Expiatory Rites in Keralite Tantra
by T. S. Syamkumar | 2017 | 59,416 words
This page relates 鈥楨xpiatory Rites in Sardhatrishatikalottara-agama鈥� 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.
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1.3. Expiatory Rites in 厂腻谤诲丑补迟谤颈艣补迟颈k膩lottara-膩gama
This 膧驳补尘补 is a momentous and earlier treatise of 艢补颈惫补蝉颈诲诲丑腻苍迟补 school of thought. It includes one of the many recensions of 碍腻濒辞迟迟补谤腻驳补尘补; a text containing 350 艢濒辞办补蝉.[1] Tradition considered that it is an Up膩gama of 痴腻迟耻濒腻驳补尘补, which belongs to twenty eight 膧驳补尘补s of 艢补颈惫补蝉颈诲诲丑腻苍迟补. 厂腻谤诲丑补迟谤颈艣补迟颈办腻濒辞迟迟补谤腻驳补尘补 contains twenty seven 笔补峁璦濒补蝉 and it is not divided in the traditional 厂颈诲诲丑腻苍迟补 manner as 闯帽腻苍补, Kriya, Yoga and Carya. The fourteenth chapter of this 碍腻濒辞迟迟补谤腻驳补尘补, expounds diminutive discussion about expiatory rites, but it does not deal with temple expiatory rituals.
It is known from the text that there were expiatory rites only for an initiated (顿墨办峁迟补) person who have fallen down from the goal. It is interesting to mention that 厂腻谤诲丑补迟谤颈艣补迟颈 recommends this expiatory ritual to be performed by a Guru. In his commentary on 厂腻谤诲丑补迟谤颈艣补迟颈办腻濒辞迟迟补谤腻驳补尘补, 叠丑补峁弓补r膩maka峁囜弓ha says that, if the Guru does not perform expiatory rituals then the Guru is liable to go to hell.[2] In the case of a mistake when an initiator falls down from the goal, then the teacher shall perform fire rituals and recitation of Mantra as expiation.[3]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
N.R. Bahtt gives very rich details of the 碍腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 recension, he wrote: 鈥淭hough we do not find the name 碍腻濒辞迟迟补谤补, in the list of Up膩gamas of 痴腻迟耻濒腻驳补尘补, we find instead the name 碍腻濒补箩帽腻苍补 which is the synonym of 碍腻濒辞迟迟补谤补. This is established from the fact that in the colophons of the 碍腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 manuscripts, we find sometimes 碍腻濒补箩帽腻苍补 and sometimes 碍腻濒辞迟迟补谤补. The name 碍腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 seems to indicate that this texts deal with the knowledge of the Supreme, the destroyer of bondage. There are many recensions of this 碍腻濒辞迟迟补谤腻驳补尘补 which are known either by the availability of the manuscripts or from quotations. Those known so far are enumerated below: 1. 碍腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 2. 叠峁沨补迟办腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 3. 础测耻迟补迟谤补测补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻-办腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 4. 顿别惫墨办腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 5. 顿惫腻诲补艣补蝉补丑补蝉谤补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻办腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 6. 峁峁璼补丑补蝉谤补-蝉补峁僪颈迟腻办腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 7. 罢谤补测辞诲补艣补艣补迟颈办补办腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 8. 厂补辫迟补艣补迟颈办补办腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 9. 颁补迟耻艣艣补迟颈办补办腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 10. 厂腻谤诲诲丑补迟谤颈艣补迟颈办腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 11. 罢谤颈艣补迟颈办腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 12. 顿惫颈艣补迟颈-办腻濒辞迟迟补谤补 and 13. 厂办补苍诲补办腻濒辞迟迟补谤补.鈥�, Cf. 厂腻谤诲诲丑补迟谤颈艣补迟颈办腻濒辞迟迟补谤补, ed. Bhatt, N.R., Institute Francise De Pondicherry, 1979, see English Introduction, pp. xcvii-xcix.
[2]:
补迟补迟惫补惫颈诲补产丑补办迟别峁 诲墨办峁Ｄ佱箖 办耻谤测腻诲测补诲腻 驳耻谤耻岣� |
d墨k峁t膩 na 艣颈惫补峁� y膩nti gururnirayage bhavet || 厂腻谤诲丑补迟谤颈艣补迟颈办腻濒辞迟迟补谤腻驳补尘补, 14.4, Com. on 叠丑补峁弓补 搁腻尘补办补峁囜弓丑补.
samayolla峁単han膩tprokta峁� kravy膩datva峁� 艣补迟补峁� 蝉补尘腻岣� | 厂腻谤诲丑补迟谤颈艣补迟颈办腻濒辞迟迟补谤腻驳补尘补, 25.2.
The 25th chapter of the same text also explains that if a D墨k峁t膩 suddenly have desire for worldly enjoyments, then the Guru should make an expiation, otherwise if he does not perform an expiation, a Guru will be reborn as a flesh eating animal or goblin.