The Religious Life Of Agamism And The Four Paths.

The Agamas classify the religious life into the FOUR Paths interrelated to each other: the Cariyai, Kriyai, Yoga and Njaanam.

It is the final Njaana Path that is philosophical or metaphysical concerned with Darsanas but it begins with Cariyai forms.

1. The cariyai way of religious life is ritual bound – going to the temples worshipping the deities, celebrating various festivals indulging in various kinds of social services and so forth

2. As one practices this way of life one can graduate if graced by BEING into the Kriya path where Icon thinking begins and one begins to seek the MEANINGS embodied is the iconic or archetypal forms of the deities worshipped. For example why Siva is of the color of FIRE while VishNu is Black etc? There is a metaphysical meaning and the kriyavati begins to seek out such meanings.

3. Then begins, if graced by BEING the Yoga Path where we have intense Dhyana upon the icomic forms of the deities and seeking also enjoy the direct presence of the deities as Mantra figures. We have vision of the deites not as idols in metals and stones but as elements of DIRECT Vision, the enjoyment of the vision of the Third Eye the transductive perception.

4. Then begins dissolving these visions and seeking the Njaanam, the supreme Darsana that would dispel all IGNORANCE in the soul and let it enjoy the Njaanam to the full measure and with that enjoy Moksa.

Dr Loganathan Krishnan @ Ullaganar