AGAMA AND THEIR EVOLUTION:

The agama tradition in Saiva-Hindu philosophy is an independent school. It is possible it has its own origin in Mesopotamia and Indus valley.  Early agama texts were orally transmitted. They may have been in a proto Dravidian form. Its arrival to tamilagam and subsequent growth into proto-Tamil agamas is still shrouded in mystery.

There are references to such existence of agamas in the early Tamil texts like sangam poetries. The early Tamil agamas had four sections namely Aram (ethics), porul (logic), inbam (aesthetics) and veedu (metaphysics). (அறம்,பொருள், இன்பம்,வீடு).

The early agamas were later sanskritised. The Sanskrit phase saw the growth of agamas from a single book to about nine books by 5^th century AD. The sadasiva agama of thirumoolar is the Tamil version of the nine Siva agamas.

The Siva agamas then grew into 28 and there were 250 odd upa-agamas(sub-books). There were vaisnava agamas and saktha agamas too. The jains also had agamas. The agamas do not acknowledge the Vedas as primary. They hold to the thanthra tradition while Vedas to manthra tradition.

Vedas are cosmocentric and the agamas ontocentric.  That is Vedas hold to Brahman while the agamas to the jeevan.  The Vedas revere the “parama” the agamas revere the “citha”. The citha in Tamil is siddha.  The knowledge became siddhantham (SIDDHA-ANDHAM).(சித்த- அந்தம்)[i].

The Vedas, Jain agamas and the proto-Dravidian Siva-agamas are a triad of mutually benefiting system of thoughts often opposed to each other[ii]. Violent clashes between Jainism and sidhantham  were seen in the south in 4-5^th CE. Agamas were lost in north india due to lack of patronage from kings and later due to foreign invasions from 8^th century.

The agama tradition now by and large confined to the tamilagam in India. The agama texts are now available in olai-suvadees (palm leave manuscripts) and are kept as secrets. A few books have come out and a website devoted to the Siva agamas also have come[iii].

The agama tradition which gave rise to the siddhantha tradition needs more exploration and their true originality has to be brought out.

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[i] Vedanta is a dominant Indian philosophical system. There are three influential Vedanta schools. They are Advaita Vedanta of Sankara, Visishdatvaita Vedanta of Ramanujar, and Dvaita Vedanta of Madvar. Generally, Vedanta, in modern days, refers to Sankarar’s Vedanta. According to this system, and even Visishdatvaita, God or Brahmam  is the only reality. Soul is one and it broke away from Brahmam. Maya caused this breaking away. (Maya in Vedanta is different from that in Sidhanta). The world is an illusion and a reflection of Brahmam. The soul takes various forms in various bodies, and joins Brahmam when it gains Gnanam or divine bliss. What is the necessity for the soul to break away from God? If maya is the cause of it, is not maya more powerful than God? If the soul is part of Brahmam, then every man should have the divine qualities. Is he having it? Even if the soul unites with the God at the end, what is the guarantee that it will not break away again? Such questions do not get satisfactory answers. Saiva Siddhanta, therefore, does not accept such vedantic views.    K. Ganesalingam, Notes on Saiva Siddhanta Philosophy http://www.saivaworld.org retrieved on 11.2.2013.

[ii]  Budhist and Jain philosophies adopt sense perception and inference to establish their views. Saiva Siddhnta considers scriptural authority, in addition to them.They do not believe in the existence of God. But Budha and Aruga are worshipped as Gods. Saiva Siddhanta believes in One God who is Siva. Their concepts regarding soul and liberation are entirely different from those in Siddhanta. Both philosophies believe in karmic theory, but they hold the view that God is not required to make the karma reach the doer. According to Saiva Siddhnta, Karma is an unintelligent entity and requires a higher power, God, to enable it to reach the doer. K. Ganesalingam, Notes on Saiva Siddhanta Philosophy http://www.saivaworld.org retrieved on 11.2.2013.

[iii] http://www.shaivam.org/aga_related_scripture.htm retrieved on 24.2.2013.