Essay name: Diksha (initiation) in Pancharatra
Author:
Shanta Srinivasan
Affiliation: University of Madras / Department of Sanskrit
This English essay studies Diksha in Pancharatra with reference to important texts. Diksha refers to initiation ceremonies into a particular esoteric tradition which is given, for example, by the teacher (Guru) to the student (Shishya). Pancharatra refers to an ancient school of Vaishnavism based on ancient Tantra-like texts called Agamas which were commonly written in Sanskrit verse.
Chapter 1 - Introduction
4 (of 57)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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.1 VEDAS AND AGAMAS
The vedas contain information on many matters such as God,
man, world, and indicate the ways in which what is desired may be
attained and the undesirables may be avoided. They are
beginningless, impersonal and are valid by themselves. The language
used there may appear as classical Sanskrit but their language
contain expressions, which do yield their sense only for the vedic
topics. Y膩ska, the author of Nirukta, offers, while explaining some
of these words and suggests alternative explanations虏. It is not proper
to hold that the vedas are simple and could be explained as they are.
This view is arrived at, because words of classical Sanskrit and
some Vedic language appear phonetically similar, but there is a vast
difference when these words are sought to be explained. It is a pity
that there is no reliable commentary on the vedas.
1. Example: anak blind RV 2:15,7; upasak to follow closely RV 1:190.2;
heman- impulse RV 9:97.
2. Example: hiranyam kasm膩t? hriyata ayamyam膩nam iti v膩, hriyate
ja帽ajjanamiti v膩, hitarama峁嘺m bhavat墨ti v膩, haryater v膩 sy膩t. Nirukta II.iii
k奴pa岣� kasm膩t ? k奴p膩nam bhavati,kupyater v膩. (Nirukta III.iv.p.153).
mrgo na bhima岣� kucaro giri峁ａ弓h膩岣�.
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