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Before you do any Hindu ritual, you're supposed to begin by saying the Sankalpam, a formulaic utterance in which you tell the gods where you're located in the universe, the time and date when you're performing the ritual, what ritual you'd like to do, the purpose of the ritual, etc. Hindus of all sects say the Sankalpam in an almost identical fashion, except for a single line. (See page 2 of this PDF). The line begins with the words "Sri Bhagavat Agna", meaning (I do this ritual) by the command of Bhagavan or God (similar to the Latin expression Annuit Coeptis). But how the line is continued depends on what sect you belong to and the philosophical beliefs of that sect.

If you belong to the Smartha sect founded by Adi Shankaracharya, then you would continue the line by saying something like "Parvati Parameshwara Preethiyartham" or just "Parameshwara Preethiyartham", meaning that you are doing this ritual for the pleasure of Parameshwara (a name of Shiva). As I discuss in this question, Sri Vaishnavas say different things depending on their subsect; Vadakalais say "Sriman Narayana Preethiyartham", meaning you are doing the ritual for the pleasure of Narayana (a name of Vishnu), whereas Thenkalais say "Bhagavat Kainkarya Roopam", meaning the ritual is just a form of work for Bhagavan or God. (This seems to reflect a philosophical difference between these two subjects.)

But my question is, what do members of other sects say after the line "Sri Bhagavat Agna"? What do Madhvas say, for instance, or Gaudiya Vaishnavas, or Vaikhanasas? What did Hindus use to say before the time of Adi Shankaracharya, when these sects weren't so popular? What would a non-Vedantic Hindu say (for instance a follower of Purva Mimamsa)? What about members of movements like Arya Samaj? I want to compile as many different completions of this line as possible.

On a side note, the preamble to the Vishnu Sahasrananam says "Mahavishnu Preethiyarthe", so are there any sects of Hinduism that follow "Sri Bhagavat Agna" with "Mahavishnu Preethiyartham" (as opposed to "Sriman Narayana Preethiyartham as some Sri Vaishnavas say)?

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  • In the Sankalpa - I am Smartha - we use the term after 'Sri Parmameshwara Preetyartham' 'Vishnor agyaya Pravathamanasya.....' Commented Feb 10, 2018 at 10:39
  • Yeah, that's in my answer. Commented Feb 10, 2018 at 10:40

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Here are the ones I've found so far:

  • The Smartha sect of Adi Shankaracharya says "Sri Parameshwara Prityartam" or "Parvati Parameshwara Prityartam", meaning for the pleasure of Sri Parameshwara or Parvati Parameshwara, both names of Shiva.
  • The Thenkalai sub-sect of the Sri Vaishnava sect says "Sri Bhagavat Agna, Bhagavat Kainkarya Rupam", meaning by the command of Sri Bhagavan (God) and for the pleasure of Bhagavan.
  • The Vadakalai sub-sect of the Sri Vaishnava sect says "Sri Bhagavat Agna, Sriman Narayana Prityartam", meaning by the command of Sri Bhagavan (God) and for the pleasure of Sriman Narayana, a name of Vishnu.
  • The Gaudiya Vaishnava sect, which includes ISKCON, says "Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Prityartam", meaning for the pleasure of Sri Sri Gauranga the Guru, i.e. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.
  • The Dvaita school of Madhvacharya says "Sri Lakshmi Narayana Prityartam", meaning for the pleasure of Sri Lakshmi Narayana, a name of Vishnu.

The vast majority of Hindus belong to one of these sects, but I hope to find more lines from other sects.

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  • Except for Gaudiyas, these sects are overwhelmingly in the South and their numbers are a tiny part of the HIndu population.
    – S K
    Commented Apr 17, 2018 at 23:29

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