Page 32 - Bhakthinivedana 2012 January English Magazine.pmd

...Continued from Pg 25 as Sri: Pa:mchara:thra sa:sthra. Bruhaspathi in five nights.
The i:svara samhitha gives us
ava:pya thu paramthe:jo: Vihage:ndra samhitha, in its first
yathraitha:ha pamchara:thrayaha quite a different kind of definition
| for the name Sri: Pa:mchara:thra. patalam itself revealed that in
nasyamthi pamchara:thram thath To provide proper guidance the beginning of Krutha yuga,
sarva:jna:na vina:sanam || 50” the Lord graced the knowledge
to the beings of this world,
in order to develop faith in Him
The vishnu samhitha portrays the the Lord Himself commanded
and reach Him. He bestowed
five kinds of objects of senses and His retinue of five weapons,
the knowledge to Anantha on
the five kinds of physical elements viz. sudarsana, pa:nchajanya,
the first night, to Garuda on the
as ‘ra:thri’—night. These are kaumo:daki:, nandaka and
second, to Vishvakse:na on the
called so because they can sa:rnga, to incarnate as rushis
third, to the four headed Brahma
mask the knowledge and drag and expound the method of
on the fourth night and to Rudra
the beings into the darkness of worshiping Him. Bound by the
on the fifth night. Though the
Lord’s command, the five sacred
Thus the scripture can drive weapons took birth as Samdilya, i:svara samhitha, sanathkuma:ra

away the darkness and fill us Oupaga:yana, Moumjya:yana, samhitha and vihage:ndra
with the light of knowledge. By Kousika and Bharadva:ja rushi s samhitha say that Lord revealed
the influence of this scripture, in various holy places like Ka:si. the scripture to five beings, the
the elements of nature, They travelled to the south and names said by them are different.

resembling dark ‘nights’, get performed severe penance for Our elders attribute these
moulded into better forms. obtaining the Lord’s grace in the differences to the change of kalpa
In other words, these dark holy place Thothadri referred and manvanthara. They resolve
‘nights’ of nature become with the names of Va:nama:malai, the issue by saying that Lord

ineffective towards the beings Va:na:dri, etc. The Lord appeared might have revealed to one set of
who follow the scripture of before them and revealed the five beings in one kalpa and to
pa:mchara:thra. scripture of liberation to each the others in a different kalpa.

one for one complete night.
The word pa:mchara:thra carries
bondage with the nature around. This scripture came to be known
various meanings in other
The pa:mchara:thra sa:sthra as pa:mchara:thra as this was
samhithas also. So far we have
shows them to be pervaded by delivered by God in five nights to
learnt some of them.
God and indicates practices by different rushis.
which they can be used in His We shall look into the significance
Sanathkuma:ra samhitha defines
worship. of other names of this scripture
the name of pa:mchara:thra
too, in the coming editions!
They surrender to such beings. As on the basis that the Lord
the scripture can get control over bestowed the knowledge to the
the nature of five elements and five beings viz. Brahma, Siva,
five objects of senses, it is termed Indra, Sanathkuma:ra rushi and

32 Bhakthinivedana • Jan 2012