An Outline of the Religious Literature of India c10.3

c10.3

During this period the sects became more highly organized than ever before. In addition to the Śākta element already described, each sect was expected to possess an Upanishad and a manual;—the Upanishad to prove that its teaching had come by revelation and was in full consonance with the Vedānta; the manual to provide a statement of the theology of the sect, a directory of its occult yoga practice, rules of conduct and ritual, and directions for the preparation of images and the building of temples. Each sect had its own order of sannyāsīs. Each was also expected to train a number of gurus for its cultured members. The layman received initiation, dīkshā, and regular instruction in the philosophical theology of the sect from his guru, just like an ascetic. Finally, each sect had its own mantra and sect-mark, tilaka.