Pancharatra Agama Shastra

Pancharatra Agama Shastra is a bulky volume of almost 250 Samhitas. These include almost anything and everything concerned with the Hindu dharma and cultural and religious practices (achara). Some of these Samhitas are practised even today religiously. However, many of these are not published yet and many are not available. Ahirbudhnya, Sattvata, Jayakhya, Poushkara,vishnu-samhita, Narada and Parama Samhita, vihagendra-samhita, and a few others are available in print and some in manuscripts. Schneider, Former Librarian of Adyar Library, Madras, has given a summary of the chapters of Ahirbudhnya samhita. A complete list is also available. The Adyar Library in Chennai has some of these texts. Prof. Surendranath Dasgupta has given some details about the Pancharatra and a few samhitas in the his "A History of Indian Philosophy" (Vols.5) pub. MLBD. We will give more details of selected Samhitas later.These Samhitas are broadly divided into Vaishnava, Shaiva, and the Shakta Agamas. The Shakta Schools are also Vedic and they practice religiously the doctrines of Agama shastra. These Agama shastras are very powerful and more effective when practiced diligently. However, there are also some sects which have misunderstood these texts and practice in vamachara, not appreciated by the Vedic sects. It is more due to lack of proper instructions that they do it a wrong way. In a nutshell, these give us a detailed account of the same knowledge that is also there in the Veda and the Upanishads, Bhagavad-Gita, etc. In a way, these agamas are believed to be older than the Veda since they contain some secrets that are not available elsewhere.

  It all started with the great sages like Nara-Narayana and others conducted a five day and night yajnya in order to see the Lord Narayana. Nothing happened after the yajnya was over and the sages were angry. Devarshi Narada was standing their smiling, and said, "Nobody has so far seen the supreme Lord Narayana and you all wanted to see Him after five days of your austerities? The sages asked him the way to reach Him. Narada said, "It seems those living in 'gou loka' (galaxy) have seen Him". All the sages decided to reach the 'gou loka' by their power of penance (tapas shakti) becoming angiras, sparks of fire! When they reached there they could hear the Lord speaking to them saying, "How foolish of you to come all the way here to see Me when I am seated in your heart as the very Self (Atman)? I am not only visible to your inner eye, but you can hear Me whenever you want by sheer meditation on Me" So saying, He disappeared. The Rishis, sages returned satisfied and each one of them wrote about his experience that came to be known as the sanaka, skanda, sanatkumara, narada, parama, etc samhitas, and the atharva is one large volume of over a lakh verses that was known then as the 'ekayana". Thus the Veda, too has its beginning here. The Atharva Veda Samhita was later divided into four by branches- one for mantra to derive the shakti, jnyan, and creative ability or powers, one for devotedly worship of the Lord to get His grace,, one for singing in praise of Lord for mere praising Him, and the one for the welfare of society. Shree Krishna Dvapayana, who later got the name because of this work of division as Veda Vyasa is actually the pen name is none else but the Lord Himself!
    The concept of 'One God' comes from this source. Eko devah NarayanaH | Narayana is not some body in any visible form. It is the ever-flowing (nAra and yana) pure Consciousness. Narayana is purna-prajnya, omniscient, and all-pervading chit shakti.

(to be contd.).