Skip to main content

Classification of the Shaiva Canon

The Shaiva canon can be divided as follows:
a. shaivasiddhAnta
b. bhUta and gAruDa tantras
c. vAma tantras
d. bhairava tantras
e. Others - pAshupatas,kapAlikas, kaulas

shaivasiddhAnta
 - The Siddhanta belongs to the Upper current, spoken by the Upper face
 - There are 28 principal siddhAntAgamas and ~200 upAgamas associated with them
 - These texts are largely concerned with worship of sadAshiva in li~nga form
 - Descriptions of the temples, li~nga and iconic forms of the gods and goddesses of the siddhAnta constitute an important part of these Agamas.
 - Details of rituals
 - regular daily rites as well as occasional ones such as consecration ceremonies and festivals
 - initiation of the neophyte into this form of shaivism or the priesthood
 - primarily concerned with ritual and devote relatively little space to philosophical matters or even yoga
 - the philosophical standpoint of these Tantras can, broadly speaking, be said to be a dualism of a more or less tempered form. [The homonymous philosophical school inspired by these Agamas, however, ultimately developed a well defined dualism, according to which there are three basic realities, namely, Siva (pati) the fettered soul (pashu) and the factors that bind it (pAsha). The founder of dualist Saivism was called Amardaka.]
- The Siddhanta flourished in the areas where it spread, until it was devastated by the Muslim invasions, which started in the eleventh century, or supplanted by other forms of Hinduism.
- It survived, however, in South India where it changed its medium of expression from Sanskrit to Tamil in which form it is better known and persists to this day.

bhUta and gAruDa tantra
- belong to the Western and Eastern currents.
- almost entirely lost
- dealt with magical cures (particularly of snakebite), exorcism of malevolent ghosts and spirits,
the protection of children from such entities as well as the acquisition of magical powers and other such matters

vAmatantra
- spoken by the Northern face (not to be confused with left-handed path)
- The only Tantra belonging to this group that has been recovered so far is the viNaashikhatantra
- The dominant form of Siva in these Tantras appears to have been Tumburubhairava. He is described as having four faces, each one of which spoke one of the major Tantras of this group, namely, the
Tantra of the Severed Head (shirashcheda), the Tantra of the Crest of the Vina (viNaashikha), the Tantra of Delusion (saMmohana) and the Tantra of the Higher Law (nayottara).
- this cult did not survive much beyond the eleventh century in either India or south-east Asia

bhairavatantras
- concerned with the worship of Bhairava (literally, the Terrible One)
- it has many sub-cults like mahAkAla bhairava etc
- many of these rituals were originally performed in cremation grounds or lonely places for the
benefit of a few select initiates and many of them involve the offering of meat and wine to the deity and,
at times, ritual intercourse. 
- they were numerous and of varied content and not all of them considered these practices important.

Source: The Doctrine of Vibration by Mark S.G. Dyczkowski

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Adya Stotram in Bengali Font

A lot of people have requested me for online Adya Stotram in Bengali font . That is why I am presenting the same here. The Adya Stotram / আদ্যা স্তোত্র / आद्या स्तोत्रम्  is a hymn in praise of Adya Ma.  It is very popular in West Bengal, among Hindu Bengalis in Islamic Bangladesh and worldwide. There are a number if positive side effects of daily reciting Adya stotram Daily recitation of Adya Stotram protects from sickness, danger during travel especially by water,  during wars and during troubled times One will receive the same amount of blessing as undertaking holy pilgrimage if one recites Adya Stotram daily Below I am presenting Adya Stotram in Bengali font for the benefit of my Bengali friends.   To know more about Adya Stotram you may read the following. Introduction to Adya Stotram English translation of Adya Stotram 01 02 03 04 05 Introduction and explanation of Adya Stotram with Sanskrit, Bengali and English text You can listen to a recording of Ad

Adya Stotram

The Adya Stotram / আদ্যা স্তোত্র / आद्या स्तोत्रम् , which is very popular in West Bengal, is a hymn in tribute to Adya Ma.  It has 20 shlokas in Sanskrit written in very simple language and talks about the greatness of Adya Ma and the benefits of understanding and reciting the stotram. The benefits of daily recitation of the Stotram are: Protection from death, sickness and fear Conceiving, for those women who are childless Protection from any danger during travel especially by water Protection during wars Protection during troubled times Receiving the same amount of blessing as going on holy pilgrimage Adya Ma is regarded as the physical form (manifestation) of Adya Shakti. Adya Shakti is the primary supreme force of Nature and is regarded as the force essential to the existence of the other forces on Nature. She is worshiped in the form of Goddess Kali. She has a famous temple dedicated to her in Dakshineshwar , West Bengal. The Adya Stotram (hymn) is

Jagaddhatri Stotram and Jagadhatri Puja

  Jagaddhatri also spelled as Jagadhatri (Devnagri: जगद्धात्री, Bengali: জগদ্ধাত্রী) literally means She Who Holds the World or the Protector of the World . She is a form of Devi Durga. She is highly revered in West Bengal, especially in Chandernagore (my ancestral home) which has the biggest celebration of Jagaddhatri Puja in India. People come from all parts of India to Chandannagar to enjoy the amazing light works and show. Other places where the Puja is celebrated with gusto are Bhadreshwar, Hooghly, Rishra and Krishnanagar. Jagadhatri Puja is celebrated on the ninth day of the waxing phase of moon in Kartick month in West Bengal. Outside West Bengal, the Puja is also celebrated as Jagadamaba Puja or Dhatri Puja. Jagaddhatri Puja in Chandannagar The origins of Jagaddhatri Puja in Chandannagar date back to as early as 1750. It is believed that Indranarayan Choudhury, a local zamindar in Chandannagar started performing Jagadhatri Puja at his home. He was closely asso