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The term Agamas literally means tradition or "that which has come down"

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31 views

Origin of Brihaspati Agama

Is Brihaspati the author of Brihaspati Agama? When did the scripture Brihaspati Agama has been revealed and what is the context?
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Do photographs or paintings of Gods undergo prana pratishthana?

As I understand from this question , through prana pratishthana ritual God comes and resides in the murti. And if not mistaken, the idols have to be sculpted in line with what is mentioned in Agamas ...
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References of Santatita Kala

Where is the exact reference about Santatita Kala in the Saivagamas? Please provide scriptural references.
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Which of these Bhairava shruti texts / Tantras are lost?

The following is a list from the Shrikanthi Samhita of the 64 Bhairava Tantras and their 8 classifications: Yamalasataka - BrahmayAmala, VishnuyAmala, Rudra-yAmala, Swacanda yAmala, AtharvanayAmala, ...
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Is it SPECIFICALLY mentioned in the Vedas, Agamas, Itihasa or Puranas that left-handed men are inherently evil?

Scriptures say that our left hand is not to be used for eating, drinking and puja rituals like feeding idols. Some cultures say its bad to eat, drink or do auspicious things by using the left hand. ...
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Difference between Vaishnava agamas and tantra

There are two main agamas according to which Vishnu temple puja is performed, namely, Vaikhanasa agama and Pancharatra agama. In addition to these modes of worship, Vishnu temples in the West coast, ...
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17 views

Diksa mantra in different lives

Looking for a tantric (or puranic) reference (or quote from a well known sage) that says a jiva receives (or does not receive) the same mantra when receiving diksa mantra in different lifetimes.
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Installing deities facing south

Deity in Vishnu temples are installed facing either East or West. Exception to this is Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam who faces South as per the promise made to Vibhishana. The moorthy of Lord Rama in ...
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Are persons from lower castes allowed inside temples according to agama shastras?

In the pre partitioned era some temples placed ban on lower castes entering temples. Is there any basis for this prohibition in the agama shastras?
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191 views

Does Tantra say cow is sacred animal?

In Tantra, is there any mention of "cows being sacred"? Also, does Kaulācāra Tantra explicitly talk about it?
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What kind of scripture is the Naradiyakalpam?

What kind of scripture is the Naradiyakalpam? Medieval Sri Vaishnava scholar Vedanta Desika cites this scripture in support of the view that the pranava in the secret Ashtakshara mantra important in ...
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215 views

Where does Devi Bhagavatam say followers of Vaishnava Agamas go to hell?

In my question here Why does Devi Bhagavatam say some Agamas as tamasic? A user commented Devi Bhagavatam talks against many other Tantras too .. Like Vaishnava Agama is also criticized as ...
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Where can I read Shakta Agamas online in English?

I'm searching for Shakta Agamas online in English. Can anybody provide me the relevant links or PDFs to read these Agamas? P.S. So far, I could only find Kularnavara Tantra. You can read it here.
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338 views

Difference between srIvidyA upAsanA in Vedanta and in Tantra?

Recently I came to know from one of my friend that srIvidyA upAsanA is also done in Vedanta. While I am aware that srIvidyA is Tantrik upAsanA. I was unaware of Vedantic one. Also as far as I know, ...
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Is Dwarapalaga in Shiva temples is Nataraja?

In certain Shiva temples I have seen Nataraja posture idol as Dwarapalaga at entrace of Shiva linga sannadhi. Is it Nataraja being Dwarapalaga or is it just a posture? What Shaiva agama says about ...
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125 views

What is the agama being followed by the Sri Nataraja temple in Chidambaram and why is it different from other Shiva temples?

Shaiva agamas form the basis of worship in temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. However, it seems like the Sri Nataraja temple in the town of Chidambaram, Tamilnadu is not built and/or not follows the ...
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What is the agama/tantra being followed at the Sri Krishna temple at Guruvayur in Kerala?

When were the rituals in Sri Krishna temple at Guruvayur, Kerala standardized to current form? Who was responsible for that? Which agamas/tantras are followed in the temple while performing rituals to ...
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What is the reason behind closing the village/street/agrahara temple in case of a death in the nearby area?

I have seen this several times, that temples are closed if there is a death in the houses in the vicinity. To clarify, vicinity has a variable scope here; sometimes it's a street, sometimes an ...
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how can I start Tantra sAdhnA? which all are the scriptures I need to study to have in-depth knowledge?

I am new here and have many questions. I am interested in Tantric sAdhnA and first I need to study the Tantric scriptures in details. I have studied yogA-VedAnta and Buddhism in detail also mahAmUdrA ...
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Is there a curse associated with misuse of Tantra?

I have heard that Tantra has a curse associated with it; that any misuse will lead to Naraka. rauravaM cha pade pade "In every step you take a very great hell by the name raurava awaits the ...
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Agama and Purana cosmology

I have read about cosmology in Puranas as well as Agamas to an extent. What is the main difference between Puranic and Agamic cosmology? Is there any difference at all?
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why is Matsya Vibhava of Vishnu-Narayana also referred to as Ekasrngatanu?

In the Ahirbudhnya samhita of pAncarAtra Agamas, the thirty nine vibhavas of SrIman nArAyaNa are listed. Here we observe that Matsya Vibhava (incarnation) of Vishnu-nArAyaNa being referred to as ...
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364 views

Six aspects of surrender mentioned in Pancharatra texts?

Recently while exploring the topic of Devotion or Bhakti , I came across the info. that there are six aspects of surrender to the Lord , mentioned in Pancharatra texts. So my question is - What are ...
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What is “twelve fingers” in Pranavayu?

In Shiva Sutra, III.4 it is mentioned about Pranavayu that this is a way of meditation to concentrate on Prana i.e. on the expiration and inspiration of breath from the centre of the body upto a ...
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375 views

Scriptural sources for different classification & types of mantra and their science

In which all scriptures (Vedas, Tantras, Agamas, etc.) is the science of mantra and the types of mantras mentioned? To be specific, the answer can be on the lines of following sub-questions: Where ...
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495 views

Worshipping Lord Sharabha in Tantra

According to Shiva Puran, Lord Shiva had to take avatar of Sharabha to stop Lord Narasimha from destroying whole universe out of anger after killing Hiranyakshipu. His power is intolerable for a ...
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What are the age limits for an Agamic initiation? Can a very old person be initiated as well?

For the Vedic initiation (the Upanayana) the prescribed ages(when to perform the initiation) are given in various scriptures like the Manu Smriti etc. And, the age limits till which the disciples can ...
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What does Lord Shiva mean when he says there are 5 gurus in Vaishnava tradition?

In Kularnava Tantra. Chapter 13, Lord Shiva talks about guru and his characteristics. He says following verse : śaive gurutrayaį¹ƒ proktaį¹ƒ vaiį¹£į¹‡ave guru paƱcakaį¹ƒ vedaśāstreį¹£u sataso gururekaį¹ƒ ...
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289 views

How can agama be treated as shruti?

Agamas as shruti : Hindpedia says Sruti, the eternal word, is said to be of two forms ā€“ Nigama (Veda) and Agama Also, Sri Vaishnava Acharya Yamunacharya (who was Ramanujacharya's guru's guru) composed ...
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Do Agama shastras prescribe rules regarding parivara-devatas?

Are they deities who are relatives/associates of the main deity at a temple? do agama shastras prescribe how their idols should be installed?
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361 views

What are Bhuvanas?

In Shiva Sutra, it is mentioned that the Kalaa are divided into 5 types Nivrtti, Pratishtha, Vidya, Shanti , Santyatita . Each Kalaa has set of Bhuvanas, for example Pratishtha Kalaa has 56 Bhuvanas, ...
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Do shastras sanction displaying idols of Hindu Gods as landscaping?

This Tripadvisor link shows idols of Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati used as landscaping at a Swaminarayan Temple. (This photo of Shree Swaminarayan Temple Bhuj is courtesy of TripAdvisor) A ...
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What are the characteristics of kerala mAntrikam?

It is lesser known fact that the tantra flourished in southern India in the state of Kerala. Like that of Kashmir and Bengal. Kerela tantrism is also specialised and is called as kerala mantrikam or ...
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664 views

What are the principle texts/Scriptures of Trika or Kashmir Shaivism?

Kashmir Shaivism is an Advaita (nondualist) Shaiva tradition from Kashmir based on Shaiva Agamas. One important scripture i am aware is Shiva Sutra by Vasgupta, in addition to Shivabheda Agamas (as ...
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Are pancharatra agamas followed outside the South (not counting Southern transplants)?

I am not even sure temples outside the South not run by Southern transplants follow ANY agamas.
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Do Agama shastras say anything about how small/big temples can be?

From website qz.com, Angkor Wat could potentially lose its status as the worldā€™s largest religious monument to a $78 million upstart being conceived in the backlands of Bihar, one of Indiaā€™s most ...
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Sect which holds only a particular hymns of Vedas as canonical, rest as not Then whether that sect is fully valid hindu/sanatani sect?

Question 1) There is a sect X in India, which is more of sankhya/yogic practices sect. This sect revers only vedas and patanjali yoga sutras as revered texts, but it does not hold it(esp. vedas) as ...
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402 views

Does Shaiva or Shakta Agama believe the Dashavatar of lord Vishnu

Does Shaiva or Shakta Agamas believe on Dashavatar of lord Vishnu? If yes is there any difference in references? If Yes what all differences are there? My question rises because according to Agama ...
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What is the distinction between yoga as Astika vs Nastika?

There are 6 orthodox (astikas) darshanas, very good explained in Keshav question here. At same time, yoga is based mostly on agamas or tantras, and other kind of writtings: Trika philosophy have ...
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1answer
258 views

How come Vyasa rejected Panchratra Agamas in Vedanta Sutras yet referred back to Bhagavad Gita which is also considered to be a Panchratra scripture?

Badrayana/Vyasa refuted the Bhagavata view yet Mahabharata contains Pancharatra tradition passing down, as well as a Pancharatra scripture, Vyasa refers back to Bhagavad Gita too, which is also ...
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What are the Vaishnava sampradAyas that are based on vAmAchara?

It is less known fact that the vamachara paddhati is also prevalent in vaishnava tradition but not known to common public. As per the kamakoti website article- Adhikara Bheda: It is a ...
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432 views

What are the prerequisites to get initiated in Shaiva or Shakta Agamas?

I wanted to know the qualifications or qualities one should possess to get initiation in Shiva or Shakta agamas?
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1answer
556 views

Who is Parmeshvara, Ishwara & VAsudeva? What is the difference among them?

In 18th Chapter of BG, we find following verses - The Lord abides in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, causing all of them to revolve by His power as if they were mounted on a machine. 61 Run ...
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1answer
268 views

What was Shankara's stand on Bhairava Agamas?

It is a well-known fact that Shankara rejected both Vaishnava and Shaivite Agamas. However, I got to know from a friend that the philosophy of Bhairava Agamas were similar to Shankara's Advaita ...
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1answer
907 views

What are the letter of alphabets (varnas) associated with each of the Seven Chakras?

Body consists of mainly Seven chakras as I discuss here. In the Netra Tantra book I have; in the introductory preface part it is written: Muladhara, Swadhisthana, Manipura, Anahat, Shakini and Ajna ...
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300 views

How does Prana and Apana fuse outside the body?

In the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, Lord Bhairava states: ą¤µą¤¾ą¤Æą„ą¤¦ą„ą¤µą¤Æą¤øą„ą¤Æ ą¤øą¤®ą„ą¤˜ą¤Ÿą„ą¤Ÿą¤¾ą¤¦ą„ ą¤…ą¤Øą„ą¤¤ą¤°ą„ ą¤µą¤¾ ą¤¬ą¤¹ą¤æą¤°ą¤Øą„ą¤¤ą¤¤ą¤ƒ ą„¤ ą¤Æą„‹ą¤—ą„€ ą¤øą¤®ą¤¤ą„ą¤µą¤µą¤æą¤œą„ą¤žą¤¾ą¤Øą¤øą¤®ą„ą¤¦ą„ą¤—ą¤®ą¤Øą¤­ą¤¾ą¤œą¤Øą¤®ą„ ą„¤ą„¤ From the fusion of both Vayus (Prana and Apana), inside ...
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89 views

What are the arguments given by non Sri Vaishnava schools that the Pancharatra Agamas are non-Vedic?

Please give arguments from any school. Please also cite from scholarly works.
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66 views

What are the commentaries available on LalitA SahasranAma?

One of the most popular hymns of the goddess is Sri Lalita Sahasranama. What are the major commentaries available on it? (apart from the Saubhagya Bhaskara by Sri Bhaskara raya)
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Do any of the Vaishnava Agamas recommend any Vedantic philosophies like Vishishtha Advaita or any other?

Do any authentic Vaishnava Agama texts directly or explicitly recommend any Vedantic philosophies like the Advaita philosophy or any other?
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33 views

What are the granthas written by Sri SomAnanda nAtha?

Sri Somananda was main guru in the kashmir agamic tradition. What are the main texts attributed to him ? And also if some minor texts or commentaries if available.

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