Tantras (Agama & Nigama)
Mahanirvana
Kulasara
Prapanchasara
Kularnava
Rudra Yamala
Vishnu Yamala
Brahma Yamala
Tantraraja, etc.
Tantras
('looms') are divided along sectarian lines and reflect the religious
beliefs and practices of medieval
India.
They deal with four different subjects: philosophy, yoga or
concentration techniques, ritual (including the making of icons and the
building of temples), and the conduct of religious worship and social
practice.
Each of the
Hindu religious groups has its own tradition of sacred literature, and
following the three major divisions the Tantras are divided into three
classes, namely:
Shaiva
Agamas
Shakta Tantras
Vaishnava Samhitas
Agamas
According
to the different levels of conditioned consciousness there are
instructions in the Vedas for worship of different controllers, with the
aim of reaching different destinations and enjoying different standards
of sense enjoyment. Agamas (emanated scriptures) are books which are
classified into five for this purpose:
energy -
Sakti - Sakta Agamas
visible source (Sun) - Surya - Soura Agamas
controller - Ganapati - Ganapatya Agamas
destroyer - Siva - Saiva Agamas
ultimate source - Visnu - Vaikhanasa Agamas
All these
form part of Veda abhyasa- the instructons on Veda.
Tantrism,
which appeared from the fifth century CE- onwards, is based on mystic
speculations concerning the divine creative energy. Tantrism is a method
of conquering transcendent powers and realizing oneness with the highest
principle by yogic and ritual means, partly magical and orgiastic in
character. Tantrics believe in a strong parallelism between macrocosm
and microcosm. The macrocosm is conceived as a complex system of powers
which can be activated within the body of a devotee who, through the
performance of the relevant rites, transforms the normal, chaotic state
of his body into a 'cosmos'.
In Tantric worship, devotees often ascribe esoteric meanings to their
texts and make wide use of
mantras.
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