**नाना पुराण निगमागम सम्मतं यद्,
रामायणे निगदितं क्वचिदन्यतोऽपि।
स्वान्तः सुखाय तुलसी रघुनाथ गाथा,
भाषानिबंधमतिमंजुलमातनोति।।**
Āgama, Nigama, Purāṇa, Ramāyaṇa — and the Two Faces of Śaṅkara
Preface — What Are Āgama and Nigama?
For someone outside the Indian philosophical tradition, Āgama and Nigama are like two publishing houses of spiritual authority:
- Nigama: The ancient, Vedic “mainstream press.” These are the śruti (heard) texts — Vedas and Upaniṣads — which focus on ultimate truth (Brahman), moral order (ṛta), and knowledge (jñāna).
- Āgama: The later, often sect-specific “special interest magazines.” They include tantric manuals, temple rituals, mantras, and the worship protocols of particular deities — Śaiva, Śākta, Vaiṣṇava, etc.
The Purāṇas mix the two, creating mythic histories that combine Vedic philosophy with sectarian storytelling. The Ramāyaṇa is a dharma epic grounded in Nigama morality, though retold in ways accessible to the masses.
Understanding this difference is key: Nigama aims at the formless truth, Āgama often celebrates a powerful form.
Śiva vs. Śaṅkara — Two Arcs of the Same Name
- Śiva (Vedic-Nigamic): The auspicious one, consciousness itself, Satyam Śivam Sundaram. The gentle Lord of meditation in the Upaniṣadic vision.
- Śaṅkara (Agamic-Tantric): Fierce Rudra-Bhairava, ash-smeared, lord of ghosts, invoked in aghora rites. This is the deity most Nāga Babās are devoted to — not the philosophical Śiva of Advaita.
The Nāgas’ Śaṅkara is a god of raw power, guardian of akhāḍās, not a silent teacher of Advaitic unity.
Gorakhnāth and the Nāga Current
Gorakhnāth’s tradition fused:
- Shaiva Tantra,
- Haṭha Yoga,
- Buddhist-Jain meditative techniques.
The Nāgas became militant ascetics in medieval India, defending pilgrimage routes and temple networks. They worshipped Śaṅkara-Bhairava as their patron — a figure of martial and occult strength — through Āgamic rites rather than Nigamic philosophy.
Their symbols: nakedness (digambara), trident, matted hair, ash. Their goal: mastery over body, elements, and enemies — not liberation through self-knowledge.
Vivekananda — The Reformed Śaṅkarācārya
If the Nāgas hold the banner of Bhairava Śaṅkara, Swami Vivekananda carried the torch of Advaita Śaṅkarācārya — but adapted for a new era:
- Core philosophy: Vivekachūḍāmaṇi’s discrimination between real and unreal.
- No aghora rites or sectarian militancy.
- Practical Vedānta: “Jīva is Śiva” — service to humanity as worship of God.
- Harmonized inner realization with outer action.
Where Nāgas stand at the gates with weapons, Vivekananda opened the gates with universal love and service.
Tulsīdās and the Question of Beauty
Goswāmī Tulsīdās, loyal to Nigama dharma, wrote:
"सोह न बसन बिना वर नारी।"
(A bride without adornment is not beautiful.)
In his moral vision, nakedness was not beauty; sundar was virtue, dignity, and dharma — not the ash-smeared aesthetic of aghora ascetics.
Satirical Interlude — Two Currents in Verse
नंगा का भगवान नंगा — पार्वती माता चाही तोहे, क्यों?
भीलनी न मिली जंगल मा कोन्हो?पहले बनाया शिव को शंकर,
और बाद में तो लाल लंगूर।
अब लेके भागे सब भक्त,
लंगोट लाल लंगूर की।
Two Currents of Śaṅkara
| Aspect | Nāga Baba’s Śaṅkara | Vivekananda’s Śaṅkara |
|---|---|---|
| Scriptural Base | Āgama, Tantra | Nigama, Vedānta |
| Form | Fierce Bhairava, martial ascetic | Benevolent teacher |
| Practice | Haṭha Yoga, aghora rites, siddhi | Self-inquiry, service |
| Aim | Power, protection of dharma’s turf | Universal upliftment |
Bhairava — The Fierce Face of Śaṅkara
Who is Bhairava?
- Bhairava (from bhīru = fearful) is the terrifying aspect of Śiva found primarily in Āgamic and Tantric Śaivism.
- First mentioned in late sections of the Mahābhārata and fully elaborated in Śaiva Āgamas, Tantras, and Purāṇas like the Kālikā Purāṇa and Śiva Purāṇa.
Theological role:
- Guardian of sacred spaces and initiations.
- Lord of the eight directions (Aṣṭa Bhairava).
- Patron of ascetics, especially those in aghora and kapālika traditions.
Iconography:
- Naked or semi-naked, smeared in ash.
- Holding weapons, a skull bowl (kapāla), and a drum.
- Surrounded by bhūtas (spirits), dogs, or jackals.
Spiritual orientation:
- Emphasis on fearlessness, destruction of ego, and mastery over death.
- Rituals often outside orthodox Vedic Nigama norms — cremation-ground meditations, wine and meat offerings in some sects.
Link to Nāga Babās:
- Nāgas revere Bhairava Śaṅkara as protector of their akhāḍās.
- Their martial ethos and fierce ascetic imagery are drawn directly from Bhairava iconography.
In essence: Bhairava is not a “fallen” Śiva, but a different theological lens — one that sees divinity in ferocity, in contrast to Vedāntic Śiva’s formless serenity.
Closing Prayer
भवानी-शंकर मेरा पीछा छोड़ो,
पार्वती-शिव मेरे हृदय विराजो।
न अघोर, न भैरव,
बस वह सौम्य-शिव जो आत्मा में नित्य है।
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