Samhitās of Vaikhānasa āgama

 

Vaikhanasa Maharshi

 

Sage Vikhanasa, the originator of the Vaikhānasa stream is said to have taught nine chief disciples: Kaśyapa, Atri, Marīci, Vasiṣṭha, Aṅgirā, Bhṛgu, Pulastya, Pulaha, and Kratu. Of these, the propagators of Vaikhānasa śāstra through respective samhitās were only four: Atri, Bhṛgu, Kaśyapa, and Marīci.

Vimānārcanakalpa of Marīci names four works of Atri, composed of eighty-eight thousand verses in the Anuṣṭup meter: Pūrvatantra, ātreyatantra, Viṣṇutantra, and Uttaratantra.

In the same work, thirteen works are attributed to Bhṛgu: Khilatantra, Purātantra, Vāsādhikāra, Citrādhikāra, Mānādhikāra, Kriyādhikāra, Arcanādhikāra, Yajnādhikāra, Varṇādhikāra, Prakīrṇādhikāra, Pratigṛhyādhikāra, Niruktādhikāra, Khilādhikāra.

Kaśyapa is said to have authored three Samhitās consisting of sixty-four thousand verses: Satyakāṇḍa, Tarkakāṇḍa, Jnānakāṇḍa.

Eight Samhitās are attributed to Marīci: Jaya saṃhitā, ānanda saṃhitā, Saṃjnāna saṃhitā, Vīra saṃhitā, Vijaya saṃhitā, Vijita saṃhitā, Vimala saṃhitā, Jnāna saṃhitā.

The list of Saṃhitās attributed to Marīci is provided differently in ānanda saṃhitā – Jaya saṃhitā, ānanda saṃhitā, Saṃjnāna saṃhitā, Vīra saṃhitā, Vijaya saṃhitā, Vijita saṃhitā, Vimala saṃhitā, Kalpa saṃhitā.

ānanda saṃhitā attributes ten works to Bhṛgu: Khila, Khilādhikāra, Purādhikāra, Vāsādhikāraṇa, Arcanādhikaraṇa, Mānādhikaraṇa, Kriyādhikāra, Niruktādhikāra, Prakīrṇādhikāra, Yajnādhikāra.

The same Saṃhitā lists four works of Atri: Pūrvatantra, Viṣṇutantra, Uttaratantra, Mahātantra. The works attributed to Kaśyapa are Satyakāṇḍa, Karmakāṇḍa, Jnānakāṇḍa.

The third list of Vaikhānasa works is seen in Samūrtārcanādhikaraṇa of Atri. In this list, four works are attributed to Atri: Pādyatantra, Uttaratantra, Viṣṇutantra, ātreyatantra.

This list also names Aṅgirasa as a Vaikhānasa seer and attributes to him seven works, most of which are associated with Marīci in other such lists: Ananta saṃhitā, Parasaṃhitā, Jnāna saṃhitā, Jaya saṃhitā, Vīra saṃhitā, Satyasaṃhitā, Jnānasaṃhitā.

Works attributed to Kaśyapa are: Santānakāṇḍa, Kāśyapakāṇḍa, Satyakāṇḍa, Tarkakāṇḍa, Jnānakāṇḍa.

Works attributed to Bhṛgu are: Khila, Khilādhikāra, Purātantra, Vāsādhikāra, Citrādhikāra, Kriyādhikāra, Mānādhikāra, Pratigṛhyādhikāra.

Another available work that lists the works of Vaikhānasa āgama is the Yajnādhikāra of Bhṛgu. This list attributes to Bhṛgu – Khila, Kriyādhikāra, Vāsādhikāra, Mānādhikāra, Niruktādhikāra, Prakīrṇādhikāra, Arcanādhikāra, Yajnādhikāra, Varṇādhikāra, Purātantra, Uttaratantra.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn