PANCARATRA

early Hindu religious movement whose members worshiped the deified sage Narayana (who came to be identified with Lord Vishnu) and, in merger with the Bhagavata (q.v.) sect, formed the earliest sectarian movement within Hinduism. The new group was a forerunner of modern Vaisnavism, or the worship of Vishnu. The Pacaratras originated in the Himalayan region perhaps in the 3rd century BC. The cult's name is attributed to a sacrifice continuing for five days (paca-ratra) performed by Narayana by which he obtained superiority over all beings and became all beings. The Pacaratra doctrine was first systematized by Sandilya (c. AD 100?), who composed several devotional verses about the deity Narayana; that the Pacaratra system was also known in South India is evident from 2nd-century-AD inscriptions. By the 10th century the sect had acquired sufficient popularity to leave its influence on other groups, though criticized by Sankara and other orthodox figures as nonmonastic and non-Vedic.