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Tradition of Hinduism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vaikhanasa (Sanskrit: वैखानस, romanized: Vaikhānasa) or Vaikhanasagama (Sanskrit: वैखानसागम, romanized: Vaikhānasāgama) is a tradition of Hinduism that primarily worships Vishnu (and his associated avatars) as the Supreme God. The tradition draws its name from the philosophy propounded by its founder, Sage Vikhanasa.[1]
Vaikhanasa is classified as a Vaishnava Agama, concerned with the performance of practices such as temple rituals.[2] Its adherents are primarily the Brahmins who belong to the school of the Krishna Yajurveda Taittiriya Shakha and the Vaikhanasa Kalpasutra.[3] It is principally monotheistic in its philosophy, whilst also incorporating elements that could be described as being panentheistic. Like the Pancharatra, it is well established in South India.[4]
The Vaikhanasas originated as a group of forest-dwelling ascetics.[5] In the Manava Dharmashastra, the legendary Manu discusses the vanaprastha, forest-dweller, the third of the four ashrama stages of life, and mentions a "Vaikhanasa rule." Other ancient authorities support this reference, so it seems there was a Vaikhanasa ascetic community before the common era. They are mentioned in the Narayaniyam, which is a late section of the Mahabharata of uncertain date but probably no earlier than the third century CE. Surviving Vaikhanasa sutras are no older than the fourth century CE.[citation needed]
Inscriptions from perhaps the eighth century CE identify Vaikhanasas as temple priests, and from the end of the tenth century they are prominently mentioned in South Indian inscriptions. Vaikhanasas were the priests of Vishnu temples, trusted with administering the temples and their lands.
Vedanta Desika, a leader of the Sri Vaishnava school, has given equal importance to both vaikhanasa and Pancharatra system in his work Saranagati Deepika 32 :
tvAm paancaraatrikanayEna pruthakvidhEna vaikhanasEna ca pathA niyatAdhikArA: |
samjn~A vishESha niyamEna samarcayanta: preetyA nayanti phalavanti dinAni dhanyA: ||
Today, Vaikhanasas are the chief priests[citation needed] in more than half of the Vaishnava temples in the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Karnataka. Their present-day temple activities are worthy of attention, as are their efforts to work for community integrity which is threatened by increasing social and technological changes.
Vaikhanasas claim to be a surviving school of Vedic ritual, the Taittiriya Shakha of the Krishna Yajurveda. Vaikhanasa tradition says the sage Vikhanasa, who was a manifestation of Vishnu, acquired an education of the Vedas and the Shastras. He learnt how to worship Vishnu as an arcāvatāra, a temple image regarded to be an iconic form of the deity. He is regarded to have travelled to the holy forest known as the Naimisharanya and composed the Vaikhanasa Kalpasutra and taught the treatise known as the Sri Vaikhanasa Bhagavad Shastra to his four disciples, the sages Atri, Bhrigu, Kashyapa and Marichi, which contained the procedures of Samurtarcana, Amurtarchana, and devotional service to Vishnu in the form of his images.[6]
Most Vaikhanasa literature is almost completely concerned with rituals, prescribing the rituals and their rules of performance. To Vaikhanasas, their temple worship is a continuation of the Vedic yajna. Regular and correct worship of Vishnu in a temple are regarded to bring the same results as the fire sacrifice even for people who do not maintain their fires.[7]
Vaikhanasa texts venerate four aspects of Vishnu: Purusha, the principle of life; Satya, the static aspect of deity; Achyuta, the immutable aspect; and Aniruddha, the irreducible aspect. They prescribe the two primary mantras of Vaishnavism: Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya and Om Namo Narayanaya.[8] Distinction is emphasised between Vishnu in his form of niṣkalā, a primeval and indivisible form unperceived even by Brahma, and his form of sakala, the figured, divisible, emanated, and movable form. In his form of Sakala, the deity is regarded to respond to devotional meditation. Vishnu's consort, Shri, is regarded to be as important as nature, Prakriti, as the power (shakti) of Vishnu.
The Vaikhanasa doctrine states that spiritual liberation (moksha) is release into Vishnu's abode of Vaikuntha. The nature of a devotee's moksha is regarded to be dependent on their performance of japa (attentive repetition of prayer), huta, yajna (ritual sacrifice), archana (service to images), and dhyana (yogic meditation). Of the four, the text known as the Marichi Samhita offers precedence to archana.
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2023) |
The Vaikhanasa Brahmins/Vaikhanasas are a tiny Vaishnavite Brahmin community[9] of about 4000 families[better source needed] widely dispersed in South India at Vaishnava temples in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Karnataka and also worldwide especially in the United States of America, Germany, Australia, UK, and some parts of Europe.
Some of the prominent Hindu temples following the Vaikhanasa Agama are
| This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2023) |
Temples and images with the Vaikhanasas are of more importance than perhaps any other sect of Hinduism. In accordance with Vaikhanasa doctrine of the two forms of Vishnu, the Nishkala, the unfigured, and the Sakala, the figured, two cult images are distinguished. There is the large immovable image representing Vishnu's Niskala form, which is ritually placed in a sanctuary and elaborately consecrated, and a smaller movable image representing Vishnu's Sakala form. If the devotee wishes for temporal and eternal results he should worship both forms. But if he is after only eternal results he should worship the immovable image.
After purification and meditation to identify with Vishnu, the devotee surrenders to Vishnu and places the movable image on a bathing pedestal and elaborately bathes it. This is preparation for receiving the presence of God by immediate contact via a connecting string. The invocation starts with a Mantra, sacred utterance, saying that the Imperishable is linked to the Perishable and that the Self is released from all evil as it knows God. Flowers are presented to all the deities present. Then the hymn called the Aatmasukta is recited that identifies the body of the devotee with the cosmos, followed by meditation on Vishnu's Niskala aspect: these parts of the ritual are to request Vishnu to take his Sakala form in the movable image so that the devotee can converse with Him. A Puja ceremony takes place with God as the royal guest, followed by a Homa, offering into the fire [Homaagni], and a Bali [offering-but not animal sacrifice] with something that may be visible, touchable, audible, or eatable. An offering of [Havis - anything offered as an oblation with fire], cooked food, is important as the God's meal. Afterwards the Prasaada (Food that was offered to God) is eaten by the worshipers and devotees. The offering area is cleaned and a Bali of cooked rice sprinkled with butter is offered to Vishnu. Then comes a Pradakshina [circumambulation from left to right clockwise as a kind of worship]around the temple. After Daksina, the officiating Brahman's share of the Prasadam, is given, Vishnu is meditated upon as the personal manifestation of the sacrifice. Finally Puspanjali, known as Mantra Pushpam, that is, offering a handful of flowers at the God's lotus feet after chanting the holy Mantraas, and the temple door is closed after Mangala arathi.
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