Vaikhanasa Agama is one of the two main divisions of
Vaishnava Agamas, the other being Pancharatra. Vaikhanasa Agama is the cream of
all the four Vedas, where the pathway to the Highest objective of human life i.e.,
moksha, is prescribed through iconic worship of Vishnu.
Lord Vishnu taught the Vedas to Brahma, who, in turn, taught
them to mythical sage Vaikhanasa or Vikhanas.
Sage Vaikhanasa taught the religious cult through his
Vaikhanasa Sutra and other vast writing on the subject, said to be in millions
of Shlokas to four of his disciples Marichi, Atri, Bhrigu and Kashyapa, who
propagated the tradition through their 28 available works, of which 8 are
printed.
Vimanarchana Kalpa (VK) of Marichi is one of the representative
texts of this Agama.
Vaikhanasa
Agama depicts god in five iconic forms. These are:
Dhruva,
mulabera, without parts (nishkala), corresponding to garhapatya fire of the Vedic
rituals.
Ugra
the dynamic aspect symbolizing the cosmic form of the God
Utsava
murti or yatra murti taken in a procession during festivals
Kautuka,
corresponding in the Vedic ritual to ahavaniya, the deity to whom daily
offerings are made, and who never leaves the temple precincts
Bhoga
murti, who puts the devotees to sleep and allows them to experience bliss.