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Agamas : An
Introduction
Agama literally means "that which has come down" (i.e., that which has been handed down to the people of the present from the past). Agama refers to a set of scriptures in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, with a distinct meaning in each case.
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, as deities, in temples, etc. All the Agamas treat (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 namely, Vaishnavism, Saivism and Saktism, base
their doctrines 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
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
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
Hinduism
In Hinduism, the Agamas are an enormous collection of Sanskrit scriptures which, are revered as śmriti (remembered scriptures). The Agamas are the primary source and authority for ritual, yoga, and temple construction. Each of the major denominations — Shaivism (Shaiva Agamas), Vaishnavism (Pancharatra and Vaikhanasas Samhitas) and Shaktism (Shakta Tantras) — has its unique Agama texts, which expand on the central theological and philosophical teachings of that denomination. Smartas recognize the Agamas, but don't necessarily adhere to them, relying mainly on the smriti texts. In the Malay languages the word Agama literally means religion.
Buddhism
In Buddhism, the term 'agama' is used to refer to a class of sutras of the early Buddhist schools, which were preserved in the Mahayana tradition (specifically, in the Sarvastivada, Dharmaguptaka and Mahasanghika schools). Another term for the Agama scripts is the Sarvastivadin Canon. These sutras correspond to the first four Nikayas of the Sutta-Pitaka of the Pali Canon. In this sense, 'agama' is a synonym for one of the meanings of nikaya. Sometimes the word agama is used to refer not to a specific scripture, but to a class of scripture. In this case, its meaning can also encompass the Sutta-pitaka, the oldest and most historically accurate representation of the teachings of Gautama Buddha.
According to Charles Muller[1], four collections of agamas appear in the East Asian Mahayana Canon: the Cháng Ahánjīng (長阿含經), the Zhōng Ahánjīng (中阿含經), the Zá Ahánjīng (雜阿含經), and the Ekottara Agama or Zēngyī Ahánjīng (增一阿含經). These correspond to the Digha Nikaya, the Majjhima Nikaya, the Samyutta Nikaya, and the Anguttara Nikaya of the Pali Canon, respectively.
The agamas were translated from their original language to Sanskrit, and were later also converted into a version of Sanskrit that used Chinese characters. This version is currently available in the Mahayana Canon. The agamas are commonly compared to the Suttapitaka, and their existence and similarity is sometimes used by scholars to validate the teachings composed in them as a historically authentic representation of the Canon of the First Buddhist Council. Sometimes also the differences between them are used to cast an alternative meaning on the accepted meaning of a sutta in either of the two recensions.
The Agamas contain the following scriptures in Chinese translation:
- Digha Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya and Samyutta Nikaya of the Sarvastivāda.
- Digha Nikaya of the Dharmaguptaka.
- Anguttara Nikaya (Ekottara Agama) of the Mahāsaṅghika.
Jainism
In Jainism, an agama is an ancient Jain textbook. There were many agamas in ancient times, but as time passed, many of them were lost or destroyed. At present, 45 agamas are available. Agamas are written in the Prakrit language. These are read and studied by Jain monks (sadhus) only.
References:
1. The Agamas (http://www.bharatadesam.com/scriptures/agamas.php)
2. http://www.answers.com/topic/agama
NOTE: Few
References links to external links.
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