Is there a difference?

[Tirisilex]

Is there a difference between a Vaisnava and a Hare Krishna (For lack of a better term)??

[Guest guest]

All apples are fruits, but not all fruits are apples.

 

Hare krishnas are Vaishnavas, but Vaishnava is a collective term and covers other groups who worship Vishnu in any form too.

[Tirisilex]

I'm confused.. Ive read that Krishna is the supreme personality of the Godhead.. How does Vishnu and Krishna relate? Which is the supreme?

[Guest guest]

It depends upon which scripture you read.

 

Like if you read Bible it says Jesus is the way and the truth and the light and no one enters heaven except through Him, like transcendental gatekeeper.

 

In the Hindu traditions there are the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, the Agamas, etc. Not every Hindu accepts Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just as not every religiously inclined person accepts Jesus as the transcendental gatekeeper to Heaven or even wants Heaven as the final destination.

 

In Hinduism the concept is called the Istha-Devata: what Deity speaks to your heart. So some people try not to put down others if a certain form of God or Deity is speaking to your heart and saying "Worship Me".

 

In some traditions we try to respect the religious sentiment in humankind and be happy for you that you are searching for the Divine and the Divine is reciprocating with you by whispering sweetly to your heart and sending you nice people to associate with you who feel the same way that you do.

 

Sort of a spiritual variation of "think globally, act locally." Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu taught that God has hundreds and millions of names. But maybe that is a wee bit too mind-boggling to worship hundreds and millions of Istha-Devatas. If you can do it, good on you and more power to you.

 

But some people find that the types of qualities that they want to develop within themselves only their Istha-Devata has these tendencies. Thus some people are attracted to to the different names, forms, and qualities of God From Whom All Blessings Flow, because they can relate to that Deity. Like it is probably not an accident that alot of people formerly hippies and now happies were attracted to Krishna out of all of the Hindu Gods.

 

We are happy for you in some traditions that a certain sweetness resonates for you in whatever name, form, qualities, and pastimes of the Divine that attracts you the most.

[Tirisilex]

OK.. I get it now.. Thanks

[mrs.moore]

a vaisnava is someone who worships vishnu.

 

some vaisnavas prefer to worship vishnu in his form of the god rama. some worship him in his half-lion-half-man form called nrsmhadeva. others prefer the other forms of vishnu.

 

gaudiya vaisnavas follow chaitanya mahaprabhu. gaudiya means bengali.

their favourite form of vishnu is krishna .

 

the term hare krishnas was applied to members of the hare krishna movement after prabhupada took his teachings to the west in the 60s and then founded iskcon.

 

nowadays, not all hare krishnas are iskcon members.

 

hare krishnas are gaudiya vaisnavas.

 

gaudiya vaisnavas believe that krishna is the origin of vishnu.

most vaisnavas and hindus believe krishna comes from vishnu.