Agama (Hinduism)

Agama ( Sanskrit आगम āgama ) denotes a revelation text in Hinduism that is assigned to the highest divine persons, i.e. Shiva or Devi or Hari ( Vishnu ). He is named after the respective revealing deity. Five classes of worship have developed, the so-called Pancha Upasakas .

• Shaiva agamas
• Shakta agamas
• Vaishnava - or Pancharatra agamas
• Ganapati agamas
• Surya agamas

The Agamas, often referred to as the “fifth Veda ” (although they do not belong to the Vedas in a scientific sense), are considered to be the revelation from which the Tantra teachings are derived. In the literature, the terms agama and tantra are often equated. Many Hindus see the Agamas / Tantras as the teaching for the present age, the Kali-Yuga .

literature

• Arthur Avalon : The Serpent Power. 3. Edition. Scherz, Munich 2003, ISBN 978-3-502-61044-1 .
• Arthur Avalon: Tantra of the great liberation - Mahanirvana Tantra. Dover, New York 1972, ISBN 0-486-20150-3 .
• MP Pandit: Lights on the Tantra. 5th edition. Ganesh, Madras 1977.

Web links

• Agama , article in Hindupedia