Vāk sūktaṃ as the root of the āgamic traditions

Abstract

Among the philosophical hymns of the Ṛgveda Vāk Sūkta is a very popular one. On the other hand, for the Āgamic traditions Vāk Sūktaṃ plays a major role in shaping their very root theories. Starting from the Bhairava Āgama to the comparatively later creations such as Devī Atharvaśirṣa, the significance of the Vāk Sūkta can be seen everywhere. This paper focuses on the means of how this one collection of hymns inspired to give rise to a vast tradition including a vast range of an independent philosophical corpus.