Question


How many Tantra (Sakta Agamas) texts are there?

Answer


Arthur Avalon mentioned in the Principles of Tantra(English translation of the Bengali work Tantratattva written by his guru Shivachandra Vidyârnava) that each Krântâ has it's own 64 sets of Shâktâgamas. There are 3 Krântâs, which makes a total of 192 Shâktâgamas.

For Vishnukrântâ, these 64 Shâktâgamas are :

Siddheshvara Tantra, Kâlî Tantra, Kulârnava Tantra, Jnanârnava Tantra, Nîla Tanta, Phetkârinî Tantra, Devî Âgama, Uttara Tantra, Shrîkrama Tantra, Siddhayâmala Tantra, Matsyasûkta, Siddhasâra Tantra, Siddhasârasvata Tantra, Vârâhî Tantra, Yoginî Tantra, Ganeshavimarshinî Tantra, Nityâ Tantra, Shivâgama, Châmundâ Tantra, Mundamâlâ Tantra, Hamsamaheshvara Tantra, Niruttara Tantra, Kulaprakâshaka Tantra, Devîkalpa Tantra, Gândharva Tantra, Kriyâsâra Tantra, Nibandha Tantra, Svatantra Tantra, Sammohana Tantra, Tantrarâja Tantra, Lalitâ Tantra, Râdhâ Tantra, Mâlinî Tantra, Rudrayâmala Tantra, Brihatshrîkrama Tantra, Gavâksha Tantra, Sukumudinî Tantra, Vishuddheshvara Tantra, Mâlinîvijaya Tantra, Samayâchâra Tantra, Bhairavî Tantra, Yoginîhridaya Tantra, Bhairava Tantra, Sanatkumâra Tantra, Yoni Tantra, Tantrântara Tantra, Navaratneshvara Tantra, Kulachudâmani Tantra, Bhâvachudâmani Tantra, Devaprakâsha Tantra, Kâmâkhyâ Tantra, Kâmadhenu Tantra, Kumârî Tantra, Bhûtadâmara Tantra, Yâmala Tantra, Brahmayâmala Tantra, Vishvasâra Tantra, Mahâkâlasamhita, Kuloddîsha Tantra, Kulâmrita Tantra, Kubjikâ Tantra, Yantrachitâmani Tantra, Kâlîvilâsa Tantra, Mâyâ Tantra

For Rathakrântâ, these 64 Shâktâgamas are :

Chinmaya Tantra, Matsyasûkta, Mahishamardinî Tantra, Matrikâbheda Tantra, Hamsamaheshvara Tantra, Meru Tantra, Mahânîla Tantra, Mahânirvâna Tantra, Bhûtadâmara Tantra, Devadâmara Tantra, Vîjachintâmani Tantra, Ekajatâ Tantra, Vâsudevarahasya, Brihadgautamîya Tantra, Varnoddhriti Tantra, Chhâyânîla Tantra, Brihadyonî Tantra, Brahmajnana Tantra, Garuda Tantra, Varnavilâsâ Tantra, Bâlâvilasa Tantra, Purascharanachandrika, Purascharanollâsa, Panchadashî Tantra, Pichchhillâ Tantra, Prapanchasârâ Tantra, Parameshvara Tantra, Navaratneshvara Tantra, Nâradîya Tantra, Nâgârjuna Tantra, Yogasâra Tantra, Dakshinâmûrtî Tantra, Yogasvarodaya Tantra, Yakshinî Tantra, Svarodaya Tantra, Jnânabhairava Tantra, Âkâshabhairava Tantra, Râjarâjeshvari Tantra, Revatî Tantra, Sârasa Tantra, Indrajâla Tantra, Krikalasadîpikâ, Kankâlamâlinî Tantra, Kâlottama Tantra, Yakshadâmara Tantra, Sarasvatî Tantra, Saradâ Tantra, Shaktisangama Tantra, Shaktikâgamasarvasya, Sammohanî Tantra, Âchârasâra Tantra, Chînâchâra Tantra, Shadâmnâya Tantra, Karâlabhairava Tantra, Shodha Tantra, Mahâlakshmî Tantra, Kaivalya Tantra, Kulasadbhâva Tantra, Siddhitâdhârî Tantra, Kritisâra Tantra, Kâlabhairava Tantra, Uddâmaresha Tantra, Mahâkâlasamhita, Bhûtabhairava Tantra

For Ashvakrântâ, these 64 Shâktâgamas are:

Bhûtasuddhi Tantra, Guptadikshâ Tantra, Brihatsâra Tantra, Tattvassâra Tantra, Varnasâra Tantra, Kriyâsâra Tantra, Gupta Tantra, Guptasâra Tantra, Brihattodala Tantra, Brihannirvâna Tantra, Brihadkankâlamâlinî Tantra, Siddha Tantra, Kalâ Tantra, Shiva Tantra, Sârâtsâra Tantra, Gaurî Tantra, Yoga Tantra, Dharmaka Tantra, Tattvachintamani Tantra, Bindu Tantra, Mahâyoginî Tantra, Brihadyoginî Tantra, Shivârchanâ Tantra, Shabara Tantra, Shûlinî Tantra, Mahâmâlinî Tantra, Moksha Tantra, Brihanmâlinî Tantra, Mahâmoksha Tantra, Brihanmoksha Tantra, Gopî Tantra, Bhûtalipi Tantra, Kâminî Tantra, Mohinî Tantra, Mohana Tantra, Samîrana Tantra, Kâmakeshava Tantra, Mahâvîra Tantra, Chudâmanî Tantra, Gurvâchanî Tantra, Gopîra Tantra, Tikshna Tantra, Mangalâ Tantra, Kâmaratna Tantra, Gopalîlâmrita Tantra, Brahmânanda Tantra, Chîna Tantra, Mahâniruttara Tantra, Bhûteshvara Tantra, Gâyatrî Tantra, Vishuddheshvara Tantra, Yogârnava Tantra, Bherundâ Tantra, Mantrachintâmani Tantra, Yantrachudâmani Tantra, Viddyullatâ Tantra, Bhuvaneshvarî Tantra, Lîlâvatî Tantra, Brihadchîna Tantra, Kuranja Tantra, Jayarâdhâmâdhava Tantra, Ujjashâka Tantra, Dhûmâvatî Tantra, Shivâ Tantra

Some texts don't appear in the list but are considered higly authorative. These are Brihannîla Tantra, Todala Tantra, Varadâ Tantra, Tripurâ Tantra, Rasollâsa Tantra, Dattâtreya Tantra, Yogasârârnava Tantra, Hamsa Tantra, Sarvollâsa Tantra, Guptasâdhana Tantra, Virabhadra Tantra, Advaita Tantra, Anûttama Tantra, Rahasya Tantra, Yogeshvara Tantra, Guru Tantra, Latâtantra, Urdhdâmnâya Tantra, Nirvâna Tantra, Âgamasarvasya, Kâlîkulasarvasya, Shyamârahasya, Nigamakalpadruma, Annadâkalpa, Kaulavali, Mahâchînâcharakrama, Nirvânakramadîpikâ, Kaulikârchanadîpikâ

The Vârâhî Tantra also cites the following texts as Shâktâgamas :

Nîlapatâkâ Tantra, Vâmakeshvara Tantra, Mritunjaya Tantra, Yogârnava Tantra, Kâmeshvarî Tantra, Haragaurî Tantra, Kâtyayanî Tantra, Pratyangirâ Tantra, Tripurârnava Tantra, Mridânî Tantra, Nârâyani Tantra

The 6 damara texts(Yogadâmara, Shivadâmara, Durgâdâmara, Sârasvatadâmara, Gandharvadâmara, Brahmadâmara) & 6 yâmala texts(Âdiyâmala, Brahmayâmala, Vishnuyâmala, Rudrayâmala, Ganeshayâmala, Adityayâmala) have also been cited by the Vârâhî Tantra. Outside these 6 yâmalas, there also exists Umâyâmala, Skandayâmala & Jayadrathayâmala.

Some nibandhas like Shrîvidyârnava Tantra of Vidyâranya, Shâradâtilaka Tantra of Lakshmana Deshikendra along with it's various commentaries, Shâktânandataranginî & Târârahasya of Brahmânanda Girî, Mantramahodadhi of Mahîdhara, Brihat Tantrasâra of Krishnânanda Âgamavâgishâ, Târâbhaktisudhârnava, Târinîkrama, Mahâvidya Prakarana, Târâparicharyâ of Narasimha Thakura, Tripurasundarî Tantra, Traipurasiddhântaprakarana of Amritânandanâtha, Traipurasârasamuchchaya of Nâgabhatta, Parashurâma Kalpasûtra along with the Saubhagyashubhodaya commentary by Râmeshvara, Kâlikâbhaktirasâyana, Kaulagajamardana, Tantrasiddhântakaumudî, Dakshinâchâradîpikâ, Mantrachandrikâ, Yantrachandrikâ of Kâshînatha Bhatta alongside the works of Râghavânanda, Virûpâksha, Govindabhatta like Râmârchanachandrikâ, Tripurâsârasamuchchaya, Svachchhandasamgrahasârasamuchchaya, Bhuvaneshvarîpârijâta, Mantramuktâvalî, Mantratantraprakâsha, Somabhujangâvalî are worth mentionable in this regard.

Although the Vaishnava Âgama canon includes Panchâratra texts, centain Tântrika Vaishnava texts which don't fall under the Panchâratra list are revered by Shâktas of Bengal. These are the Gautamiya Tantra & Krishnayâmala Tantra. Besides Âgamavâgishâ also quoted from Vaishnava Tântrika nibandhas like Râmârchanachandrikâ, Krishnârchanachandrika & Govindavrindâvana.


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