आगमः- Āgama
Etymology
आ+गम्+घञ् = आगमः
ā+gam+ ghañ = āgamaḥ
· ā is the prefix - here this prefix is used in sense of indicating towards oneself (आभिमुख्ये)[1]
· gam is the root that means (गम् गतौ ) – to go
· ghañ is the suffix that is used to indicate instrumental case according to the grammatical rule - हलश्च halaśca (aṣṭādhyāyī 3.3.121)
The derivative statement would be - आगम्यते अनेन इति आगमः – āgamyate anena iti āgamaḥ - that by which (knowledge) is attained (knowledge arrives towards oneself). Though this is the derivation, conventionally it is used to indicate authentic knowledge attained through verbal testimony.
Lexicon – There is no reference to this word in the Amarakośa
Textual occurrences
Yogasūtra
There is just one occurrence to this term in this text.
प्रत्यक्षानुमानागमाः प्रमाणानि ॥ १.७ ॥
pratyakṣānumānāgamāḥ pramāṇāni .. 1.7 ..
As described earlier, through this sutra - verbal testimony is considered as one among the three modes of valid knowledge in the system of Yoga.
Bhagavadgītā
There are three occurrences of the term āgamā in this text. Though the word exists, as would be evident from references below - it is not used in the sense of verbal testimony.
1. मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः ।
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥ २.१४ ॥
mātrāsparśāstu kaunteya śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkhadāḥ .
āgamāpāyino'nityāstāṃstitikṣasva bhārata .. 2.14 ..
2. अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे ।
रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके ॥ ८.१८ ॥
avyaktādvyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ prabhavantyaharāgame .
rātryāgame pralīyante tatraivāvyaktasaṃjñake .. 8.18 ..
3. भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते ।
रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे ॥ ८.१९ ॥
bhūtagrāmaḥ sa evāyaṃ bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate .
rātryāgame'vaśaḥ pārtha prabhavatyaharāgame .. 8.19 ..
In all the three occasions the word āgama is used to indicate arrival.
In the first Gītā instance above (2.14) the sense-object contact is stated as āgamāpāyi – that which comes/experienced and perishes (transient).
In the next two references from chapter 8 (verses 18 & 19) - the process of cosmic creation and dissolution is described. In the both the verses, we find the expression rātryāgame – when the night time of Brahman comes all the beings get dissolved. The duration of day time and night time of the Brahman is indicated in verse 8.17 - as thousand Yugas each (one yuga here refers to one catur-yuga (64, 80,000 years) - commentary on the Gītā by Srīdhara svāmī[2]).
Haṭhayogapradīpikā
There are two occurrences of the word āgamā in this text. Here also the two occurences do not indicate the meaning verbal testimony. As can be seen below - in the first occasion - āgama – refers to mere coming, in the second occasions it refers to a class of literature. The details in that regard are as follows -
1. व्याधीनां हरणं जरान्तकरणं शस्त्रागमोदीरणम्
तस्य स्यादमरत्वमष्टगुणितं सिद्धाङ्गनाकर्षणम् ॥ ३.५० ॥
vyādhīnāṃ haraṇaṃ jarāntakaraṇaṃ śastrāgamodīraṇam
tasya syādamaratvamaṣṭaguṇitaṃ siddhāṅganākarṣaṇam .. 3.50 ..
In this first instance the compound term śastrāgamodīraṇam is found where the word āgama is used. The verse describes the benefits of the practice of khecarīmudrā. Here according the jyotsnā commentary[3] the expression indicates that – the practice of khecarīmudrā helps in warding (udīraṇam) of the weapons (śastra) that his coming towards (āgama) oneself (being hurled by the enemies). Thus the word āgama is not used in the sense of verbal testimony.
2. केचिदागमजालेन केचिन्निगमसङ्कुलैः ।
केचित् तर्केण मुह्यन्ति नैव जानन्ति तारकम् ॥ ४.४० ॥
kecidāgamajālena kecinnigamasaṅkulaiḥ .
kecit tarkeṇa muhyanti naiva jānanti tārakam .. 4.40 ..
This is a verse that speaks of - people being distracted by the promises of material benefits made in the Āgamas and the Nigamas and they do not know about the ways to cross sufferings (through Yogic practices). The Jyotsna commentary here defines agama as[4]- those that arrive and ascend the intellect (to clarify various practices and truths) –- the śāstras and Tantras.
Observations
In conclusion it can be stated that the word Āgama has been used in diverse sense in the Yoga texts consulted –
1) Verbal testimony (yogasūtra)
2) Arrival (bhagavadgītā & haṭhayogapradīpikā)
3) Śāstras & Tantras (haṭhayogapradīpikā))
Hence one needs to be context conscious in using he terminology even for Yogic purposes.
OOOOO
[1] avyayakośaḥ, pg.80
[2] युगशब्देनात्र चतुर्युगमभिप्रेतम्चतुर्युगसहस्रं तु ब्रह्मणो दिनमुच्यते इति विष्णुपुराणोक्तेः। (https://www.gitasupersite.iitk.ac.in/srimad?language=dv&field_chapter_value=8&field_nsutra_value=17&scmad=1&scsri=1&ecsiva=1&etadi=1 )
[3] शस्त्राणामायुधानामागमः स्वाभिमुखागमनं तस्य उदीरणं निवारणम्
[4] आगच्छन्ति बुद्धिमारोहन्ति अर्था एभ्यः इत्यागमाः शास्त्रतन्त्रादयः
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