Repeated from my blog except 3 or 4 people of iyer123 group as new if not members anywhere. What is your conclusion? KR IRS 30326
On Mon, 30 Mar 2026 at 13:55, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty < [email protected]> wrote: > *SAGE AGASTYA- PART 5* > > *Continued from part 4* > > *Sage Agastya in Puranas* > > The Puranic literature of Hinduism has numerous stories about Agastya, > more elaborate, more fantastical and inconsistent than the legends found > in Vedic and Epics literature of India. > > Biography > > Chapter 61 of the Matsya Purana, chapter 22 of Padma Purana, and seven > other Maha Puranas tell the entire biography of Agastya. > > *Some list him as one of the Saptarishies (seven great sages), while in > others he is one of the eight or twelve extraordinary sages of the Hindu > traditions*. > > He is variously listed along with Angiras, Atri, Bhrigu, Bhargava, > Bharadvaja, Visvamitra, Vasistha, Kashyapa, Gautama, Jamadagni and others. > > Agastya is reverentially mentioned in the Puranas of all major Hindu > traditions: *Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism*. Many of the Puranas > include lengthy and detailed accounts of the descendants of Agastya and > other Saptarishis. > > Agathiyar, Tamil Nadu > > In Tamil traditions, *Agastya is considered as the father of the Tamil > language and the compiler of the first Tamil grammar, called Agattiyam* . > Agastya has been a culture hero in Tamil traditions and appears in numerous > Tamil texts. *Agastya learnt the Tamil language from god Murugan when he > arrived in the southern Tamil country from north India.* > > Variations and similarities among Northern and Southern tradition about > sage Agastya > > There are similarities and differences between the Northern and Southern > (Tamil) traditions about Agastya. According to Iravatham Mahadevan,both > traditions state that Agastya migrated from north to south. The Tamil > text Purananuru, dated to about the start of the common era, or possibly > about 2nd century CE, in verse 201 mentions Agastya along with many people > migrating to south. > > In the northern legends, Agastya's role in spreading Vedic tradition and > *Sanskrit > is emphasized*, while in southern traditions *his role in spreading > irrigation, agriculture and augmenting the Tamil language is emphasized*. > > In the north, his ancestry is unknown with legends limiting themselves > to saying that *Agastya was born from a mud pitcher.* In southern > traditions, his descent from a pitcher is a common reference, but two > alternate *southern legends place him as the Caṅkam (Sangam) polity and > is said to have led the migration of eighteen Vēlir tribes from Dvārakā to > the south*. > > The northern traditional stories, states Mahadevan, are "nothing more than > a collection of incredible fables and legends ", while the southern > versions "ring much truer and appear to be a down to earth account of a > historical event". Others disagree. > > *According to K.N. Sivaraja Pillai, for example, there is nothing in the > early Sangam literature or any Tamil texts prior to about the mid 1st > millennium CE that mentions Agastya*. > > The earliest mention of the role of Agastya in Tamil language, according > to Richard Weiss, can be traced to the *Iraiyanar Akapporul by > 8th-century Nakkirar.* However, in medieval era stories of the Tamil > tradition, Agastya pioneered the first sangam period that lasted 4,440 > years, and took part in the second sangam period that lasted another 3,700 > years. > > The *Tirumantiram describes Agastya as an ascetic sage, who came from the > north and settled in the southern Pothigai mountains* because Shiva asked > him to. He is described as the one who perfected and loved both Sanskrit > and Tamil languages, amassing knowledge in both, thus becoming a symbol of > integration, harmony and learning, instead of being opposed to either. > *According > to the Skanda Purana, the whole world visited the Himalayas when Shiva was > about to wed Parvati*. This caused the earth to tip to one side. Shiva > then requested Agastya to go to the southern region to restore the > equilibrium. *Thus, Agastya migrated south at Shiva's behest.* > > Siddhar-Agastya > > Agastya, in Tamil Hindu traditions, is considered as the first and > foremost Siddhar .A siddhar is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root sidh > which means "to accomplish or succeed". > > *As the first Siddhar, Agastya is deemed as the first* master, > accomplished, the sage who perfected his knowledge of the natural and > spiritual worlds. > > *Agastya, along with Tirumular*, is considered a siddhar in both > philosophical and practical domains, unlike most other siddhar who are > revered for their special domain of knowledge. Agastya is also unique for > the reverence he has received in historic texts all over the Indian > subcontinent. > > *According to Venkatraman, the Siddhar-related literature about Agastya is > late medieval to early modern era*. In particular, all medicine and > health-related Tamil text, that include Agastya as the Siddhar, have been > composed in and after the 15th century. According to Hartmut Scharfe, the > oldest medicine siddhar Tamil text mentioning Agastya were composed no > earlier than the 16th century. > > His name is spelled as Agathiyar or Agasthiyar in some Tamil texts, and > some consider the writer of the medical texts to be a different person. > > According to Kamil Zvelebil, the sage Agastya, Akattiyan the Siddhar, and > Akatthiyar, the author of Akattiyam, were three or possibly four different > persons of different eras, who over time became fused into one single > > According to Anne E. Monius, the Manimekalai and Viracoliyam are two of > many South Indian texts that co-opt Agastya and make him *a student of > the Buddha-to-be.* > > Agastya elsewhere appears in other historic Buddhist legends , such as the > Jataka tales. For example, the Buddhist text Jataka-mala by Aryasura, about > the Buddha's previous lives, includes Agastya as the seventh chapter. > > The Agastya-Jataka story is carved as a relief in the Borobudur, the > world's largest early medieval era Mahayana Buddhist temple. > > Javanese and Indian texts > > Agastya is one of the most important figures in several medieval-era > Southeast Asian inscriptions, temple reliefs and arts. He was particularly > popular in Java due to his teaching of Saiva Siddhanta was easily accepted > into the Javanese society. *He introduced the Vedic science and the > Pallavan Grantha script, but his popularity declined when Islam started to > spread throughout the islands of Indonesia*. He is also found in > Cambodia, Vietnam and other regions. The earliest mentions of Agastya are > traceable to about the mid 1st millennium CE, but the 11th-century Javanese > language text Agastya-parva is a remarkable combination of philosophy, > legends and genealogy attributed to sage Agastya. > > The Agastya-parva includes Sanskrit verse (shlokas) embedded within the > Javanese language. The text is structured as a conversation between a Guru > (teacher, Agastya) and a Sisya (student, Agastya's son Drdhasyu).The > style is a mixture of didactic, philosophical and theological treatise, > covering diverse range of topics much like Hindu Puranas. The chapters of > the Javanese text include the Indian theory of cyclic existence, rebirth > and samsara, creation of the world by the churning of the ocean (Samudra > Manthan), theories of the Samkhya and the Vedanta school of Hindu > philosophy, major sections on god Shiva and Shaivism, some discussion of > Tantra, a manual-like summary of ceremonies associated with the rites of > passage and others. > > Sage Agastya in temples > > Agastya is common in medieval-era Shiva temples of Southeast Asia, such as > the stone temples in Java (candi). Along with the iconography of Shiva, > Uma, Nandi and Ganesha who face particular cardinal directions, these > temples include a sculpture, image or relief of Agastya carved into the > southern face. > > In Cambodia, the 9th-century king Indravarman, who is remembered for > sponsoring the building of a large number of historic temples and related > artworks, is *declared in the texts of this period to be a descendant of > sage Agastya*. > > Agastya Samhita > > Agastya Samhita is the title of several works in Sanskrit, attributed to > Agastya.One of those works is the Agastya Samhita, sometimes called the > *Sankara > Samhita, a section embedded in the Skanda Purana*. > > It was probably composed in late medieval era, but before the > 12th-century. It exists in many versions, and is structured as a dialogue > between Skanda and Agastya. Scholars such as Moriz Winternitz state that > the authenticity of the surviving version of this document is doubtful > because Shaiva celebrities such as Skanda and Agastya teach Vaishnavism > ideas and the bhakti (devotional worship) of Rama, mixed in with a tourist > guide about Shiva temples in Varanasi and other parts of India. > > Agastimata > > Agastya is attributed to be the author of Agastimata, a pre–10th-century > *treatise > about gems and diamonds,* with chapters on the origins, qualities, > testing and making jewellery from them. Several other Sanskrit texts on > gems and lapidary are also credited to Agastya in the Indian traditions. > > Other mentions of Agastya include: > > The *Lalita sahasranama of Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, which > describes the 1000 names of the goddess Lalita is a part of the Brahmanda > Purana*. It is presented *as a teaching from Hayagriya (an avatar of > Viṣṇu) to Agastya*. > > Agastya is credited as the *creator of the Āditya Hṛdayam* (literally, > "heart of the sun"), a hymn to Sūrya he told Rama to recite, so that he > may win against Ravana. > > The Tamil text Pattuppattu states Agastya to be master of Isai (music, > song). > > *Kalidasa, in his Raghuvaṃśa (6.61) states that Agastya officiated the > horse sacrifice of a Pandya king of Madurai*. > > Temples for Agastya > > Temples for Agastya are found in Tamil Nadu. In Tirunelveli District, > > A temple for Agastyar on top of Agastya Mala > > Agastheeswarar temple in Ambasamudram > > Agastheeswarar temple in Kallidaikurichi > > Sri Agasthiyar Temple at Agasthiyar Falls (Kalyana Theertham) in Papanasam > > In Madurai District, > > Sri Lopamudra Sameyha Agasthiyar Temple at Vellala Patti (7 km from > Alagarkovil). > > *Agastya statues or reliefs feature in numerous early medieval temples of > north India, south India and Southeast Asia*. > > One famous Agastya temple is also located in Uttarakhand in the town of > Agastyamuni. The town derived its name from the name of Sage Agastya. > > The Dasavatara temple in *Deogarh (Uttar Pradesh*, near Madhya Pradesh > border) features a 6th-century Gupta Empire era Agastya carving. > > In Karnataka similarly, he is reverentially shown in several 7th-century > temples such as the Mallikarjuna temple in *Mahakuta and the Parvati > temple in Sandur.* He is a part of many Chalukya era Shaivism temples in > the Indian subcontinent peninsula. > > The artistic iconography of South Asian and Southeast Asian temples show > common themes such as *he holding a pitcher,* but also differences. > > For example, Agastya is featured inside or outside of the temple walls and > sometimes as a guardian at the entrance (dvarapala), with or without a > potbelly, with or without a receding hairline, with or without a dagger and > sword.] Rock cut temples and caves, such as the 8th-century Pandya rock > temples group, show Agastya. > > > > I will be continuing in next posting. > > > > Compiled from websites R. Gopalakrishnan 30-03-2026 > > > > -- > 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 visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1008426064.845263.1774859097584%40mail.yahoo.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1008426064.845263.1774859097584%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- 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 visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZoriaC%3D2Wbgh%2BhstDP0OQq4p9nmAm4tetgZTswjrMNhmPg%40mail.gmail.com.
