Who are Gaudiya Vaishnavs?

[akshar]

Forgive me if this sounds a little bit stupid, but i have seen many threads all mentioning gaudiya vaishnavs,in order for me to understand most of these threads i need to know who they are

 

Anyone explain to me please?

[Puru_Das]

If you go to this google newsgroup you can find a comprehensive answer to your question, submitted as a FAQ.

http://groups.google.comsoc.religion.vaishnava?lnk=rgh

 

excerpt:

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

* What is (a) Gaudiya?

 

The term 'GauDiiya' means 'of GauDa-deSa', GauDa-deSa being an old name

for West Bengal. Gaudiya Vaishnavism originated in what is now West Bengal,

and is still very widely practiced there and in what is now Bangladesh.

 

* Who is the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism?

 

Gaudiya Vaishnavism as a widespread movement of bhakti or devotion was

begun by Sri Chaitanya Mahaaprabhu

(see http://www.goloka.com/gallery/html/cait01.html), who appeared in

West Bengal in the late 15th century. He is accepted by all Gaudiya

Vaishnavas as an incarnation of Krishna but in the "hidden" role of

a devotee of Krishna, and this is supported by references from

Srimad-Bhaagavatam, the Chaitanya Upanishad of the Atharva Veda, the

Mahaabhaarata, and other scriptures.

 

Gaudiya Vaishnavism was certainly influenced by many earlier

personalities, such as Maadhavendra Puri (who also represents the

connection of Gaudiya Vaishnavism to the Maadhva sampradaaya coming

from Srimad Ananda Tiirtha or Madhvaachaarya)

(see http://www.rit.edu/~mrreee/madhva/index.html) and Jayadeva Goswami,

Chandiidaasa and Vidyaapati.

 

Though Sri Chaitanya Mahaaprabhu was a great scholar, He left only

8 verses, called the shikshaashhTakam. His followers, most notably

the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan

(see http://www.goloka.com/gallery/html/rupsan.html), wrote numerous

books setting down the tenets and rituals of Gaudiya Vaishnavism with

support from scripture.

 

rest of article is here:

http://groups.google.comsoc.religion.vaishnava/browse_thread/thread/9b360f82caa6ca5d/0b0134e883797803#0b0134e883797803

[Guest guest]

 

Forgive me if this sounds a little bit stupid, but i have seen many threads all mentioning gaudiya vaishnavs,in order for me to understand most of these threads i need to know who they are

 

Anyone explain to me please?

 

what are swaminarayans? why do they worship guru as god? that's the important question.

[raga]

You may also want to browse http://www.gaudiya.com/ for an overview of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.

[Guest guest]

Don't worry, you're not the first person to come to this forum and wonder who Gaudiya Vaishnavas are? When I first came here I thought it was a general Hindu forum, where you'd find Saivites, Smartas, Shaktas, etc, but since have found it's mainly Gaudiya Vaishnavas here. I had not heard of this specific sect before coming here. I had heard of the Hare Krishnas, but didn't know a lot about their beliefs. In the west, they are mainly associated with selling books in airports, they are not known for their beliefs. If you asked a westerner what they actually believed, they'd be hardpressed to tell you. 99% of Americans could not even tell you what a Vaishnava is, let alone a Gaudiya Vaishnava.