*Age of the Agamas *St. Thirumular mentions nine agamas by name, we may assume that the more important agamas were written long time before him. Even some later day Buddhist scriptures call themselves as agamas – Ekottaragama, Madhyamagama etc. Sakhya dynasty of Kapilavastu in which great Siddharta was born were worshippers of Siva. The city is considered to be in the state of Nepal which continues to be a Saiva state to this day. We may not be sure that the present versions of the agama are those which existed at that ancient past. As shrutis, they were handed down by word of mouth from master to disciple, through several centuries, before they came to be written down on palm leaf. Naturally many changes would have taken place into texts, both consciously and unconsciously, as times changed and as needs and aims of society underwent considerable change. Hence it is possible the original texts became elastic and new ideas were incorporated into the texts. Dr. Surendranath Gupta says “The date of the Agamas cannot be definitely fixed. It maybe suggested that the earliest of them were written sometime in the second or third century A.D. and these must have been continued till the thirteenth or fourteenth century” Some Jain writings of a much later date were called the Jinagama. There were also the Sakthagamas, in praise of Sakthi, Vaikanasa and Pancharatra are the agamas of two Vaishnava schools. The numbers of Saivagamas is very large and most of them preceded the books of the other schools in point of time. >From the remote past, from the very early days when the agamas were just written, there existed only Saivagamas. The term agama signified only the Saivagama. The agamas of the other schools of Hinduism were not written at that time. The Vedas are called Apaurusheya, not made by man. The Vedas are considered to have born from the four faces of Brahman. But this has to be understood as signifying that the Vedas were revealed to enlightened spiritual seekers who taught them to their disciples and were being continuously handed down from master to disciples and hence the name Sruthi until they were written down at a later stage on palm leaf. The Agamas were revealed from the 5 faces of Lord Siva. – Eesanam, Tatpurusham, Aghoram, Vamadevam and Sathyojatham. The Agamas did not come into existence simultaneously, but did certainly have a gradual evolution even in the pre-B.C and in the first millennium A.D. Many of the Saivagamas had been quite ancient, besides some of the Agama systems are referred to by Badarayana and so those systems at least must have been earlier than the compilations of Brahma Sutras. The Brahma sutras, also known as Vedanta Sutras, constitute the Nyaya prasthana, the logical starting point of the Vedanta <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ved%C4%81nta> philosophy (Nyāya = logic/order). No study of Vedanta is considered complete without a close examination of the Prasthana Traya, the texts that stand as the three starting points. The Brahma Sutras are attributed to Badarayana <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badarayana>. The compilations of these sutras is considered to have taken place earlier than the Buddha and Mahavira. All these naturally certify to the antiquity of the early Agamas. Parimelalahar of the 13th Century, the great commentator of kural and an ardent Vaishnavite, interpreting the phrase Engutattan occurring in a verse of the Kural, he lists the eight attributes of Siva and says that these are taken from the Saivagamas and there are no such attributes to Vishnu in any Vaishnava books. The age of the agamas is based solely on theories by various scholars. The exact period of the agama’s origin is yet to be identified. The excavations of Mohenjo-Daro Harappa gives evidences that practices of Saivism existed few centuries before the Christian era and the agamas would have certainly existed before the said period which goes beyond time.
* The term AGAMA* Several explanations have been offered for the term agama. One of it that because it existed from God, it is called the Agama, that which came (from God), a-gama. Another is that the three letters a-ga-ma respectively denote Pati, pasu and Paasam; and that the agamas deals with these three entities and their relationship, and hence this name. A Sanskrit verse gives an interesting meaning for the three syllables a, ga, and ma: *Agatam S**iva valtrenhyah gatan ca girija mukhe* *Matam ca Siva bhaktanam **agamam cheti katyate* “ The agamas originated from the faces of Lord Siva, fell on the ears of Parasakti and spread in the world as the Matha ( Religion ), of the Siva bhaktas”, the agamas are mostly in the form of instructions from Siva to Sakthi. They take their name from the first letters, of the words agatam (originated), gatam (fell) and matam (religion) as mentioned in this sloka. Although the special scriptures of Saivism, Vaishnavism and Saktism are generally known as agamas; this term has, however, come to have a specialized significance in later days. Only the Saivagamas are referred to as the agamas; the Vaishnava agamas are mostly referred to as Samhitas and the Sakta agamas are mostly referred to as the Tantras. *The number of the Agamas* *The agamas are said to be infinite in number*. The aspects of Siva are five in number – Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha and Isana. Each of these has five faces and from these twenty-five faces were revealed numberless agamas, according to one tradition. One tradition says that Sadashiva revealed the four agamas to Garuda, Vama, Bhutatantra and Bhairava from the four faces and the well known 28 agamas from the fifth face Isanam. The 28 Saiva agamas are said to have been revealed from all the five faces of Siva, the first four taught five agamas each, while the last, Isanam gave rise to eight. The first ten agamas were taught by Sadasiva to the Vidyesvaras, so they are called the Sivabheda agamas ( Saiva or God-taught). The remaining 18 were taught to 36 Rudras beginning from Anadirudra, and hence these were called the Rudrabheda agamas ( Raudric or man-realized ). The first ten were taught again in turn to three celestial beings each, which the other eighteen were taught to two each, thus making a total of 66 celestials ( 30+36 ) who learned the agamas. Ananthesvara taught the agamas to Srikanda Rudra, who in turn taught them to the sages. The sages initiated the disciples into the mysteries of the agamas and thus the books came to have value among the mortals. The Kamikagama shows all the 28 agamas in serial order, their origin, the number of verses therein, the organ of Siva which they represent and persons to whom they were revealed. *Content of the Agamas* Sadasiva revealed to spiritually advanced souls, the agamas, which embodied the path of such salvation to the mortals who are caught up in the cycle of births and deaths. The four paths towards this end have been developed by Tamil Siddhanta sastra writers in the evolutionary order of Sariya, Kriya , Yoga and Jnanam. Jnana is the part of philosophy of the agamas ( Saiva Siddhanta ), while the other three may be taken as dealing with sadhana or practice. Of the agamas that is available in print today, only Suprabheda, Mrgendra and the Kirana contain all four parts. >From the volume of writing under each head, it can be clearly seen that the emphasis of the agamas was equally on the jnana and kriya parts, that is both the philosophical and the ritualistic aspects. Among the 28 Sivagamas, the first 10 are called Sivabheda and the next 18 are called Rudrabheda. The Sivabheda agamas are 5 each from 2 faces; Sadyojata and Vamadeva while Rudrabheda agama are 5 from each face of Aghora, 5 from face of Tatpurusha, and 8 from face of Isanam. There are 5 kinds of Guru Shisya relationship in Rudrabheda. The relationship between Sadasiva and Anadhirudra is Param; relationship between Anadhirudrar and Parameswarar is Maham; relationship between Parameswarar and Devas is Divyam; relationship between Devas and Rishis is Divyadivyam and relationship between Rishis and people is Adivyam *The Jnana Part* The Jnana pada is the part dealing with the metaphysical basis of the agama system. It provides the philosophical truths underlying the system and expounds the origin, the rationale and the goal. The Supreme is one and All is He, SIVA. The emphasis of Vedanta on the soul and mind is now shifted so as to encompass a larger part of man or rather the complete man. This is of course because of Agamic teaching embraces the complex personality of man, his emotions and heart, and his will as well. This is the knowledge of Jnana pada. *The Yoga Part* The agamas were not the first to speak of the Yoga pada nor even Patanjali. Vedic writers would say that the yoga path is as old as the Vedas. They would claim that the Yajnas, sacrifices, were themselves a sort of yoga practice where the Vedic seer tried to unite himself with the particular celestial who was invoked. The agamic yoga part goes beyond the Patanjali’s raja yoga and lays down an inner discipline. The aim of yoga is of course Jnana. Hence this yoga seeks to purify, elevate and equip the disciple for a life which will explain the Truths realized through Jnana. It is usual in the modern day to speak of raja yoga, bhakti yoga, karma yoga and jnana yoga in treating of religious practices. Different sects evolve their own terminology and this terminology cannot be expected to be there in the same form in Saiva Siddhanta. The Yoga pada however seems to be a scantiest or ‘minor’ part in the agamas. Only the Suprabheda, the Kirana and the Mrgendra texts are available on this pada. Patanjali’s raja yoga takes one through eight steps and these are known as the Ashtanga Yoga. These eight steps –Yama,Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. It is only a course of spiritual discipline leading to a higher purpose, only steps leading to an altogether higher goal. The last three steps are said to comprise the true raja yoga. Dharana is concentration; helps to perfect mind control. Dhyana is meditation which helps the uninterrupted flow of thought to the object of devotion. This finally leads to state of Samadhi where the mind initially functions in the contemplation, but finally it ceases to exist. The initial state here confers siddhis or powers on the practiser of yoga but he is not to be lured by them. He ignores these and goes to the higher state of Samadhi which is the mystic union. *Yoga is union*, the union of the conscious individual self with the Universal Self. The term yoga is used in common term as a form of personal discipline: this yoga is just a means towards the attainment of higher purpose. In the religious language it is the union of the mind at the feet of the Master. This eight-fold ashtanga yoga is taken as a step to a higher yoga in Saiva Siddhanta which seeks a spiritual union beyond the mental discipline and it is called the Prasaadaa Yoga, one which confers supreme realisation. It is a process of spiritual evolution where the souls goes through a sixteen fold process of inward perception withdrawing the spirit from all outward activities and rising higher and higher in the realisation of the Self inwardly and finally attaining non-dual union with it. The Praasadaa yoga is a sort of training for the power of the Sushumna Nadi called Kundalini Sakthi, which is like a coiled serpent and for taking it through sixteen stages called kalas, bindu, ardhachandra, nirodhi, nadam, nadantam, sakthi, vyapini, vyomarupai, anantai, anata, anasritai, samanai and unmanai. Beyond unmana is the brahma randra, the dvadasanta centre. The aspirant in his yogic practice, takes the Sakthi to each stage and there, has the corresponding vision. This process is the Shodasakala Praashadaa yoga, this last stage is the merger or union. *The Kriya Part* This pada considers not the individual man alone but considers man in the society. It has a concern and involvement in the community around. The temple is an outward expression of this concern. The Kriya aspect so far as temple parartha worship is concerned is in three divisions – i. *Prathisthanam* that is from clearing the ground for examining its suitability for temple construction, to consecration; ii. Pratishtha to Utsavantham that is from consecration uo to the conduct of all types of festivals and iii. Prayascitta kriyas – kriya rites combined with other purificatory rituals. The Kriya part is generally the largest part in all the available agamas. This part is concerned with worship, both individual and temple worship. All the aspects of worship are elaborately described here. The details of temple construction for example; details which are given here are far beyond what an excellent modern architect can dream of. Other allied subjects dealt with here are sculpture, iconography, construction of temple car or There, geology, horticulture, astronomy, town planning, home science, water supply, health and hygiene, food and many others. In short we may say, no area of human activity of the period about 2000 years back has been left out. Agamas speak of 64 kinds of Siva forms ( Asthasta forms) and in brief 25 Maheswara muhurtam are as per Karana agama for worship. *The Sariyai Part* The seeker after TRUTH, the Siddhantin, has to equip himself intellectually for the philosophy of Jnana Pada. The spiritual effort is augmented and supported by the many kriyas, temple worship and festivals. For these efforts an external aid both in himself and in the environment is essential. This is the code of personal conduct and discipline, the way of behaviour or functioning and this is Sariyai. The Sariya part is not a difficult one nor it is very complicated either for understanding or for following. It is a sort of rigid preparation, intended to purify and equip the Sadhaka in body, mind and spirit, a personal training or discipline. The path marked out for him is the Godward path, because as a Sadhaka, he practises the means for attaining oneness with Siva. He has in a limited sense to begin with, to lead others. Society looks up to him and by his personal life, affiliations, behaviour and progress and attainments, he sets the model. The Sariya part deals with daily observance and the personal discipline of the worshippers. The Suprabhedagama deals elaborately with this. The purificatory ceremonies for the individual from the time of his birth, the deekshas ( initiation ), the ultimate funeral rites and similar other ceremonies are described here. * Agamas quoted by Samayacharyars and Sekkilar in Periyapuranam* The Thevaram hyms of Saint Sambanthar, Appar and Sundarar make several references to the Agamas. Saint Sambanthar says “ Lord Siva revealed the Veda, the Vedanta and the Agama” – 3;23;6 Saint Appar says “ Daksha no doubt performed his Yajna as laid down by the Vedas; but he should have done it in the manner laid down in the Agamas ( which automatically will give importance to Lord Siva) and that implied as the reason for the destruction of the Yajna by Lord Siva through Veerabatra.” – 4;65;6 Saint Manikkavasagar says “ Lord Siva disclosed the agamas from the Mahendra Hill out of his five faces” 2;20 Saint Sekkilar makes many references to the agama in Periyapuranam: “The agamas were revealed by Lord Siva, temples are built according to the rules laid down in the agamas. Siva puja is performed according to the agamas and he is please with such worship” In Saint Kannappar’s story, the Sivagochariyar, the saintly priest arrives at the temple, bringing flowers and water as laid down in the agama -784 The traitor Muthanathan, bent upon killing the saintly ruler Meyporul, says to the Queen, “ I have brought here a rare agama revealed by your Master, not to be found anywhere on earth” – 478 Saint Pusalar built the temple mentally and laid the foundation according to the agamic rules – 4181 Narrating the greatness of the city of Kanchipuram, Sekkilar says that Umadevi worshipped Siva in this place; in this context he specifically mentions several times that Umadevi performed Sivapuja as laid down in the agamas. – 1132, 1133, 1134, 1136, 1141, 1142 * Relevance of the Agamas* Rules were laid down for the building of the temples and for the installation of images therein. Temples had been growing in importance since the days of the Saiva Samayacharyas. It is well known that most temples follow the Kamika or the Karana agama for practices of day-to-day worship, while the Nataraja temple in Chidambaram follows Makuta Gama; the Tiruvenkatu temple follows three agamas, Kamika, Makuta and Karana agamas, Thirueengoimalai follows Vatulagama; Tirunallam, temple follows Karana agama and Sukshuma agama; Tirunallar temple follows Makudagama. The Makutagama seem to occupy a unique place among the agamas. It is quoted as the authority in temples where Lord Nadaraja is said to perform one of His Cosmic dances, In such shrines His Ardha Darisanam ( Thiruvathirai ) festival is considered to be of special significance. They have special dance halls called Pancha sabha which is Kanakasabha ( Gold-Chidambaram ); Rajata sabha ( Silver – Madurai ); Tambira sabha ( Copper- Thirunelveli); Ratna sabha ( Ruby- Thiruvalangadu) and Chitra sabha ( Art –Thirukkutralam) K Rajaram IRS 16 1 24 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZor%2BY8E2eFWRdARHTuENFX%3DvkT-UsXiE9APHQvb6AhQ%3D%2Bw%40mail.gmail.com.
