Pāñcarātra Paradigms of Devotional Experience Over Divine Identity

This paper argues that Pāñcarātra texts complicate the notion that the “limited subjectivity” of a practitioner must be experientially expanded through tantric sādhana to the point that it becomes synonymous with the subjectivity of one’s target deity. I argue that texts including the Jayākhya Saṃhitā, Ahirbudhnya Saṃhitā, and Parama Saṃhitā articulate an enduring relationship of service (kaiṅkarya) between devotee and Viṣṇu as superseding other types of ritual concerns, especially the adoption of divine identity. I argue that these texts respectively demonstrate how such relationship is integrated into: (1) ritual practice such as bhūta-śuddhi; (2) cosmology and creation (sṛṣṭi), especially concerning Viṣṇu’s realm Vaikuṇṭha where specific classes of beings including former tantric practitioners reside; and (3) daily contemplative practices that cultivate serviceful affection to Viṣṇu over other ritual aims. I conclude that such examples present dynamic and embodied devotion as the ultimate religious experience that is coterminous from Earth to Vaikuṇṭha.