The samashrayana (Sanskrit: समाश्रयणम्, romanized: Samāśrayaṇam) or the panchasamskara (Sanskrit: पञ्चसंस्कार, romanized: Pañcasaṃskāra)[1] is a Hindu sacrament generally associated with the Sri Vaishnava tradition.[2] It consists of five rites of initiation performed by a shishya (disciple) to be formally initiated into the tradition by an acharya (preceptor).[3]

Etymology

Samāśrayaṇam is Sanskrit for, "taking refuge with God".[4]

Description

The samashryana consists of the five rites according to Sri Vaishnava tradition:[5][6]

  1. Tapa - The embossing of the impression of Vishnu's Sudarshana Chakra (discus) on the right shoulder of the initiate and the Panchajanya (conch) on the left shoulder of the initiate.
  2. Puṇḍra - The application of the Vaishnava tilaka, the urdhva pundra, on twelve sacred locations of the body associated with Vishnu.
  3. Nāma - The introduction of the suffix dasan (servant) to the initiate's new name, offered by the preceptor.
  4. Mantra - The teaching of the Ashtakshara mantra and other sacred Vaishnava incantations.
  5. Yajña - The instruction of the proper method of worshipping God.

References

  1. ↑ Flood, Gavin (2005-06-10). The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism. John Wiley & Sons. p. 249. ISBN 978-1-4051-3251-0.
  2. ↑ Bulletin of the Anthropological Survey of India. Director, Anthropological Survey of India, Indian Museum. 1971. p. 109.
  3. ↑ Williams, Raymond Brady (2017-11-28). Williams on South Asian Religions and Immigration: Collected Works. Routledge. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-351-14310-3.
  4. ↑ Narayanan, Vasudha (1994). The Vernacular Veda: Revelation, Recitation, and Ritual. Univ of South Carolina Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-87249-965-2.
  5. ↑ Williams, Raymond Brady (2017-11-28). Williams on South Asian Religions and Immigration: Collected Works. Routledge. pp. 115–117. ISBN 978-1-351-14310-3.
  6. ↑ Hudson, D. Dennis (2008-09-25). The Body of God: An Emperor's Palace for Krishna in Eighth-Century Kanchipuram. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 569. ISBN 978-0-19-536922-9.
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