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22 The Pañcarātra
[CH. human beings are called the Tāmasa Šāstra. The Rājasa Šāstra is of two kinds, the Pañcarātra and the Vaikhānasa. Sātrata, Pauskara and Jayākhya were probably the earliest Pañcarātra works written by the sages, and of these again the Sātvata is considered the best, as it consists of a dialogue between the Lord and Samkarsana.
The Iśvara-samhitā consists of twenty-four chapters, of which sixteen are devoted to ritualistic worship, one to the description of images, one to initiation, one to meditation, one to mantras, one to expiation, one to methods of self-control, and one to a description of the holiness of the Yādava hill?. The chapter on worship is interspersed with philosophical doctrines which form the basis of the Srīvaisnava philosophy and religion.
The Hayasīrşa-samhitā consists of four parts; the first part, called the Pratisthā-kānda, consists of forty-two chapters; the second, the Samkarşana, of thirty-seven chapters; the third, the Linga, of twenty chapters; and the fourth, the Saura-kānda, of forty-five chapters?. All the chapters deal with rituals concerning the installation of images of various minor gods, the methods of making images and various other kinds of rituals. The Vişnu-tattvasamhită consists of thirty-nine chapters, and deals entirely with rituals of image-worship, ablutions, the holding of Vaisnava marks, purificatory rites, etc.2 The Parama-samhitā consists of thirty-one chapters, dealing mainly with a description of the process of creation, rituals of initiation, and other kinds of worship?. In the tenth chapter, however, it deals with yoga. In this chapter we hear of jñāna-yoga and karma-yoga. Jiūna-yoga is regarded as superior to karma-yoga, though it may co-exist therewith. Jñāna-yoga means partly practical philosophy and the effort to control all senseinclinations by that means. It also includes samādhi, or deep concentration, and the practice of prāņāyāma. The word yoga is here used in the sense of "joining or attaching oneself to.” The man who practises yoga fixes his mind on God and by deep meditation detaches himself from all worldly bonds. The idea of kurma-yoga does not appear to be very clear; but in all probability it means worship of Vişnu. The Parāśara samhitā, which was also available
1 Published at Conjeeveram, 1921. 2 It has been available to the present writer only in MIS. * This samhita has also been available to the present writer only in VIS.
