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Hinduism and Tribal Religions pp 1–3Cite as

Śākta Āgamas

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Part of the Encyclopedia of Indian Religions book series (EIR)

Synonyms

Tantrāgama;Tantra

Definition

Śākta Āgamas are the scriptures which look upon the supreme divine being as the Mother of the universe and include its theoretical structure and a practical manual of divine worship of the Śākta religion.

Introduction

The Āgamas consist of treatises concerning a particular religion or one of its sect and practical manuals of divine worship prescribed for that religion or sect ([1], p. 13). There are some treatises called Tantras, Mantras, and Yantras, which explain the external worship of the divine being, symbolized by idols, images, etc., and these treatises form a part of the Āgamas. All the Āgamas deal with Jñāna (knowledge), Yoga (meditation or concentration), Kriyā (action or esoteric ritual), and Caryā(conduct or exoteric worship) as well as discussing in details about ontology, cosmology, liberation, devotion, meditation, philosophy of Mantras, mystic diagrams, temple-building, image-making, domestic observances, social rules, public...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, Bankura Christian College, Bankura, West Bengal, India

    Anupam Jash

Authors
  1. Anupam Jash
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Correspondence to Anupam Jash .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Anthropology, The University of North Texas Dept of Anthropology, Denton, Texas, USA

    Dr. Pankaj Jain

  2. The Graduate Theological Union , Berkeley, California, USA

    Dr. Rita Sherma

  3. Jamia Millia Islamia, Centre for the Study of Comparative Reli Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India

    Dr. Madhu Khanna

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Jash, A. (2018). Śākta Āgamas . In: Jain, P., Sherma, R., Khanna, M. (eds) Hinduism and Tribal Religions. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_256-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_256-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-94-024-1036-5

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