Why is samasrayanam done? Its significance.

What is Samasrayanam?

All Srivaishnavins undergo a sacravant called Samasrayanam which is same as "Pancha Samskaram" ( Five Duties) which every Sri Vaishnavan should get done from his Acharyan (guru).

Who does it and how is it done? 

In olden days, all the Vaishvaites were very orthodox, performing daily Agni Hothram* and therefore the father of the family himself was the Acharyan for the members of that family. He was initiating the members into Sri Vaishnava sampradayam by Samsrayanam process.Now-a-days, most of the family heads are loukhikas and so for the purpose of Samasrayanam, we approach pontiffs heading religious Madams.

*Agnihothram is the daily Homan ritual to be done by a brahamin. Fire for cooking will be taken daily by the housewife from this homa kund only.  The fire will never extinguish in the homa kund. When the person dies, he will be cremated from the fire taken only from this homa kund) 

Since there are two specific sub-sects in Vaishnavism namely Vadakalai and Thenkalai, the respective followers will have to get Samasrayanam done from their respective pontiffs.

 Even under the two sampradaya groups mentioned above, there are many Acharya paramparas and each parampara pontiff has His own shishya kotis.

What is its Significance?

Now coming to Samasrayanam. This process of initiation of a vaishnavan into Sri Vaishnavism, is by performing Pancha Samskara through an Acharyan. 

The Pancha samskaras [five fold rituals] are the following:

1. tApa samskaram- or wearing [or embossing] the marks of the Conch [Shakhu] and Discuss [ChakrA] the two weapons [ornaments] of MahavishNu.
2. pundram: To wear the dvAdasa Urdhva pundram (12 Thiruman & Srichoornam)
3. nAmam: To be initiated by the AchAryA afresh as"RAmAnuja dAsan"(addition of 'dAsA'at the end of ones name) to indicate that one is forever a servant of the Supreme Lord Sriman NArAyanA and BhagavAnRAmAnujA.
4. manthram: To get the initiation of "Rahasya Traya MantrAs" - AshtAksharam, Dvayam and charama slokam.
5. Ijyai: To learn the worship of Sriman nArAyanA in proper form (Bhagavad ThiruvArAdhanam).

All Individuals are subordinate to the Lord. As a token and mark of this quality, we identify ourselves thorugh a symbol of the Lord. The Acharya after prayers invoke the Lord and His weapons [Sudharsana and Paanchajanya] to be present in the fire. He [Acharya] specially prays to Sudharshana and Paanchajanya to be eternally present in the individual undergoing Pancha samskara. The emblem of Sudharsana [Chakra] is heated in the fire and embossed on the right hand, chanting the following:

Sudharsana Mahajwala! Koti Soorya sama prabha |
agnAnanda syamE dEvA vishNOr maargam pradharsaya ||

(Oh! Flamy, fiery Sudarsana as lustrous as crores of Sub, please show me, an ignorant one, the path of Lord Vishnu.)

Afterwards, the emblem of Paanchajanyam is hearted in the fire and embossed on the left hand chanting the following hymn:

Paanchajanya nijadwana dwastapataka sanchya |
Paahimaam paapinaam ghOra Samasranava pathinam ||

(Oh paanchajanya! [Conch Shell] you are capable of driving away the sins of individuals through your Sound. Please protect me, a sinner from this samsaaram)

Taapa samskara is the most important because in the absence of this, an individual is not qualified to recite the mantras and perform the ArAdhanam [formal workship] of Sriman Narayana. The purpose of this is to purify the body and mind of the individual who is the token of his having become a VishNu devotee should bear permanently on his body the symbol of ChakrA and Sankhu. The reason for choosing these two symbols of Vishnu is that the Conch represents the auspiciousness, whereas the ChakrA [discuss] represents the spiritual energy that wards off evil.

Out of the above 5 rituals, the 4th namely Manthram has three parts.

1. Ashtaksharam: the eight akshara manthram of Narayana.

2. Dhvayam: Mantra for promising kainkaryam to Perumal & Piratti.

3. Charam sloham:  Lord krishna's "Mam Ekam Charam Vraja"

These three Mantras have to be learnt as upadesa only from the Acharyan.

Only after Samsrayanam, anybody, even when born in a Vaishnavite family, will becomt Sri (True) Vaishnavan and only after this, he is fit to perform any vaihnavite ritual -- right from daily Perumal Aradanam up to rituals linked to departed elder of the family. 

In the case of ladies, even cooking for the family can be done only after samasrayam. Otherwise, Sri Vaishnavas will not touch the food prepared by them.