Rahasyam — The Esoteric Teaching
Rahasyam (Sanskrit: rahasya — secret, esoteric) refers to teachings that are transmitted within an initiatic relationship, not made public without discernment. In the Śrī Vaiṣṇava tradition, 'the rahasyams' (or rahasya trayam — the three secrets) are:
- Tirumantram (the Aṣṭākṣara — 'Om Namo Nārāyaṇāya'): reveals the nature of the individual self (jīva) as the servant of Nārāyaṇa
- Dvayam (the two-sentence mantra): expresses surrender to Śrī-pati through Śrī as mediator, and the aspiration for eternal kaiṅkarya
- Carama Ślōkam (the final verse of Bhagavad Gīta 18.66): Bhagavān's assurance that he will grant liberation to one who surrenders to him alone
These three together comprise the rahasyatrayam or rahasyārtham — the threefold esoteric essence of the Śrī Vaiṣṇava path. The Āchārya reveals them at pañcasaṃskāra, and their significance is elaborated in rahasya granthams such as Piḷḷai Lōkāchārya's Mumukṣuppaḍi and Śrī Vacana Bhūṣaṇam.
In Yathīndra Pravaṇa Prabhāvam, Māmunigaḷ's role in teaching the rahasyams and their commentaries to his disciples is a recurring theme.