Since the beginning of Humanity, man has believed in certain power that governs the

universe and he has felt a need to worship it. However, it was difficult for him to conceive of
a power with no form or face.
Hence Worship and prayers have been carried out from time immemorial in various formats
to invoke Grace and Joy in the lives of people. Some of these formats have been individual
and personalized while others have been group initiatives like collective prayers and
satsangs. Every ancient religion has adherence to such formats.
Cleansing of the atmosphere, Cleansing of the physical and psychic bodies, Awakening of
auspicious energies, Enabling mystical experiences, Invoking grace of God in our Lives were
prevalent in ancient cultures and religious groups in one way or the other.
The idea of multiple forms of divinity was in the Vedas .They spoke about thirty-three
divinities classified into those of the earth, heaven and intermediate regions. Those comprised
twelve adityas, aspects of energy and life; eleven rudras, aspects ferocious nature; eight
vasus, the directional forces; in addition to the earth and the space.
The aspects of the thirty-three divinities were later condensed to three viz. Agni, the aspect of
fire, energy and life on earth; Vayu, the aspect of space, movement and air in the mid-region;
and Surya the universal energy and life that sustains and governs all existence, in the
heavenly region, the space. This provided the basis for the evolution of the classic Indian
trinity, the Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu.
Rig Veda at many places talks in terms of saguna,( the supreme divinity with attributes). The
Vedanta ideals of the absolute, attribute- less and limit-less universal consciousness evolved
as refinements of those Vedic concepts. The Upanishads are the pinnacles of idealism that
oversee all horizons. But, in practice common people worshipped variety of gods in variety of
ways for variety of reasons. They are relevant in the context of each ones idea of needs and
aspirations; fears and hopes; safety and prosperity; and, the pleasures and pains.
Vedic worship is centred on the fire (the Yajna), certain religious and domestic rituals,
(shrauta sutraas and griyha sutraas), and the sacraments, (samskaara). In this tradition, the
gods and their descriptions are, mostly, symbolic. The hymns of the Rig Veda are the inspired
outpourings of joy and revelations through sublime poetry. The Yajur and Sama Vedas do
contain suggestions of sacrifices; but they too carry certain esoteric symbolic meaning. Very
few of these rituals are in common practice today.
The Vedas do not discuss about venerating the icons; though the icons (prathima or prathika)
were known to be in use. Their preoccupation was more with the nature, abstract divinities
and not with their physical representations. The Vedas did however employ a number of
symbols, such as the wheel, umbrella, spear, noose, foot-prints, lotus, goad and vehicles etc.
These symbols, in the later ages, became a part of the vocabulary of the iconography. 

The most widespread rituals of worship today are of the Aagamic variety. Agama Sastra is one
of the age-old sacred rituals to invoke and propitiate various energies (deities) for the attainment of
various wishes and boons in the materialistic and the spiritual worlds as well.

The Agama methods are worship of images of God through rituals (Tantra), symbolic charts
(Yantra) and verbal symbols (Mantra). Agama regards devotion and complete submission to
the deity as fundamental to pursuit of its aim; and hopes that wisdom, enlightenment
(jnana) would follow, eventually, by the grace of the worshipped deity. The Agama is
basically dualistic, seeking grace, mercy and love of the Supreme God represented by the
personal deity, for liberation from earthly attachments (moksha).

Agama (Sanskrit) (from aa toward, near + the verbal root gam to come, go)

Coming near, or approaching.

As a masculine noun, approach, appearance; studying, reading, acquisition of knowledge,

science.

In philosophy, traditional teaching handed down; likewise a collection of sacred doctrines

such as the Brahmans.

The term Agama primarily means tradition; Agama represents the previously ordained
practices generally held in regard (Agama loka-dharmanaam maryada purva-nirmita -Mbh
8.145.61). Agama is also that which helps to understand things correctly and
comprehensively. Agamas expound a variety of subjects and could be called the guides to a
huge range of Hindu practices. They contain

 Manuals for worship

 Methods for salvation, Yoga
 Devata, Yantra
 Prayogas using various mantras
 Temple Building, Town planning
 Iconometry
 Domestic practices and civil codes
 Social/Public festivals
 Holy Places
 Principles of Universe, Creation and Dissolution
 Spiritual Philosophy
 Worlds
 Austerities
And many other interrelated subjects.

Each Agama consists of four parts .They broadly deal

with jnana (knowledge), Yoga (meditation), Kriya (rituals) and Charya (ways of worship).

The Agamas tended to create their own texts. That gave rise to a new class of texts and
rituals; and coincided with the emergence of the large temples. It is not therefore surprising
that town-planning, civil constructions and the arts occupy the interest of early Agamas.
The Texts hold the view that Japa, homa, dhyana and Archa are the four methods of
approaching the divine

The Four Padas

 Jnana Pada
Jnana paada deals with worldview and spiritual philosophy. It explains the nature of universe,
cause of phenomenal world, creation and dissolution, eternal and transient principles of
nature, the nature of self, the philosophy of binding and liberation.

 Yoga Paada
Yoga Paada specifies methods for getting into experience the knowledge that Jnana Pada
expounds. It covers the yoga and the mental discipline which contains the procedures to be
followed, through which the individual consciousness can be united with the eternal
consciousness whose nature is infinite bliss. Yogic sadhana is of two forms, Antaranga
(inner) and Bahiranga (external). Their purpose is to purify one’s mind, words and deeds.
One can bring about the evolution of the entire being through these two kinds of practices,
through which the divine principle that pervades existence is realized. The purpose of Tantra
Sastra is not to simply realize the divine, but to make life an instrument of the divine, to make
every action follow the divine will. That is affected when the individual consciousness is
united in the eternal consciousness. Yoga Pada expounds the methods for achieving that,
based on Yoga Sastra and the science of consciousness.

Yoga is of different kinds, Laya, Kundalini and Mantra. The primary emphasis of Tantra
Sastra is Kundalini Yoga, and the secondary emphasis is on Mantra Marga that forms basis
for invoking the energy required for pursuing Kundalini Yoga. Faith and Devotion give the
necessary support for the practitioner, to remain perseverant in the path.

 Kriya Pada
Kriya Paada deals with the religious aspect such as temple construction, and for sculpting and
carving the figures of deities for worship in the temples. domestic and temple rituals,
pilgrimage. It also gives procedures for worship, ritual codes and the ingredients of worship.
 Carya Pada

This fourth part of the Agamas includes rules pertaining to the observances of religious rites,
rituals, and festivals. Carya Paada contains the austerity, code of conduct, regulations to be
followed during Diksha.
And of these, the Archa (worship) is the most comprehensive method.
This is the faith on which the Agama sastra is based.
 The Agama sastra is basically concerned with the attitudes, procedure and rituals of deity
worship in the temples. But it gets related to icons and temple structures rather circuitously. It
says, if an image has to be worshipped, it has to be worship- worthy. The rituals and
sequences of worship are relevant only in the context of an icon worthy of worship; and such
icon has to be contained in a shrine. And an icon is meaningful only in the context of a shrine
that is worthy to house it. That is how the Agama literature makes its presence felt in
the Shilpa-Sastra, Architecture. The icon and its form; the temple and its structure;   and the
rituals and their details, thus get interrelated. The basic idea is that a temple must be built for
the icon, and not an icon got ready for the temples, for a temple is really only an outgrowth of
the icon, an expanded image of the icon.

The Shipa Shastras of the Agamas describe the requirements of the temple site; building
materials; dimensions, directions and orientations of the temple structures; the image and its
specifications. The principal elements are Sthala (temple site); Teertha (Temple tank)
and Murthy (the idol).

Aspects of Agama

Agama deals with three phenomena, Mantra  Yantra and Tantra.

Mantra
Mantra is the sound-form of God-form and is often used synonymously to Devata. It is the
means/basis for both Yantra and Tantra.

Yantra
Yantra is basically a contrivance, charged with the power of a mantra. It could be a geometric
shape as in case of Devata Yantra or just any instrument as in case of an Astra. It is the tool.
The nature of Yantra depends on its purpose sought to be served.

Each Devata is said to have a Yantra, a specific geometric shape that represents the nature of
Devata and a world model. For temporary purposes and worshipping, it could be drawn on
clean floor with turmeric or some other powder, or for installations it could be carved on
metal plates. The Yantra is worshipped and charged with corresponding mantra. It is treated
like the Devata, and is worshipped as the Devata. The worship of Yantra includes the worship
of presiding Devata along with the consort, associate and subordinate Devatas and is an
elaborate ritual consisting of propitiation of each of those.

Tantra
Tantra is the practitioner’s manual. It combines mantra, yogic methods and philosophy
(Tatva-Mantra samanvaya). It elaborates procedures that a Sadhaka should follow, at each
stage of his Sadhana.
Mantra, Yantra and Tantra are closely knit. Mantra is the energy. Yantras are geometric
shapes that define the workings of various kinds of energies. Tantra deals with the philosophy
and methods for redirecting and channelizing the energies to guide the spiritual evolution of
the Sadhaka.
Agama is essentially a tradition and Tantra is a technique; but both share the same ideology.
But, Agama is wider in its scope; and contains aspects of theory, discussion and speculation.

Thus Tantra is the primary subject in agamic literature. The word Tantra is in general used to
refer to practices, and the subject dealing with those practices is called Tantra Sastra. To
bring the spiritual knowledge of scriptures into the practitioner’s experience through well
defined and time tested practices, is the essence of Tantra Sastra. For this reason, Tantra
Sastra is variedly called Pratyaksha Sastra (the science of real experience), Sadhana Sastra
(the science of spiritual practice) and Upasana Sastra.

Veda and Agama

Agama Shastras are not part of the Vedas. The Agamas do not derive their authority directly
from the Vedas, but are not antagonistic to them. They are Vedic in spirit and character and
make use of Vedic mantras while performing the service. That is the reason why they are
regarded as authoritative

Agamic literature has many parallels to the Vedic texts; . Like theVeda, they have come down
through Guru-Sishya parampara, in oral traditions however the major difference is that in the
Vedic discipline the different texts are classified based on the subjects they deal with. The
various subjects like grammar, etymology, meter, phonetics, poetry, analysis, astronomy-
astrology, ritual codes, moral codes, social organization, and consciousness studies are
organized into different texts and arranged in a hierarchy as the ancillary texts of the Vedic
discipline. Agamic texts in contrast, though they deal with various disciplines of knowledge,
are primarily meant to be guides for practitioners. Many of the above subjects are referred to
directly and indirectly, without expounding them but taking them for granted (for example
grammar and etymology, Chandas, Varna-ashrama dharma etc) clearly making them part
of the indigenous knowledge system rather than a parallel or equivalent knowledge system.

As compared to Vedic rituals (Yajnas) which are collective in form, where a number of
priests specialized in each disciple of the sacrificial aspects participate; the Tantra or Agamic
worship is individualistic in character. It views the rituals as a sort of direct communication
between the worshipper and his or her personal deity. The Yajnas always take place in public
places and are of congregational nature; and in which large numbers participate with gaiety
and enthusiasm. A Tantra ritual, on the other hand, is always carried out in quiet privacy; self
discipline and intensity is its hallmark, not exuberance or enthusiasm.

To draw a parallel between the subjects commonly dealt in the Vedic and Agamic texts,

1. The Jnana Paada of Agamic texts can be considered equivalent to

the Upanishad portion of Veda and the Vedic Darsanas. However, the summary of
 spiritual philosophy of Veda is seen at the end of the Veda and in the worldviews
based on the Veda, which shows evolution from Karma to Jnana. In Agamic texts it
is the other way, the philosophy forms the basis for practice.
2. Kriya-Carya can be considered equivalent to the Srauta-Smarta portions of Kalpa, in
that they prescribe the ritual code and general codes respectively. The temple and
individual worship prescribed in Agama are equivalent to Srauta and Grihya rituals
respectively. The temple itself is regarded as a replica of Yaga Sala.

The Agama shastras are based in the belief that the divinity can be approached in two ways. It
can be viewed as nishkala, formless – absolute; or as sakala having specific aspects.

Nishkala is all-pervasive and is neither explicit nor is it visible. It is analogues, as the Agama
texts explain, to the oil in the sesame-seed, fire in the fuel, butter in milk, and scent in flower.
It is in human as antaryamin, the inner guide. It has no form and is not apprehended by sense
organs, which includes mind.
Sakala, on the other hand, is explicit energy like the fire that has emerged out of the fuel, oil
extracted out of the seed, butter that floated to the surface after churning milk or like the
fragrance that spreads and delights all. That energy can manifest itself in different forms and
humans can approach those forms through appropriate means. The Agamas recognize that
means as the archa, the worship methods unique to each form of energy-manifestation or
divinity.

There are three main classes of Agamic/Tantric texts 

 Vaishnava Agamas,

  Saiva Agamas and

 Sakta Tantras.

These are the three chief sects of Hinduism, viz., Vaisnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism, based
on their doctrines and dogmas on their respective Agamas.

 The term Agama is used usually for the Shaiva and Vasishnava traditions and the Shaktha
cult is termed as Tantric. . However, technically, there is an element of Tantra in Agama
worship too, particularly in Pancharatra.

Owing to the centrality of Tantra the two words are used often interchangeably.

The temple worship is the culmination of dissimilar modes or streams of worship. Here, at
the temple, both the Agama worship-sequences and the symbolic Tantric rituals take place;
but each in its sphere. A temple in Hindu tradition is a public place of worship; several
sequences of worship are conducted in full view of the worshipping devotees; and another set
of Tantric rituals are conducted by the priests in the privacy of the sanctum away from public
gaze. The worship or service to the Deity is respectfully submitted to the accompaniment of
chanting of passages and mantras taken from Vedas. There also plenty of celebrations where
all segments of the community joyously participate (janapada) with great enthusiasm and
devotion; such as the periodic Utsavas, processions, singing, dancing, playacting, colorful
lighting, spectacular fireworks , offerings of various kinds etc.; as also various forms of
physical austerities accompanied by sincere prayers.
It could be argued that a representation of the Supreme Godhead is theoretically impossible;
yet one has also to concede that an image helps in contemplation, visualization and
concretization of ideas and aspirations.  Towards that end, the worship in a temple takes the
aid several streams ideologies and practices.
The temple worship , per se,  is guided by its related Agama texts which invariably borrow
 

the mantras from the Vedic traditions and the ritualistic details from Tantric traditions.  This
has the advantage of claiming impressive validity from Nigama, the Vedas; and at the same
time, carrying out popular methods of worship. 

For instance, the Bodhayana shesha sutra and Vishhnu-pratishtha kalpa outline certain rite for
the installation of an image of Vishnu and  for conduting other services. The Agama texts
combined the rules of the Grihya sutras with the Tantric practices and formed their own set of
rules. 

While installing the image of the deity, the Grihya Sutras do not envisagePrana-
prathistapana ritual (transferring life into the idol by breathing life into it); but the Agamas
borrowed this practice from the Tantra school and combined it with the Vedic ceremony of
“opening the eyes of the deity with a needle”. While rendering worship to the deity the
Agamas discarded the Tantric mantras; and instead adopted Vedic mantras even  for services
such as offering ceremonial bath , waving lights etc. though such practices were not a part of
the Vedic mode of worship. The Agamas, predominantly, adopted the Vedic style Homas and
Yajnas, which were conducted in open and in which a large number of people participated.
But,  the Agamas did not reject the Tantric rituals altogether; and some of them were
conducted within the sanctum away from common view..

The Vaikhanasa Vasishnava archana vidhi, which perhaps was the earliest text of its kind,
codified the of worship practices by judicious combination of Vedic and Tantric procedures.
In addition, the worship routine was rendered more colorful and attractive by incorporating a
number of ceremonial services (upacharas) and also presentations of music, dance, drama
and other performing arts. It also  brought in the Janapada, the popular celebrations like
Uthsavas etc, These  ensured larger participation of the enthusiastic devotees. 

SIDDHANTA
Siddhanta, a Sanskrit term, roughly translates as the Doctrine or the Tradition. This term
Siddhanta is an established theological term within Hinduism which denotes a specific line of
theological development within a Hindu religious tradition
siddhanta: (Sanskrit) "Final attainments or conclusions." Siddhanta refers to ultimate
understanding arrived at in any given field of knowledge.