A Study of the Saivagamic language style based on Ajitagama

Abstract

Āgamas and Vedas are assigned a high status among the religious texts in Hinduism. A vigyana which comes from teacher to disciple from time immemorial is called an Āgama. The texts of the Ᾱgamas are conceived as the speech of the Lord intended to deliver a teaching. The Āgamas literature mainly deals with the personal and temple rituals and those concerned with them.The objective of the study is identifying the language style of Āgamas with special reference to Ajitāgama. This study investigates various linguistics aspects of Ajitāgama using descriptive research method. This investigation will reveal the fact that the Language of Agitāgama is classical Sanskrit, and it differs from the language of literary genres only in the technicality of the vocabulary. The sentences of Ajitāgama are often very long, extending over several stanzas. Many of its linguistic features have already been recorded in Sanskrit grammars. At the same time, punctuation in āgamas should not be overlooked, and one should not assume that they are examples of free or loose composition. This study emphasizes the quality of the āgamic language systems and styles, as it is a carefully written text of a learned redactor who possessed true pāṇḍitya, which is evident in the richness and the tightness of expression.