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	'''Vaishnavism''' is one of the principal divisions of ]. Its adherents worship ] as the supreme ] or one of his ]s and are principally ] whilst also incorporating elements which could be described as ] in nature. ]s, or ]ers of Vishnu are called Vaishnavites, an English term that originated from ''Vaishnava'' in ], which is the ] form of ''Vishnu''). The ] movement is a modern example of a Vaishnavite organisation.

	==Schools of Vaishnavism==

	Major Vaishnava schools of thought include:

	*] ("qualified nondualism"), espoused by ]; i.e., ].

	*] ("dualism"), espoused by ]

	*], espoused by Sri ] adhered by ]. ] ("Hare Krishnas") is the most well known branch of this school.

	*], espoused by ]

	*], espoused by ]

	*], espoused by ]

	==The major schools==
	] <small>''Artwork © courtesy of ''</small>]]

	Vaishnavas believe that Vishnu-Narayana is the one supreme God (Parabrahman) and all other living entities (including ]s such as ] and ]) are subservient to Him. ] is also viewed as subservient to lord Vishnu, although it is still understood that he is above the category of an ordinary ].

	While many schools like ] and Advaitism encourage people to interpret the Vedas philosophically and metaphorically and not too literally, Vaishnavism stresses the literal meaning (''mukhya v{{Unicode\|ṛ}}itti'') as primary and indirect meaning ({{Unicode\|gauṇa vṛitti}}) as secondary: ''{{Unicode\|sākṣhād upadesas tu shrutih}}'' - "The instructions of the shruti-sh{{Unicode\|ā}}stra should be accepted literally, without so-called ''fanciful or allegorical interpretations''." (Jiva Gosvami, ''{{Unicode\|Kṛiṣhna}} Sandarbha'' 29.26-27). Thus according to Vaishnava theology, ]n is not ]. Furthermore, Vaishnavites do not believe in the ] concept of ] which believe in "union with ]" but rather believe, that moksha is "eternal life in ], the abode of Vishnu."

	==Hindu Epics==

	The heroes of both the great ] ]s are believed to be incarnations of Lord Vishnu. These epics, the '']'' and the '']'', concern ] and ], respectively. Rama with His ] named ], brother ] and devotee ] are central characters of Ramayana. Rama and Lakshman are always shown to be ready for battle (with bow and arrow) as it is their ] '']'' to fight.

	==History of Vaishnavism==

	With the help of ], a set of twelve people who with their ]al ]s spread the sect to the common people, Vaishnavism flourished in ]. Some of the prominent ''azhvars'' are ''Poigaiyazhvar'', ''Peyazhvar'',
	''Periyazhvar'', ''Nammazhvar'' and ''Andal''. Vaishnavism grew in later years due to the influence of ]s like ],], ], ], ], etc.

	With the entry of other religions into the Indian subcontinent, Hindus became more united and the discriminations of Vaishnavism and ] turned more into intellectual arguments rather than mutually exclusive philosophies.

	==Vaishnava Upanishads==

	Of the 108 ]s of the ], 13 are considered Vaishnava Upanishads.
	They are listed with their associated Veda ({{Unicode\|], ], ], ]}}):
	<!-- needs reference, copied from ]-->

	#{{IAST\|Nṛsiṃhatāpanī}} (AV)
	#{{IAST\|Mahānārāyaṇa}} (AV)
	#{{IAST\|Rāmarahasya}} (AV)
	#{{IAST\|Rāmatāpaṇi}} (AV)
	#{{IAST\|Vāsudeva}} (SV)
	#{{IAST\|Avyakta}} (SV)
	#{{IAST\|Tārasāra}} (SYV)
	#{{IAST\|Gopālatāpani}} (AV)
	#{{IAST\|Kṛṣṇa}} (AV)
	#{{IAST\|Hayagrīva}} (AV)
	#{{IAST\|Dattātreya}} (AV)
	#{{IAST\|Gāruḍa}} (AV)
	#] ({{IAST\|Kali}}) (KYV)

	==See also==
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]

	== External links ==
	*

	{{Hinduism}}

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Latest revision as of 10:14, 10 November 2006

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