Sri Sampradaya
Encyclopedia
Sri Sampradaya or Sri Vaishnavism is a Vaishnava sect within Hinduism
. Its origin and codification is generally traced back to Sri
, Mahalakshmi eternal consort of Lord Vishnu
. Around the 10th century when a collection of the devotional hymns and songs by Alvars
was organized by Sri Nathamuni
, who is considered to be one of the pioneers of the sect. 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. Alavandar, like Ramanuja, focused both on philosophical debates like dvaita vs. advaita and bhakti prayers and the works attributed to him are in Sanskrit although he codified the heritage of the Tamil alvars. Works attributed to him are
In this tradition Vishnu is 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 divine figure with attributed supremacy in Vaishnavism
and each associated tradition believed to be distinct historically. The Iyengar brahmins are followers of Ramanuja sampradaya, and two sects, namely Vadakalai
and Thenkalai
exist among them.
Sri Vaishnavism is a sub-denomination of Vaishnavism
and a philosophical system of thought culminating in the philosophy of Visishtadvaita espoused by Ramanujacharya. Followers of Sri Vaishnavism, as Vaishnavas, generally worship Vishnu
as the supreme God.
. 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 Radha
. 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. A major portion of Sri Vaishnava theology
is based upon this tenet.
and Tenkalai. It is widely believed that the two sects are distinctly different in origin. But some believe the two subsects to have originated in the 14th century AD following a split in the Iyengar community.
on their forehead.
Sri Vaishnavas generally wear two kinds of Thiruman marks known as Vadakalai Thiruman and Thenkalai Thiruman. The Vadakalai being more or less 'U' in shape and Thenkalai being 'Y' in shape. The Thiruman is known as Thiruman Kappu as it protects the one who is wearing it on the Forehead. So it is known as Thiruman Kappu - The Tamil word 'Kappu' means 'Protection'. The White color signifies the Almighty God-Head "Sriman Narayana" and the Red mark signifies His Divine Consort, the Mother of Entire Creation "Sri Mahalakshmi known as Thayar".
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. Its origin and codification is generally traced back to Sri
Sri
Sri , also transliterated as Shri or Shree or shre is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language, or as a title of veneration for deities .-Etymology:Sri has the root meaning of radiance, or...
, Mahalakshmi eternal consort of Lord Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
. Around the 10th century when a collection of the devotional hymns and songs by Alvars
Alvars
The alwar or azhwars were Tamil poet saints of south India who lived between the sixth and ninth centuries A.D. and espoused ‘emotional devotion’ or bhakti to Visnu-Krishna in their songs of longing, ecstasy and service. Sri Vaishnava orthodoxy posits the number of alvars as ten, though there are...
was organized by Sri Nathamuni
Nathamuni
Nathamuni was a Tamil Vaishnava scholar who founded the Sri Vaishnava tradition.According to Sri Vaishnava history, Acharya Shriman Nathamunigal was born at Veera Narayana Puram near Kattumannarkoil...
, who is considered to be one of the pioneers of the sect. Nathamuni
Nathamuni
Nathamuni was a Tamil Vaishnava scholar who founded the Sri Vaishnava tradition.According to Sri Vaishnava history, Acharya Shriman Nathamunigal was born at Veera Narayana Puram near Kattumannarkoil...
appeared as the pioneer who wrote Sanskrit works systematizing the Sri Vaishnava theology, largely in debate with Gauttama philosophy of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. He was followed by Yamunacharya
Yamunacharya
Yamunacharya or Alavandar was a vishistadvaita philosopher in Srirangam. Ramanuja, one of the leaders of the srivaishnava school sought to be his disciple. He was born in early 10th century CE and was the grandson of a brahmin, Nathamuni. Nathamuni was a famed yogi who collected to the works of...
a celebrated grand-teacher of Ramanujacharya. Alavandar, like Ramanuja, focused both on philosophical debates like dvaita vs. advaita and bhakti prayers and the works attributed to him are in Sanskrit although he codified the heritage of the Tamil alvars. Works attributed to him are
In this tradition Vishnu is believed to be the source of all avatars. Vishnu is the name of God in the whole Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
and he is also known as Narayana
Narayana
Narayana or Narayan or Naraina is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary vernaculars a common Indian name. Narayana is also identified as the original man, Purusha. The Puranas present divergent views on Narayana...
, Vasudeva
Vasudeva
In Hindu itihasa , Vasudeva is the father of Krishna, the son of Shoorsen, of the Yadu and Vrishni dynasties. His sister Kunti was married to Pandu. He was a partial incarnation of Rishi Kashyap....
and Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
and behind each of those names is a divine figure with attributed supremacy in Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
and each associated tradition believed to be distinct historically. The Iyengar brahmins are followers of Ramanuja sampradaya, and two sects, namely Vadakalai
Vadakalai
Vadakalai , meaning Northern branch are a subsect of the Vaishnavite Iyengar community of Hindu Brahmins. In Sanskrit the Vadakalai are referred to as Uttara Kalārya . Vadakalais are followers of Ramanuja and Vedanta Desika....
and Thenkalai
Thenkalai
Thenkalai are a subsect of the Vaishnavite Iyengar community of Hindu Brahmins. Thenkalais are followers of Ramanuja, Pillai Lokacharya and Manavala Mamuni.-Differences with Vadakalai Srivaishnavas:...
exist among them.
Sri Vaishnavism is a sub-denomination of Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
and a philosophical system of thought culminating in the philosophy of Visishtadvaita espoused by Ramanujacharya. Followers of Sri Vaishnavism, as Vaishnavas, generally worship Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
as the supreme God.
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 VaishnavismVaishnavism
Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
. Now she is considered inseparable from Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
, who carries the mark of sri-vasa, ineradicably representing Sri, his consort. In later Gaudiya traditions she is identified with Radha
Radha
Radha , also called Radhika, Radharani and Radhikarani, is the childhood friend and lover of Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda of the Vaisnava traditions of Hinduism...
. The prefix Sri
Sri
Sri , also transliterated as Shri or Shree or shre is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language, or as a title of veneration for deities .-Etymology:Sri has the root meaning of radiance, or...
is used for this sect because they give special importance to the worship of the Goddess Lakshmi
Lakshmi
Lakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...
,the consort of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
, who they believe to act as a mediator between God and man. A major portion of Sri Vaishnava theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
is based upon this tenet.
Subsects
Among the Iyengar brahmins following Sri Vaishnavism, there are two sects, namely VadakalaiVadakalai
Vadakalai , meaning Northern branch are a subsect of the Vaishnavite Iyengar community of Hindu Brahmins. In Sanskrit the Vadakalai are referred to as Uttara Kalārya . Vadakalais are followers of Ramanuja and Vedanta Desika....
and Tenkalai. It is widely believed that the two sects are distinctly different in origin. But some believe the two subsects to have originated in the 14th century AD following a split in the Iyengar community.
- The Vadakalai Iyengar community (Uttara Kalārya ,Sanskrit: उत्तर कलार्य) ardently follows the SanskritSanskritSanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
VedasVedasThe Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
, and the set of of rules prescribed by the Manusmriti and Dharma ShastrasDharmasastraDharmaśāstra is a genre of Sanskrit texts and refers to the śāstra, or Indic branch of learning, pertaining to Hindu dharma, religious and legal duty. The voluminous textual corpus of Dharmaśāstra is primarily a product of the Brahmanical tradition in India and represents the elaborate scholastic...
. The sect is based on the Sankritic tradition, and follows - Ramanuja and Vedanta DesikaVedanta DesikaVedanta Desika was a Sri Vaishnava Guru. He was a poet, devotee, philosopher and master-teacher...
. The Vadakalai Iyengars are believed to be an Indo-AryanIndo-AryansIndo-Aryan is an ethno-linguistic term referring to the wide collection of peoples united as native speakers of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-Iranian family of Indo-European languages...
people who once migrated from North IndiaNorth IndiaNorth India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
. In a genetic study, all individuals examined among Vadakalai Iyengars showed a high similarity of gene frequency with the people of Faislabad in the Punjab provincePunjab (Pakistan)Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
. The Vadakalai community believes in the caste system, and championed the cause of purity of the vedic tenetsVedic scienceVedic science may refer to a number of disciplines: ancient and modern, scientific and unscientific, religious, metaphysical, Hindu, occultist, New Age, proto-scientific, or pseudoscientific found in or based on the Vedas.Vedic period...
. Traditionally, the Vadakalais believe in practising Karma yogaKarma YogaKarma yoga , or the "discipline of action" is a form of yoga based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Sanskrit scripture of Hinduism. Of the four paths to realization, karma yoga is the science of achieving perfection in action...
, Jnana yogaJnana yogaJyâna yoga or "path of knowledge" is one of the types of yoga mentioned in Hindu philosophies...
and Bhakti yogaBhakti yogaBhakti yoga is one of the types of yoga mentioned in Hindu philosophies which denotes the spiritual practice of fostering loving devotion to a personal form of God....
, along with Prapatti, as means to attain salvation. Also, they consider Prapatti as an act of winning grace. The various Vadaklai monasteries are - Ahobila Mutt, Parakala Mutt, Srirangam Srimad Andavan Ashramam and Poundarikapuram Andavan Ashramam.
- The Thenkalai Iyengar community follows the Tamil Prabandhams, and asserts primacy to rituals in Tamil languageTamil languageTamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
. They are followers of Ramanuja, Pillailokacharya and Manavala Mamuni. According to genetic studies, the Thenkalai gene frequencies are distinctly different from that of the Vadakalais. The Thenkalais reject the caste system. The Thenkalai society has also accepted a significant proportion of the non-Brahmin population into its fold. The sect seems to be liberal in its outlook, and so shapes the doctrine of the system as to make them applicable to non-Brahmin castes. Traditionally, Thenkalai accept Prapatti as the only means to attain salvation. They consider Prapatti as an unconditional surrender. The various Thenkalai monasteries are - Vanamamalai mutt and Sriperumdur mutt in Kanchipuram district and Tirukkoilur mutt in Viluppuram district.
Sri Vaishnava Thiruman
The Sri Vaishnavas wear the holy mark thiruman also known as SricharanamSricharanam
Urdhva Pundra is the tilaka used by followers of Sri Vaishnava. The figure drawn is representative of the feet of Narayana with Lakshmi in the middle. SrichurNam is the yellow/red line in the middle of the white namas that is adorned by members of the Sri Vaishnava tradition...
on their forehead.
Sri Vaishnavas generally wear two kinds of Thiruman marks known as Vadakalai Thiruman and Thenkalai Thiruman. The Vadakalai being more or less 'U' in shape and Thenkalai being 'Y' in shape. The Thiruman is known as Thiruman Kappu as it protects the one who is wearing it on the Forehead. So it is known as Thiruman Kappu - The Tamil word 'Kappu' means 'Protection'. The White color signifies the Almighty God-Head "Sriman Narayana" and the Red mark signifies His Divine Consort, the Mother of Entire Creation "Sri Mahalakshmi known as Thayar".
See also
- Ramanujacharya
- ViśiṣṭādvaitaVishishtadvaitaVishishtadvaita Vedanta is a sub-school of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy, the other major sub-schools of Vedānta being Advaita, Dvaita, and Achintya-Bheda-Abheda. VishishtAdvaita is a non-dualistic school of Vedanta philosophy...
- VaishnavismVaishnavismVaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
- AlvarsAlvarsThe alwar or azhwars were Tamil poet saints of south India who lived between the sixth and ninth centuries A.D. and espoused ‘emotional devotion’ or bhakti to Visnu-Krishna in their songs of longing, ecstasy and service. Sri Vaishnava orthodoxy posits the number of alvars as ten, though there are...
- IyengarIyengarIyengar or Ayyangar is a caste given to Hindu Brahmins of Tamil origin who follow the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Sri Ramanujacharya. They are found mostly in Tamil Nadu as they are generally native to the Tamil Nadu state of the Republic of India...
Further reading
- Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dallapiccola
- The Vernacular Veda: Revelation, Recitation, and Ritual (Univ of South Carolina Press, Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.A. January 1, 1994), by Vasudha Narayanan
- Understanding Hinduism, (ISBN 1844832015), by Vasudha Narayanan