History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.148

v7.c91.148

¹⁵⁴⁶ Why the cult of Vāsudeva was called Pāñcarātra has not been satisfactorily explained anywhere in the English Histories of Indian Philosophy so far as I know. The name leads to the inference that the cult has something to do with *five matters*. But why is the word *rātra* or *kāla* used? That is the difficulty. In Śānti 336. 46 (cr ed. 323. 42) Pañcarātra is referred to as 'Pañcakāla' (तैरिट पञ्चकालज्ञैर्हरिरेकान्तिभिर्नृपैः) Several guesses have been put forward, some of which are: (1) on five nights Nārāyaṇa taught Ananta, Garuda, Viśvaksena, Brahmā and Rudra; (2) The Parama-saṁhitā (31. 19) states that God imparted this doctrine in *five nights* to four sages, Sanatkumāra, Sanaka, Sanandana and Sanātana, (3) this cult blackened (*rātri* is dark) five teachings, viz. सांख्य, योग, पाशुपत, बौद्ध and आर्हत, (4) this (pāñcarātra) teaches five aspects पर, व्यूह, विभव (1. e. अवतार), अन्तर्यामिन्, अर्चा (images); (5) it dwells upon five duties of Vaiṣṇavas viz. tāpa (branding on the arm and other limbs), puṇḍra (upright lines made on the forehead with some colouring substance), nāma (names of Vāsudeva), mantra (like 'Om namo Nārāyaṇāya), yāga (worship of images of Vāsudeva). The Āḻwar literature mentions fivefold nature viz. Para and the others. Vide K. C. Varadachari's paper on 'Some contributions of Āḻwars to the philosophy of bhakti' in Silver Jubilee vol. of BORI p. 621. The Paramasaṁhitā (I. 39-40 G. O. S. ed) states that the *five* great Elements, the five Tanmātras, Ahaṁkāra, Buddhi and avyakta, (five categories or Tattvas of the Sāṅkhya) are the night (as it were) of the Puruṣa and therefore this śāstra (which propounds how to be free from the meshes of these five) is called Pāñcarātra