Scriptures that teach mantra chanting and Deity worship, especially for persons not initiated into study of the original Vedas. There are separate tantras for Vaishnavas and Saivites. The most important Vaishnava tantras are the Pancaratra Agamas.

Vedic literatures consisting mostly of dialogues between Lord Çiva and Durgä. They contain instructions on Deity worship and other aspects of spiritual practice.

Religious books of the Shaktas, a Hindu cult who worships the female principle.

The scriptures which are identified with the worship of the Divine Mother.

( tan traùs) The ancient Indian texts based on esoteric worship of the divine as feminine.

The Tantra ("Looms" or "Weavings"), refer to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. The Tantras are a total of ninety two scriptures, where sixty four are purely Ābheda, literally "without differentiation," or monistic (known as the Bhairava Tantras or Kashmir Śaivite Tantras), eighteen are Bhedabheda, literally "with differentiation and without differentiation," or monistic cum dualistic (known as the Rudra Tantras), and the final ten are completely Bheda, literally "differentiated," or dualistic, (known as the Ṣiva Tantras). The Śaiva Siddhantins use the latter two (Rudra Tantras and Ṣiva Tantras), and thus they are sometimes referred to as Śaiva Siddhanta Tantras, or Śaiva Siddhanta Āgamas.