Introduction 3 a number of Sūtras on Tantras like Vaikhānasasūtra, Nāradabha- ktisūtra etc., which are related to this class of literature. The āgamas are spoken of as the utterances of from the mouth of Siva in response to the queries of his consort Pārvati. Padmasamhitā attempts to define āgama as follows giving the etymology of the word and detailing the generic nature of the class of text : आगतं पञ्चवक्त्रात्तु गतं च गिरिजानने । मनं च वासुदेवस्य तस्मादागममुच्यते ।। सृष्टिश्च प्रलयश्चैव देवतानां तथार्चनम् । साधनं चैव सर्वेषां पुरश्चरणमेव च ॥ षट्कर्म साधनं चैव ध्यानयोगश्चतुर्विधः । सप्तभिर्लक्षणैर्युक्तं त्वागमं तद्विदुर्बुधाः ॥ The Agamas are enumerated as 28 and they are associated with religlo-philosophical systems of sects. The treatise of IŚānaşivaguru has quoted from most of the Saivāgamas. Hence their enumeration would help one to identify the nature of the text cited. The 28 āgamas which form the base of the Saiva system are as follows: Kāmika, Yogaja, Cintya, Kārana, Ajitā, Dipta, Süksma, Sahasra, Amśumadbheda, Suprabheda, Vijaya, Niśvāsa, Svāyambhuva, Anila, Vira, Raurava, Mukuta, Vimalā, Candrajñāna, Bimba, Prodgita, Lalita, Siddha, Santāna, Sarvokta, Pārameśvara, Kirana and Vātula. These works contain ritualistic details among other toipcs connected with Tantras. The Samhitās are a class of texts with a wider scope having twelve thousand stanzas for each text. As already mentioned these belong to the Vaisņava sect. The following definition is given in the Pauşkarasamhita : द्विषट्सहस्रपर्यन्तं संहिताख्याख्यं सदागमम् । ये चान्ये चान्तराला वैशास्त्रार्थेनाधिका शतैः ।। सर्वेषां संहितासंज्ञा बोद्धव्या कमलोद्भव ॥ It is not definitely known as to how many texts are avilable in this class of literature. Samhitās with the following names are already known and published from different places. They are Ahirbudhnya, Iśvara, Kapiñjala, jaya, Parāśara, Pādma, Brhad
