Four Vaisnava Sampradayas

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This way Ekanath P. answered my question some time ago:

 

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The following comes from the Bengali book called "Sri-Gaudiya-Vaisnava-

Abhidhana" (GVA). It is unclear from the text whether the second verse

(raamaanujam...) is supposed to be from the Padma P. I also looked up under

the entry 'sampradaya' in the Sabda-Kalpa-Druma Sanskrit-Sanskrit dictionary.

There we have the same quote from the Padma P. but it is a little longer,

beginning as follows:

 

Sriiman naaraayaano brahmaa

naarado vyaasa eva ca

Sriila madhvaH padmanaabho

nRharir maadhavas tathaa

 

puruSottamo brahmaanyo

vyaasa-tiirtha-munis tathaa

Sriimal lakSmii-patiH Sriimaan

maadhavendra-puris tathaa

 

sampradaaya vihiinaa ye

mantraaste niSphalaa mataaH

ataH kalau bhaviSyanti

catvaaraH sampradaayinaH

Srii-brahma-rudra-sanakaa

vaiSNavaaH kSiti-paavanaaH

 

there is an alternative reading for the second-last line:

 

Srii-maadhvi-rudra-sanakaa

 

The last verse is not quoted in the SKD:

 

raamaanuujaM SriiH svii-cakre

maadhvaacaaryaM catur-mukhaH

Srii-viSNusvaaminaM rudro

nimbaadityam catuH-sanaH

 

There is a problem with verse references from the Padma P. There are a number

of different recensions of the Padma P. There are mainly four manuscripts: the

Bengali recension, the Anandasrama edition, the Venkatesvara edition, the

Vangavasi edition. The latter three editions are at least similar, but the

Bengali recension is very different. The chapter arrangements in the other

three editions are also different, so that the references hardly match. It is

therefore very important with references of the Padma P. to give the name of

the edition. In Korsnas I have the Anandasrama edition from 1893. It is very

good but has no verse index. Next time when I go to India I will get an

edition with verse index. At least now I found a very good book about Puranas

in which the different chapter structures are explained and this should help

us to find verses.

 

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Text COM:2590575 (32 lines)

Madana-mohana (das) MG (IC - R)

29-Aug-99 20:06 +0200

(Krsna) Katha [2674]

Reference: Text COM:2590397 by (Bhakta) Jan Mares (NE-BBT Czech)

Comment: Text COM:2590684 by Nayana-ranjana (das) (BBT Bombay - IN)

Comment: Text COM:2607513 by WWW: Krishna Susarla (Dallas TX - USA)

<krishna (AT) tumora (DOT) swmed.edu>

Looking for a verse - four sampradayas

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> atah kalau bhavisyanti catvara sampradayinah

> sri-brahma-rudra-sanaka vaisnavah ksiti-pavanah

>

> The continuation gives the names of acaryas in Brahma sampradaya and the

> well-known verse 'sampradaya vihina ye mantras te nisphala matah.'

 

 

Here is the verse in full (by the way, it is not to be found anymore in

Padma-purana, and therefore is claimed to be a vaisnava interpolation by

some):

 

samprAdya-vihInA ye mantrAs te niSphalA matAH

atah kalau bhaviSyanti catvAraH sampradAyinaH

 

SrI-brahma-rudra-sanakA vaiSNavAH kSiti-pAvanAH

catvAras te kalau bhAvyA hy utkale puruSottamAt

 

rAmAnujaM SrI svIcakre madhvAcAryaM caturmukhaH

SrI viSNusvAmInaM rudro nimbAdityam catuHsanAH

 

Unless one is initiated by a bona-fide spiritual master in the disciplic

succession, the mantra he might have received is without any effect. For

this reason four Vaisnava disciplic successions, inaugurated by Laksmi-devi,

Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, and the four Kumaras, will appear in the holy place

of Jagannatha Puri, and purify the entire earth during the age of Kali.

Laksmi-devi chose Ramanujacarya to represent her disciplic succession. In

the same way Lord Brahma chose Madhvacarya, Lord Siva chose Visnu Svami, and

the four Kumaras chose Nimbarka. (quoted in Prameya-ratnavali by Baladeva

Vidyabhusana, 1.5-6)

 

Your servant,

Madana-mohana das

(Text COM:2590575) --------