Page 58 - Hinduism
P. 58
Paramasaṁhita,Sattvatasaṁhita, Kapinjalasaṁhita, Iśvarasaṁhita,Parāsarasaṁhita, haradvajasaṁhita, Ahir- budhnyasaṁhita and Viṣṇutilaka. The Vaikhānasa Saṁhitas are said to be four composed by the four Ṛṣis; Atri, Marīcī, Kāśyapa and Bhṛgu. All the works by these authors have not survived to us. Śaiva āgamas are said to be twenty-eight in number.
Each Āgama has four sections in it called (1) Caryā (2) Kriyā (3) Yoga and (4) Jñāna. The first treats of the daily duties; the second of the worship of God; the third of the practices tending to the control of the senses and for the meditation of God. The last treats of the nature of God, the constitution of the body and mukti.
Tantras are practical treatises of religion. By means of worship of arca or yantras by means of repetition of mantras or mystic utterances, by means of upāsanas, they provide courses for developing the hidden power in man leading to the realization of God. These are also used for the attainment of worldly desires.
All the above literature is in the Sanskrit language. But besides this, there is a large body of religious literature in Tamil which is considered to be equally authoritative in Viśiṣtādvaita and Śaiva siddhanta. They are works of the Vaiṣṇava Ālvārs and Śaiva
Nāyanmārs. They are a class of highly gifted saints 58
