VERY PROFOUND ARTICLE ABOUT "SHREE VISHNU-TATVA-SAMHITA". HAD BEEN FOUND IN #"SAPTAGIRI"# (OCTOBER 1996 ISSUE).
The SriVishnuTatvaSamhita ("Shree Vishnu-Tattva-Samhita"), a hitherto unpublished work of the Pancharatra canon, appears to be one of the older texts of the Pancharatra literature.
It is a rare text. Encyclopaedic in scope, the work treats of the fundamentals of Pancharatra thought and practice along with worship routines, installation procedures, personal discipline, social behaviour, Temple building activities, consecration concerns and devotion.
It appears to be a good representative of
the Pancharatra corpus. It is mentioned in the canonical lists of "Padma-Samhita", "Kapinjala-Samhita" and "Vishnu-Tantram".
the Pancharatra corpus. It is mentioned in the canonical lists of "Padma-Samhita", "Kapinjala-Samhita" and "Vishnu-Tantram".
It is also also mentioned in RamaNatha-Mahatmya of AchyutAshram.
A number of PachaRatra texts and other ShriVaishnava works bear the element Vishnu as the part of their title.
This text is to be distinguished from an unpublished PanchaRatra text called VishnuTantra, a work of some 25 or more surviving chapters, containing the second chapter a canonical list of 154 titles, among which the VishnuTatvaSamhita also is one.
VishnuTatvaSamhita is a dialogue between Shandilya and Devala. Sage Devala has received the narrative from Shandilya, what he in turn received from Narada, who heard it from Lord Vishnu.
The name of this text is mentioned in its colophons as "VishnuTatva". The metre of the verses is mainly Anushtubh.
A few verses are in other, uncommon metres. Some chapters contain prose along with verses. There is no evidence inside the text that would help to identify its chronology or the date.
But as it is quoted by Periyavachchan Pillai we can say that this work is earlier than12th century A.D.
This is a work of 54 chapters, in 4 sections. The division into 4 Padas is so far observed in only 2 of the extant Samhitas, namely "Padma-Samhita" and "VishnuTatva".
The four Padas are: 1. Jnana - knowledge 2. Yoga - concentration 3. Kriya - temple construction and ritual perfomance and 4. Charya - personal and community practice.
VishnuTatva-Samhita has been frequently quoted in the secondary works of the PanchaRatra school as well as in various VishishtAdwaita works. This is quoted by Periyavachchan Pillai (12th century in his commentary on Sharanagati-Gadya of Shree Ramanuja MahAcharya), without mentioning is name.
Vedanta Desika mentions it by name in His RahasyaTrayaSara (StotraRatnaBhasya, Shloka 53) and in Sharanagati-Gadya-Bhashya.
VadiKesari Soumyajamatrumuni quotes several passages from this text without mentioning is name in his TatvaDeepa.
Surendrasen Dasgupta says that: "the VishnuTatvaSamhita consists of 39 chapters and deals entirely with rituals of image worship, ablution, and holding of SriVaishnava marks, purificatory rites etc".
Similarly, Jan Covinda says that: “The VishnиTatvaSamhita was once in all probability a very elaborate and important work, of which no more than 39 chapters seem to remain.
They deal entirely with rituals of image worship, ablutions, purification etc. It is one of the rare texts in which the division into 4 Padas was strictly observed".
According to the available manuscripts The VishnuTatvaSamhita contains 54 chapters in 4 Padas.
The first three Padas consist of only 16 chapters explaining Yoga, Bhakti, nature of the matter, soul and Cod, and the means to the liberation etc. while the last Pada consists of 36 chapters covering Charya.
Dr. Gonda recognizes the text as being one of the texts showing the division into 4 Padas, but counts it only in 39 chapters.
And mentions that: "it is an interesting text filled with important materials relating to ShriVaishnava Faith and Worship. The text deserves careful study".
Cited from
"Note on an unpublished PanchaRatra Sri VishnuTattva Samhita"
by Dr. P.T.G. Sampathkumaracharya
[originally from #"Saptagiri"# magazine, 1996 October issue]
OCR by Vishnudut1926, August 2017
