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{{Short description|Treatise of Sage Shandilya}}
{{Infobox religious text|religion=[[Hinduism]]|author=Brahmarshi [[Shandilya]]|sutras=Shandilya Sutras|verses=3600 (Approximately)|period=[[Sanatana]]|language=[[Sanskrit]]|name=Shandilya Samhita|subheader=शांडिल्य संहिता|footnotes=[[Pancharatra]] Tradition dedicated to Lord Vishnu or Krishna|misc=}}{{Related|For the Smriti text of Shandilya Rishi [[Shandilya Smriti]]}}
'''Shandilya Samhita''' ([[Sanskrit]]: '''शांडिल्य संहिता''') is a Sanskrit text attributed to the [[Vedas|Vedic]] sage [[Brahmarshi]] [[Shandilya (Rishi)|Shandilya]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Dwivedi |first=Dr Shyamkant |url=https://www.sanskrit.nic.in/books_archive/021_Vaishnava_Tantra_of_Dr_Shyamakanta_Dwivedi.pdf |title=Vaishnav Tantra |publisher=Chaukhambha Publishers |year=2013 |edition=First |location=Varanasi |pages=10–12 |language=Hindi}}</ref> It is treatise on [[Dharma]], [[Artha]], [[Kama]], [[Moksha]] and [[Bhakti]]. It is the collection of ''Shandilya Sutras to the'' devotion of the God. It includes Sanskrit verses on spiritual devotion, it's prescribed practices, virtues of faith, wisdom and self-control, etc.<ref>{{Cite web |title=शांडिल्य संहिता - Shandilya Samhita [Bhakti Khanda] {{!}} Exotic India Art |url=https://www.exoticindiaart.com/book/details/shandilya-samhita-bhakti-khanda-nzz046/ |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=www.exoticindiaart.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Siṃha |first=Lakshmīśvara Prasāda |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1e0YAAAAIAAJ |title=Bhāratīya darśanoṃ meṃ kāmatattva |date=1986 |publisher=Kiśora Vidyā Niketana |language=hi}}</ref>

== Background ==
[[Narada|Devashree Narada]] and [[Shandilya|Maharshi Shandilya]] were two major followers of ''[[Pancharatra]] Bhakti'' tradition in the ancient period of the [[Indian subcontinent|Indian Subcontinent]]. ''Devashree Narada'' wrote “''Narada Pancharatra''” for devotion of Lord Vishnu. Similarly, it is said that when Maharshi Shandilya did not find the ultimate goal even in the four Vedas, he took refuge in [[Pancharatra]] and got indescribable satisfaction from it. He then contributed towards ''Bhakti Sutras'' in the Pancharatra Tradition. He wrote "Shandilya Samhita" under Pancharatragama.

''Shandilya Samhita'' is one of the important text that form the expansion of [[Pancharatra]] literature in Hindu tradition.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Beck |first=Guy L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZgybmMnWpaUC&q=sandilya+samhita |title=Sonic Theology: Hinduism and Sacred Sound |date=1995 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. |isbn=978-81-208-1261-1 |pages=199 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rosen |first=Steven |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4IrQkw5x2o4C&q=sandilya+samhita |title=Vaisnavism |date=1994-11-30 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. |isbn=978-81-208-1235-2 |pages=273 |language=en}}</ref> It is based on Shandilya Sutras which is the earliest known text that systematized the devotional Pancharatra doctrine. "In some old texts ''Pancharatra Samhita'' is also referred as ''Shandilya Samhita"''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Maitra |first=Susil Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RogzRteCJEsC |title=Studies in Philosophy and Religion |date=1956 |publisher=Chuckervertty, Chatterjee |pages=278 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sampurnanand Sanskrit University |url=http://archive.org/details/gTtE_shandilya-samhita-bhakti-khand-of-maharshi-shandilya-by-anant-shastri-and-gopina |title=Shandilya Samhita Bhakti Khand Of Maharshi Shandilya By Anant Shastri And Gopinath Kaviraj Saraswati Bhavan Granthamala Vol. 60 Sampurnanand Sanskrit University}}</ref>

Shandilya Samhita is considered as the authentic text of ''[[Smarta tradition|Smarta]] - Bhakti'' tradition in Hinduism.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Śarmā |first=Rāmanātha Gūrelāla |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=049jAAAAMAAJ |title=Madhyakālīna bhakti-kāvya ke punarmūlyāṅkana meṃ upayogī sandarbha |date=1992 |publisher=Mahārājā Sayājīrava Viśvavidyālaya |language=hi}}</ref> It had made a special contribution to the development of the Vaishnava sect. H Daniel Smith in his text "Vaishnava Iconography" has mentioned all the available Samhitas. Shandilya Samhita is one among the available Samhitas mentioned in the text.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Jha |first=Bhavanath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uJVuEAAAQBAJ |title=धर्मायण, 2077 वि.सं. भाग-3, अंक 101-104 |publisher=Mahavir Mandir, Patna |pages=33 |language=hi}}</ref>

== Description ==
In modern times, professor ''Anant Shastri Fadke'' of Government Sanskrit College, Varanasi, introduced the present version of Shandilya Samhita. It was edited by [[Gopinath Kaviraj]] and again in 1996 with a foreword by the vice chancellor Mandan Mishra of [[Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya|Sampoornanand Sanskrit University]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sampurnanand Sanskrit University |url=http://archive.org/details/gTtE_shandilya-samhita-bhakti-khand-of-maharshi-shandilya-by-anant-shastri-and-gopina |title=Shandilya Samhita Bhakti Khand Of Maharshi Shandilya By Anant Shastri And Gopinath Kaviraj Saraswati Bhavan Granthamala Vol. 60 Sampurnanand Sanskrit University}}</ref> The original Shandilya Samhita contains five sections (Khanda) on Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha and Bhakti. It is said that the first four sections of the Shandilya Samhita namely Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha have been lost. Only fifth section called as Bhakti Khanda has been survived.<ref>{{Cite book |last=eGangotri |url=http://archive.org/details/TheShandilyaSamhitaBhaktiKhandaPartI1935No.60Ed.GopinathKaverajPrincessOfWalesSaraswatiBhavanaTexts |title=The Shandilya Samhita Bhakti Khanda Part I 1935 No. 60 Ed. Gopinath Kaveraj Princess Of Wales Saraswati Bhavana Texts}}</ref> The present version of Shandilya Samhita's Bhakti Khanda has four sections.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sampurnanand Sanskrit University |url=http://archive.org/details/gTtE_shandilya-samhita-bhakti-khand-of-maharshi-shandilya-by-anant-shastri-and-gopina |title=Shandilya Samhita Bhakti Khand Of Maharshi Shandilya By Anant Shastri And Gopinath Kaviraj Saraswati Bhavan Granthamala Vol. 60 Sampurnanand Sanskrit University}}</ref> The first shloka of the first chapter in the Bhakti Khanda of the Shandilya Samhita asserts that the four lost Khandas of the Shandilya Samhita were discussed previously before the starting of the Bhakti Khanda.

{{Verse translation|भगवन्‌ भवताऽस्मभ्यं पुरुषार्थचतुष्टयम्‌ । धर्मार्थकाममोक्षाख्यैः खण्डेरुक्तं विभागशः।।|O Lord, you have granted us the fourfold purpose of life. It is stated in sections by the names of Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.|attr1=शांडिल्य संहिता भक्ति खण्ड (१.१.१)}}
The Shandilya Samhita consists of approximately 3600 verses devoted to [[Krishna|Lord Krishna]]. In the text Shandilya Samhita, Lord Krishna is identified as the supreme god or the ultimate truth. The text deals with the ethical behavior and the methods of sacred conduct followed by devotees. It is classified as a ''[[Sattva|sāttvika]]'' text in the ''Muniprokta'' group of [[Pancharatra]] Aagama.<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=1970-01-01 |title=Shandilyasamhita, Śāṇḍilyasaṃhitā, Shandilya-samhita: 3 definitions |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/shandilyasamhita |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref>

== Sections of Bhakti Khanda ==
There four sections in the present survived Bhakti Khanda of Shandilya Samhita. The sections are further divided into chapters. All sections have their own different numbers of chapters. There are 20, 9, 11 and 16 chapters in the first, second, third and fourth sections respectively. These chapters are the collection of the discussion of sages with the teacher Maharshi Shandilya about philosophical questions.
== Sources ==

* Kaviraj, Gopinath. The Sandilya Sanhita Bhaktikhanda. N.p., Creative Media Partners, LLC, 2023.
* Rosen, Steven. Vaisnavism. India, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers (Pvt. Limited), 1994.
* Sandilya Samhita, Bombay Sake, 1809
* Part I & II Sandilya Samhita. Edited by Pandit Ananta (Gopal Phadke, Professor, Government Sanskrit College. Benares
* Government Gazette. India, n.p, 1964.
* Maitra, Susil Kumar. Studies in Philosophy and Religion. India, Chuckervertty, Chatterjee, 1956.
* Pathak, Vishwambhar Sharan. Smārta Religious Tradition: Being a Study of the Epigraphic Data on the Smārta Religious Tradition of Northern India, C. 600 A.D. to C. 1200 A.D.. India, Kusumanjali Prakashan, 1987.
* Accessions List, South Asia. India, E.G. Smith for the U.S. Library of Congress Office, New Delhi, 1993.
* Shri Gulabravmaharaj: Sadhana aur Sahitya. N.p., Vani Prakashan.
* Śrīvāstava, Kiraṇa Kumārī. Ahirbudhnya saṃhita, saṅkshipta rūparekhā. India, Ekseleṃsa Pabliśarsa, 1993.
* Siṃha, Lakshmīśvara Prasāda. Bhāratīya darśanoṃ meṃ kāmatattva. India, Kiśora Vidyā Niketana, 1986.
* Upadhyaya, Baldeva. Vaishṇava sampradāyoṃ kā sāhitya aura siddhānta: Bhāratavarsha ke pradhāna Vaishṇava sampradāyoṃ ke sāhitya tathā siddhānta kā sāṅgopāṅga vivecana. India, Caukhambā Amarabhāratī Prakāśana, 1978.
* Śarmā, Bhāratī. Bhakti, Bhāgavata aura Mānasa ke sandarbha meṃ. India, Hindī Pracāraka Pablikeśansa, 1995.
* Choudhary, Ramswarth. Madhura rasa: svarūpa aura vikāsa. India, Rājakamala Prakāśana, 1968.
* धर्मायण, 2077 वि.सं. भाग-3, अंक 101-104. N.p., Mahavir Mandir, Patna.
* Dwivedi, Dr Shyamkant (2013). Vaishnav Tantra (in Hindi) (First ed.). Varanasi: Chaukhambha Publishers.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Hindu texts]]
[[Category:Sanskrit texts]]
[[Category:Sanskrit literature]]

Shandilya Samhita - Revision history

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