Vaishnava
Vaishnava Agamas are texts devoted to the worship of Vishnu, his avatars like Rama, Krishna, and Narayana.
Agama — Vaishnava·Vaishnava
- Vaishnava Agamas are the revealed scriptures of the Vaishnava tradition — focused on Vishnu/Narayana worship.
- They are divided into two main streams: Pancharatra and Vaikhanasa.
- Pancharatra Agamas are the primary Vaishnava Agamas — literally 'five nights' referring to Narayana's revelation over 5 nights.
- Vaikhanasa Agamas follow a different lineage — associated with the sage Vikhanas.
- Both traditions govern temple worship for Vishnu — virtually all major Vaishnava temples in South India follow them.
- The Pancharatra system teaches the Vyuha doctrine — four emanations of Vishnu: Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha.
- There are 108 Pancharatra Samhitas — the Ahirbudhnya Samhita, Paushkara Samhita, and Sattvata Samhita are among the most important.
- Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita philosophy draws heavily from Vaishnava Agamas.
Structural Organization
SamhitaIndividual Agama text→Patala / AdhyayaChapter→ShlokaVerse
Example: Pancharatra: Ahirbudhnya Samhita, Chapter 1
Key Topics
Pancharatra
Primary Vaishnava Agamas — 108 Samhitas
Vaikhanasa
Second Vaishnava stream — more orthodox, tied to Vedic tradition
Vyuha Doctrine
4 cosmic forms of Vishnu: Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha
Temple Puja
Daily 5-time worship (Pancha-kala) in Vaishnava temples
Diksha
Pancharatra initiation — Samashrayana ceremony
Tirumala Tradition
Tirupati temple follows Vaikhanasa Agama prescriptions
Key Figures
Narayana
Primary revealer of Pancharatra teachings
Vikhanas
Revealer of Vaikhanasa Agamas
Ramanuja
Used Pancharatra to establish temple worship in Sri Vaishnava tradition
Key Texts & Works
Ahirbudhnya Samhita
Most comprehensive Pancharatra text — 60 chapters
Sattvata Samhita
Early Pancharatra — Vishnu's cosmic forms and worship
Vaikhanasa Smartasutras
Foundation text of the Vaikhanasa tradition