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 2 - Aspects of Diksa
24 (of 41)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
in the Padma samhita'. How it shall be drawn is given in the Pauskara samhita² Other texts do not mention any maṇḍala. However, the Jayākhya samhitā and the Laksmi tantra it enjoin mahāmaṇḍalayāga for dīkṣ� to such persons and it called Mahāmaṇḍalyāga³. A sacrifice is to be done in that Mahāmaṇḍala. The word mahāmaṇḍala may mean big or long mandala. This is stafed in the Pauskara saṃhitā. This text enumerates the names of twenty five mandalas and other names which are not referred to as mandalas but as yāga. Among them cakrābjalakṣaṇa and Navanābha are simply mentioned.4 Among the two the latter is stated to be as mahāyāga³. It is also stated in the Chapter II of the text that the cak rābja and Navanābha are also called Mahā and thus Mahāmaṇḍalayāga referred to in Jayākhya and Pādma texts be must be Navanābha mandala. 1. Ibid. VII 88 2. Paus. I 21. 3. Paus VIII, and XIX 77 4. Ibid 5. Ibid 81
