Take me back home | Page 2(Pancha Samskaram)
Hello friends! This FAQ is about the most revered custom in Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya called as the Samashrayanam and Pancha-Samaskaram. Before I actually dive into the details of the FAQ, I would like to extend my thanks to my Lord Sri Lakshmi Narasimha, for having blessed me with this divine task of giving these details online in my personal homepage. I also would like to express my sincere thanks to the following persons, without whom, my web career would not have been possible and this publication might not have come.
A detailed acknowledgement list would be published shortly in my homepage.
A very brief and introductory Frequently Asked Questions is maintained at the main site of Sri Vaishnavism.
Samashrayanam can be defined as a process or custom in Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya 'to approach (Acharya) with sincerity'. During the process of Samashrayanam, the Acharya takes the person as his shishya or disciple, irrespective of his caste, creed or other differences. Concurrently, it is also expected that the shishya is to live as per the wishes of the Acharya. Thus the person gets the link to the rich Sri Vaishnava heritage. The most revered Pancha Samskaram is performed when one takes the process of Samashrayanam.
| Division | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Thapam | To emboss the impressions of the heated Sankha and Chakra on the arms ( near the shoulders ). |
| Pundram | To wear the Dwadasa Oordhva Pundram (12 Thiruman & Srichoornam ) |
| Namam | To be christened by the Acharya as "Ramanuja Daasan" (The suffix Daasan indicates the person is forever the servant of the Lord Sriman Narayana and Bhagawan Sri Ramanuja. |
| Manthram | To get the initiation of "Rahasya Traya Mantras": (*) Ashtaksharam; (*) Dvayam; and (*) Charama slokam . |
| Ijyay | To learn the worship of Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana in proper form (Bhagavad Thiruvaradhanam) . |
The world we live in is very much becoming sophisticated but any research-minded person delving deep into spiritual matters would have the doubts about
We have to first understand that all life on earth can be categorized into one division called Jeevathma, all of which has its seeds and boundaries within the Paramathma, who is none other than Sriman Narayana. We are born on this earth in many forms like ants, scorpions, snakes, rodents or humans. Human birth is revered as the best of all creations. Once born on this earth as a human, we must try to acquire the knowledge or at least the essence of the knowledge(which we call as Saram). Till the date, that a man's brain is controlled by the thought that his perishable body made out of flesh and blood is every thing, he wanders behind all the worldly desires. The materialistic knowledge is of no use and only spiritual knowledge and take one to great heights, including and particularly answering the queries to the above questions. The process of spiritual knowledge takes you to the next stage of Prapathi and Bhakthi Yoga, which ultimately breaks the chain of the cycle of births and liberate you unto the Lotus feets of the Lord, after this worldly life, thus securing the Jeevathma, an eternal bliss.
What is the purpose of human life?
The purpose of human life is to realise the Jeevathma and to seek the spiritual knowledge in addition to the basic materialistic knowledge one needs for survival in this world; which is all complete by itself answering all the queries a spiritual researcher would be encountering in his research through the spiritual venture.
Even in the case of material or worldly knowledge, one has to go for academic training in various schools and institutions. The process of learning here goes forever and ever from many experienced persons. For spiritual knowledge, we have to first understand what goes behind the scenes. Spiritual Knowledge is a nice blend of three things, which are
So, we must find a person, who will be guiding us in all these and ultimately lead us to the Lotus feet of the Lord, Sriman Narayana.
In our Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya, Sriman Narayana is the supreme and the foremost Acharya. The teachings of Him flow down to through His most ardent devotees and this group of devotees spread His teachings to the wider group of people and thus this chain propagates. The Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya throws light on the following chain of Acharyas, if we delve deep into it.
Sriman Narayana -- The Supreme Lord | | His beloved consort, Sri Mahalakshmi | | Sri Vishwaksenar (The Commander-In-Chief Of Sri Vaikuntam) | | Srivan Satagopa (Nammazhwar) | | Sri Nathamuni | | Sri Pundarikaaksha (Uyyakondaar) | | Sri Rama Mishra(Manakaal Nambi) | | Sri Yamunacharya | | Ghosti Poorna(Periya Nambi) | | Bhagawan Ramanuja | | Sri Swami Desikan | | | | Present Day Acharyas.
The knowledge coming via the Acharya falling into the above flowchart can not at all be challenged neither can it be buggy in any sense. Even the most revered and most known incarnation of Sriman Narayana as Lord Krishna, emphasizes that one must approach the Sadaacharyas(Ideal Preceptor). This type of instruction can be seen in Srimadh Bhagawadh Gita, in a well-explained fashion. The Sadaacharya, would be well-versed in the spiritual knowledge encapsulating the Sanskrit Vedas, Divya Prabhandhams by Azhwars and other religious works.
A person desirous of strengthening his tie-ups in Sri Vaishnavism thus approaches a Sadaacharya. Attaining a Sadaacharya, is not easy. One attains Sadaacharya with the following factors:
- Blessings of the Lord
- Listening to the Bhagawad Puranas and stories about the Lord.
- Well-related with the devotees of the Lord.
- Grace of the Lord
Acharyas have every bit of right to test a person, whether he is eligible for the process of Samashrayanam. Once Samashrayanam has been performed by the Acharyas and the person has been initiated by the Acharyas as their disciple, from that moment, he becomes a Sri Vaishnava.
Sri Ahobila Mutt was founded by the Supreme Lord Lakshmi Narasimhan Himself , by initiating a twenty year old genius and supremely devout Brahmachari named Melkote Kidambi Srinivasacharya . This Acharya is very well known as Sri Adivan Shatagopa Yateendra Mahadesikan .. The current Acharya of this illustrious Ahobila Mutt is Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Divya Paduka Sevaka Srivan Shatagopa Sri Narayana Yateendra Mahadesikan.
Samashrayanam is indeed a great turning point in the life of Jeevathma, who has got entangled in the maze of life and death. The Pancha Samskaram (or the five-fold-purification) performed is invaluable. But , one has to keep up the Samskaram by his regular devotional activities. The Pancha Samskarams performed to the person loses significance and potential, if he gets involved in worldly activites and pleasures throwing more indifference to the Paramatman(Sriman Narayana). After all, the ultimate purpose of Pancha Samskaram is to make a person eligible to take part in the various activities of the Sanatana Dharma and to serve the Divya Dhampathi (Sriman Narayana and His consort, Sri Mahalakshmi). Sharanagadhi towards the Lord must be the only objective in our life. Samashrayanam helps in a great way to make a person progress towards achieving this goal.
Take me back home | Page 2(Pancha Samskaram)
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