The Āgama traditions and the six paths
आगम सम्प्रदाय
Also written: agama traditions · shanmata · six sects hinduism · shaiva shakta vaishnava · sampradaya · hindu denominations · सम्प्रदाय
Sanātana Dharma is not organised around one deity. It is organised around one reality approached through several chosen forms, and each approach — mata or sampradāya — carries its own revealed Āgamas, its own philosophy, its own initiation and its own literature. Six are classical.
| Path | Iṣṭa-devatā | Revealed corpus | Strength today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Śaiva | Śiva | 28 Śaiva Āgamas; 64 Bhairava Āgamas | Vast — from Tamil Nadu to Kashmir to Nepal |
| Śākta | Devī — the Goddess | 64 Tantras; Devī Māhātmya | Bengal, Assam, Kerala, and everywhere Navarātri is kept |
| Vaiṣṇava | Viṣṇu, Rāma, Kṛṣṇa | 108 Pāñcarātra Saṁhitās; Vaikhānasa | The largest single stream; the whole bhakti movement |
| Gāṇapatya | Gaṇeśa | Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Mudgala Purāṇa | Maharashtra above all; but Gaṇeśa is invoked first by everyone |
| Saura | Sūrya | Saura Āgamas, Sāmba Purāṇa | Much reduced; survives in Sūrya temples and in the daily Gāyatrī |
| Kaumāra | Skanda / Murugan | Skanda Purāṇa; Tamil Tirumurugāṟṟuppaṭai | Very strong in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and Malaysia |
The Smārta synthesis
Śaṅkarācārya's response to sectarian division was pañcāyatana pūjā: five deities — Śiva, Viṣṇu, Devī, Gaṇeśa and Sūrya — worshipped together on one platform, with the householder's chosen one placed at the centre and the others around. Skanda is added as a sixth in the south. The theological ground is Advaita: since all forms are forms of one Brahman, the choice of centre is a matter of temperament, not of truth.
Śaiva
Śaiva Siddhānta, Kashmir Trika, Pāśupata, Vīraśaiva, Nātha — the largest family of philosophical traditions in the corpus.
Śākta
The Goddess as the supreme reality: Śrīkula and Kālīkula, Śrīvidyā, the ten Mahāvidyās.
Vaiṣṇava
The four sampradāyas, the Ālvārs, Rāmānuja, Madhva, Vallabha, Caitanya — and the bhakti movement they produced.
Gāṇapatya
Gaṇeśa as the supreme: the aṣṭavināyaka, the Gaṇapati Atharvaśīrṣa, and why he is invoked first by everyone.
Saura
The sun as the visible face of the divine: the Gāyatrī, Sūrya Namaskāra, Konārka and Modhera.
Kaumāra
Skanda-Murugan: the six abodes, the Tamil devotional corpus, and the youth who is also the teacher.
In this section
Śaiva traditions
Śiva as the supreme: Śaiva Siddhānta, Kashmir Śaivism (Trika), Pāśupata, Kāpālika and Kālāmukha, Vīraśaiva-Liṅgāyat, and the Nātha sampradāya — six streams, their philosophies and their differences.
Śākta traditions — the Goddess as supreme
Devī as the ultimate reality: Śrīkula and Kālīkula, Śrīvidyā and the Śrī Yantra, the ten Mahāvidyās, the Devī Māhātmya, and the Kaula and Samaya approaches.
Vaiṣṇava traditions
Viṣṇu and His descents: the four sampradāyas, Pāñcarātra and Vaikhānasa, the Ālvārs, the great ācāryas, the Gaudīya stream, and the bhakti movement that reshaped India.
Gāṇapatya — Gaṇeśa as the supreme
The tradition that holds Gaṇeśa to be the ultimate reality: the Gaṇapati Atharvaśīrṣa, the aṣṭavināyaka, the six sub-sects, and why every rite in every tradition begins with him.
Saura — the worship of the Sun
The sun as the visible face of the divine: the Gāyatrī, Sūrya Namaskāra, the great sun temples, Chhath, and why this once-major path has thinned.
Kaumāra — Skanda, Murugan, Kārttikeya
The sixth path: the youth who commands the divine armies and teaches his own father, the six abodes in Tamil Nadu, and the devotional literature of the Tamil country.
Tantra — what it actually is
The most misunderstood word in the tradition: what tantra means, its texts and method, dīkṣā, mantra, yantra and nyāsa, the left and right approaches, and why it opened initiation to those the Vedic order excluded.
Smārta and the Pañcāyatana
Śaṅkara's synthesis: five deities on one platform, the chosen one at the centre, and the Advaitic reasoning that makes the arrangement coherent.
Śaiva traditions
Śiva as the supreme: Śaiva Siddhānta, Kashmir Śaivism (Trika), Pāśupata, Kāpālika and Kālāmukha, Vīraśaiva-Liṅ…
Śākta traditions — the Goddess as supreme
Devī as the ultimate reality: Śrīkula and Kālīkula, Śrīvidyā and the Śrī Yantra, the ten Mahāvidyās, the Devī …
Vaiṣṇava traditions
Viṣṇu and His descents: the four sampradāyas, Pāñcarātra and Vaikhānasa, the Ālvārs, the great ācāryas, the Ga…
Gāṇapatya — Gaṇeśa as the supreme
The tradition that holds Gaṇeśa to be the ultimate reality: the Gaṇapati Atharvaśīrṣa, the aṣṭavināyaka, the s…
Saura — the worship of the Sun
The sun as the visible face of the divine: the Gāyatrī, Sūrya Namaskāra, the great sun temples, Chhath, and wh…
Kaumāra — Skanda, Murugan, Kārttikeya
The sixth path: the youth who commands the divine armies and teaches his own father, the six abodes in Tamil N…
Last revised 2026-08-16. Corrections are welcome — see how this site is written.