Within the many streams of Śaivism, the recognition of Śiva as supreme is grounded in a rich and layered scriptural heritage. At the heart of this heritage stand the Śaiva Āgamas, often enumerated as 28, such as the Kāmika, Kāraṇa, Ajita, Dīpta, Sūkṣma, Sahasra, Aṃśuman, and Suprabheda. These texts are revered as direct revelations of Śiva and lay down detailed teachings on temple construction, ritual procedures, mantra, yoga, and liberation, thereby shaping the daily and ceremonial life of Śaiva communities. Closely related are the various Śaiva Tantras, including the Svacchanda Tantra, Netra Tantra, Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra, and Rudra Yāmala Tantra, which further articulate ritual, meditative, and philosophical frameworks, especially in more esoteric or initiatory lineages.

Alongside the Āgamas and Tantras, Purāṇic literature with a Śaiva emphasis plays a significant role in transmitting the mythic and devotional imagination of Śaivism. The Śiva Purāṇa and Liṅga Purāṇa, together with Śaiva portions of the Skanda Purāṇa and Kūrma Purāṇa, narrate the cosmic functions, manifestations, and sacred stories of Śiva, as well as the significance of the liṅga as a symbol of the absolute. These narratives not only affirm Śiva’s supremacy but also provide a theological backdrop for ritual practice and pilgrimage, weaving metaphysics, cosmology, and devotion into a single tapestry.

The Vedic and Upaniṣadic strata are also drawn into a Śaiva horizon of meaning. Hymns to Rudra in the Ṛgveda and Yajurveda, especially those that later traditions identify with Śiva, are read as early intimations of Śiva’s majesty. Upaniṣadic texts such as the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad and Atharvaśiras Upaniṣad are interpreted in a Śaiva light, emphasizing the ultimate reality of Rudra-Śiva and providing a philosophical foundation that later Śaiva schools elaborate in diverse ways. In this way, Śaivism situates itself not apart from the Vedic revelation, but as a particular unfolding of its inner sense.

Different regional and doctrinal schools within Śaivism also cherish their own distinctive scriptural corpora. Tamil Śaiva Siddhānta, for example, venerates the Tirumuṟai, the collected hymns of the Nāyaṉmārs, and the Meykaṇṭa Śāstra texts, which together articulate a deeply devotional yet philosophically rigorous vision of Śiva and the soul. Kashmir Śaivism, for its part, treasures works such as the Śiva Sūtras, Spanda Kārikās, and the broader Pratyabhijñā literature, along with the writings of teachers like Abhinavagupta, Utpaladeva, and Kṣemarāja, as authoritative expositions of a non-dual Śaiva worldview. Across these many currents, the scriptural tradition of Śaivism forms a many-sided mirror, each facet reflecting Śiva as the supreme reality in its own distinctive light.