Samashrayana Explained

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