Sri Vaishnavism

All you want to know about Sri Vaishnavism

Sri Sampradaya or Sri Vaishnavism is a Vaishnava sect within Hinduism. Its origin may date back to around 10th century and its formation is associated with a collection of the devotional hymns and songs by Alvars being organized by Nathamuni, who is considered to be the first guru of the sect.[1]Nathamuni appeared as the pioneer who wrote Sanskrit works systematizing the Sri Vaishnava theology, largely in debate with Gauttama philosophy of Buddhism. He was followed by Yamunacharya a celebrated grand-teacher of Ramanujacharya.[2] In this tradition Vishnuis believed to be the source of all avatars. Vishnu is the name of God in the whole Vaishnavism and he is also known as Narayana, Vasudeva and Krishna and behind each of those names is a devine figure with attributed supremacy in Vaishnavism and each associated tradition believed to be distinct historically. [3] Name of the tradition is originating from Sri being the name of Lakshmi. Two different tilaka or pundra makings are worn by the representative of two different sect within the Sri Sampradaya following Ramanujacharya: Ten-galais and Vada-galais, both ascribing the markings to the footprint of Vishnu on the forehead. Some leaders or acharyas are strict Iyengar brahmanas and will only take renunciation of sannyasa at a very late age, while others live in a monastery, Matha (Eg: One in Kurnool district).[4]

The associated movement is sometimes called Sri Vaishnavism and is a Vaishnava sect of Hinduism centered around a temple at Srirangam, and a philosophical system of thought culminating in the philosophy of Visishtadvaita espoused by Ramanujacharya.[5]

Followers of Sri Vaishnavism, as Vaishnavas, generally worship Vishnu as the supreme God. [6] The prefix Sri is used for this sect because they give special importance to the worship of the Goddess Lakshmi,the consort of Vishnu, who they believe to act as a mediator between God and man. [7] A major portion of Sri Vaishnava theology is based upon this tenet. [8] Iyengars, a subcaste of Tamil Brahmins, follow this tradition.

Contents

Origin

Earlier sources do not mention Sri, the consort of Vishnu. Sri becomes part of Vishnuism at a later stage and apparently Sri was worshiped independently before her cult was integrated into Vaishnavism. Now she is considered inseparable from Vishnu, who carries the mark of sri-vasa, ineradicably representing Sri, his consort. In later Gaudiya traditions she is identified with expansion of Radha. This most prominent form of South Indian Vaishnavism is called Sri Vaishnavism,[neutrality disputed] because of its strong emphasis on the role of Sri, drawing largely from alvars popular goddess roots.[9] Sri Vaishnavism is believed to have originated in the devotional hymns and songs of the said Alvars, a group of saints of the medieval Bhakti movement in South India. All such hymns and songs were organized by Nathamuni, who is considered as the first guru of the sect. His work was consolidated and expanded by Yamunacharya, who is believed to one of the grandsons of Nathamuni. Thereafter, Ramanujacharya continued to develop the theology of Sri Vaishnavism. The theology centers primarily around the belief that devotion to, and worship of, Vishnu is the only way to Moksha (salvation), but Sri (a reference to Lakshmi) is the link or medium between the devotees and Vishnu.[citation needed] If humans can win the compassion of Sri, the salvation and forgiveness of the devotees will be ensured, according to the belief.[original research?]

Philosophy

Most of the people belonging to Sri Vaishnavism follow Vishistadvaita philosophy, although it is not implied that every Sri Vaishnavaite has to be a Vishistadvaitin. Sri Vaishnavism is characterized by various distinct beliefs. One of them is the role of a guru or acharya in the attainment of the Paramapurushaartham (a name given to Moksha). Also, the followers have a special place for the 4000 divya prabandams (sacred hymns) written by the Alvars, along with the Vedas.

Schools

There are two primary subsects of Sri Vaishnavism: the Vadagalai and Tenkalai. After continuing as a single sect for over three hundred years, the sect split into two major branches around the 14th century.[citation needed]

  • The Markatanyaya branch, or "school of the monkey", believes that just as young monkeys cling to the bodies of their mothers for safety, human beings endeavoring to seek God's blessings should likewise actively cooperate and strive to come closer to God, and cling to Him for safety. This branch is said to have followed classical tradition, and was headquartered at Kanchipuram, one of the seven holy cities of the Hindus. The most prominent exponent of this view is Vedanta Desika of 13th century. This school accords equal pride of placement to Sri (Lakshmi) and Vishnu.
  • The Marjaranyaya branch, or "school of the cat", believes that as the mother cat carries her kittens around without asking anything in return from the kittens, God showers His benevolence and blessings on the devotees without any active action on the part of the devotees. The most prominent exponents of this view are Pillai Lokacharya and Manavala Mamuni. This school treats Sri or Lakshmi as dependent on Vishnu.

Further reading

External links

References

  1. ^ S.Rangarajan (Sujatha) and T.S. Sundararajan. "Sri Nathamuni, and the path of twofold scripture". sriranganatha.tripod.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
  2. ^ "Sri Ramanuja". p.15 ISBN 812601833X books.google.ie. Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
  3. ^ Matchett, Freda (2000). Krsna, Lord or Avatara? The relationship between Krsna and Visnu: in the context of the Avatara myth as presented by the Harivamsa, the Visnupurana and the Bhagavatapurana. Surrey: Routledge, 254. ISBN 0-7007-1281-X.  p. 4 p. 200
  4. ^ Monier Williams, M., Brahmanism And Hinduism, Kessinger Publishing, pp. pp. 126-128, ISBN 141797396X, <http://books.google.com/books?id=zwsPkxGDH1IC>. Retrieved on 27 June 2008 
  5. ^ "Sri Vaishnavism Home Page". Retrieved on 2006-09-24.
  6. ^ Swami Tapasyananda, Bhakti Schools of Vedanta, pg. 53, Ramakrishna Mission
  7. ^ Swami Tapasyananda, Bhakti Schools of Vedanta, pg. 53, Ramakrishna Mission
  8. ^ Swami Tapasyananda, Bhakti Schools of Vedanta, pg. 53, Ramakrishna Mission
  9. ^ KLOSTERMAIER, Klaus K. (2007). A Survey of Hinduism. State University of New York Press; 3 edition, p.206. ISBN 0791470814. "There is not even a mention of Sri, the consort of Vishnu in the earlier sources..." 

See also

v • d • e
Four sampradāyas of Vaiṣṇavism
Traditions
Philosophies
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Sampradaya"

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