१० क्षुद्र-विद्या-परता

एवं सति
यान्य् अपि लोकं व्यामोहयितुं
विद्वेषणोच्चाटन-वशीकरणादि–क्षुद्र-विद्या-प्रायम् एव बहुलम् उपदिशद्भिर्
भगवद्-आराधनादि–कतिपय-वैदिक-कर्माणि पाञ्चरात्रिकैर् निर्दिश्यन्ते
तान्य् अनुपयोग्यान्य् अविस्रम्भणीयानि च
श्व-दृति+++(=bag)+++-निक्षिप्त-क्षीरवद्
इति मन्यामहे ।

In view of all this it is our opinion that such infrequent good rites- e.g., the worship of the Bhagavān - which are described by the Pañcaratricas
(who teach a good many others,
mostly black arts of exciting hatred, haunting a person out of his occupation, envoutement etc.)
are merely added to deceive people about their real attentions and do not deserve our faith or consideration: they are like milk that is put in a dog’s bladder !

[[16]]

Cf. Tantravārtika under I. iii-4 : pp. 114-115 :

यद् वा यान्य् एतानि त्रयी-विद्भिः न परिगृहीतानि, किञ्चित्-तन्-मिश्र-धर्म-कञ्चुक-च्छायापतितानि लोकोपसङ्ग्रह-लाभ-पूजा-ख्याति-प्रयोजन-पराणि त्रयी-विपरीतासम्बद्ध-दृष्ट-शोभादि-प्रत्यक्षानुमानोपमानार्थापत्ति-प्राय-युक्ति-मूलोपनिबद्धानि सांख्य-योग-पाञ्चरात्र-पाशुपत-शाक्य-निर्ग्रन्थ-परिगृहीत-धर्माधर्म-निबन्धनानि विष-चिकित्सा-वशीकरणोच्चाटनोन्मादनादि-समर्थ-कतिपय-मन्त्रौषधि-कादाचित्क-सिद्धि-निदर्शन-बलेनाहिंसा-सत्य-वचन-दम-दान-दयादि-श्रुति-स्मृति-संवादि-स्तोकार्थ-बन्ध-वासित-जीविका-प्रायार्थान्तरोपदेशीनि, यानि च बाह्यतराणि म्लेच्छाचार-मिश्र-भोजनाचरणानि निबन्धनानि, तेषाम् एवैतच्-छ्रुति-विरोध-हेतु-दर्शनाभ्याम् अनपेक्षणीयत्वं प्रतिपाद्यते।

It may be noted that the passage quoted above mentions Pāñcarātra along with other non-Vedic schools like Buddhism and Jainism, and it is the nucleus of the anti-Pāñcarātra arguments advanced by the adherents of other schools of thought, from time to time.

In the Tantra-terminology, “vidveṣaṇa” etc. are technically called “ṣaṭkarmas”. Vide Liṅgādhāraṇacandrikā: p. 285, foot-note. These “ṣaṭkarmas” are : “māraṇa” (destruction), “uccāṭana” (driving away), “stambhana” (arrest, that is, staying a storm, striking a man dumb etc.), “vaśīkaraṇa” (bringing under control, which includes hypnotism), “vidveṣaṇa” (causing antagonism between persons) and “svastyayana” (curative and healing power in disease, misfortune and danger).

A number of Pāñcarātra works describe in detail the ways and means of achieving mundane pleasures, effecting enmity, attracting and subduing persons and even the minor gods, curing or healing poisons of insects and reptiles and so on. The Kāśyapasaṃhitā, for instance, is a work entirely devoted to the delineation of the curing of various sorts of poisons.

For “vidveṣaṇa”, see Kāśyapasaṃhitā: III. 32; Śrīviṣṇutilakasaṃhitā: IV. 640-643; and the Hiraṇyagarbhasaṃhitā: XIX.

For “uccāṭana”, see Kāśyapasaṃhitā: III. 26-28; V. 12, 42, 45; Śrīviṣṇutilakasaṃhitā: IV. 634-639; Hiraṇyagarbhasaṃhitā: XIX and Īśvarasaṃhitā: XXV. 115b.

For “vaśīkaraṇa” see Agastyasaṃhitā: XV. 8-11, 49-51 and XXXI; Kāśyapasaṃhitā: III. 8, 21-24; Śrīviṣṇutilakasaṃhitā: IV. 415-422; 430-454; Sāttvatasaṃhitā: XVII. 440 et passim; Hiraṇyagarbhasaṃhitā: XIII. 3 ff; Īśvarasaṃhitā: XXV. 115a.

By the term ‘ādi’ mentioned in the text “vaśīkaraṇādi”, are understood “māraṇa”, “viṣaharaṇa”, “viṣacikitsā”, “unmādana”, “ākarṣaṇa”, “stambhana” and the like.

For “māraṇa”, see Hiraṇyagarbhasaṃhitā: XIX; Agastyasaṃhitā: XXXI; Śrīviṣṇutilakasaṃhitā: IV. 645-666 and the Īśvarasaṃhitā: XXV. 115b.

For “viṣaharaṇa”, see Śrīviṣṇutilakasaṃhitā: IV. 488-490; and Kāśyapasaṃhitā: Chs. VI to XII.

For “unmādana”, see Kāśyapasaṃhitā: III. 33-36; and Īśvarasaṃhitā: XXV. 116a.

For “ākarṣaṇa”, see Kāśyapasaṃhitā: III. 1-3 and Īśvarasaṃhitā: XXV. 115a.

For “stambhana”, see the Īśvarasaṃhitā: XXV. 116a.

Thus, though apparently, the Pāñcarātrasaṃhitās pour down instructions and incantations to be followed and applied, so as to achieve some mundane pleasures, the attitude of a Pāñcarātrin to this question is an altogether different one. According to him, all such Āgamas which are found to give instructions regarding the achievement of some mundane pleasure or other, are intent upon advising men against such pursuits, rather than prescribing such pursuits. Thus, for instance, the Paramasaṃhitā, one of the oldest and the most authoritative Āgamas of the Pāñcarātra literature, also refers to the ways and means of attaining earthly pleasures in chs. VI, XIII, XV and XVI. But it spares no effort to stress upon the futility and undesirability of such pursuits.

Thus it says in VI. 60-61a:

nānyaḥ siddhyati kāmena tasmāt kāmo nirarthakaḥ
tasmāt sarvaprayatnena muktvā kāmamanorathaṃ
bhagavantamupāsīta sarvaṃ tenaiva siddhyati.

Unflinching devotion to God will itself bring to a man all material prosperity, even if he does not himself pray God for it.

Also cf. ibid : XXXI. 69 :

tasmādanena mārgeṇa pūjayet madhusūdanaṃ
aiśvaryamapavargaṃ vā nirvyājamadhigacchati.

Also cf. ibid : XXX. 100-101a :

tasmādubhayamevātra puṃsāṃ bhavati sammataṃ
aiśvaryamapavargo vā viśeṣeṇa pitāmaha
madgatā bhaktirevedamubhayaṃ sādhayiṣyati.

This is the norm of all the Pāñcarātra texts. The main concern of their teaching is unflinching devotion to the Lord and the methods of translating that devotion into acts of worship, which are divided into five types: “abhigamana”, “upādāna”, “svādhyāya”, “ijyā” and “yoga”, to be performed in different parts of the day.

एवं सति यान्यपि लोकं व्यामोहयितुं विद्वेषणोच्चाटनवशीकरणादिक्षुद्रविद्याप्रायमेव बहुलमुपदिशद्भिर्भगवदाराधनादिकतिपयवैदिककर्माणि पाञ्चरात्रिकैर्निर्दिश्यन्ते तान्यनुपयोग्यान्यविस्रम्भणीयानि च श्वदृतिनिक्षिप्तक्षीरवदिति मन्यामहे ।

अतो न वेद-मूलत्त्वं
पञ्चरात्रस्य युज्यते ।
प्रामाण्यं प्रतिपद्येत
येन मन्व्-आदि-शास्त्रवत् ॥

To sum up,
it is not proper to assume that Pancarātra is based on the Veda
and therefore equally authoritative as the doctrinal works of Manu’ and others.

अतो न वेदमूलत्त्वं पञ्चरात्रस्य युज्यते ।
प्रामाण्यं प्रतिपद्येत येन मन्वादिशास्त्रवत् ॥