Sharanagati (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: शरणागति; IAST: ''Śaraṇāgati'' ) or Prapatti (

: प्रपत्ति; IAST: ''Prapatti''), is the process of total surrender to

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

(

Narayana Narayana (, ) is one of the forms and epithets of Vishnu. In this form, the deity is depicted in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, symbolising the masculine principle and associated with his role of creation. He is also known as Pu ...

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

) in

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

. The process of Sharanagati forms the basis of devotion to Vishnu in the

bhakti ''Bhakti'' (; Pali: ''bhatti'') is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love.See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. In Indian religions, it ...

traditions within the

Sri Sampradaya Sri Vaishnavism () is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism, predominantly practiced in South India. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vi ...

, propounded by

Ramanuja Ramanuja ('; Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmānuja; 1077 – 1157), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and social reformer. He is one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaishnavi ...

(1017–1137 CE), and the Gaudiya Sampradaya, founded by

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; ), born Vishvambhara Mishra () (18 February 1486 – 14 June 1534), was an Indian Hindus, Hindu saint from Bengal and the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with bha ...

(1482–1533 CE). Ramanuja considered surrender to

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

and his consort

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...

to be the highest goal of life, while Chaitanya emphasised surrender to

and his consort

Radha Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prak� ...

as supreme through physical surrender to the preceptor/guru.

Etymology

The term prapatti comes from Sanskrit root pad and the prefix pra (pra+pad), meaning "to take refuge with/in". In

Sri Vaishnavism Sri Vaishnavism () is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism, predominantly practiced in South India. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vi ...

, it refers to the act of total self-surrender at the feet of God as a means to attain liberation (

moksha ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...

), which is understood as joining "Vishnu's retinue" in

Vaikuntha Vaikuntha (), also called Vishnuloka (), and Tirunatu (Tirunāṭu) in Tamil language, Tamil, is the abode of Vishnu, the Parabrahman , supreme deity in the Vaishnavism, Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism,Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism' ( ...

. Thus, prapatti is closely associated with the concept of soteriological surrender.

Vatakalai and Tenkalai schools

In Sri Vaishnavism, the Vatakalai and Tenkalai schools understood prapatti as self-surrender to God. The concept was already expressed in the 11th century writings of

, though the two schools interpreted in different ways. The Vatakalais viewed prapatti as one among several paths to liberation (''moksha''), suited for those unable to follow demanding practices. The Tenkalais saw prapatti as the sole path to liberation, with complete surrender through total reliance on God's grace.

Literature

Sri Vaishnava Sri Vaishnavism () is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism, predominantly practiced in South India. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god V ...

texts offer their recognition of the practice of Sharanagati. Yamunacharya posited this approach as an alternative to the conventional practices of seeking salvation: Vedanta Desika's commentary on this sloka offers his perspective: Vedanta Desika's ''Niksheparaksha'' presents prapatti as a distinct and valid path to liberation, separate from the bhaktiyoga of

's works. It follows Sanskrit scholastic norms and omits references to

Alvars The Alvars () are the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused '' bhakti'' (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, in their songs of longing, ecstasy, and service. They are venerated in Vaishnavism, which regards Vishnu as the ...

and their texts. In this text, Vedanta Desika presents prapatti as grounded in the ''Caramashloka'' (

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...

verse 18.66), where

's invitation to surrender is interpreted as a self-sufficient means to salvation. While Ramanuja views the verse as affirming bhaktiyoga, Vedanta Desika sees it as emphasizing prapatti as an independent path.

Initiation

The formal ritual of Sharanagati is a

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...

and

Puranic Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

scriptural and tradition backed ritual called the ''Pancha-Samskara,'' or "the five impressions", and another name is ''Samashrayanam''. The individual receives the following: * Nama Samskara: An initiation 'spiritual' name such as a name of

, or one of his devotees (such as Ramanuja), suffixed with the word ''dasa'' (meaning "servant", or servant of). Examples of these could be ''Vishnu dasa'', or ''Ramanuja dasa''. * Pundra Samskara: Application of the ''tiruman'', or the

Urdhva Pundra The Urdhva Pundra () is a tilak, tilaka worn by Vaishnavites, Vaishnavas as an indication of their affiliation with Vishnu. It is generally worn on the forehead, but may also be worn on other parts of the body such as the shoulders. The markings ...

, on the forehead and 12 marks on certain parts of the body, which signifies that the individual belong to Vishnu, and that their bodies, minds, and souls are the temples of

. * Thapa Samskara: Special branding on the shoulders of the conch ( Panchajanya) and the chakra ( Sudarshana) of Vishnu by a

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

. * Yajna Samskara: Learning to perform the archana or puja, or ritual worship, of Lakshmi-Narayana from the guru. * Mantra Samskara: Learning three special

mantras A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...

dedicated to Vishnu from the guru.

Three mantras in Sri Vaishnavism

In Sri Vashnavism, three sacred mantras, understood as ''rahasya'' (secrets or mysteries), express the act of saranagati: * Tiru Mantra: aum namo narayanaya, meaning "Om, praise to Narayana". * Carama Sloka: ''sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah'' (Bhagavad Gita verse 18.66), meaning "Having completely given up all modes of righteousness, to Me alone come for refuge. From all sins I will free you. Do not grieve". * Dvaya Mantra: srimannarayaṇa-caraṇau saranam prapadye, srimate narayanaya namaḥ, meaning "I approach for refuge the feet of Narayana along with Sri; praise to Narayana with Sri".

Principles

Sri Vaishnavism

In the

tradition, the Sharanagati is divided into six principles: #Accepting those things that are favorable for devotion to God (''anukulyasya sankalpa'') #Rejecting those things that are averse to surrender to God (''pratikulyasya varjanam'') #Considering God to be one's protector in all circumstances (''raksisyatiti visvasa'') #Accepting God as one's maintainer (''goptrtve varanam'') #Surrendering everything in God's service (''atma-niksepa'') #Cultivating a humble attitude (''karpanya'')

Gaudiya Vaishnavism

In the

Gaudiya Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal (present-day Malda dist ...

tradition, the Sharanagati is divided into six principles: #Ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ – Accepting what is favorable for devotional service (bhakti). #Prātikūlyasya varjanam – Rejecting what is unfavorable for bhakti. #Rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāsaḥ – Having firm faith that Bhagavān will protect the devotee. #Goptṛtve varaṇam – Accepting Bhagavān as one’s sole maintainer. #Ātma-nikṣepaḥ – Full surrender of oneself to Bhagavān. #Kārpaṇya – Feeling humility and helplessness before Bhagavān.

Five Limbs

In Vishistadvaita, the Saranagati bears 5 elements: the five limbs, referred to as ''anga''s, and the adherent of these, known as an ''angi''. # Acknowledgement of one's helplessness # Determination to not err again # Vowing to follow the rules #Possessing an unshakeable faith that God is the sole refuge #Seeking God as one's protector

Synonyms

In ''Gitarthasangraha'' (an analysis of the

), Yamuna identifies ''saranagati'' as a key theme of Chapter 7 of the Bhagavad Gita.

, in his commentary, also echoes this, but uses the word ''prapatti'' instead, treating it as synonymous with ''saranagati''. Ramanuja also introduces ''samasrayana'' to denote seeking refuge in the "human form of the deity", such as

. While ''prapatti'' and ''saranagati'' are used interchangeably to denote refuge in God'', samasrayana'' refers more narrowly to refuge in an incarnate, accessible form of God.

References

Sources

*{{Cite book , last=Raman , first=Srilata , url=https://archive.org/details/raman-srilata-2007.-self-surrender-prapatti-to-god-in-sri-vaishnavism-tamil-cats-sanskrit-monkeys , title=Raman, Srilata (2007). 'Self Surrender (Prapatti) to God in Sri-Vaishnavism - Tamil Cats & Sanskrit Monkeys' , date=2007

External links

* The ''Hindu newspaper'' dated ''January 08-Sunday-2017'' (article: ''Tiruppavai leads us to Sri Vaikuntha'') Special Issue - Vaikunta Ekadasi * ''Sri Vaishnavism: an Elementary treatise for beginners, published Sri Thillasthanam Swamy Kainkarya Sabha, Bangalore India & the Sri Vishishtadvaita Research Centre, Madras India https://sites.google.com/view/tsksabha/home/srivaishnavism-saranagathi'' Vaishnavism Bhakti movement Sri Vaishnavism Hindu practices Hindu philosophical concepts Sanskrit words and phrases