TheBrahma, Saiva, Kaumara, Vasishtha, Kapila, Gautamiya and the Naradiya are theseven groups of the Pancharatras. The Vaishnava Agamas are offour kinds: the Vaikhanasa, Pancharatra, Pratishthasara and Vijnanalalita. That is the reason why they are regarded asauthoritative. They are all Vedicin spirit and character. The Agamas do not derive theirauthority from the Vedas, but are not antagonistic to them. The Sakta Agamas or Tantras glorify God as the Motherof the Universe, under one of the many names of Devi. The Saiva Agamas glorify God as Sivaand have given rise to an important school of philosophy known asSaiva-Siddhanta, which prevails in South India, particularly in the districts ofTirunelveli and Madurai. The Vaishnava Agamas orPancharatra Agamas glorify God as Vishnu. Thethree chief sects of Hinduism, viz., Vaishnavism, Saivism and Saktism, basetheir doctrines and dogmas on their respective Agamas. The Agamas are divided intothree sections: the Vaishnava, the Saiva and the Sakta. They also give elaborate details aboutontology and cosmology, liberation, devotion, meditation, philosophy of Mantras,mystic diagrams, charms and spells, temple-building, image-making, domesticobservances, social rules, public festivals, 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. These are treatises explaining the external worship of God,in idols, temples, etc. The Agamas include the Tantras, Mantrasand Yantras. The Agamas are theological treatises and practicalmanuals of divine worship. The AgamasĪn article bySri Swami Sivananda, the founder of Divine Life SocietyĪnother class of popularscriptures are the Agamas. The Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, the Paratrishika, and Shadakshara Stotra are said to be. Similarly, the original Rudra Yamala is supposed to have been very large and voluminous, but what remains is a fragment of the original (1)(5). Many other times, the base Tantra for a given text remains unknown. Therefore, the Brahma Yamala is the base Tantra. The Agamas teach several occult practices some of which confer powers, while the others bestow knowledge and freedom. Mahanirvana, Kularnava, Kulasara, Prapanchasara, Tantraraja, Rudra-Yamala, Brahma-Yamala, Vishnu-Yamala and Todala Tantra are the important works. Yamala ∙ This class of literature has eight texts attributed to realized souls, called Bhairavas. Among the extant Agamas the most famous are Ishvara Samhita, Ahirbudhnya Samhita, Sanat-kumara Samhita, Narada Pancharatra, and Spanda Pradipika. Brahma-Yamala, Vishnu-Yamala, and Todala Tantra are some of the important extant tantric works.
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