An Overview Of Vaishnavism
This was written as an Introduction to a book on the World Vaishnava Association by Acharya Das Adhikari, Secretary of the WVA. It covers some of the core philosophical principals and history of Vaishnavism
VAISHNAVISM DEFINED
Religious scholars have loosely defined Vaishnavas as those who worship Lord Vishnu or His incarnations. While this definition may be considered correct from an academic perspective, it fails to encompass the profound beauty and depth of Vaishnava philosophy and tends instead to promote a limited and perhaps, sectarian conception.
The great scholar and saint, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, who appeared in the 19th Century, described Vaishnavism as atma dharma, or the religion of the soul. He has said that if all the gross and subtle coverings of the pure spirit-soul were removed, then in its pure and uncontaminated state the natural impulses and activities of the soul would constitute pure Vaishnavism. These activities are the eternal and uninterrupted rendering of service in a mood of profound love for, and reciprocal loving exchanges with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By this definition all living beings are considered Vaishnavas, which makes Vaishnavism truly all-embracing.
HISTORY OF VAISHNAVISM
The history of Vaishnavism stretches back to the beginning of time itself. Today we find that there are four main Vaishnava sampradayas (disciplic lines) still in existence, each tracing their roots to prominent personalities mentioned in the Vedas. The four successions are known as the Sri Lakshmi sampradaya, Rudra sampradaya, Kumara sampradaya, and the Brahma sampradaya. Srila Veda Vyasadev, the compiler of the Vedas, is an acarya in the Brahma sampradaya. In more recent times, from 1017 AD through 1137 AD, these sampradayas saw the emergence of four powerful preachers; Ramanuja Acharya, Nimbarka Acharya, Vishnu Swami, and Madhva Acharya, each lending their name to one of the sampradayas. These four personalities gained much fame in their opposition to and the refutation of the advaitavada or impersonal teachings of Shankaracharya as well as the other atheistic or impersonal schools of thought. The list of great personalities who have appeared on this earth over the past thousands of years is too voluminous to mention here. They all, however, shared something in common; they explained the Vedas showing the glory of God’s love for all living beings and the glory of the path of loving service (bhakti yoga), which is capable of uniting the fallen souls of this material world with their Supreme Lord, by awakening in them their eternal constitutional position and function.
GURU PARAMPARA
An all-important feature of Vaishnavism is the need for a sincere seeker of the truth to search for a bona fide, living representative of God (guru), and surrender to him/her establishing a guru/disciple relationship. A bona fide guru will then instruct and enlighten the worthy disciple as to how he/she can fully reestablish his/her eternal loving relationship with the Supreme Lord. The character, qualities, and qualifications of such a bona fide guru are expounded by the Vedic literature. The Vedas are accepted as the oldest written scriptures of the world and contain a vast array of instructions and information to guide all people, regardless of consciousness, towards the ultimate goal of life. They admonish that without guru one cannot come to actually know God. One significant qualification of such a guru is that he must also have received the Absolute Truth from a bona fide guru in an unbroken line of disciplic succession coming from the Supreme Lord Himself. This imparting of the Absolute Truth from spiritual master to disciple via an unbroken succession is known as initiation.
A bona fide guru is held by Vaishnavas to be the external manifestation of the Supreme Lord’s mercy and the means by which God makes Himself available to the conditioned living entities. The guru is therefore venerated as much as the Supreme Lord Himself.
GURU PARAMPARA AND ECCLESIASTICAL HIERARCHY
Perhaps one of the most contrasting and difficult concepts for the Western mind to grasp in relation to Vaishnavism is the question of spiritual authority. In Vaishnavism as with all theology, spiritual authority lies with God. For Vaishnavas this authority is manifest in the world through guru (the spiritual master), sadhu (the saintly teachers), and Shastra (the holy scriptures – or the Word of God). This authority is never found in an institution, so there is never a central institution or hierarchy from whom all authority emanates. Ultimately there is only one guru, the Supreme Lord Himself.
A person may be empowered to act as guru according to his degree of surrender to the Supreme Lord’s will. There is no question of the material conception of “my guru, your guru” or seeing guru as the head of a sectarian organization. Rather, the Vaishnava accepts the principle that the Supreme Lord may mercifully choose to make Himself available to the suffering living entities through the agency of a completely surrendered soul. Guru therefore is not a matter of position; rather, one becomes qualified to be guru by dint of consciousness, that of being a fully surrendered servant and perfect lover of God. How one finds guru is a very significant point to be understood. The Vedas tell us that “it is God who gives us guru and it is guru who gives us God.”
When a sincere soul even once prays or desires to actually know God then God will arrange for such a person to meet guru. Although the qualities and qualifications of guru are mentioned in the scriptures, it is the Lord within the heart of the sincere soul who will reveal to that person, “Yes you can accept this surrendered soul as My representative (guru).”
Mercifully wanting to reach out to, and relieve the suffering of humanity, a particular guru may start a preaching organization or mission to enhance his attempts and to engage his disciples. During his time on this earth or even after his disappearance, this institution will never replace or assume the authority of guru. Because of this a large number and variety of Vaishnava missions throughout the world can exist harmoniously, engaging in their individual work while maintaining the utmost respect for one another. Each carrying out their mission as inspired by God and gurudeva, and still being able to work harmoniously and cooperatively when needed and appreciating the efforts of one another.
VAISHNAVISM DEFINED
Religious scholars have loosely defined Vaishnavas as those who worship Lord Vishnu or His incarnations. While this definition may be considered correct from an academic perspective, it fails to encompass the profound beauty and depth of Vaishnava philosophy and tends instead to promote a limited and perhaps, sectarian conception.
The great scholar and saint, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, who appeared in the 19th Century, described Vaishnavism as atma dharma, or the religion of the soul. He has said that if all the gross and subtle coverings of the pure spirit-soul were removed, then in its pure and uncontaminated state the natural impulses and activities of the soul would constitute pure Vaishnavism. These activities are the eternal and uninterrupted rendering of service in a mood of profound love for, and reciprocal loving exchanges with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By this definition all living beings are considered Vaishnavas, which makes Vaishnavism truly all-embracing.
HISTORY OF VAISHNAVISM
The history of Vaishnavism stretches back to the beginning of time itself. Today we find that there are four main Vaishnava sampradayas (disciplic lines) still in existence, each tracing their roots to prominent personalities mentioned in the Vedas. The four successions are known as the Sri Lakshmi sampradaya, Rudra sampradaya, Kumara sampradaya, and the Brahma sampradaya. Srila Veda Vyasadev, the compiler of the Vedas, is an acarya in the Brahma sampradaya. In more recent times, from 1017 AD through 1137 AD, these sampradayas saw the emergence of four powerful preachers; Ramanuja Acharya, Nimbarka Acharya, Vishnu Swami, and Madhva Acharya, each lending their name to one of the sampradayas. These four personalities gained much fame in their opposition to and the refutation of the advaitavada or impersonal teachings of Shankaracharya as well as the other atheistic or impersonal schools of thought. The list of great personalities who have appeared on this earth over the past thousands of years is too voluminous to mention here. They all, however, shared something in common; they explained the Vedas showing the glory of God’s love for all living beings and the glory of the path of loving service (bhakti yoga), which is capable of uniting the fallen souls of this material world with their Supreme Lord, by awakening in them their eternal constitutional position and function.
GURU PARAMPARA
An all-important feature of Vaishnavism is the need for a sincere seeker of the truth to search for a bona fide, living representative of God (guru), and surrender to him/her establishing a guru/disciple relationship. A bona fide guru will then instruct and enlighten the worthy disciple as to how he/she can fully reestablish his/her eternal loving relationship with the Supreme Lord. The character, qualities, and qualifications of such a bona fide guru are expounded by the Vedic literature. The Vedas are accepted as the oldest written scriptures of the world and contain a vast array of instructions and information to guide all people, regardless of consciousness, towards the ultimate goal of life. They admonish that without guru one cannot come to actually know God. One significant qualification of such a guru is that he must also have received the Absolute Truth from a bona fide guru in an unbroken line of disciplic succession coming from the Supreme Lord Himself. This imparting of the Absolute Truth from spiritual master to disciple via an unbroken succession is known as initiation.
A bona fide guru is held by Vaishnavas to be the external manifestation of the Supreme Lord’s mercy and the means by which God makes Himself available to the conditioned living entities. The guru is therefore venerated as much as the Supreme Lord Himself.
GURU PARAMPARA AND ECCLESIASTICAL HIERARCHY
Perhaps one of the most contrasting and difficult concepts for the Western mind to grasp in relation to Vaishnavism is the question of spiritual authority. In Vaishnavism as with all theology, spiritual authority lies with God. For Vaishnavas this authority is manifest in the world through guru (the spiritual master), sadhu (the saintly teachers), and Shastra (the holy scriptures – or the Word of God). This authority is never found in an institution, so there is never a central institution or hierarchy from whom all authority emanates. Ultimately there is only one guru, the Supreme Lord Himself.
A person may be empowered to act as guru according to his degree of surrender to the Supreme Lord’s will. There is no question of the material conception of “my guru, your guru” or seeing guru as the head of a sectarian organization. Rather, the Vaishnava accepts the principle that the Supreme Lord may mercifully choose to make Himself available to the suffering living entities through the agency of a completely surrendered soul. Guru therefore is not a matter of position; rather, one becomes qualified to be guru by dint of consciousness, that of being a fully surrendered servant and perfect lover of God. How one finds guru is a very significant point to be understood. The Vedas tell us that “it is God who gives us guru and it is guru who gives us God.”
When a sincere soul even once prays or desires to actually know God then God will arrange for such a person to meet guru. Although the qualities and qualifications of guru are mentioned in the scriptures, it is the Lord within the heart of the sincere soul who will reveal to that person, “Yes you can accept this surrendered soul as My representative (guru).”
Mercifully wanting to reach out to, and relieve the suffering of humanity, a particular guru may start a preaching organization or mission to enhance his attempts and to engage his disciples. During his time on this earth or even after his disappearance, this institution will never replace or assume the authority of guru. Because of this a large number and variety of Vaishnava missions throughout the world can exist harmoniously, engaging in their individual work while maintaining the utmost respect for one another. Each carrying out their mission as inspired by God and gurudeva, and still being able to work harmoniously and cooperatively when needed and appreciating the efforts of one another.