AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PANCHARATRA TRADITION
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18 Sep
21 Sep
2019
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Yoga and Tantra
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Marion Rastelli
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Image: Vaikuntha Vishnu, Jammu and Kashmir, circa 850, LACMA
The Pancharatra is a Hindu tradition that worships Vishnu as the supreme god. Its origins date to the pre-Christian era, and still today, certain features of it can be found in the related Hindu-tradition of the Shrivaishnavas. As in other tantric traditions, the primary goals of its followers are worldly pleasures (bhukti) and liberation (mukti) from transmigration. This is mainly achieved through the performance of rituals, but yoga is also an important part of a Pancharatrika’s practice. Some of the topics to be explored in this four-part seminar include historical origins and development; Vishnu’s divine manifestations; rituals; and specific temples such as the Lakshmana Temple in Khajuraho, the Vishnu Temple of Deogarh, the Varadaraja Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram and the Shri Ranganathaswami Temple in Shrirangam.
Day 1 : Key Features, Early History, Scriptures
Day 2 : Divine Manifestations: Cosmology and Theology
Day 3 : Religious Practice
Day 4 : Temples as Historical Testimonies
Duration -
September 18, 19, 20, 21, 2019
Timing: 5:30 - 8:00 PM
Fees
Rs. 3,000 (For a 50% student discount, write to info@jp-india.org)
Registrations Closed
Marion Rastelli
Marion Rastelli is a Sanskritist. She works as a senior researcher and deputy director at the Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and also teaches at the Institute for South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies of the University of Vienna. Her main field of research is the Vaiṣṇava tradition of Pāñcarātra in all its aspects, including teachings, rituals and historical development. She is co-editor of the renowned Tāntrikābhidhānakośa, a dictionary of technical terms from Hindu Tantric literature.