Amnayas are holy scriptures belonging to the Tantra school of Hinduism. Āmnāya is a Sanskrit word, which means sacred tradition handed over by repetition or that which is committed to memory.
Āmnāya refers to a classification of Kula Agama scriptures, mostly tantras belonging to the Kula tradition within Shaivism and Saktism. The oldest and commonly accepted classification of four āmnāyas is found in sources such as the Kubjikāmatatantra, the Manthānabhairavatantra (yogakhaṇḍa) and the Saṃketapaddhati.
These are the four āmnāyas, each corresponding with a direction and yuga:
Pūrvāmnāya (eastern doctrine, Satya Yuga),
Dakṣiṇāmnāya (southern doctrine, Treta Yuga),
Uttarāmnāya (northern doctrine, Dvapara Yuga),
Paścimāmnāya (western doctrine, Kali Yuga)
There are, however, different classifications of āmnāya counting up to five or six and considered very secret. Urdhwamnaya the Quarter Above and Anuttaramnaya, the Quarter Beyond are the fifth and sixth secretive Amnayas. As per tantras, the six Amnayas are nothing but six faces of Lord Shiva. Four of these are easily revealed but the fifth and sixth faces are hidden and secret.
Amnaya Stotram in English:
॥ āmnāya stōtram ॥
caturdikṣu prasiddhāsu prasiddhyarthaṁ svanāmataḥ |
caturōtha maṭhān kr̥tvā śiṣyānsaṁsthāpayadvibhuḥ || 1 ||
cakāra sañjñāmācāryaścaturāṁ nāmabhēdataḥ |
kṣētraṁ ca dēvatāṁ caiva śaktiṁ tīrthaṁ pr̥thakpr̥thak || 2 ||
sampradāyaṁ tathāmnāyabhēdaṁ ca brahmacāriṇām |
ēvaṁ prakalpayāmāsa lōkōpakaraṇāya vai || 3 ||
digbhāgē paścimē kṣētraṁ dvārakā śāradāmaṭhaḥ |
kīṭavālassampradāya-stīrthāśramapadē ubhē || 4 ||
dēvassiddhēśvaraśśaktirbhadrakālīti viśrutā |
svarūpa brahmacāryākhya ācāryaḥ padmapādakaḥ || 5 ||
vikhyātaṁ gōmatītīrthaṁ sāmavēdaśca tadgatam |
jīvātma paramātmaikyabōdhō yatra bhaviṣyati || 6 ||
vikhyātaṁ tanmahāvākyaṁ vākyaṁ tattvamasīti ca |
dvitīyaḥ pūrvadigbhāgē gōvardhanamaṭhaḥ smr̥taḥ || 7 ||
bhōgavālassampradāya-statrāraṇyavanē padē |
tasmin dēvō jagannāthaḥ puruṣōttama sañjñitaḥ || 8 ||
kṣētraṁ ca vr̥ṣalādēvī sarvalōkēṣu viśrutā |
prakāśa brahmacārīti hastāmalaka sañjñitaḥ || 9 ||
ācāryaḥ kathitastatra nāmnā lōkēṣu viśrutaḥ |
khyātaṁ mahōdadhistīrthaṁ r̥gvēdassamudāhr̥taḥ || 10 ||
mahāvākyaṁ ca tatrōktaṁ prajñānaṁ brahmacōcyatē |
uttarasyāṁ śrīmaṭhassyāt kṣētraṁ badarikāśramam || 11 ||
dēvō nārāyaṇō nāma śaktiḥ pūrṇagirīti ca |
sampradāyōnandavālastīrthaṁ cālakanandikā || 12 ||
ānandabrahmacārīti giriparvatasāgarāḥ |
nāmāni tōṭakācāryō vēdō:’dharvaṇa sañjñikaḥ || 13 ||
mahāvākyaṁ ca tatrāyamātmā brahmēti kīrtyētē |
turīyō dakṣiṇasyāṁ ca śr̥ṅgēryāṁ śāradāmaṭhaḥ || 14 ||
malahānikaraṁ liṅgaṁ vibhāṇḍakasupūjitam |
yatrāstē r̥ṣyaśr̥ṅgasya maharṣērāśramō mahān || 15 ||
varāhō dēvatā tatra rāmakṣētramudāhr̥tam |
tīrthaṁ ca tuṅgabhadrākhyaṁ śaktiḥ śrīśāradēti ca || 16 ||
ācāryastatra caitanya brahmacārīti viśrutaḥ |
vārtikādi brahmavidyā kartā yō munipūjitaḥ || 17 ||
surēśvarācārya iti sākṣādbrahmāvatārakaḥ |
sarasvatīpurī cēti bhāratyāraṇyatīrthakau || 18 ||
giryāśramamukhāni syussarvanāmāni sarvadā |
sampradāyō bhūrivālō yajurvēda udāhr̥taḥ || 19 ||
ahaṁ brahmāsmīti tatra mahāvākyamudīritam |
caturṇāṁ dēvatāśakti kṣētranāmānyanukramāt || 20 ||
mahāvākyāni vēdāmśca sarvamuktaṁ vyavasthayā |
iti śrīmatparamahaṁsaparivrājakabhūpatēḥ || 21 ||
amnāyastōtra paṭhanādihāmutra ca sadgatim |
prāptyāntē mōkṣamāpnōti dēhāntē nā:’tra samśayaḥ || 22 ||
ityāmnāyastōtram |
Also Read:
Amnaya Stotram Lyrics in English | Sanskrit | Kannada | Telugu | Tamil