In the following sections I shall endeavour to relate the beginnings of sectarianism.  The sects which are now most important are relatively modern and arose in the twelfth century or later, but the sectarian spirit can be traced back several centuries before our era.  By sectarians I mean worshippers of Siva or Vishnu who were neither in complete sympathy with the ancient Brahmanism nor yet excommunicated by it and who had new texts and rites to replace or at least supplement the Vedas and the Vedic sacrifices.  It is probable that the different types of early Indian religion had originally different geographical spheres.  Brahmanism flourished in what we call the United Provinces:  Buddhism arose in the regions to the east of this district and both Vishnuism and Sivaism are first heard of in the west.

The earliest sect of which we have any record is that of the Bhagavatas, who were or became Vishnuite.  At a date which it is impossible to fix but considerably before the epoch of Panini, a tribe named the Yadavas occupied the country between Muttra and the shores of Gujarat.  Sects of this tribe were called Vrishni and Sattvata.  The latter name has passed into theology.  Krishna belonged to this sect and it is probable that this name Vasudeva was not originally a patronymic but the name of a deity worshipped by it.  The hero Krishna was identified with this god and subsequently when the Brahmans wished to bring this powerful sect within the pale of orthodoxy both were identified with Vishnu.  In the Mahabharata[464] the rule or ritual (vidhi) of the Sattvatas is treated as equivalent to that of the Bhagavatas and a work called the Sattvata Samhita is still extant.  Bhagavata appears to be the most general name of the sect or sects and means simply of the Lord (Bhagavat), that is worshippers of the one Lord.[465] Their religion is also called Ekantika dharma, or the religion with one object, that is monotheism.[466]

A considerable literature grew up in this school and the principal treatise is often spoken of as Pancaratra because it was revealed by Narayana during five nights.[467] The name however appears to be strictly speaking applicable to a system or body of doctrine and the usual term for the books in which this system is expounded is Samhita.  All previous discussions and speculations about these works, of which little was known until recently, are superseded by Schrader’s publication of the Ahirbudhnya Samhita, which appears to be representative of its class.[468] The names of over two hundred are cited and of these more than thirty are known to be extant in MS.[469] The majority were composed in north-western India but the Pancaratra doctrine spread to the Dravidian countries and new Samhitas were produced there, the chief of which, the Isvara Samhita, can hardly be later than 800 A.D.[470] Of the older works Schrader thinks that the Ahirbudhnya was written in Kashmir[471] between 300 and 800 A.D. and perhaps as early as the fourth century.  It mentions the Sattvata and Jayakhya, which must therefore be older.