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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."

==The great 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|], ], ], ]}}):
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#{{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 ==
*
*
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* - A collaborated wiki web site covering all aspects of Hinduism.

{{Hinduism}}

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Latest revision as of 10:14, 10 November 2006

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