Vaishnavism , the Bhagavad Gita way of life !

[Guest guest]

Pranams to Bhagavan Sri Krishna and Bhaktas,

Bhagavad Gita is universally acknowledged as Song of God . Vaishnavism is the faithful implementation of Bhagavad-Gita. Vaishnavism is the Vedic tradition distinguished from other schools by its worship of Maha-Vishnu ( Sri Krishna or Sri Rama) as the original and supreme God . This worship in different perspectives or historical traditions addresses God under the names of Narayana, Krishna, Vasudeva or more often "Vishnu", and their associated avatars. It makes reference to other Vedic deities, such as that Shiva - as the greatest Vaishnava. The Vaishnava beliefs and practices, especially the concepts of Bhakti and Bhakti Yoga, are based precisely on the Upanishads, and associated with the Vedas and Puranic texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, and the Padma, Vishnu and Bhagavata Puranas.

The followers of Vaishnavism are referred to as Vaishnava(s) or Vaishnavites. Since , Bhagavad-Gita is the corner stone of Hinduism, Vaishnavism is the most popular faith in Hinduism.

Awareness, recognition, and growth of the belief in Vaishnavism has significantly increased outside of India in recent years. Modern movements like ISKCON and more recently, several other Vaishnava organizations conducting preaching activities in the West , have significantly increased the awareness of Vaishnavism internationally.

Principal beliefs

 

Maha-Vishnu, as commonly depicted in his four-armed form . The principal belief of Vaishnavism is the identification of Maha-Vishnu or Narayana or Sri Srikshna as the one supreme god. The belief in the supremacy of Vishnu is based upon the many avatars (incarnations) of Vishnu listed in the Puranic texts, which differs from other Hindu deities. The latter are instead classified as Devatas. Vaishnavas consider Bhagavan Vishnu or Sri Krishna as the God of Devatas.

According to Vaishnavism, all existence is a part of Narayana, and Bhagavan includes all existence. Another distinguishing feature of the Vaishnava teachings, is that Bhagavan (Vishnu or Krishna) is a real person and His variegated creation is also real.

Worship

Vaishnavism includes the central beliefs of Hinduism such as pantheism, reincarnation, samsara, karma, and the various Yoga systems, but with a particular emphasis on devotion (bhakti) to Vishnu through the process of Bhakti yoga, often including singing Vishnu's name's (bhajan), meditating upon his form (dharana) and performing Deity- worship (puja). The practices of Deity-worship is primarily based on the Vedas and associated Tantra-sastras.

 

Temples dedicated to the worship of Bhagavan Vishnu

Within their worship, Vaishnava devotees consider that Bhagavan is within them, as the Antaryami or the God within and as the foundation of their being ; which is a part of the definition of the name Narayana. Unlike other schools of Hinduism whose goal is liberation (moksha), or union with the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate goal of Vaishnava practice is an eternal life of bliss (ananda) in service to Vishnu, or Sri Krishna, in the spiritual realm of 'Vaikuntha', which lies beyond the temporary world of illusion (maya).

The three features of the Supreme as described in the Bhagavata Purana --Brahman, Paramatman and Bhagavan--are viewed as the Universal Vishnu, Vishnu within the heart, and Vishnu the personality respectively.

The scriptures specific to the Gaudiya Vaishnavism also state that one who performs an act of worship as simple as chanting the name of Vishnu or Krishna can be considered a Vaishnava by practice:

"Who chants the holy name of Krishna just once may be considered a Vaishnava. Such a person is worshipable and is the topmost human being."(Chaitanya Charitamrita).

Attitude toward Vedic Scriptures

Vaishnava traditions refer to the writings of previous Acharyas in their respective lineage of Rishis , as authoritative interpretations of Vedic scripture. While other Hinduism schools like "Advaitism" encourage interpretation of scriptures philosophically and metaphorically and not too literally, Vaishnavism stresses the literal meaning (mukhya vṛitti) as primary and indirect meaning (gauṇa vṛitti) as secondary: "Sakshad upadesas tu shrutih - " ( The instructions of the Vedas should be accepted literally, without fanciful or allegorical interpretations. )

History

The worship of Vishnu was already well developed in the period of the Itihasas like Ramayanam and Bhagavatam . Vishnuism, in a word, is the only cultivated native native religion of India. Vaishnavism is expounded in a part of the Mahabharata known as the Bhagavad Gita, which contains a dialogue between Bhagavan Sri Krishna and Arjuna . Sri Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this dialogue, Krishna plays the role of Arjuna's charioteer.

Many of the ancient kings, beginning with Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) were known as *Parama Bhagavatas* , or *Bhagavata Vaishnavas* .

Vaishnavism flourished in predominantly Shaivite South India during the seventh to tenth centuries CE, and is still commonplace, as a result of the Vaishnava Rishis who spread the faith to the common people. The temples which the Rishis founded are now known as Divya Desams.

In later years, Vaishnava practices increased in popularity due to the influence of Sages like Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Manavala Mamunigal, Vedanta Desika, Surdas, Tulsidas, Tyagaraja, and many others.

Large Vaishnava communities now exist throughout India, and particularly in Western Indian states, such as western Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Important sites of pilgrimage for Vaishnavs include : Guruvayur Temple, Sri Rangam, Vrindavan, Mathura, Ayodhya, Tirupati, Puri, Mayapur and Dwarka.

Vedic Epics

Both the Vedic epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, are key components of Vaishnava philosophy, theology, and culture.

The Ramayana describes the story of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, and is taken as a history of the 'ideal king', based on the principles of dharma, morality and ethics. Rama's wife Sita, his brother Lakshman and his devotee Hanuman all play key roles within the Vaishnava tradition as examples of Vaishnava etiquette and behaviour. Ravana, the evil king and villain of the epic, plays the opposite role of how not to behave.

The Mahabharata is centered around Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead . It details the story of a dynastic war between two families of cousins, with Krishna supporting His devotees the Pandavas, five brothers, playing pivotal roles in the drama. The philosophical highlight of the work is the chapter covering a conversation between Arjuna and Sri Krishna prior to the final battle, individually known as the Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita, though influential in most philosophies of Hinduism, is of particular importance to Vaishnavas because it is an accurate record of the very words spoken by Bhagavan Krishna Himself.

Both works are often reenacted in part as dramas by followers of Vaishnavism, especially on festival days concerning each of the specific avatars. The Bhagavad Gita is universally studied as the most popular theological textbook and is rendered in numerous English translations and world languages.

SriKrishnaDasa Rajeev