The Agamas
An article by
Sri Swami Sivananda, the founder of Divine Life Society
Introduction
Another class of popular
scriptures are the Agamas. The Agamas are theological treatises and practical
manuals of divine worship. The Agamas include the Tantras, Mantras
and Yantras. These are treatises explaining the external worship of God,
in idols, temples, etc. All the Agamas treat of (i) Jnana or Knowledge,
(ii) Yoga or Concentration, (iii) Kriya or Esoteric Ritual and
(iv) Charya or Exoteric Worship. They also give elaborate details about
ontology and cosmology, liberation, devotion, meditation, philosophy of Mantras,
mystic diagrams, charms and spells, temple-building, image-making, domestic
observances, social rules, public festivals, etc.
Divisions of the
Agamas
The Agamas are divided into
three sections: the Vaishnava, the Saiva and the Sakta. The
three chief sects of Hinduism, viz., Vaishnavism, Saivism and Saktism, base
their doctrines and dogmas on their respective Agamas. The Vaishnava Agamas or
Pancharatra Agamas glorify God as Vishnu. The Saiva Agamas glorify God as Siva
and have given rise to an important school of philosophy known as
Saiva-Siddhanta, which prevails in South India, particularly in the districts of
Tirunelveli and Madurai. The Sakta Agamas or Tantras glorify God as the Mother
of the Universe, under one of the many names of Devi.
The Agamas do not derive their
authority from the Vedas, but are not antagonistic to them. They are all Vedic
in spirit and character. That is the reason why they are regarded as
authoritative.
Vaishnava Agamas
The Vaishnava Agamas are of
four kinds: the Vaikhanasa, Pancharatra, Pratishthasara and Vijnanalalita. The
Brahma, Saiva, Kaumara, Vasishtha, Kapila, Gautamiya and the Naradiya are the
seven groups of the Pancharatras. The Naradiya section of the Santi-Parva of the
Mahabharata is the earliest source of information about the Pancharatras.
Vishnu is the Supreme Lord in
the Pancharatra Agamas. The Vaishnavas regard the Pancharatra Agamas to be the
most authoritative. They believe that these Agamas were revealed by Lord Vishnu
Himself. Narada-Pancharatra says: "Everything from Brahman to a blade of
grass is Lord Krishna." This corresponds to the Upanishadic declaration:
"All this is, verily, Brahman—Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma."
There are two hundred and
fifteen of these Vaishnava texts. Isvara, Ahirbudhnya, Paushkara, Parama,
Sattvata, Brihad-Brahma and Jnanamritasara Samhitas are the important ones.
Saiva Agamas
The Saivas recognise
twenty-eight Agamas, of which the chief is Kamika. The Agamas are also the basis
of Kashmir Saivism which is called the Pratyabhijna system. The latter works of
Pratyabhijna system show a distinct leaning to Advaitism. The Southern Saivism,
i.e., Saiva Siddhanta, and the Kashmir Saivism, regard these Agamas as their
authority, besides the Vedas. Each Agama has Upa-Agamas. Of these, only
fragmentary texts of twenty are extant. Lord Siva is the central God in the
Saiva Agamas. They are suitable to this age, Kali Yuga. They are open to all
castes and both the sexes.
Sakta Agamas
There is another group of
scriptures known as the Tantras. They belong to the Sakta cult. They
glorify Sakti as the World-Mother. They dwell on the Sakti (energy)
aspect of God and prescribe numerous courses of ritualistic worship of the
Divine Mother in various forms. There are seventy-seven Agamas. These are very
much like the Puranas in some respects. The texts are usually in the form of
dialogues between Siva and Parvati. In some of these, Siva answers the questions
put by Parvati, and in others, Parvati answers, Siva questioning. Mahanirvana,
Kularnava, Kulasara, Prapanchasara, Tantraraja, Rudra-Yamala, Brahma-Yamala,
Vishnu-Yamala and Todala Tantra are the important works. The Agamas teach
several occult practices some of which confer powers, while the others bestow
knowledge and freedom. Sakti is the creative power of Lord Siva. Saktism is
really a supplement to Saivism.
Among the existing books on the
Agamas, the most famous are the Isvara-Samhita, Ahirbudhnya-Samhita,
Sanatkumara-Samhita, Narada-Pancharatra, Spanda-Pradipika and the
Mahanirvana-Tantra.
|