Shanmata

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Shanmata (

romanized: Ṣaṇmata) meaning "Six Sects" in Sanskrit, is a system of worship, believed in the Smarta tradition to have been founded by the Hindu philosopher Adi Shankara, whose lifetime was during circa 8th century CE.[1] It centers around the worship of six primary deities of Hinduism: Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesha, Surya, and Skanda. It is based on the belief in the essential oneness of all deities, the unity of Godhead, and their conceptualization of the myriad deities of India as various manifestations of the one divine power, Brahman
.

Philosophy

Adi Shankara's followers believe Brahman alone is ultimately real and the true self,

atman, is not different from Brahman. It centers around the worship of the deities belonging to six āgama schools:[2]

Philosophically, all are seen by

Saguna Brahman
, i.e. a personal divine with form, rather than as distinct beings.

Relationship with Smartism

The Smarta tradition, a relatively modern Hindu tradition (compared to the three other traditions), invites the worship of more than one god, including Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesha, and Surya among other gods and goddesses. It is not as overtly sectarian as either Vaishnavism or Shaivism, and is based on the recognition that Brahman is the highest principle in the universe and pervades all of existence.[3]

Generally, Smartas worship Brahman in one of five forms: Ganesha, Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu, and Surya.

chosen deity. Adi Shankara is said to have synthesized these quarrelling sects by integrating the worship of all these deities in the Shanmata system.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Śaṅkara (early 8th century) - Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy". www.rep.routledge.com. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  2. ISBN 978-81-7017-471-4
    .
  3. ISBN 9781602063365
    .
  4. ISBN 978-81-208-1146-1
    .
  5. ^ https://archive.org/details/mentalitythought0000unse/page/68/mode/2up?view=theater
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