Ritual Worship of the Narasiṁhamantra as Depicted in the Sātvatasaṁhitā

Abstract

Most probably, the Sātvatasaṁhitā is the only one among the recognized saṁhitās of the Vaiṣṇava Pāñcarātra that elaborates upon the procedure of worshipping [the mantra of] Narasiṁha belonging to vibhava deities (vaibhavīyanarasiṁhakalpa). Its aim is formulated in SātS 16, where it is stated that an initiation with the help of narasiṁhamantra (narasiṁhadīkṣā) as well as the further worship of this mantra remove sins committed in previous lives, even in the case of nāstikas. The detailed account of the procedure is given in the next chapter, i.e. SātS 17. Yet, when analyzed out of the general context of the text, vaibhavīyanarasiṁhakalpa seems to present a fully fledged procedure meant for a sādhaka striving for magical powers (siddhi); it depicts the narasiṁhadīkṣā which grants the right to worship the narasiṁhamantra in order to realize worldly aims. The traces of textual re-working suggest that the idea of vaibhavīyanarasiṁhakalpa might come from another context. It is also probable that for some reasons its original function considering the attainment of magical powers was reformulated within the scope of SātS into the purifying ceremony preceding the proper initiation.

Keywords

• Vaishnavism
• Pāñcarātra
• Sātvatasaṁhitā
• initiation
• narasiṁhadīkṣā
• kalpa