SUDARSANA CAKRA

Especially the Ahirbudnya Samhita, the Adhyayas start with Sudarsana Gayatri, to gain Vedic sanction. During the Agamic and Tantric period a number of Gayatris for their personal gods have been composed and introduced. The Ahirbudnya Samhita prescribing the Sudarsanayantra, gives very elaborate details of Yantrapratista. At the beginning of the chapter 21, Narada asks Ahirbudnya, "Please advise me, what kind of protection one should have and the mantra connected with it". Ahirbudnya answers, ‘First the Raksa is called mantramayi-raksa and Varnamayi-raksa’.

Pancasamskara
In the Pancaratra Agamas the pancasamskara ritual is adopted so as to make one eligible for rendering service to god Vishnu. This alone qualifies a person to be called a Srivaisnava, just like ‘upanayana’ for Brahmins. The initiation can be done to anyone desirous of being a Vaisnava irrespective of ‘varna’ or sex. In Madhava tradition, the mark of the five ayudhas of Vishnu are put on by its adherents with sandal pastes instead of the permanent ‘tapa’ or five marks.

Tapa refers to the marks on each shoulder of the initiate made by the acarya by putting heated metal mark in the form of Vishnu’s discus on the right shoulder and another in the form of His conch on the left. The scars made by these marking insignia unmistakably distinguish Srivaisnavas from the devotees of all other cults.