Agama Shastra

What is Agama Shastra?
As discussed earlier, Pashupata school of Shaivism had a large number of texts known as Agama Shastra (Sanskrit: आगम शास्त्र, Bengali: আগম শাস্ত্র), preserved manuscripts of which are dated to 700 to 800 AD. Agama Shastra contain guidelines for worship and rituals, philosophy and spirituality and temple building.

Pashupata was the oldest form of Shaiva Tantra prevalent in Northern India during latter Mahabharata times and is also known as Agamanta Shaivism. As per the Mahabharata, the Pashupata Shaivism doctrine of Tantra was first proclaimed by Bhagavat Shrikanthanatha (Sanskrit: भगवत् श्रीकण्ठनाथ, Bengali: ভগবত্ শ্রীকণ্ঠনাথ )

As per P C Bagchi's research, there were 18 or 28 Agama Shastra texts.

Agama Shastra Texts
The 18 Agama Shastra texts are also known as Shiva Tantra. As per Nishvasa Agama or Nishvasa Tantra, these 18 Shiva Tantra texts are traditionally believed to be transmitted by Rudra and hence also known as Rudragama / रुद्रागम / রুদ্রাগম .

The 18 Agama Shastra texts as follows.

1. Vijaya Agama / विजय आगम / বিজয় আগম
2. Nishvasa Agama / निस्वास आगम / নিস্বাস আগম
3. Svyambhuva Agama / स्व्याम्भूव आगम / স্ব্যাম্ভূব আগম
4. Vatula Agama / वटुल आगम / বটুল আগম
5. Virabhadra Agama / वीरभद्र आगम / বীরভদ্র আগম
6. Raurava Agama / रौरव आगम / রৌরব আগম
7. Makuta Agama / माकुट आगम / মাকুট আগম
8. Viresha Agama / वीरेष आगम / বীরেষ আগম
9. Chandrahasa Agama / चन्द्रहास आगम / চন্দ্রহাস আগম
10. Jnana Agama / ज्ञान आगम / জ্ঞান আগম
11. Mukhabimba Agama / मुखबिम्ब आगम / মুখবিম্ব আগম
12. Prodgita Agama / प्रोद्गीत आगम / প্রোদ্গীত আগম
13. Lalita Agama / ललित आगम / ললিত আগম
14. Siddha Agama / सिद्ध आगम / সিদ্ধ আগম
15. Santana Agama / सन्तान आगम / সন্তান আগম
16. Sarvodgita Agama / सर्वोद्गीत आगम / সর্বোদ্গীত আগম
17. Kirana Agama / किरण आगम /কিরণ আগম
18. Paramaeshvara Agama / पारमेश्वर आगम / পারমেশ্বর আগম

You may also like:
Bhagavat Shrikanthanatha
An Introduction to Tantra 
The Hindu World View 
Introduction to Trika 
Kalivilasa Tantra

References
Studies on the Tantras, Ramkrishna Mission, Golpark, Chapter 2, evolution of the Tantras
What is Agama Shastra?

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Thank you for reading Agama Shatsra. If you have any thoughts please feel free to share them via your comments.

Subhodeep Mukhopadhyay | Mkerj  |  Hooray For Life  |   The Tiny Man

Bhagavat Shrikanthanatha

Image Source: All rights reserved by Mariska Caroline

As per the Mahabharata, the Pashupata Shaivism doctrine of Tantra was first proclaimed by Bhagavat Shrikanthanatha (Sanskrit: भगवत् श्रीकण्ठनाथ, Bengali: ভগবত্ শ্রীকণ্ঠনাথ )

Bhagavat Shrikanthanatha was also the author of Pingalamata Tantra, a manuscript dated 1174 which is preserved in Nepal.

Pashupata was the oldest form of Shaiva Tantra prevalent in Northern India during latter Mahabharata times and is also known as Agamanta Shaivism. This school of Shavisim had a large number of texts known as Agamas, preserved manuscripts of which are dated to 700 to 800 AD.

Date of Bhagavat Shrikanthanatha

Lakulisha was a disciple of  Bhagavat Shrikanthanatha.

Lakulisha and his 4 disciples Kushika, Garga, Mitra and Kaurushya are mentioned in an inscription of Chandragupta II (400 AD) of the Gupta Dynasty.

"Lakulisha Badami" by Corinna Wessels-Mevissen, Germany - personal e-mail. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons. 

Lakulisha among his four disciples Kusika, Garga, Mitra, and Kaurushya, rock-cut stone relief, Cave Temple No. 2 at Badami, Karnataka, Early Chalukya dynasty, second half of the 6th century CE 

The inscription states that a Guruvayatana was established by Uditacharya. Uditacharya was fourth in descent from Parashara. Parashara was sixth in descent from Kushika.There is a tital fo 10 generationsbetween Chandragupta II and Lakulisha.

Assuming 30 years per guru-shishya generation, we can date Bhagavat Shrikanthanatha to around 100 AD.

In other words we can say that Pashupata Shaivism originated around 100 AD.

References:
Evolution of the Tantras, by P.C. Bagchi

You may also like:
Classification of Shaiva Canon
An Introduction to Tantra 
Ashtamurti - 8 Forms of Shiva 
Introduction to Trika 
Kalivilasa Tantra


Thank you for reading Bhagavat Shrikanthanatha. If you have any thoughts please feel free to share them via your comments.

Subhodeep Mukhopadhyay | Mkerj  |  Hooray For Life  |   The Tiny Man

Interesting Facts about Atharva Veda

In this post I will talk about some interesting facts about Atharva Veda (Sanskrit: अथर्ववेद, Bengali: অথর্ববেদ ). The Atharva Veda is a sacred Hindu text often called the "fourth Veda" in the usual order of enumeration after Rig Veda, Yajur Veda and Sama Veda.

However many parts of Atharva Veda are as old as Rig Veda.

#1 Interesting Facts about Atharva Veda
Atharva Veda is one of the oldest Indo-European texts. The bulk of the text dates from 1500 BC to 1000 BC.

It predates Bible by 1500 years and Koran by 2000 years!

#2 Interesting Facts about Atharva Veda 
Atharva Veda is the first Indian text which talks about medicine. It prescribes various plant based medicines accompanied by mantras to heal the body.

#3 Interesting Facts about Atharva Veda 
Atharva Veda is one of the oldest texts to talks about antibiotics.

Hymn 1.23 and 24 talks about leprosy and prescribes a medicine called rajani, a lichen with antibiotic properties.

#4 Interesting Facts about Atharva Veda 
Atharva Veda is one of the earliest Indian texts to describe warfare techniques. It talks about poisoned arrows, poisoned nets, disease spreading insects and smoke screens.

#5 Interesting Facts about Atharva Veda 
Atharva Veda is one of the oldest texts to talk about building and constructions, trade and commerce and statecraft.

The Rajakarma Suktas talk about the political system during those days. National and social problems were handled by a parliament or samiti.

While Europe and Arab countries were still hunter gatherer barbarians, Indians had already developed a superior culture.

#6 Interesting Facts about Atharva Veda 
Indra is the most popular deity in Atharva Veda followed by Agni and Soma, similar to Rig Veda. This proves the contemporaneity of Aharva Veda with Rig Veda.

#7 Interesting Facts about Atharva Veda

Image Source : http://www.harappa.com/indus/27.html

Atharva Veda refers to the bull quite bull frequently.

Bull is found commonly in most Indus Valley and Harappan seals and relics, and its numerous references in Atharva Veda along with same geographic areas indicates Indus Valley Civilization and Atharva Veda Hindu civilization are the same.

References:
Wikipedia on Atharva Veda
Hindupedia on Atharva Veda
Atharva Veda word Frequency

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I hope you enjoyed 5 interesting facts about Atharva Veda. Please leave your comments/ suggestions below or send me an email.

5 Interesting Facts about Rig Veda

In this article I share 5 interesting facts about the Rigveda, which is an ancient Indian Hindu sacred collection of hymns and is among the most sacred Hindu works.

Presented below are 5 Interesting Facts about Rig Veda.

#1 Interesting Facts about Rig Veda
Rig Veda is the oldest existing text in any Indo-European language. Rig Veda was composed around 1700 BC with the oldest parts as early as 2000 BC. Source.

When Europe and Arab lands were populated by barbaric hunter gatherers, Hindu philosophers were composing awesome hymns!

#2 Interesting Facts about Rig Veda
Rig Veda is the world's oldest religious text in continuous use.

4000 years of unbroken tradition is something unheard of anywhere else in the world ! In Western countries, given their extreme materialism, even children don't take care of their parents, so tradition is an alien concept for them.

#3 Interesting Facts about Rig Veda
The Rig Veda was not written down until ~500 AD. From 2000 BC till 1900, Rig Veda was transmitted orally from generation to generation by Brahmins.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

In order to achieve this difficult task, Brahmins developed an elaborate and a meticulous systems of recitation, and managed to transmit the Rig Veda with purity despite Greek invasion, Huns and bloody and terrorizing Muslim invasions.

An amazing feat which has never happened anywhere else in the world!

#4 Interesting Facts about Rig Veda 
The Rig Veda is organized as Mandala (books), sukta (hymns) and riks (prayers). There are total of 10 mandalas, 1028 hymns and 10552 riks.

And these books and the number of hymns in each book, have a hidden astronomical code encoding facts about the passage of the sun and the moon. Source

#5 Interesting Facts about Rig Veda  
The most popular Rishi family (composer) is that of the Angiras who have composed 35% of the hymns followed by the Kanva family who have composed 25% of Rig Veda.

What is most interesting is  that there were many women Rishis even 4000 years back. Even today in many places like Saudi,women are treated like cattle, but in ancient India women were held in high esteem

Source:
Rigveda
11 Amazing Facts about Rig Veda
Astronomical Code of Rig Veda

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I hope you enjoyed 5 interesting facts about Rig Veda. Please leave your comments/ suggestions below or send me an email.