The Dhaarmik Traditions - Indic Studies Foundation

The Vaishnava Agamas are grouped into four categories namely the Vaikhanasa,
Pancharatra, Pratishthasara and Vijnanalalita. Of these, the Vaishanavites consider
the Pancharatra Agama as the most important (Swami Sivananda). These Agamas are
believed to have been revealed by Narayana Himself. The Pancharatra Agama is
again subdivided into seven sub agamas namely, the Brahma, Saiva, Kaumara,
Vasishtha, Kapila, Gautamiya and the Naradiya. The Pancharatra Agamas consider
Vishnu as the Supreme Lord of the Universe and devotion to Vishnu as the sure path
to liberation. According to another opinion, the Vaikhanasagama is the most ancient
and most important Agama and all the Agamas practically and literally copied all
their information from this sacred Agama. It is believed that the Vaikhanasa Agama
was originally compiled under the guidance of sage Vaikhanasa during the early
Vedic period. Sri Madhavacharya held Pancharatra texts in high esteem and equated
them with the Vedas and the epics, while Sri Shankaracharya had a different opinion.
According to another classification the Agamas are five types namely:Sakta Agamas,
Soura Agamas, Ganapatya Agamas, Saiva Agamas and Vaikhanasa Agamas
The Puranas
Bhashyam (commentaries) such as Sankara's BhAshya of the Bhagavad Gita
To quote Swami Sivananda
"The Friendly Treatises
The Puranas are of the same class as the Itihasas (the Ramayana, Mahabharata,
etc.).They have five characteristics (Pancha Lakshana), namely, history, cosmology
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