Pancharatra

All Glories to HDG Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Maharaj

All Glories to HDG Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada

This Pancharatra is an important branch of the Vaishnava scriptures. In ancient times the Vaishnavas were divided into twelve categories namely, Phenapa, Baaliakhya ,Vaikhanas, Sattvata ,Pancharatra ,Bhagavat, Bhakta, Paramahamsa ,Vaishnava ,Karmahina and Nirmatsaramad .The meaning of Pancharatra signifies the five types of knowledge gained. That is the reason the Narada Pancharatra was written in this way as pancharatra.

ratrancha jnanavacanam jananam panchaviddham smrtam

tenedam pancharatrancha pravadanti manisinah 

SriJiva Goswami has commented in Para atma Sandharbha  that one can understand the by  gist of the Vedas by studying the Pancharatra scripture which demonstrates the Godhead of Narayana and His words. Those opposing this Pancharatra are said to be of demoniac mentality. Sri Jiva in Bhakti Sandharbha  has written thusly , the Vaishnava devotees always follows the dictates of the Pancharatra .SriTrilokaAcarya  in his book  Artha panchaka has discussed all these five types of factual knowledge .Further, SriJiva in Bhakti Sandharbha  has specifically written about the Haya Sirsha Pancharatra which constitutes five kinds of factual knowledge  as regarding  ,the worshippable Supreme Lord, His holy place of residence,(Dhama),His Paraphernalia, Holy name and the living entity. The original guru of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas ,SriMadhava Muni used to give the highest accord to the Srimad Bhagavatam and the Mahabharatha saying that these two books were the basis of the Pancharatra.

evamekam sankhyogam   vedaranyakam ekamcha

parasparanganyetani pancharata astu kathayate

In the commentary of SriRamAnuja  on this verse , states that Sankhya ,Yoga,Veda ,also Aranya ,all in different portions combine to to constitute what is known as Pancharatra .Factually Veda and Aranyaka are portions of the Vedas in totality so there is no question here of  any actual opposition against the Vedas. Just as the Vedas were not compiled by any saint or Rsi  but was divine in origin similarly the Pancharatra were not written by any  but transcendental in origin. By the statement of the Mahabharatha ,the Pancharatra was spoken by Sri Narayana himself. In contrast, the Puranas which is said to complete the understanding of the Vedas was written by a Rsi. Sri Sankaracharya who was ordered by the Lord to bewilder the atheists had  previously slighted this Pancharatra situated in the mode of goodness by equating it with four other categories of  commonplace worshippers of the Lord desiring fruits of action. But this does not make him  in true sense simply as a follower of Lord Siva. Those who take shelter of Lord Shiva accept this apparent mood of Sankara due to their original antagonism against the Vaishnava religion. Previously, these  commentaries of Sankara  had been thoroughly defended with the fitting replies from  Vaishnava Acaryas   as Sri Ramanuja ,SriBhaskar Swami, SriNimbarka Kesav Acarya ,Sri Purushottam Acarya from the Nimbarka disciplic line.e.tc.

One King in Satya Yuga named Upavicara Vasu had given the highest accord to the Pancharatra and had propagated the pure Vaishnava religion in his  times this  fact is described in full detail in the Mahabharatha .This Mahabharatha describes the Pancharatra as the as Samhita in the mode of goodness. In the Dwarpa Yuga, this worship of the deity by Pancharatrika rites was the ordained sacrifice in that Age . The method of worship by only  Agama rites in Kali yuga  was then given primary importance  and accepted by Sriman Mahaprabhu. By his desire, Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami and Srila Sanatan Goswami had compiled in a thorough way, the complete worship through Pancharatrika rites for the kanishtha devotee to follow. This is confirmed in many places of the Hari bhakti Villas. Factually ,the Kapan Tantra ,Saiva ,Boddha ,Jain may not be favorable for devotional service by why would the Gaudiya devotees refrain from the tantras in the mode of goodness spoken by Sriman Narayana Himself? The Sahajiya devotees with their hellish mentality and obnoxious actions ,what can be their relation with the purified Tantras in spite of their claims? The Gaudiya devotees have no relation with such groups .Even a small child can understand the actions of these deviant groups have no bearing with the purified tantra scriptures. There are many denominations in the tantra scriptures which we do not follow.