THE FOLLOWING PERFECT GLOSSES AND SANSKRIT PRAMANS REGARDING "SHREE PANCHARATRA" HAD BEEN FOUND BY ME IN "THE PHILOSOPHY OF RAMANUJA" BOOK BY DR. KRISHNA DATTA BHARADWAJ, 1958:
1. PanchaRatra is that in Whose Presence 5 scriptures of sankhya, yoga, bauddha, arhata (jainism) and kapala lose their lustre:
पञ्चेराणि शास्त्राणि रात्रीयन्ते महान्त्यपि
तत्सन्निधौ संमक्यासौ तेन लोके प्रवर्तते [ पद्म-तन्त्रम् ]
pa~ncherANi shAstrANi rAtrIyante mahAntyapi
tatsannidhau saMmakyAsau tena loke pravartate [padma-tantram]
2. Just as night (ratri) comes to an end (panchatva) at sun-rise, similarly other scriptures come to an end at the rise of PanchaRatra:
पञ्चत्वमथ वा यद्वद् दाव्यमाने दिवाकरे
ऋच्छन्ति रात्र्यस्तद्वदितराणि तदन्तिके [ पद्म-तन्त्रम् ]
pa~nchatvamatha vA yadvad dAvyamAne divAkare
RRichChanti rAtryastadvaditarANi tadantike [padma-tantram]
3. The word "Ratra" signifies knowledge which is of
5 types, so that PanchaRatra is the name of the scripture which deals with 5types of knowledge:
5 types, so that PanchaRatra is the name of the scripture which deals with 5types of knowledge:
रात्रं च ज्ञानवचनं ज्ञानं पञ्चविधं स्मृतम्
तेनेदं पञ्चारात्रं च प्रवदन्ति मनीषिणः [ नारद पञ्चरात्रम् ]
rAtraM cha j~nAnavachanaM j~nAnaM pa~nchavidhaM smRRitam
tenedaM pa~nchArAtraM cha pravadanti manIShiNaH [nArada pa~ncharAtram]
4. "Ratra" means nescience (Avidya) and "pachana" means destruction. Hence the scripture which destroys nescience (Avidya) is called PanchaRatra:
रात्रिरज्ञानमित्युक्तं पञ्चेत्यज्ञाननाशकम् [ श्री प्रश्नसंहिता ]
rAtriraj~nAnamityuktaM pa~nchetyaj~nAnanAshakam [shrI prashnasaMhitA]
5. PanchaRatra is the scripture which admits the reality of God in 5 Aspects: Transcendence (Vasudeva, Adi-Narayana), Immanence (Antaryami), Emanation (Vyuha), Descent (Avatara) and the Consecrated Murtis (Archa-Avataras):
तत्परव्यूह विभव स्वभावादि निरुपणम्
पाञ्चरात्राह्वयम् तन्त्रं मोक्षैकफललक्षणम् [ अहिर्बुध्न्य संहिता ]
tatparavyUha vibhava svabhAvAdi nirupaNam
pA~ncharAtrAhvayam tantraM mokShaikaphalalakShaNam [ahirbudhnya saMhitA]
6. PanchaRatra is the scripture which teaches that upon the realization of God 5 nights meaning the functions of the 5 physical senses of the embodied soul are destroyed:
आवाप्य तु परं तेजो यत्रैतः पञ्च रात्रयः
नश्यन्ति पञ्चरात्रं तत् सर्वाज्ञानविनाशनम् [ विष्णु संहिता ]
AvApya tu paraM tejo yatraitaH pa~ncha rAtrayaH
nashyanti pa~ncharAtraM tat sarvAj~nAnavinAshanam [viShNu saMhitA]
7. PanchaRatra is so called because it embodies the 5 Siddhantas delivered by Bhagavan Shree Narayana in 5 nights to Ananta, Garuda, Vishvaksena, Brahma and Rudra:
पञ्चापि पृथगेकैकं दिवारात्रं जगत्प्रभुः
आध्यापयामास यतस्ततस्तन्मुनिपुंगवाः
शास्त्रं सर्वजनैर्लोके पञ्चरात्रमितीर्यते [ ईश्वर-संहिता ]
pa~nchApi pRRithagekaikaM divArAtraM jagatprabhuH
AdhyApayAmAsa yatastatastanmunipuMgavAH
shAstraM sarvajanairloke pa~ncharAtramitIryate [Ishvara-saMhitA]
8. PanchaRatra is that scripture which Bhagavan Shree Vishnu taught separately to Sandilya, Aupamanyava, Maunjyayana, Kaushika and Bharadvaja who are digits of His 5 Weapons:
पञ्चायुधाशाः ते पञ्च शाण्डिल्यशचौपगायनः
मौज्यायनः कौशिकश्च भारद्वाजश्च योगिनः
pa~nchAyudhAshAH te pa~ncha shANDilyashachaupagAyanaH
maujyAyanaH kaushikashcha bhAradvAjashcha yoginaH
Ekayana-Veda and the status of Mahopanishad.
PanchaRatra is not only of Vedic origin, but is also called the Ekayana Veda i.e. a Veda where the Deity (Lord Shree Narayana) is said to be the only shelter for devotees:
मोक्षायनाय वै पन्था एतदन्यो न विद्यते
तस्मादेकायनं नाम प्रवदन्ति मनीषिणः [ ईश्वर-संहिता ]
mokShAyanAya vai panthA etadanyo na vidyate
tasmAdekAyanaM nAma pravadanti manIShiNaH [Ishvara-saMhitA]
यस्मिन्नेको मोक्षमार्गो वेदे प्रोक्तः सनातनः
मदाराधनरूपेण तस्मादेकायनं भवेत् [ श्री प्रश्नसंहिता ]
yasminneko mokShamArgo vede proktaH sanAtanaH
madArAdhanarUpeNa tasmAdekAyanaM bhavet [shrI prashnasaMhitA]
The great sage Shandilya learnt it from Sankarshana at the end of Dvapara and the beginning of Kali, and then taught it to Sumantu, Bhrgu, Jaimini, Aupagayana, and Maunjyayana.
The Mahabharata has termed PanchaRatra as Mahopanisad ("Shree Maha-Upanishad", that is "The Greatest Upanishada"), and indicates that the PanchaRatra literature was held in high esteem in ancient times:
इदं महोपनिषदं चतुर्वेद-समन्वितम् [ श्री भाष्ये 2.2.42 ]
idaM mahopaniShadaM chaturveda-samanvitam [shrI bhAShye 2.2.42]***
It is said to have been taught by Bhagavan Shree Narayana Himself. Apart from the name "Mahopanisad", other names e.g. Shastra, Tantra, Agama, and Samhita are also given to PanchaRatra.
Thus we have such titles as PanchaRatra Shastra, PanchaRatra Tantra, PanchaRatra Agama, and PanchaRatra Samhita. Numerous books were written on this branch of Vaishnava literature, and they received distinctive names after their authors.
Narada PanchaRatra contains, for an instance, a reference to 7 PanchaRatras such as Brahma, Shaiva, Kaumara, Vasistha, Kapila, Gautamiya and Narada.
Agni-Purana mentions 25 such names. The literature on PanchaRatra increased from more to more and came to include as many as about 200 books. But 108 PanchaRatra Samhitas are held to be canonical.
***Note by Vishnudut1926: "Shree Bhasya", 2.2.42 is one of the most extensive Tikas by OM VishnuPad Shree RamanujAcharya.
Among very profound sets of Pramanas establishing the status of "Shree PanchaRatra" as "MAHOPANISHAD" Om VishnuPad Shree RamanujAcharya cites "Shree MahaBharata".
So, the above-mentioned Praman (इदं महोपनिषदं चतुर्वेद-समन्वितम्) is from "Shree MahaBharata", please see the below screenshot from "Shribhashya Of Ramanuja", edited By R.D.Karmarkar (#link to E-BOOK#):
The above 8 meanings cited from "The Philosophy Of Ramanuja"
by Dr. Krishna Datta Bharadwaj, 1958
Sanskrit and English OCR by Vishnudut1926, Moscow, June 2017
