX. pp, 807, 808; SA. Appendix Il, 1,89,THE PANCARATRAA AGAMA 187 Finally, the Bhaya, ‘Padatagitaka’ of SyamSlaka refers to temple of Pradyumna. Vide. qt ag sgrataaaaer Qaararafafsale (p 24) The word, ‘deogyatana’ shows that worship of Pradyumna was in vogue in the seventh century A.D.558 There seems no other reference to a separate temple for Pradyumna. As there is not any serlous objection to admit that the composition of the Mahabharata and the beginning of the Kaltyuga almost coincided, doctrines of the Pdaficardtra Agama, as they are treated in the SGntiparvan of the epic, could not be later than this date. Due respect should be given to the tradition which mentions that the doctrines recorded in the version received by Narada, were revealed for the seventh time, and that they were originally preached in the Krtayuga To the sophisticated mind of the modern scholars, such an ancient date for these doctrines, or as a matter of fact for any aspect of Hindu culture, ts not only absurd, unsupported as it is by circumstantial evidence, but also is against the trend of current thinking which assumes civilization to have been preeeded by a period of pre-literate society. The existence of a society in the remote past which could have evolved and nurtured theistic concepts, framed the ways and means of adoring God and developed them through practice, 1s, according to modern scholars of ihe West and those of the Bast who have chosen to 685 Syamilaka, the author, could have been a friend of Bagabhatta, the famous prose writer, He wasa kinsman of Baya and a great scholar and poet Vide Harsacarita Ill, p 87 He cannot be be identical with Syamilaka, the teacher of Mahimabhatta (1050 A,D.), as he 1s cited by Abhi- navagupta(c 1000AD) Therefore he may be placed as a contemporary of Bana (c 800AD) Some scholars place this work before 500 AD. Vide —Dr Dasaratha Sarma, ‘Date of Padetaditaka,' Ganganath Jha Research Institute Journal, XIV, Parts 1-4188 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAVISM ablde wholly by the verdicts ot the former, opposed to the dictates of reason and thinking. Absence of historical data is, of course, a handicap in arriving at a conclusion on many of these issues On this account, 1t 1s not absolutely necessary to discard tradition as baseless, At any rate, the Mahabharata needs to be placed in the remote past, andso the Pa@jcaratra doctrines could be admitted to have received development about 3000 BC It will be of interest to note that Paveardtra’s antiquity is borne out also by some literary evidence. Bana, the author of the Hargacarita,556 jg the earliest Sauskrit poet to mention the Paacaratrikas asthe followers of the Pafcardtra system, The Brahmasiitras 557 take note of the objection raised against the validity of the Pdficaratra and offer also the refutation of this Sankara 558 (c, 800) is the earliest commentator on the Brahma- siitras to offer his views on the P@fcaraira doctrines Utpala’s (c. 850 A.D) Spandapradipska 559 quotes from a Pafcardtra gruti and Pajfiraratra Upanssad, Vide: wearuataraty- agg atarta srarzaretag. cada ar adt ata agegran fe -aaarg are sateasa: | p2 Here ‘Sasta’ refers to Vigsnu. martsaag: areat Sas ef atfea: 1 LT XV 18a qracsitgfaals a agar @ aed @ atear a diet a! p 40 856 p, 237 557 Il. 2, 39-42 658 Brabmsatrebhasya on Il 2 42-46, 869 Vuayanagar Sanskrit seriesTHE PANCARATRA AGAMA 189 Some more passages are also quoted fn this work nnder the general name of Pd@fcardtra, Names of the texts are also mentioned such as Jaya, Sattoate, Pauskara, Vispuyamala, Srikalpara, Vashayasa, Harsaparamegvara, Samkarganasitra and Jabalasiitra The last-mentioned two works may be taken to suggest that there could have existed in Kashmir some aphorisms of the Pafcardtra doctrine associated with the authorship of Samkarsana and Jabali, Perhaps this Samkarsana Is the same as the character with this name playing the role of the Pafcardtrika in the Agamadambara of Jayanta.560 Jayanta (c,880 A.D) argues in his Nydyamdfijart and Nyayokalska 61 in favour of the validity of the Pafcardtra Agama, Bhaskara (c.900 AD) who commented upon the Brnhmasiitras, was well aware of the Pafcardtra doctrine, RayaSekhara, the reputed dramatist of the same perlod, refers to the Vyitha doctrine of the Paéficardira system, Vide - ataraaea: HaT: qerer: Gat serdtscagarfaats | aasIUy cag waltequeaanTTaaear: Il Kaoyamimamsa (G.O.S,) p. 38. However, Somadeva Siri who flourished about 950 A.D. does not mention the Paficardtra system and its doctrines, while he takes care to refer to the doctrines of the systems of thought with which he was familiar then. [t will not be wrong to infer that the Pdficaratra doctrines were not so well known in all parts of India, particularly in Deccan,562 560, Agamadambare, Acts Il & V. 5681, Nyayamazjari (Chaukhamba edn.) pp. 241-242. Nyayakalika, pp. 3-4 562 See Handique: ‘Yasastilaka and Indian Culture’ p, 364.190 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAVISH However, they were fully known and the texts wherein these were treated were also quite familiar to Yamuna (916-1041 AD) who lived in the south and wrote his Agama- pramapya 563 in which the Ekayana recension of the Veda is said to have been proved to be not of human origin. Tne wording in the text of Yamuna may permit the interpretation that this was written by Yamuna himself 564 It may also be taken to have been the work of a writer in Kashmir It is thus evident that the P@fcardira doctrines are very ancient and their popularity for religious practice and philosophical thinking {fs attested by many writers from abont the beginning of the Christian era. Apararka, the author of a commentary on the Yajfavalkya Smrti, attests to the authority of the Paficardtra Agama and declares that {ts validity could not be questioned 5¢8 Regarding the exotic origin of this Agama suggested by some scholars, it must be said that there {s partial justification for this. From the account contained Iu the Santsparvan of the Mahabharata, it is found that the doctrines represented the seventh version when they were received by Narada from the Lord in the Svetadvipa. This island is stated to lie somewhere in central Asia, near Pamir mountains Whether Narada paid his visit to this island towards the close of Dvaparayuga cannot be easily decided Bitsma is simply repeating an account of Narada’s visit This version, like many of the Itihdsas and genealogical accounts included in the Mahabharata, must be of very ancient origin, The date or dates of these cannot be settled for want of evidence, They may have been composed even when the sacrifices were popular, and so could 563 p, 69. 664 Van Buitenen holds this view. See ibid, note 300, 665, Acaradhydya, sloka 7.THE PANCARATRA AGAMA it be placed at least when the Kalpasijtras were framed though not before that period. Besldes, the previous versions of the docs trines are not stated to have been released from Svetadvipa, Again. there is no evidence to prove that the frontiers of ancient India did not extend to the west and north-west beyond the present limits, With the present state of knowledge regarding the varlous pleces of evidence, it Is too early to be dogmatie about whether or not the Péacaratra traditions and doctrines are of foreign or Indigenous origio.CHAPTER VI PANCARATRA AGAMA DOCTRINES The Pdficardira system is called also as the Sattvatasastra, There are other systems also having the name ‘Pdfcardtra’ with some attributes, such as ‘Ganesapafcaratra’, ‘Devipaacardtra’ and others 588 There ts also a system called ‘Saptaratra’ Vide - fawerdtat sfaerfe age waq orora F | Steatf qacrarfir aacrarfir § wart Agnipuréna XXXIX-1 Jo all these cases the word ‘rdira’ must be taken to stand for day and night (ahoratra) This indicates that the explanation for the name ‘Pafcardtra’ should be traced to sources other than that which is suggested by Prof Buitenen. Many a stream’of thought has'converged to form a synthesis to serve as a basis for the edifice of the Paficardtra system. The Vedic concept of ritual gives the religious background for offer- ing worship. The Paurdnic theory of Brahma as the creator brings in the creation of the cosmic embryo and his birth there as the Hiranyagarbha That the Ultimate Reality is partless, subtle and manifests itself in the form of the world {s traceable to the contents of the Upantsads The principles of the evolution of matter into the world are incorporated to explain the process of material creation which is based on the Sankhya system. The disciplines of meditation are derived from the Yog. system The manifestation of the Ultimate Reality in the form of sentient and insentient beings, the worship ofthe Deity mentally and outwardly, the iastallation of idols, the elaborate procedure for 566 Including the Saptaratra, seven kinds of Pdficardtra are known, Vide Naradapaftcaratra I, 1, 58-57,PANCARATRA AGAMA DOCTRINES 193 the construction of the temple and the conduct of festivals owe their origin to Agama traditions, These sources have been fully utilised to blend harmoniously and carry out the one purpose of serving God The Pafcardtra texts are called Upanrsads and Saymhtias to indicate the Vedic foundations,567 for this Agama is based on the Eka@yana recenston also called Malasa@kha and Suklayajus« sakha@ It belongs to the Kagva recension of the Suklayajurveda,568 Why itis called Mulasakha is clear from the following passage: neat azar Yayat Aertay | SHIA FCTTATET TANTRA BA ll wrquer taeqt arataer efter: | sfaarfgaar fear qetqrerat fee a ParS 1. 76-77; IS. 124, The Agama is also known as Stddhanta It fs of four kinds, according to the nature of the deities to be worshipped. They are Agamastddhanta, Mantrasiddh@nta, Tantrastddhante and TantrantarastddhantaS63 Another list mentions Mantrasiddhanta as the first to be followed by Agamasiddhanta810, According to the Agamastddhanta, worship is to be offered to the four vyihas, Worship of Kesava, Narayana and others, representing the twelve forms of the Lord, comes under the Mantrasiddhanta, Worship of a single form 1s enjoined in the Tantrantarassddhanta, The Tantrantarassddhanta prescribes the worship of forms like Narasimha and others.571 The Hayaegrivasamhita mentions that 567 VS Il, 11, IS, XXI. 554, Vide Pas 1,71, Colophon Ibid, Mbh. $aah ccclvm 63 868 Nagefa Kanvatakhamahimasangraha. Tri. Cat. Ill. IB, p. 3229, 669, IS, XXI, 560-561. Cf, Paus, XXXVI 294-309, LT, XL, 100,101, 870 Pars I 16, 77, Pas 1. 80-83 871 PasIV 4 19, AsV—25194 AGAMAS AND SOUTA INDIAN VAISNAVISM the Agamastddhanta 1s helpful in getting moksa, the Mantra. siddhanta gives the fruits of undertakings and moksa, the Tantra. siddhanta grants the four kinds of objects inlife and the Tantrantara grants desired results 572 The Sattoata system {is classified under ten heads, each having the name Sayzhtt@ They are Bhagavatsamhtta, Karma- samhita, Vidydmayi Samhita, Kalasamhita, Kartavyasamhtta, Vaisestki (Samhita), Saryamasammia, Adhtkarasamhita, Marga- Sarahttd and Moksasamhttd 573 These do not seem the independent names of any texts or systems, but only ten topics which are dealt with in the system They could be identified as those treating about the nature of God, acts of worship, knowledge of taltva, time (for worship), rituals (which are to be done from ume to time), specific acts, yoga, qualifications for initiation, and the means of moksa respectively, A system cin deil with what is wholesome to man by prescribing the means to get rid of worldly misery, It is necessary to find out the means which would provide man with this Tattvajaana and karma are constdered to be the two means which help in obtaining what is beneficial to man Karma is twofold, according ast leads directly or indirectly to tattoa~ Jjfid@na The actual worship which is offered to the Lord 1s the direct means, while others which contribute to it are the indirect ones. The Sattavata system 1s concerned with the direct method of worship and, as such, 1s considered the best among the systems 574 The Ultimate Reality in the Pdfcardtra Agama is Brahman characterised by bliss and free from all undesirable qualities, 872. PR. pp, 96-97 for an attempt at reconciling the conflicting views, 8731 AbS XIL 45-48a 574 Ibid, xf 7-23,PANCARATRA AGAMA DOCTRINES 195 Vide arrqaent ag watafiafied | FS. 4.60; Pas. ¥. 5. 29-40, Et is beyond the reach of all beings. Out of this issues the first form of God, (ecard aaraarg ) called Vasudeva In the subtle form with two bands, crystal- lke in complexion and clad in a yellow garment.575 It is seated In the heart of beings576 and fe the highest light seen by Brahma lo meditation From thie Siksma Vasudeva, there rise the four-armed Sthila Vasudeva and Narayana. The Sthila Vasudeva Is also knowa as Para Vasudeva from whom springs Vyiba Vasudeva. Samkarsana emerges from Vyiha Vasudeva, Pradyumna from Sathkarsana and Aniruddba from Pradyumna. The four oyuhas comprising Vytiha Vasudeva, Sathkarsana, Pradyumna and Anituddha constitute Caturbrahman, and they together with Para Va udewa form Paficabrahman 817 The word ‘brahman’ which is derived from the root, “brh’*, meaning to increase, to grow, is taken to mean the unlimited nature of the attributes and of essential nature (svarupa) 518 This word is used to denote all the above- mentioned emanations of the Ultimate Reality, In particular, 875 Ibid XLIV, 22b-24; 28a , Vigqutilaka Il 10, Vihagendrasamhita 11.16. 576 PaS I 2 16,17. SIT Ibid I 2 18-18, ABS XVI 83b, 84 578 Vide aia qeaguatta fe weet: | gaet cawtor air asraafeatfaaed atser quatser t Sribhasya, 1. Led,196 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAVISM it Is employed to refer to the subtle and gross forms called Vasudeva, Para-vasudeva, Vytha-vasudeva and Narayana. ‘Bhagavan’, ‘Vasudeva’, ‘Visgu’ and ‘Nardyana’ are generally deemed to‘indicate one and the same Supreme Being. Laksmi is ever with Brahman, She is the state of existence (bhava), and Narayana, identical with Brahman, is the existent feality The two together constitute Brahman, Vide : waareraot Fat wrat wertes ger 1 seltarranragiaaa aq aaa t LT. M1. 15. Jn this state, she is oot differentiated from Him and is said to constitute with Him the non-dual Brakman, She is called also by the name of Sakti, Vide: agarygaainear mated ager Wid, UE tle The two are inseparably linked with each other, and so one Cannot exist without the other. The relationship between the two may be said to be one of identity. Vide : wattafanragedia aaa | arqreea fake etaea an araer ataat: i Ibid IT 17b-18a. The ultimate nature of Brahman and Lakgmi is that of knowledge. Vide arareas To Be aROt AA ahah: Ibid, 11, 25b.PANCARATRA AGAMA DOCTRINES 197 Laksmi is known by several names such as Ananda, Svatantra, Sti, Padma, Kamala, Kundalini, Anahata, Gauri, Gayatri, giva, Tara, Rati and others 579 Brahmans called by several names such as Paramatman, Bhagavan, Vasudeva, Ananta, Prabhava, Hiranyagarbha, Siva and others 580 That Sri and Vispu alone are meant by these receives efucidation from the Vignupurdpa which declares that every male being represents Vignu and every female $ri,581 Though real I{dentity and non-duality are predicated between Laksmi and Visgu in these texts, yet the two are stated to be different in order to preserve the transcendental character of Visnu. She {s said to represent the attribute (dharma) of Visnu who possesses it (dharmin) Vide : Rarssfead frat sao: acafga: | ay Gar a mag alt afseaaraa wagraeaeao acatafaatzay | AS IL, 25, 26a. = Brahman is held to be attributeless, which means that It does not have any attribute which is of the material kind .582 This does not mean that God does not have any gunas Brahman has indeed the six quaitties, namely, jadna, aigvarya, bala, virya, Sakti and teas Of these, yfana is a non-lnert, eternal and self- luminous quality Atsvarya is lordship, which is an activity that 1s uachecked and {s not dependent on anything external to it. Bala is strength which is defined as absence of fatigue. Virya is virility which is unchangiog, in spite of being the 878. AbS, Il, 7-24, §80, Ibid. Il. 2@b-40 $81, VP.I 8,35, $82 Abs II, 85198 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAVISM material cause. Sakti is potency which becomes the material cause of the world. Tejas Is splendour or might, which is capa- ble of inflicting defeat on others without any external help,583 These six gupas make up the body of Vasudeva and Lakgmi. Vide- srgguafasg ta atezat a frat gaa | ‘AhS, VI. 25a. The Lord is called Bhagavan, because He has the six gupas 584 Brahman is described as Sadguna,585 having these six as essential qualities This is not surprising, since this depiction 1s based on Upanisadic passages like auaeat satfer sersrrarey 1886 which {lustrate the Brahmasijtra, aaymarcearey Tesaae: area 1587 The Upanigadic doctrine 588 that Brahman has no Hmitations due to space, time and objects is accepted by the Pafcaratra Agama also. There is a brilliant description of this in the following sloka:— ada a ag aa ardta Fa ae aq waa: ysat Sq dtede: qedateat: 0 AhS XY. 47 Colours, dimensions, sizes, conditions, temperatures and movements are all shown in the succeeding sloke to demonstrate the unconditioned nature of Brahman, 683, fbid. Il 68-60a; LT. I 26-36a. 884, Ibid Il 28a, L? XXX. 7; XXXVI 23; XSIK, 11. 685, Ibid. Il. 88b, LT. X. 5, 668 TV I. 6 887. Br S.I 3 28 638. TV. I. 1.PANCARATRA AGAMA DOCTRINES 199 Thirtyfive principles or categories (tattoas) are stated to be admitted in the Sattoata system 589 They are God, supramundane space,590 purusa, gakiz, niyat, kala, sattoa, rajas, temas, maya, brasiti, prakrtt, buddhi, manas, ahamkdra, ten cognitive and conative organs, five subtle and five gross elements Among them, God is referred to as Bhagavan, which implies His possession of the stx gupasandall emanations such as syitha, vtbhava and others The supramundane space {s paramam syoma generally ceferred to by the word ‘paramdkaga’ 581 and is the place of the Lord Purusa is Hiranyagarbba representing the aggregate of individual selves; be 1s omniscient and omai- present and froma part of himall the eternal selves emanate. They get absorbed in him at the time of dissolution.592 S‘akti is Laksmi 593 Miyate 1s Mahavidya,594 who represents the sattvika form of $11 595 and is the source of the world and 6f speech.59¢ Kala is Mabakali representing the tdmasa aspect of Sri, and it springs from nsyats,597 which is only a form of time. While the latter controls and regulates the Intellectual abilities and practices of every being, the former takes everything to its stage ot fruition 598 Maya, prasit: and prakrt: are temas, avyakéa and 889 LT VI 42b-44, PaS 18 39-47 enumerate fiftyone categories. This hist 1s vague as it mxas up the products of matter with the names of duties $90 S Gupta (Translation LT) :—Introduction p, xxul. 591 LT Vil 9, AhS XLV 16 692 Ibid VII 11 593 Ibid VII 13a 594 Ibid VII 18b 595 Ibid V 5, ot gerkraredt afefiatat wergt | afeata aqr ai a sadpacatizat 0 §96 LT XXVI 25b a 597. Ibid Vil 13b, AbS, VI, 48b, 47a, 49. $93. AbS, X, 18b, IV. Sl,206 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAVISN frakrti respectively 899 The rest are the same as those dealt with In the Samkhya system Brahman $s Narayapa, single, pure and flawless. It fs undefinable, matchless, integrated and undifferentiated, It differentiates Itself as the possessor of Sakts and as Sakti her= self 800 Saktt 1s defined as the subtle condition of any thing that exists. It does not exist away from the thing. Its existence there is known only by the effects. Bach manifestation of life bas a sakti inseparably connected with {t. There is one omnl- present Sakti called Laksmi. She is connected with Him as moonlight 19 with the moon or sunshine with the sun, She differs from Him like the attribute from that which possesses it and existence from that which exists 601 They are loseparable like being and becoming, and I-ness and 1602 Laksmi is His essential nature. Like Narayaga, she too hasa form made up of six gunas and so 18 called Bhagavati, Vides | GNIISTITRraals wUtadl ear | LT. IV. 488 Like Him, she is transcendental. She acts under His direction. She has no existence apart from Him and at the same tlme she has an identity of her own. Vide > areta: ware arcraad aza | aeare veer afacararacghaerat 0 frrfaar a adse sateeta feadthad: | ararat await g frargat saafkadt 1 LT XV 9,10. 589, LT VI,3, mayd, prasati and prakrt are represented by tamas, avyakta and prakrt: respectively, 800 Ibid Vill 48 801, Ibid II-llb, 12a; ABS, 11,2, 6. 602 «LT. Ma,PANCARATRA AGAMA DOCTRINES 201 Creation, protection, destruction, obstruction and showing grace are stated to be the five functions of God603 and are also declared to be thos: of Lakgmi 604 [1 must be understood that without Laksmi (Saku), the Ultimate Reality 1s incapable of doing anything, nor can she do anything without Him 605 Logicaily, whatever activity takes place in the attribute 1s taken as happening in the dharmtn also. So whatever Laksmi does is attributed to Visnu Himszif It 13 in this light that the sense of the passages mentioning the same five functions as being und: rtaken by both Visnu and Lakgmi should be understood. Vide sqrqrceaed @aeq aranfer a efara: | nat ea fe aeast fa aemageaa | wd fe wea taea eqat earfiaarorat 0 LT. XI. 6b, 7. It is thus found that Sakt: which ts latent in the Ultimate Reality 1s taken in the Vatsnava Agamas, including Vatkhanasa ,608 as identical with Sri and called by several names such as Maya, Prakrti, Laksmi and others. In the emanations, it is manifested and 1s never dissociated from Visnu This concept is opposed to that of the Sa@fkhya sysiem in which matter (prakyts) is distinct from purusa (the individual self) and is mert. Ie ts animate, and from it arfse the selves and the material world.60T lis non-separation from Visgu ts helpful in maintaining Visnu as the material cause of the world That Brahman Itself changes ioto the world is against the unchanging nature of Brahman. Laksni ts the dharma of Brahman, and she 1s identical with 603, AhS XIII. 18a 804 Ibid XXI-13a , LT, XU.13,14 608 LT Il. 18b, 19a. 606 S'sktiis S'ri: vide ABS V.3b-5, VK, pp. 403-4. 607 LT VI 36a ASV—26202 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN yAISNAVISM prakrts, and any change occurring there may be attributed to Brahman, but it does not occur actually in Brahman, The Ultimate Reality is Vasudeva called by several names and is tranquil (without activity), changeless and ever-existent 608 Tt has no limitation of any kind’and is the source of very vast divine powers.609 Sakti, also known as Laksmi, Is latent in Him, It is necessary to expiain how the worlds have come into being from Him or at His instance, since He 1s totally inactive. An independent resolve flashes forth in Him who orders the latent Sakti to activate herself, which the Agamic tradition describes as opening of the eyes. This fs like the moon rising outof the ocean [tis only the will of Brahman to create. Vide: sesaer a are aur aegieasega: ll ae artrquy ae: fawereent aan) LT, MU. 22b-23a. This Sakti {s of two Kinds, namely, kriyd and bhzt 610 The former {ts action, and it is represented by Sudargana,81! the discus of Visnu. The other is becoming, that 1s, the universe. The former is energy aad the latter matter. When Sakti 1s said to become acuve, what Is meant is that Laksmi makes her presence felt The 5hizti part is impelled by krtya, and so the world comes into being Creation is a continuous process and cannot be uniform In its nature, It must have some stages marked by specific changes 608, Ibid, Il. 8a. 809, Ibid. Il. 9a 610. AbS, XIV, Tb, 8a. 6ll. Ibid. MI 45b,PANCARATRA AGAMA DOCTRINES 203 which occur at long intervals. They are evidenced in the Agamic tradition by three kinds of creation, called suddha (pure), migra (mixed) and aguddha (impure). It sets in, impelled by some independent resolve of Visnu 612 The guddha creation is so called, because no impurity of matter has any scope to tarnish {t. The three gugas (sattoa, rajas and tamas) are not present in Brahman, who {s hence sald to be free from gugas. When there is manifestation of Laksmi, there 1s said to come a stage when the six gupas make their appearance. These gunas, namely, sfdna, atsvarya, gakti, bala, virya and tejas, are non-material, 813 When Sakti becomes active, the six qualities make thelr appearance. Conjointly, they form the body of Vignu, who gets thereby the aame Vasudeva.6l4 They work also in groups. Fiidna, as$verya and gakti, form one group, which !s called osgramabhiims 618 Bala, virya and Yeyas constitute another called Sramabhiimi, , This means that the latter group 18 active, while the former 1s at rest, The Pa@fcardtra tradition believes in the mixing up of these two in pairs, That 1s, j#ana and bala combine together, atsvarya and virya became a pair, and gakt: and tejas form into a third group. These three pairs play a prominent part in pure creation Corresponding to the three pairs of gupas, there arose three beings from Vasudeva Sankargana issued forth from Him with Jidna and bala as his dominant gupas, Pradyumna with aisvarys 612. Vide; eqesarte senfeq afaq attest | aremgqat fg ar afte: gear serott et: 8 ABS. V4, @13 ABS, V. 15b-16 814. Ibid V 26b-29a 615 LT 1V.24b204 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAVISM and virya, and Aniruddha with Sakti and tejas, Each one is Vasu- deva Himself and has all the six qualities, but a set of two gunas becomes dominant ineach The body of each is made up of the six qualities. The four oyhas are not different from one another,816 The emanations of the vyihas are given In different texts in different ways When Sakti opened eyes, that is, began to be active (unmesa), which is a stage called saktikoga, there arose Sankarg ga representing ego-consclousness, All activities were dormant then Sakti was then Sankargani with the names, Sif and Sauta possessing jadna and bale. The next stage of emana- tion from $rt is called Pradyumna, who is Purugottama, His consort then is Saraswati, whom Sakti represents, having virya and atgvarya, Aniruddha is the name of the emanation from Saraswati Sakti represents His consort with the name Rati, having sakiz and tejas Rattis also called Mabalaksmi. Ani- ruddha is said to be in the mayakoga.61T Each vyiha had two functions, creative and moral, concerned Tespecuively with the origin of beings and ethical progress Creation is carried on by each with the help of jaana, atgoarya and Sakti, while bala, virya and tejas contribute to ethical progress Creation precedes moral progress. Pure creation prccedes other kiads of creation and, as such, the first three gunas function at this stage, With the emanation of Safkargana, creation is ta its embryonic stage having no interna} distinctions,618 Purusa and Prakrptt make their app-arance with Pridyumna’s manifestation, This does not mean that the materlal world {s then produced Only the Knfasthapurusa and prakrt: with subtle time (siiksma- kala) then come into being.819 These evolve further with the 616 Ibid VF 6-18 617 Ibid VI 6-18 618 Ibid WIT €19, bed. VI. 10,PANCARATRA AGAMA DOCTRINES 205 emanation of Aniruddha. Body and soul grow, Matter becomes vyakta and gross time (sthalakala) comes into being.620 That ts, with Aniruddha'’s emanation begins the stage of mixed creation. Apart from the work of creation, the three ayihas have control over certain functions, but the texts offer conflicting accounts here Creation, preservation and destruction are respectively under the control of Aniruddha, Pradyumna and Satkarsana according to the Laksmi TantraS2l, while the Visvaksena Samhita mentions Aniruddha as the controller of preservation and Pradyumna of creatioa.622 This discrepant depiction will have to be explained on the ground that all the four vywhas have all the six qualities. When the interaction of all the six gupas with specific pairs of gunas are taken into account, the attribution of the function of gupes to the oyzha In question may lead to ascribing a function different from what it is expected to have On the ethical side, Saikarsana teaches the theoretical side (sastra) of the Agama Pradyumna effects tts practice (kriyd) ard Aniruddha awards the fruits (kriyaphala) 623 FRana,824 virya and teyas are employed by the three ayizhas for these activities Pradyumna introduces all the religious rites to be adopted by the followers of this Agama, while Aniruddha preaches about the sclence of the soul.625 $20 Ibid VI 24-28 621 Ibid IV 19, but the reverse is stated in Jord IV 11, Aniruidaa 1s sald to contro] all the three in AAS, LV 21 622 VS mentions control over preservation as the work of Anirud- dha and that over creation as that of Pradyumna Schrader. p 38, 623 AbS V 21-24, LT. IV. 1T%b-18 624 Ibid V 2lb, balaisalsoimphied here, LT, 1V, 16a takes lito be only bala AhS refers to the teaching as the ‘arkdntiza mode for getting at the Lord, while LT takes it to be Vedanta. 625 Schrader p 39.