Smārta and the Pañcāyatana
स्मार्त पञ्चायतन
Also written: smarta · panchayatana puja · shankaracharya five deities · smarta tradition
By the eighth century the six paths had hardened into rival sects. Śaṅkarācārya's answer was structural rather than argumentative: worship all five principal deities together, and let the householder place his own chosen one at the centre.
The Advaitic ground of the arrangement is stated in one line of the Chāndogya, and it is the reason the choice of centre can be left to temperament without any loss of truth.
सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म।
sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma
All this is verily Brahman.
| Deity | Aniconic form traditionally used |
|---|---|
| Śiva | Bāṇa-liṅga from the Narmadā |
| Viṣṇu | Śālagrāma from the Gaṇḍakī |
| Devī | Svarṇa-mukhī stone |
| Gaṇeśa | Red stone from the Sonabhadrā |
| Sūrya | Crystal (sphaṭika) |
The theology is Advaita: since all forms are forms of one Brahman, which form stands at the centre is a matter of the worshipper's temperament and lineage, not of doctrinal truth. Two Smārta households may have different centres and identical theology.
The Āgama traditions and the six paths
Śaiva, Śākta, Vaiṣṇava, Gāṇapatya, Saura and Kaumāra — the ṣaṇmata, the six classical paths of worship, their …
Śaiva traditions
Śiva as the supreme: Śaiva Siddhānta, Kashmir Śaivism (Trika), Pāśupata, Kāpālika and Kālāmukha, Vīraśaiva-Liṅ…
Śākta traditions — the Goddess as supreme
Devī as the ultimate reality: Śrīkula and Kālīkula, Śrīvidyā and the Śrī Yantra, the ten Mahāvidyās, the Devī …
Vaiṣṇava traditions
Viṣṇu and His descents: the four sampradāyas, Pāñcarātra and Vaikhānasa, the Ālvārs, the great ācāryas, the Ga…
Gāṇapatya — Gaṇeśa as the supreme
The tradition that holds Gaṇeśa to be the ultimate reality: the Gaṇapati Atharvaśīrṣa, the aṣṭavināyaka, the s…
Saura — the worship of the Sun
The sun as the visible face of the divine: the Gāyatrī, Sūrya Namaskāra, the great sun temples, Chhath, and wh…
Last revised 2026-08-16. Corrections are welcome — see how this site is written.