Parigraha — Acceptance and Its Spiritual Danger
Parigraha ('taking hold of, accepting, receiving') is the act of receiving gifts, property, or material support. While not forbidden in all contexts, the Śrī Vaiṣṇava tradition — in common with many classical Vedāntic and renunciate traditions — treats parigraha with considerable caution, particularly for those on the prapatti path.
The concern is multi-layered. First, parigraha creates ṛṇam (obligation/debt) to the giver: having received, one is now bound in a web of gratitude, obligation, and potential expectation. For a prapanna whose entire reliance is on Bhagavān's grace alone, this web of worldly obligation can dilute the purity of that reliance. Second, parigraha stimulates lobha (greed) and māna (pride): the experience of receiving tends to create appetite for more receiving and attachment to the received. Third, parigraha from those who are hostile to Bhagavān or spiritually harmful in their orientation (asattvas) carries the risk of importing their doṣas into one's own spiritual life through the subtle bonds of acceptance.
For Āchāryas and renunciates in the tradition, the principle of a-parigraha (non-acceptance) is a key component of spiritual discipline. The Āchārya who is spiritually established (kṛtakṛtya) does not seek material gain from disciples — the relationship flows from genuine compassion, not from an economy of service and reward. In the Teṅkalai tradition especially, the genuine Āchārya's complete freedom from parigraha-orientation is one marker of authenticity.
For the householder prapanna, the teaching is more nuanced: parigraha in the ordinary course of life (salary, gifts in proper relationships, legitimate earnings) is not problematic per se — the question is whether it creates attachment (āsakti) and whether it creates obligations that compromise one's orientation toward Bhagavān. The tradition teaches svīkāra-parigraha (accepting only what is necessary for Bhagavān's service) as the correct measure.