Agama

In its most general meaning, this refers
to any authoritative text. In a philosophical context, this word designates
one of the pramanas, the means by
which human beings can gain true and
accurate knowledge. As a pramana, the
agama denotes testimony from a reliable source, particularly from scriptures such as the Veda. Within specific
sectarian communities, such as the
devotees (bhakta) of the gods Shiva
(Shaivas) and Vishnu (Vaishnavas), the
word also commonly designates the
particular texts deemed most authoritative by that community.