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Enciclopedia sobre los Agamas por el profesor Rao. Los vedas del sur de India
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100% found this document useful (1 vote)
457 views266 pagesAgama Encyclopadia Part XI Prof S K Ramachandra Rao
Enciclopedia sobre los Agamas por el profesor Rao. Los vedas del sur de India
Uploaded by
itineo2012Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
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/ 266
meh
ENCYCLOPAEDIA
Volume XT
Utsavas
i Prof. S.K. Ramachandra Rao
ae L
‘ THE AGAMA ENCYCLOPAEDIA ©. ©. 005-5 = FA a The Agama literature includes the
Silpa-Sastra, which is basic to iconography,
Worship dealt with in the Agama
necessarily involves images which are
worship-worthy. The rituals and sequences
that are elaborated in the Agama books
find relevance only in the context of an
icon which is contained in a shrine. And
icons are meaningful only in the context of
shrines and worship.
Agama texts are not easily accessible to
the people. A large number of them are still
available only in manuscripts; some of
them which have been printed are only in
their Sanskrit originals. There is need,
therefore, to present relevant excerpts from
them at least, to make the volumes on
iconography more meaningful.
Further, Indian temples are to be
considered only in the general framework
of temple culture, which include not only
religious and philosophical aspects but
social, aesthetic and economic aspects also.
The volumes named Agama
Encyclopaedia deals with the temple-
culture and Agama framework, the sectarian
division of the Agama into Saiva, Vaisnava
and Sakta, and the topics selected from the
Agama texts follow. Thus, the entirety of
the Agama, literature in so far as it is
relevant to the temple-culture is brought
within the scope of The Agama
Encyclopaedia,
ISBN 81-7030-821-6 (Vol.XI)
ISBN 81-7030-823-2 ( Set ) es
+
a os. oe |
Be rare a1
hice
eS = EG as BR Pe ce 2 derecche scm nee oe
. = elite ante ee se paseo THE
AGAMA
ENCYCLOPAEDIA
(Revised Edition of Agama Kosa)
Volume XI
Utsavas Sri Garib Dass Oriental Series No. 299
THE
AGAMA
ENCYCLOPAEDIA
(Revised Edition of Agama Kosa)
Volume XI
Utsavas
Prof. S.K. Ramachandra Rao
Sri Satguru Publications
A Division of
Indian Books Centre
Delhi, India Published by
Sri Satguru Publications,
Indological and Oriental Publishers
A Division of
Indian Books Centre
40/5, Shakti Nagar,
Delhi-110007
India
Email: [email protected],
Website: htip://www.indianbookscentre.com
© All rights reserved.
First Edition: Bangalore , 1989-1994
Second Revised & Enlarged Edition: Delhi, 2005
ISBN 81-7030-821-6 (Vol.XI)
ISBN 81-7030-823-2 ( Set )
Printed at Chawla Offset Printers, Delhi 110 052 {ntroduction
The Agama literature includes the Silpa-Sastra, which
is basic to iconography. Worship dealt with in the Agama
necessarily involves images which are worship-worthy.
The rituals and sequences that are elaborated in the
Agama books find relevance only in the context of an icon
which is contained in a shrine. And icons are meaningful
only in the context of shrines and worship.
Agama texts are not easily accessible to the people. A
large number of them are still available only in manuscripts;
some of them which have been printed are only in their
Sanskrit originals. There is need, therefore, to present
relevant excerpts from them at least, to make the volumes
on iconography more meaningful.
Further, Indian temples are to be considered only in the
general framework of temple culture, which include not
only religious and philosophical aspects but social, aesthetic
and economic aspects also.
The volumes named Agama Encyclopaedia will deal
with the temple-culture and Agama framework, the
sectarian division of the Agama into Saiva, Vaisnava and
Sakta, and the topics selected from the Agama texts will
follow. Thus, the entirety of the Agama, literature in so
far as it is relevant to the temple-culture is brought within
the scope of The Agama Encyclopaedia. vi @ The Agama Encyclopaedia
The volume deals with the general problems relating to
the idea of Agama and the broad details of the tradition
that is known after Agama. In the historical perspective
Agamic tradition and the Vedic tradition were initially
distinguished, but later the two fused. The circumstances
that favoured the separation and integration have been
explained. The role that Tantra played in crystallizing the
Agama tradition has been elaborately explained and
illustrated. And more importantly the volumes deal almost
exclusively with the essential details of temple-culture in
India Without an adequate appreciation of this context,
other aspects of Agama cannot become meaningful. In one
of the appendices, a fairly exhaustive account of Tantra
has been given, for this has provided the major dimension
to the Agama, especially of the Sakta pursuation.
The volumes which were originally published in the
period 1989-1994 by the Kalpatharu Research Academy,
Bangalore are being reprinted now, and I am grateful to
my friend Shri Sunil Gupta of the Indian Books Centre,
Delhi for publishing a revised edition of the volumes.
Bangalore S.K. Ramachandra Rao
June, 2004 UTSAVA: MEANING
AND TYPES
The expression is undoubtedly of Vedic origin, and
its meaning has always been merriment or festive mood.
We read in Rgveda:
TT aA SAAT AT
waa a aT
at are farwafa witafa-
weet wales wet
(1,1008,8)
gat a fad wy ad at adi
wea wit freon at am
Tara aT wed arate
frg tara: waarmerq
(1,102,1)
The word is made up of the prefix (‘ut (meaning
up, above), the root ‘si’ (to produce, to emanate, to
draw out) and the grammatical ending ‘ach’. The word
‘sava’ means a sacrifice, a celebration, an occurrence
of importance; the prefix suggests its excellence or
extraordianary character. The lexicon defines the world
‘utsava’ as whatever is calculated to produce happiness
(niyatahladajanaka-vyapara). Among its synonyms is 2 @ The Agama Encyclopaedia
‘mahah’ which signifies the ‘signifies the ‘swelling’ of
the emotions of joy and merriment.
The Agamas prescribe that ‘utsava’ is a necessary
observance in a temple. Even While the temple is being
consecrated or an icon installed, utsava should be
performed as the concluding rite. “Without it, consecra-
tion would be futile’ says Hayasirsa-sarhita (36,5)
sere fet waned front Faq!
For the utsava is meant to secure the delight of the
gods and the welfare of the people. Its origin is traced
to the celebration among gods when Indra killed the
dragon-demon Vrtra, and brought happiness to all the
gods and human beings (Padma-samhita ‘devoir eva
pura vrtravadhe’ 10,5). It destroys all obstacles (Isvara-
sarihita, ‘vighna udgatah savah yasmat’), and produces
happiness (Sri-pragna-samhita, 31,8 ‘ut-siite harsam
iti’). It brings about peace and nourishment for all the
people (Samirtarcand, 4,4. ‘Sarva-lokanam santi-pust i-
karam’).
In the context of a temple, it corresponds with the
Vedic rite of an elaborate sacrifice. So we read in Atri-
samhita:
and also in Bhrgu-samhita: :
sfaqpeaai wat aq sated!
Wegepeagega: UTE
Similarly in Purusottama-samhita (32, 2) : Utsava @ 3
seqreaat wat aafafe ay
Sepe: wat wergea: ufteeran
Some texts take ‘sava’ in the sense of welfare and
happiness, and explain utsava, as whatever brings about
sava. Ajitagama (27,1) for instance, says:
we: aeaniagr whee
Ta Val Tega Tew
The word ‘sava’ is taken as ‘creation’, ‘production’
(from the root ‘si’ and hence utsava is that which causes
creation or emanation. (Pirva-karanagama).
wa get afte: agraregurfiry
TErgteensarged sateen Aa
There is also a variant meaning of ‘sava’, viz.
unhappiness or misery of transmigratory existence:
utsava is that which makes us get over it.
Padma-samhita (carya, 10) says :
wa: wetegaqahst Aaragfery
and we read in Aniruddha-samhita (20,1) :
waraneae fatg seamfvata:
The same meaning is found in Vasista-samhita (12):
wat Ga wnat awatsite seared:
BMY wat A wengwa sew
Uttarakaranagama (4,1) has another interpretation of
the word utsava : wisdom or noesis which secures all
welfare, material as well as spiritual : 4 @ The Agama Encyclopaedia
sere: altyed Ween TOTHNTA
arrmtetata gat agftatafe
