chap9
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Vedic Roots of Hindu Iconography
R. Nagaswamy
CHAPTER-9
Āgama in theory and Practise
Āgamas may in a very general way be defined as “Scriptures that deal with worship of God in Temples”. Āgama is also called Samhita or Tantra. There are different interpretations of the word Tantra but one good meaning assigned occurs in a Śaiva Āgama
tanoti vipulān arthān mantra tantra samudbhavān
trātaṇam ca kurute yasmāt tantra ityabhidīyate
That weaves vast knowledge from Vedic hymns (mantra) and bodily gestures (tantra) and confers salvation is Tantra.
Āgamas presuppose the existence of Vedas and Itihāsa, Purāṇas and use Vedic tradition considerably especially from the Kalpa Sūtras. As rudimentary aspect of Āgamas are found in Vedas there are two alternate opinions that a) Āgamas predate Vedas anad and b) they co terminate with Vedas. Consequently it is claimed that Vedas are of general scriptures while Āgamas are specific scriptures and both are of equal validity. S.N Dasgupta in his monumental work on History of Indian philosophy considered that Āgamas originated in South India as the vast body of Agamic literature has been found came from South but this opinion has been modified with the many works and commentary that have come to light and published in recent times. In this connection the sustained work of French Institute of Indology Pondichery deserves special praise as it has brought many critical edition that has widened our knowledge on the role of Āgamas. A study of surviving monuments of northern part of India do show that Āgamas are all Indian in character and the mediaeval temples can not be interpreted without a knowledge of Āgamas. It is wrong to hold that Āgamas are confined only to India but have influenced the whole of South East Asian countires as Cambodia, and so on where specific references are found to Āgamas in inscriptions. The great temples of Ankhor Vat and Angkor Thom prove their use. Further Āgamas are not confined only to Śaiva, Vaiṣṇava, and Śākta traditions alone but are equally prevelant among the Buddhists and Jains who use Āgamas in their temple worship. I may also say that the two thousand years of Indian Art and architecture may broadly be divided into two periods, the first thousand years being dominated by the Purāṇic legends and unity of the Trinity concept, the sculptures giving importance to narration of the legend, while the second phase shifted the emphasis on the main figure jettisoning the associate legendary elements with the dominance of Āgamic code that gradually brought in some rigidity. Without a proper knowledge of Purāṇas and Āgamas, the life style of whole of Indian and South east Asian people can not be understood. And yet these two are the most neglected studies in the Universities. The Madras University deserves to be congratulated for organizing this seminar which we may hope will give the required dimension to this aspect. As early as 1961 His holiness Śrī Chandrasekharendra Paramāchārya svāmikal of Kāñci Kāmakōṭi matha Organised and continued the Āgama Śilpa Vyasa Bharata kalādi sadas for several years that did much to expose the second part of the 20th cent to this body of knowledge.
Āgamas do not confine themselves to Temple rituals alone but are comprehensive in nature and deal with Mathematics, Astronomy, Town planning, Architecture, selection of material, Arts and craftes, Music and dance, Yoga, Medicine and so many other requirements of human life.
Inscriptions record the migration of Āgamic scholars and practioners from Kashmir, Āryadesa, Gauda deśa and Madhya deśa to the South from 8th to 13th cent and also scholars from Tamil chola country to Kasi during that period. It is therefore a knowledge system that has been mutually complimentary, each influencing the other.
Rājasimha Pallava the builder of the monuments of Māmallapuram calls himself Āgama-pramāṇaḥ and Āgama-anusari in inscriptions. There is the famous village of Uttaramerur near Chennai where there is a temple built in the 8th cent Pallava times which speaks of Residents of the village well learned in Āgamas and also their usage āgamavidais grāme prayoganvitaiḥ who guided the construction of the temple which is praised as the resplendent Sun among the temples. This proves that building temples were guided by the Āgamic texts.
I would cite another important illustration. The Khandariya Mahādeva temple at Khajuraho is the most famous of the temples of Madhyapradesh. Built around 1025 (contemporary with Gaṅgaikonḍa chōlapuram) the Temple is on a high pedestal raises to a great height with a Śikhara like Meru mountain and surrounded by kulaparvatas and other smaller Śikharas. The temple reflects the personality of the philosophy on which the whole edifice is erected. It is known that Meru is identical with Jñāna, The Śrīvidyā of the Upaśākhās. The Vidyā is the culmination of knowledge and is built over mantras, yantras, followed by ritual worship – tantra. So an edifice comes up as a supreme pricinciple by combining all these factors as in the sacrificial altar where vedic hymns are used. It is the Vedi over which the flame raises the flame of knowledge. How are these hymns compiled. They are compiled by akṣaras (syllables), padas (words), and the combination of padas into mantras (hymns). The akṣaras are the base adhiṣṭhāna over which the whole structure of knowledge emantes and in the case of the sturucture the vimāna raises on the base which carries the same akṣaras. What are the aksharas? . Akṣaras are formed by mātrikas the syllables that give life to the sound. So also the base in this temple shows the seven mātrikas which are the gaṇas.The Svacchanta bhairava tantra the foremost Āgamic text of bhairava tantra from Kashmir identifies each mātrika with a akṣara gaṇa. They are called matṛgaṇa. The Khandariya mahadeva temple has these mātrikas Brāhmī, Māheśvarī, Kaumārī, Vaiṣṇvaī, Vārāhī, Indrāni and Chāmuṇḍa with Ganeśa and Vīrabhadra on the base. Such a distribution is called in the Tantra Vidyā Pīṭha. The temple from base to top is conceived physically as vimāna and metaphysically as the cream of knowledge that takes to the spaceless timeless bindu, the pinnacle on top which merges with the cosmos. The merging of physical with the metaphysical the purpose of the tentra is beautifully illustrated in this great temple which has the Saptamātas distributed on all around which includes the Ganeśa and Vīrabhadra. But their distribution in clockwise direction begins with Chāmuṇḍa. This can also be demonstrated in the south. In the great Naṭarāja temple of Chidambaram, the Dīkṣitas invoke the Pīṭha of the temple in the same order. The Chidambara kṣetra sarvasva the text followed in the Chidamabaram gives the graphic description of the Chidsabha as looked upon by both men and the celestials.
सुरासुर मनुष्य लक्षित ष्रुति स्मृति पुराण आगम समावेदित चिन्मयीभूत चित्सभाकारम् अकारादि-एकपन्चाशत् वर्ण सर्व मन्त्र स्वरूप अधिषटाण जगतीकन्द कुमुद पट्टिका सनाऴिका पालिका पटतालिका कपोतिका चतुषष्टि कलात्मिका विस्तारतर
surāsura manuṣya lakṣita ṣruti smṛti purāṇa āgama samāvedita cinmayībhūta citsabhākāram akārādi-ekapancāśat varṇa sarva mantra svarūpa adhiṣaṭāṇa jagatīkanda kumuda paṭṭikā sanāḻikā pālikā paṭatālikā kapotikā catuṣaṣṭi kalātmikā vistāratara
कामिकादि अष्ठाविंसति आगम स्तम्भ परिवृतम् पार्ष्वद्वय विन्यस्त न्याय शास्त्र स्तूयमान शास्त्रमय स्तम्भ रचितम् षट्चक्राद्याधारभूत वेदिका दक्षवाम पार्श्व द्वय स्थूयमान ऱ्क्वेदादि चतुर्वेदमय चतुस्तम्भ वामादि नवशक्तिमय देह चित्सभाकारम्
kāmikādi aṣṭhāviṁsati āgama stambha parivṛtam pārṣvadvaya vinyasta nyāya śāstra stūyamāna śāstramaya stambha racitam ṣaṭcakrādyādhārabhūta vedikā dakṣavāma pārśva dvaya sthūyamāna ṟkvedādi caturvedamaya catustambha vāmādi navaśaktimaya deha citsabhākāram