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Abstract
The dissertation centers around a carefully annotated translation of the initiation section of Aghorasivacarya's Kriyakramadyotika, the most comprehensive and widely used saiva ritual manual in South India. The text, dating from the 12th century, belongs to the Saiva Siddhanta school, and forms part of a long tradition of ritual description and exegesis by saiva authors who based their works on the ritual and philosophical systems described in the Saivagamas. The translation, along with its descriptive Introduction, makes available for the first time in English a detailed textual source of information on the Saiva Siddhanta ritual system.
Through the medium of the translation, the dissertation examines the rites of initiation, or d(')iksa, one of the central ritual forms of the agamic system of Saivism. These rites act not only as a means to bring an individual into the Saivite community, but provide the ritual enactment of the individual's transformation into Siva. This process of transformation is the central theme of the agamic system. Without initiation such a transformation is impossible.
The study of the initiation ceremony provides one of the best avenues for understanding the ritual expression of the principal tenets of the agamic system. These rites ritually illustrate the nature of individuality, bondage, and liberation, as well as the role and function of Siva in the process of individual transformation. By providing an understanding of the initiation rites and of their importance within this religious system, this work helps clarify the extent and nature of agamic influence on the development of religion and religious literature in India.
The Introduction that precedes the translation provides a general discussion of the philosophical system underlying the performance of the rituals, a description of the major ritual forms, an analysis of the theory of the d(')iksa, and an outline of the d(')iksa rites as described by Aghorasiva. It concludes with an examination of the relationship between the agamic and vedic ritual traditions, and a detailed discussion of the important agamic theme of Sivas grace, which exerted great influence on religious development in South India.
An appendix contains a photographic catalogue of the mudras (hand gestures) used in the ritual, as demonstrated by Sr(')isabharatnasivacarya of Madras, as well as explanatory charts and diagrams of the ritual area and the mandala. . . . (Author's abstract exceeds stipulated maximum length. Discontinued here with permission of author.) UMI
