Vaikhanasa

[5] In the Manava Dharmashastra, the legendary Manu discusses the vanaprastha, forest-dweller, the third of the four ashrama stages of life, and mentions a "Vaikhanasa rule."

Vedanta Desika, a leader of the Sri Vaishnava school, has given equal importance to both vaikhanasa and Pancharatra system in his work Saranagati Deepika 32 : tvAm paancaraatrikanayEna pruthakvidhEna vaikhanasEna ca pathA niyatAdhikArA: | samjn~A vishESha niyamEna samarcayanta: preetyA nayanti phalavanti dinAni dhanyA: || Today, Vaikhanasas are the chief priests[citation needed] in more than half of the Vaishnava temples in the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Karnataka.

Their present-day temple activities are worthy of attention, as are their efforts to work for community integrity which is threatened by increasing social and technological changes.

He is regarded to have travelled to the holy forest known as the Naimisharanya and composed the Vaikhanasa Kalpasutra and taught the treatise known as the Sri Vaikhanasa Bhagavad Shastra to his four disciples, the sages Atri, Bhrigu, Kashyapa and Marichi, which contained the procedures of Samurtarcana, Amurtarchana, and devotional service to Vishnu in the form of his images.

The nature of a devotee's moksha is regarded to be dependent on their performance of japa (attentive repetition of prayer), huta, yajna (ritual sacrifice), archana (service to images), and dhyana (yogic meditation).

The Vaikhanasa Brahmins/Vaikhanasas are a tiny Vaishnavite Brahmin community[9] of about 4000 families[better source needed] widely dispersed in South India at Vaishnava temples in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Karnataka and also worldwide especially in the United States of America, Germany, Australia, UK, and some parts of Europe.

In accordance with Vaikhanasa doctrine of the two forms of Vishnu, the Nishkala, the unfigured, and the Sakala, the figured, two cult images are distinguished.

A Puja ceremony takes place with God as the royal guest, followed by a Homa, offering into the fire [Homaagni], and a Bali [offering-but not animal sacrifice] with something that may be visible, touchable, audible, or eatable.

Finally Puspanjali, known as Mantra Pushpam, that is, offering a handful of flowers at the God's lotus feet after chanting the holy Mantraas, and the temple door is closed after Mangala arathi.