Shakta
Shakta Agamas, known as Tantras, are texts devoted to the worship of Shakti (the Divine Mother or goddess). They cover various spiritual disciplines.
Agama — Shakta (Tantra)·Shakta
- Shakta Agamas (Tantras) are the revealed scriptures of the Shakta tradition — centered on the Goddess (Devi/Shakti) as Supreme Being.
- The Shakta Agamas are called Tantras — a word meaning 'loom' or 'expansion of knowledge'.
- There are 64 primary Tantras in the Kashmir/North Indian tradition and various regional Tantric traditions.
- The Sri Vidya tradition worships Lalita Tripurasundari with the Sri Chakra (yantra) as her geometric form.
- Tantras emphasize the identity of the individual (microcosm) with the universe (macrocosm) — 'Yat brahmande tat pinde'.
- The three streams of Tantra are: Dakshinachara (right-hand path), Vamachara (left-hand path), and Misra (mixed).
- Devi Mahatmya (from Markandeya Purana) and Devi Bhagavata Purana are the primary Shakta scriptures.
- Abhinavagupta's synthesis integrates Shakta and Shaiva Agamas into Kashmir Shaivism.
Structural Organization
TantraPrimary scripture→Patala / UllasaChapter→ShlokaVerse
Example: Kularnava Tantra → 17 Ullas → Chapter on Kula worship
Key Topics
Sri Vidya
Worship of Lalita Tripurasundari with Sri Yantra
Kundalini Yoga
Awakening Kundalini Shakti through the chakras
Mantra Shastra
Sacred sound formulas and their power
Yantra
Sacred geometric diagrams as Devi's form
Panchopasana
Worship of 5 deities: Ganesha, Surya, Vishnu, Shiva, Devi
Dasha Mahavidyas
10 Tantric forms of the Goddess: Kali, Tara, Tripurasundari...
Key Figures
Adi Shakti
Supreme Goddess — revealer of all Shakta Agamas
Abhinavagupta
Synthesized Shakta and Shaiva Agamas in Tantraloka
Bhaskararaya
Greatest commentator on Sri Vidya — Nityashodashikarnava commentary
Key Texts & Works
Kularnava Tantra
Most important Shakta Tantra — 17 chapters on Kula worship
Devi Mahatmya
700 verses on Durga — the primary Shakta scripture
Soundarya Lahari (Shankara)
100 verses on Devi's beauty — Shakta poetry