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SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha //
SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha //
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya//
KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: /
SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm//
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SRI RANGA SRI VOL.05/ISSUE # 12 dated 25th January 2004
======================================================
EDITORIAL
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. GOTRAS AND PRAVARAS ? AN OVERVIEW ? PART 20
THE GLORY OF AANGIRASA GOTRAM ? Part 4
(Anbil Ramaswamy)
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(Based on Monograph of MahaamahOpaadhyaaya Sri Srivatsankachariar Swami, now 
Head of Dept. French Indolgical Research Institute, Pondicherry and 
?MaharishigaL Charitram? by Mimamsa SirOmaNi Mimamsa Vidvan Mimamsa Kovida, 
Ubhaya Mimamsa Saaragjna, Veda Vedanta ChooDaamaNi Sri N.S. Devanathachariar 
referred by Sri Srivatsankachariar Swami)
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2. DESIKAMRUTHAM
SRIMAD RAHASYA TRAYA SARAM
The Five Fundamentals-9
By Sri Sadagopa Iyengar Swamin (of Coimbatore)
?Srikaaryam? of the Board of Advisors of ?Sri Ranga Sri?
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3. FROM MAHABHARATA: ?YAKSHA PRASNAM?
Part 37: Prasnams 96 and 97
by Sri M.K. Ramaswamy Iyengar Swami,
Senior Officer of Govt. of India.
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4. PAncarAtra ? Part 2
By Sri N.Krishnamachariar Swami of Chicago
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130 Regular issues have been released, so far besides several Special
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These issues have been archived for public view at -
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We strongly urge you to kindly peruse the "Regular Issues" archived in the 
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Tell your friends to join by sending an email to
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Ever at your service

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Anbil Ramaswamy
Editor & Publisher
?Sri Ranga Sri?
========================================================================
1. GOTRAS AND PRAVARAS ? AN OVERVIEW ? PART 20
THE GLORY OF AANGIRASA GOTRAM ? Part 4
(Anbil Ramaswamy)
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Based on Monograph of MahaamahOpaadhyaaya Sri Srivatsankachariar Swami, now 
Head of Dept. French Indolgical Research Institute, Pondicherry and 
?MaharishigaL Charitram? by Mimamsa SirOmaNi Mimamsa Vidvan Mimamsa Kovida, 
Ubhaya Mimamsa Saaragjna, Veda Vedanta ChooDaamaNi Sri N.S. Devanathachariar 
referred by Sri Srivatsankachariar Swami)
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SAGE NAABHAANEDISHTA
Sage NaabhaanEdishTa, the son of Manu, praises the Aangeerasa lineage 
mentioning their names specifically in numerous mantras of  Rig-Veda.

Who is this NaabhaanEdishTa? Why should he praise Aangeerasa so much?

The answer can be gleaned from Yajur Veda, Taittriya Samhita 3rd KhaaNDam, 
1st   Prasnam, 9th Anuvaakam. There is a story behind this.

NaabhaanEdishTa (we will call him, Naabha, for short). His father Manu 
divided his entire property and gave them away to all his other sons. He 
forgot to retain a portion for him because Naabhaa, the youngest of the lot, 
was away studying Vedas in the Gurukulam.
Manu: putRbhyO daayam vyabhaajata,
sa naabhaanEdishTam brahmacharyam vasantam nirabhajat/
(Taittriya Samhita 3.1.9)

Naabhaa came home after completing his studies. He came to know that he was 
denied a share in the properties of his father. He enquired why he was 
denied a share. Manu admitted that he forgot about him but assuaged him 
saying that he would make alternate arrangements for Naabhaa to acquire 
property. What was that?

Sa agachhat, sObhraveeth, kathaa maa nirabhaaga iti?
Na tvaa nirabhaaksham iti abraveeth
Angeerasa imE satramaasatE, tE suvargam lOkam na prajaananti
tEbhya idam braahmaNam broohi,
tE suvarga lOkam yabtO ya yEshaam pasavastaam tE daasyanti iti/

?Your brothers are performing Satra yaaga seeking Suvargam. But, they do not 
know the secret mantra (braahmaNam) that will take them there. I will teach 
you the same. Go to their Yaaga saala and initiate them. They will go to 
MOksha. When they go, they will leave all their cows (properties) to you?

Naabhaa did accordingly and his brothers bequeathed all their belongings to 
Naabhaa. No wonder Naabhaa showered profuse praise on them. From this 
incident, it is clear that Naabhaa became the pioneer in showing to 
posterity the way to mOKsha through this braahmaNa.

HOLY WATERS
We all know that taking bath in the holy waters of Ganga is said to cleanse 
us of all our sins. Even today, we see that those who are not able to travel 
to the river, arrange to secure pots full of ?Gangajal? and sprinkle on 
themselves especially on DeepavaLi. And, people greet each other on that day 
asking ?Ganga snaanam aachaa?? meaning ?Have you taken bath in the waters of 
Ganga??

It is worth noting that the titles ?Gangai koNDa sOzhan?, ?Gangai koNDaan 
mantapam? etc. refer to this practice in the olden days.

(It is another matter that even when one takes bath in pipe water, this 
greeting is invariably employed and that Ganges water (?) is often sold 
nowadays in beer bottles!)

Such substitute water is really no substitute at all, to taking bath 
physically in the flowing waters of Ganga. Not only the waters, but also in 
the waterfronts (Turai in Tamil) Rishis and Munis used to improvise 
hermitages (Asramams) on the entire course of the river to take bath and 
purify themselves. So, these spots where they took bath were also regarded 
as sacred (e.g.) Atri Theertham, Brigu Theertham, Raama theertham etc.

This Sampradayam of taking bath in holy rivers was started by Aangeerasa.
How did this happen?

An important part of any Yaaga is to get first initiated into what is known 
as ?Dheekshai?, as a prerequisite for the performance of any Yaaga to be 
effective. Nowadays, people mistakenly think that ?Deekshai? means growing 
hair without haircut face shave etc.

The word ?Deekshai? means much more than this. It refers to strictest 
observance of certain rigorous disciplines. For example, smearing butter on 
the entire body, never scratching with finger nails while performing the 
Yaaga. Should there be any itching, deer horn would have to be used to 
relieve itching and many more such conditions.

When the Aangeerasa brothers ascended to heavens as aforesaid, they are 
reported to have left the power of their ?Dheekshai? in the waters of the 
Ganges. That is why, taking bath in the flowing river waters of Ganga is 
considered to purify our bodies and cleanse us of our sins for becoming 
eligible to enter the kingdom of God.

This is mentioned in Taittriya Samhita 6.1.6.3 and 6.1.1.
?yEtat khalu vaava tapa ityaahuh, ya: svam dadaatee iti?
and in Soma Yaaga prakaraNa thus:
?aangeerasas suvarga lOKam yaantO aPsu dheekshaa tapasee praavEsyan apsu 
snaati, saakshaadEva dheekshaa tapasee avarudhE, theerthE snaati, theerthE 
hi tE taam praavEsayan, theerthE snaati, theerthamEva samaanaanaam 
bhavati//?
meaning
?Those who take bath in the Ganga waters obtain the fruits of the Dheeksha 
and Tapas, left behind in the waters of Ganga and they will be deemed as 
pure as the Aangeerasa Maharshis themselves?
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2. DESIKAMRUTHAM
SRIMAD RAHASYA TRAYA SARAM
The Five Fundamentals-9
By Sri Sadagopa Iyengar Swamin (of Coimbatore)
?Srikaaryam? of the Board of Advisors of ?Sri Ranga Sri?
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The Five Fundamentals-9
The twelve ways, in which the Lord's displeasure and consequent 
disenchantment turn us away from our coveted goal of liberation, were 
enumerated so far. Swami Desikan tells us that in undertaking the great leap 
to Liberation across the gaping crater of SamsAra, unless we clear the 
distance with our jump, it hardly matters whether we fall at the first foot 
across or at the last. How true-when we undertake an expedition to climb 
Mount Everest, does it matter whether we give up at the first five hundred 
meters of the trek or at the final lap just before the summit? Both are 
deemed to be failure. Thus, as far attainment of the ultimate goal of 
Paramapadam is concerned, there is little difference between a person who 
hardly makes any effort for emancipation and one who slips up in the final 
stages of the effort, as, in both cases, the Jiva's avowed objective of 
transcending this Samsara remains a distant dream.

Anticipating the learner's doubt, Swami Desikan hastens to offer a 
clarification here. Would it be correct to say that the Lord's displeasure 
extends even to the extent of our efforts to reach Him, merely by token of 
our temporary failures to cross this sea of Samsara? If this were to be so, 
what about the Gita dictum that for those who practice Karma Yoga, the 
effort would never perish, nor would be in vain? The Lord does lay down 
clearly that for one who adopts the difficult and thorn-filled path of Karma 
Yoga, even if the effort is interrupted due to expiry of a life time or 
other reasons, the endeavors put in would indeed stand steadfast like stone, 
without being wasted away. The interruption does delay the ETA (Estimated 
Time of Arrival) of the flight across the ocean of Samsara, but doesn't 
invalidate the ticket nor necessitate re-traversing the part of the
journey already completed.

?True?, says Swami Desikan.However, there is no guarantee of early 
completion of the interrupted voyage to the Promised Land-it could be 
delayed as much as by even a Yuga (approximately 14,40,000 human years), a 
Manvantara (comprised of 284 such Yugas) or even a Kalpam  (consisting of 14 
such Manvantaras), or several such Kalpas. While it is indeed certain that 
the destination would be reached, the bemused traveler, whose progress has 
been impeded, knows not when he would reach journey's end. It is thus, by 
postponing the achievement of the goal to some unforeseeable and uncertain 
future time, which might stretch as long as a Kalpa or more, Bhagavan 
Nigraham or the Lord?s displeasure puts paid to our hopes of an early relief 
from the mundane shackles.

We find from the PurANas that Sage Vasishtta was the epitome of erudition, 
devotion, righteous conduct etc. and had the rare distinction of having been 
Acharya to Sri Rama Himself-with all these in his favor, we do not hear of 
Sri Vasishtta having been blessed with Moksham early. On the other hand, 
even those categorized as the scum of the earth, like Kshatrabandu (whose 
favorite sport it was to cast unsuspecting infants into the raging waters of 
the SarayU or Ganga) and VritrAsura (who was a terror to all the dEvAs and 
Rishis) attained Liberation fairly early.

This goes to show that one cannot escape Bhagavan nigraham simply by being a 
paragon of virtue, nor does being evil-minded delay one's ascent to Parama 
padam, for who can divine the composition of one's Karmic baggage, which 
might or might not include such meritorious deeds as would eliminate delays 
in the attainment of the ultimate goal?

>From all the above, it would appear that the Lord's anger, occasioned by 
continual violation of His dicta, is indeed impossible to overcome.  
Irrespective of any effort on our part to get out of this mundane morass, as 
long as the factors inducing the Lord's displeasure linger, we would never 
reach the gates of Paradise.

Is there, then, nothing at all we can do to redeem ourselves from the 
debilitating effects of this Bhagavan nigraham or the divine chastisement, 
which brings all our efforts for emancipation to a naught?

Indeed there is, avers Swami Desikan, concerned at the possibility of the 
individual abandoning all hope of liberation in the face of the apparently 
insurmountable roadblock of divine displeasure. Quoting Bhashyakara, the 
Acharya tells us that the all-powerful strategy of Sharanagati is the only 
way to rid the Lord of His anger against us (on account of our constant 
discarding of His dicta) and to restore His natural benevolence towards us, 
which, in turn, would clear for us the path to Paramapadam- "tasya cha 
vaseekaraNam tat Sharanagati: Eva" says Sri Ramanuja (while commenting on 
the AnumAnAdhikaraNa of Brahma Sutram), highlighting the one upAya which the 
Lord finds it difficult to remain unresponsive to.

This Sharanagati so melts Him down ("am jalayati iti anjali:") that 
Emperuman finds it difficult to remain angry with us and resumes His usual 
attitude of kindness, compassion, mercy, munificence, generosity and 
goodwill. This Sharanagati totally floors Him despite His resolution to be 
firm with us, just as the annoyed parent's anger disappears once he sees 
tears in the infant's eyes, says Swami Desikan in Sri Varadaraja Panchasat- 
"pratyastram anajali: asou tava nigrahAstrE".

With this concludes the enumeration of the hindrances to our 
emancipation-the PrApti VirOdhi- which, along with the other four, viz., the 
nature of the Lord, that of the individual soul, the strategy to be adopted 
by the soul for attaining the Lord and the endless bliss that is the fruit 
of achievement, forms the Five Fundamentals which are what all the Vedas, 
Itihasas and Puranas are all about-
"PrApyam cha BrahmaNO roopam, PrAptuscha pratyak Atmana:
PrApti upAyam phalam chaiva PrApti virOdhi: tathaiva cha
Vadanti sakalA VEdA: sEtihAsa PurAnakA:" (HArIta SamhitA)

Concluding the chapter with a Tamizh pAsuram as is his wont, Swami Desikan 
tells us that all the aforesaid esoteric truths are not the products of his 
own flights of fancy, but form the compendium of wisdom mercifully passed on 
to him by compassionate Acharyas-

"PoruL ondru ena nindra PoomagaL nAthan adi sErndu
aruL ondrum anban avan koL upAyam, amainda payan,
maruL ondriya vinai val vilangu endru evai iyndu arivAr
iruL ondru ilA vagai en manam tEra iyambinarE".

This pasuram summarizes the arttha panchakam beautifully, for easy grasp and 
retention--

The first line, "PoruL ondru ena nindra PoomagaL nAthan", signifies the
Parabrahmam Sriman Narayana.

The second line, "adi sErndu aruL ondrum anban" refers to the JeevAtma.

"KoL upAyam" signifies the strategy to be adopted the latter to attain the 
former.

"amainda payan" refers to the blissful service that is the result of this 
entire endeavor for emancipation.

"maruL ondriya vinai val vilangu" describes the handcuffs of Karma which 
stand in the way of our progress to Paradise.

This pasuram and the accompanying Sanskrit kArika effortlessly encapsulate 
all that was described in the "arttha Panchaka adhikAram". The considerable 
detail, in which some of these fundamental concepts have been dealt with, is 
to lay a strong foundation in the reader's mind to facilitate easy 
absorption of the nuggets of wisdom that are strewn about in the chapters 
that follow.
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3. FROM MAHABHARATA: ?YAKSHA PRASNAM?
Part 37: Prasnams 96 and 97
by Sri M.K. Ramaswamy Iyengar Swami,
Senior Officer of Govt. of India.
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PRASNAM 96
YAKSHA:
?KAS CHA MAANAH PRAKEERTITAH??
?WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF SELF-ESTEEM??
YUDISHTIRA:
?MAANAS TU AATMA ABHIMAANITA?
?SELF-ESTEEM IS NOTHING BUT THE ESTEEM THAT ONE HAS FOR ONESELF?

NOTES:
YudishTira very clearly rejects the common notion that self-esteem of a 
person is related to the esteem with which he is held by others. A person 
may be lauded or praised for his compassion, charity, a help given to a 
noble cause and so on. The society may look on such a person with great 
respect. But, such an esteem or fame may be temporary. It may be withdrawn 
if that person does something unusual or controversial even though it may be 
very principled.

Self-esteem is related to one?s scale of values and how one?s attitudes and 
deeds measure up to such a scale. A total harmony between the inner mind and 
the outer self helps the self esteem to remain high.

It is self esteem that makes a person remain calm and unperturbed in an 
adversity. It encourages him to espouse unpopular causes and disregard 
personal appearance.

Ultimately, it is self esteem that makes a person accept a loss or a gain 
with equanimity.

Sri Rama had to wear the crown in a few hours. He was to be adorned with 
ornaments intended for a king. Yet, due to a twist in destiny, he had to 
wear matted locks and a dress made from the bark of trees. Such was his self 
esteem that he accepted all the sudden reverses cheerfully and sped to the 
forest. Cheerfully, he did live there too.

Therefore, if self esteem were to be tied up with the assessment of others, 
self esteem there would hardly be anything called meaningful. It is 
appropriate, therefore, that each one should form an assessment of oneself 
with reference to one?s own scale of values and an unswerving adherence to 
those values.

Self esteem is that quality that enables a person to be the first to notice 
his shortcomings and also to set about remedying them. Being fully conscious 
at these two levels, it is also self esteem to remain calm and unperturbed 
at any criticism of the shortcoming and avoid them.

A person with a good self esteem tends to remain in a state of poise and 
equilibrium. He remains unaffected by what others think and say of him. He 
is, therefore, in a better position than most to move towards the goal of 
self awareness.

Self esteem is quite different from self- conceit. It is indeed as different 
as cheese is from chalk. People with self esteem are men of substance; yet, 
they are truly humble. Self-conceited persons are inwardly insecure and 
ensnare themselves.

It was self esteem that made Arjuna wait at the feet of the Lord KrishNa in 
Dwaaraka and wait for him to wake up. It was self-conceit that made 
DuryOdana choose to wait at the head of the cot.
---------------------------------
PRASNAM 97
YAKSHA:
?KIM AALASYAM CHA VIJNEYAM??
?WHAT IS KNOWN AS SLUGGISHNESS??
YUDISHTIRA:
?DHARMA NISHKRIYATA AALAASYAM?
?SLUGGISHNESS IS NON-ACTION AS PER RIGHTEOUSNESS?

NOTES:
?niyatam kuru karma tvam? ?Oh! Arjuna! Go ahead and do what you have to do!? 
said KrishNa to Arjuna in the battlefield (BG Ch.iii.8)
He further prompted Arjuna to perform action with these words:
Evam gjnaatvaa kritam karma poorvairapi mumukshubhi: /
Kuru karmaiva tasmaat tvam poorvaih poorva taram kritam //
(BG iv. 15)
?Bear in mind, Oh! Arjuna! That all the ancients who sought salvation were 
constantly engaged in action. You better do, likewise, in the manner of the 
ancients?

Thus, action is integral not only to existence but also to evolution and 
ultimate salvation.

What is meant by ?Action as yOga, Karma yOga?? asks Aurobindo and proceeds 
to give the answer.
?It is non-attachment; it is to do works without clinging with the mind to 
objects of sense and the fruit of the works. Not complete inaction, that is 
an error, confusion, a self delusion, an impossibility, but action full and 
free, done without being subjected to sense and passion, desire less and 
unattached works are the first secret of perfection.? (Essyas on the Gita ? 
First series Ch. xi)

Elsewhere in the same book, Sri Aurobindo says ?
?Life is not for the sake of life alone, but for God; Action is for 
self-finding, self -fulfillment, for self-realization and not only for its 
own external and apparent fruits of the moment or the future? (Second series 
ch.xxiv)

Therefore, it follows that performance of action that is called for or is 
due to be performed is Dharma. Any non-performance of such an action can 
only be due to inertia of the body and more of the mind and the ?will?; such 
an inertia results in transgression of Dharma since Dharma lies in acting at 
the appropriate time in the appropriate manner.

Truths such as these made YudishTira say so pointedly and succinctly that 
Non-performance of Dharma is sluggishness.
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4. PAncarAtra ? Part 2
By Sri N.Krishnamachariar Swami of Chicago

Subjects covered in the pAncarAtra:

The ideal pAncarAtra samhita is said to consist of four quarters teaching 
respectively j~nAna (knowledge), yoga (concentration), kriyA (making i.e., 
construction and consecration of temples and images), and caryA (doing i.e., 
the religious and social observances, daily rites, festivals, varNASrama 
dharma-s).   These four quarters are not given equal importance in all the 
samhita-s and some of them even omit some of the quarters.

A total of over 1.5 million sloka-s are estimated to have existed describing 
the pAnca-rAtra when all the 225 or so samhitA-s are considered.  Just to 
give an example, the caryA section of the pAdma samhitA consists of almost 
all aspects of temple worship, such as the initiation ceremony or the dIkshA 
for the devotees to perform worship in the temples, the rules of daily 
routine, the various kinds of snapana-s, the various festivals celebrated 
through the year, the various prAyaScitt-as to be performed on different 
occasions,  bhUta-Suddhi, anganyAsa, karanyAsa, etc. necessary before 
chanting mantra-s, a description of vaishNava mantra-s like the shadAksharI, 
astAkshari, dvAdaSAksharI, sudarSana mantra, nr*simha mantra, etc., tantraic 
abhisheka, mandala worship, the showing of various mudrA-s during worship, 
etc.

The date and origin of pAncarAtra:

SrI Vedanta deSika in his tatva-mukta-kalApa points out that the pAncarAtra 
system originated from the ekAyana Sakha portion of the veda-s.  The 
chAndogya Upanishad refers to the ekAyana Sakha as the veda of veda-s, the 
treasure of the gods, and the sacred utterance among all utterances.   
ekAyana means "the only means".

".....pancamam vedAnAm vedam pitryam rASim daivam nidhim vAkovAkyam 
ahma-sutra-s.  Thus, some of these are even more ancient than the 
mahA-bhArata.  BhIshma parva (62-37-39) refers to the sAtvata precepts.

In addition to the written literature, there is reason to believe that the 
Agama-s have been in existence and passed on from generation to generation 
orally just as the veda-s have been transmitted, and thus may be as old as 
the veda-s.  In a book on pAdma samhita published by the pAncarAtra 
pariSodhana parishad in the 1980's, it is pointed out that the Ghosundi and 
besnAgar inscriptions show that in 2nd century B.C. the bhAgavata religion 
had overflowed the Mathura region and had even reached non-India people some 
of whom converted to this faith.

There are two types of literature on pAncarAtra - those inspired or divine 
origin, and those derived from these and of human origin.  The former are in 
the category of samhita-s or Laws, and the latter are in the category of 
vidhi and prayoga.

The earliest source of information on the pAncarAtra seems to be the 
nAradIya or nArAyaNIya section of the SAnti parva of mahAbhArata.  There is 
a reference to sAttvata vidhi in bhIshma parva at the end of the 66th 
adhyAya, which could be a reference to the sAttvata samhita.  In other 
words, the existence of pAncarAtra samhita-s prior to the nAradIya is 
possible.

SrI yAmunacAryA, the teacher of the teacher of SrI rAmAnuja, who lived in 
the first half of the 11th century, claimed the authority of the fifth Veda 
for the Agama-s.  In the north of India, the oldest work quoting the 
pAncarAtra is the spandapradIpikA of utpalavaishNava, who lived in the 10th 
century A.D.  Based on these, the age of the samhita-s could be the 8th 
century A.D.  Based on detailed analysis, Otto Schrader concludes that the 
oldest of the pAncarAtra samhita-s are paushkara, sAttavata, and jaya.

Support for the pAncarAtra doctrine:

SrI yAmunAcArya's work called AgamaprAmANya, SrI rAmAnujAcArya's SrI bhAshya 
(II.2.42), and SrI Vedanta-desika's pAncarAtra-rakshA are among the 
well-known works expounding the greatness of the pAncarAtra Agama.   Of 
these, I have access only to the English translation of SrI rAmAnuja's SrI 
bhAshya, and so the material below is extracted from this source only.

SrI rAmAnuja mainly gives passages from the mahAbhArata to support the 
authenticity of the pAncarAtra doctrine.  In mahAbhArata, SrI vyAsa has 
elaborately described the pAncarAtra system in the chapter called the 
moksha-dharma. He starts with the question 'If a householder, or a 
brahmachArin, or a hermit, or a mendicant wishes to achieve success, what 
deity should he worship?', then explains at great length the pAncarAtra 
system, and then says, "From the lengthy story of the mahAbhArata, 
consisting of one hundred thousand sloka-s, this body of doctrine (the 
pAncarAtra) has been extracted - like amRta from the medicinal herbs and 
AraNyaka from the veda-s".  vyAsa also says in the mahAbhArata that this 
great upanishad - again referring to the pAncarAtra - is consistent with the 
four veda-s, and is in harmony with sAnkhya and yoga, the concentrated 
application of knowledge and works.

"idam mahopanishadam caturveda samanvitam|
sAnkhya yoga kr*tAntena pancarAtAnuSabditam||
nArAyaNa mukhodgItam nArado'SrAvayat purA|
(MB, SAnti 348.62-3)

Note the words "nArAyaNa mukhodgItam" - The promulgator of the pAncarAtra is 
none other than nArAyaNa Himself according to vedavyAsa.

The mahAbhArata says of the pAncarAtra - "This is excellent, this is 
Brahman, this is supremely beneficial.  Fully agreeing with the r*g, the 
yajus, the sAman, and the atahrva veda-s, this doctrine will be truly 
authoritative".

It is to be noted that the author of the mahAbhArata is the same vyAsa who 
composed the brahma sutra-s earlier.  As was just noted, there is explicit 
and detailed support for the pAncarAtra system in the mahAbhArata, including 
statements that the system is consistent with the four veda-s, etc.  
However, SrI Sankara has interpreted some of the sutra-s in the brahma-sutra 
as being opposed to the pAnca-rAtra system (details are covered in the next 
part in this series, and I had also shared some of SrI sankara's views in a 
previous post).  SrI rAmAnuja questions these interpretations based on the 
very strong statements made by SrI vyAsa in the mahAbhArata advocating the 
pAncarAtra doctrine as an upanishad that is consistent with all the veda-s.  
  The mahAbhArata also says "Of the whole pAncarAtra, nArAyaNa Himself is 
the promulgator".  Since the matter to be known from the Veda is nArAyaNa, 
and since nArAyaNa Himself is the promulgator of the entire pAncarAtra, 
including the nature of nArAyaNa and how to worship him, it is only logical 
that in the pAncarAtra all other doctrines are comprised.  For this reason, 
the mahAbhArata says "The sAnkhya, the yoga,the veda-s, and the AraNyaka, 
being members of one another, are called the pAncarAtra".

Some of the samhita-s elevate the pAncarAtra to a position above the veda-s. 
  SrI-praSna-samhitA says:
?vedam ekAyanam nAma vedAnAm Sirasi sthitham|
tadartham pAnca-rAtram mokshadam tatkriyAvaham || 2.38).

vAmana samhitA takes the same position, based on the argument that it is 
only the pAnca-rAtra which has salvation as the only objective, whereas the 
veda-s promote the other three values also (dharma, artha, and kAma).  The 
other distinguishing feature attributed to the ekAyana is that unlike the 
veda-s which can only be studied by those who are qualified to perform the 
rituals prescribed therein, the ekAyana is meant for all those who are 
eligible to realize final emancipation.

The bhAgavata doctrine is distinguished by its insistence on bhakti which is 
absolute and exclusive (ekAnta), towards a concrete iconic manifestation of 
bhagavAn.   The relation between a bhakta and the bhagavat is similar to the 
relation between the nara and nArAyaNa.  The realization of the 
all-importance of bhagavat (or nArAyaNa) is the sAnkhya, and the procedure 
by which the bhakta communicates with Bhagavat is the yoga.
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