Guest guest Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Which is older, Vedic or Tantric Hinduism? What is tantric Hinduism? What gods do the tantric hindus follow? Is Vishnu one of the gods? I read somewhere that Krishna, in tantric hinduism, is supposed to be an incarnation of Kali, not Vishnu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2004 Report Share Posted February 7, 2004 Vedic Hinduism is older as it is written in Vedic Sanskrit -the oldest proper language in the world. Some 'Hindus' state that Tantric Hinduism shouldn't be considered a part of Hinduism, but should be placed outside (like Buddhism and Jainism) as Hinduism is supposed to be derived from the Vedas. The Tantric Hinduism do not derive their authority from the Vedas, but from the Agamas, which do not recognise the Vedas. Many modern day Hindus believe that Hinduism as practiced today is a perfect blend of both Vedic and Tantric traditions and beliefs with some sectarian movements emphisising on either one or the other. The Tantric influence can clearly be seen in popular present-day Hinduism. I do not know much about Tantric Hinduism, but I've heard that it is far more than what the westeners associate it with (tantric sex). God is manifested as a personal God worshipped in three aspects as Visnu, Shiva and Shakti from where schools such as Shaiva Siddhanta (for Shiva) and Pancharatra (for Visnu), Shakti also has schools. The Agamas consists of 4 sections (like the Vedas). The first part concers spiritual knowledge, the second Yoga and mental diciplines needed to progress, the third are rules for constructing temples and imagery and the fourth details how to approach rituals and festivals at home and in the community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maadhav Posted February 7, 2004 Report Share Posted February 7, 2004 << The Tantric influence can clearly be seen in popular present-day Hinduism. I do not know much about Tantric Hinduism, >> The above is an oxymoron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2004 Report Share Posted February 7, 2004 I do not know much about Tantric Hinduism, means I don't think I know enough to give a detailed answer to the questions. Whatever I wrote about Tantric Hinduism is all the knowledge I have of it and I have READ a few sources which state that Tantric traditions are even in present-day popular Hinduism, especially concerning the gods and sectarian movements. It's the gods of the Agamas which are more worshipped today (Visnu Shiva, Shakti), rather than the Vedic gods (Indra, Agni, Varuna). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maadhav Posted February 7, 2004 Report Share Posted February 7, 2004 as far as i know, brahma, vishnu, siva cannot be said to fall under 'tantric' category. only goddess worshipers are tantric or close to tantic in my view. gita has nothing tantric. and gita is the book to refer to about hinduism. besides i do not know tantrics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 8, 2004 Report Share Posted February 8, 2004 "It's the gods of the Agamas which are more worshipped today (Visnu Shiva, Shakti), rather than the Vedic gods (Indra, Agni, Varuna)" Good point .. well are the Agamic gods .. Dravidian in origin ?? Like the Bhagavatam is the agamas (saiva nad vaisnava) Dravidian in origin ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 8, 2004 Report Share Posted February 8, 2004 Agamic gods came later as far as I know, some are mentioned in the Vedas (e.g Visnu) but were further developed in the Agamas and Puranas as aspects of the personal God. I think the Agamas are just a further development of the Vedas, where these new concepts of God 'were symbolised as gods' and were more relevant for the time and outgrew in popularity the vedic gods. Srimad Bhagvatam is not an Agama, but a Purana - the Bhagavata Purana. Shiva, a god in the Agamas and Shiv Puranas, I don't think is mentioned in the Vedas, but is identified with the Vedic god Rudra, maily because of the similarities, functions and qualities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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