142215 UE Readings on the religious practice of the Srivaisnavas (Padmapurana Uttarakhanda 251ff.) (2023W)

Śrīvaiṣṇavism – a Vaiṣṇava tradition prevalent mainly in South India – arose as a fusion of several traditions, above all the tradition that follows the Tamil saint-poets called Āḻvārs, the philosophical school of Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta, the ritual-oriented traditions of Pāñcarātra, and probably other Vaiṣṇava communities.
In this course, we will read a text passage from the Padmapurāṇa Uttarakhaṇḍa (chapters 251ff. of the Ānandāśrama Sanskrit Series edition), which was probably composed around the 12th century CE. Although this text passage does not mention the term śrīvaiṣṇava, it describes topics that are characteristic of what is later called Śrīvaiṣṇavism, such as the ritual of “taking refuge” (śaraṇāgati), the dvayamantra, branding (tāpa), or the application of the so-called ūrdhvapuṇḍra marks on the forehead and other body parts.
Reading this passage can thus serve as an introduction into the main Śrīvaiṣṇava teachings. Furthermore, the course also aims to acquaint students with the genre of the Purāṇas.