Expiatory Rites in Keralite Tantra
by T. S. Syamkumar | 2017 | 59,416 words
This page relates ‘Expiatory Rites in Vasishtha-dharmasutra� of the study on Expiatory Rites in Sanskrit literature and ancient Indian religion and society, with special reference to Keralite Tantra. Further references to texts include those found in Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism as well as Dharmashastra literature. This study also investigates temple records and inscriptions of Kerala in order to demonstrate the connection between social life and expiatory rites and its evolution.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
6.1.4. Expiatory Rites in ղṣṭ-ūٰ
ղṣṭ-ūٰ, associated with the ṻ岹, is divided into chapters similar to Gautama-ūٰ ղṣṭ describes expiatory rites in 20th to 30th chapters. Here sins are classified into three types: Enas (ordinary sins), Ѳٲ첹 and 貹ٲ첹. According to ղṣṭ-ūٰ Ѳٲ첹 (mortal sins) are five: violating a Guru’s bed, drinking of Sura, murder of Bhrūṇa, stealing gold from a ṇa and associating with a Patita. 貹ٲ첹 are negligence of sacred Vedic fires, offending a Guru, livelihood from an atheist and selling the Soma plant.[1] At any time, if someone is associated with an out caste, he must perform reciting Vedic hymns without eating food.[2]
In the composing period of ղṣṭūٰ, it is considered that illegal sex is a very serious sin. If a Śū has sex with a Brahmin woman, he should be wrapped in īṇa grass and thrown in to the fire, and that Brahmin woman’s head should be shaved and her body soiled with ghee and she should be paraded naked and seated on a black donkey for purification.[3] ղṣṭ-ūٰ remarks that sixteen ʰṇ峾 should be present at ղṛt and ʰṇa. If performed each day, it would purify after a month even the sin of murder of a Bhrūṇa. ղṣṭ-ūٰ says that a ṇa becomes free from all distresses by the chanting of Vedic Mantras and by doing Homa rituals. Moreover, ղṣṭ-ūٰ proposes arduous penance, lunar penance, re-initiation, oblation in the fire, ritual gifts, ritual bath, horse sacrifice and austerity as expiations in various offences.
It is clear that in the Dharmasūtra period, ղṇa system was very deeply influenced by the concept and praxis of ʰⲹśٳٲ. īٳ concept also comes in the period of ūٰ. As ٳūٰ originated in different places of early India, regional variations can be seen in the concept and praxis of expiations. At the same time, they equally considered sex with wife of Guru, killing four ղṇas, especially Brahmins, theft and drinking of liquor as major sins. It is to be noted that the Dharma literature does not discuss the ritual mistakes and their expiations.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
pañcamahāpātakānyācakṣate | gurutalpa� ܰԲ� bhrūṇahatya brāhmaṇasuvarṇāpaharaṇa� patitasaṃyogaśca | brāhmeṇa vā yaunena vā | ղṣṭ-ūٰ, 1.19-21.
[2]:
[3]:
ղṣṭ-ūٰ, 21.1-4.