Vallabhacharya: (Sanskrit) "Beloved." V

aishnava saint (ca 1475-1530) whose panentheistic Shuddha Advaita (pure nondualism) philosophy became the essential teaching of the nonascetic Vaishnava sect that bears his name. He composed 17 works, most importantly commentaries on the Vedanta and Mimamsa Sutras and the Bhagavata Purana. The stories of his 84 disciples are often repeated on festive occasions by followers. The sect is strongest in Gujarat.

See: Vedanta.

(See also: Vallabhacharya, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Vallabhacharya: (Sanskrit) "Beloved." V

aishnava saint

(ca 1475-1530) whose panentheistic Shuddha Advaita

(pure nondualism) philosophy became the essential

teaching of the nonascetic Vaishnava sect that bears his

name. He composed 17 works, most importantly

commentaries on the Vedanta and Mimamsa Sutras and

the Bhagavata Purana. The stories of his 84 disciples are

often repeated on festive occasions by followers. The sect

is strongest in Gujarat.

See: Vedanta.

(See also: Vallabhacharya, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Vallabhacharyas Vallbhacaryas (Sanskrit) A Vaishnava sect founded by Vallabhacharya, a sectarian mystic said to have been the disciple of Vishnu-svamin, a celebrated teacher of his time. His followers are called Gosvami-maharajas and have a considerable amount of landed property and numerous temples in Bombay.

Vallabhacharya was born in the forest of Champaranya in 1479. At an early age he began traveling to propagate his doctrines, and at the court of Krishna-deva, king of Vijaya-nagara, succeeded so well in his controversies with the Saivas, according to the reports of his followers, that many Vaishnavas chose him as their chief. He then went to other parts of India, and finally settled at Benares, where he composed 17 works, the most important of which were commentaries on the Vedanta- and Mimansa-Sutras and another on the Bhagavata-Purana, on which this sect seems in the main to base their doctrines. He left 84 disciples.

He taught a non-ascetic view of religion and deprecated all self-mortification as dishonoring the body which contained a portion of the supreme spirit. His emphasis on human affections and emotions seems at times to fringe closely the frontiers of licentiousness.

(See also: Vallabhacharyas, Vallbhacaryas, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Madhva (Sanskrit) Also Madhava. The founder of a sect of Vaishnavas called Madhvas after their founder who lived in southern India.

Regarded by his followers as an incarnation of Vayu, said to have been born about 1200, his doctrine is known by its chief characteristic called Dvaita (duality), and stands in opposition to the system of Advaita (nonduality) of Sankaracharya, a follower of the Siva-form of philosophic thought.

He was a follower of the Vishnu-form of religious philosophy, and his special teaching of Dvaita was based on the supposition that the supreme soul of the universe and the human soul are distinct entities, thus being in sharp contrast with the Advaita, which teaches that the spiritual essence of individual beings is identic with that of the universe.

(See also: Madhva, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Chaitanya caitanya (Sanskrit) (from chit to perceive, understand, be conscious)

Consciousness, intelligence; the cosmic intelligence, hence also the light of the Logos. All individual egos in the universe are rooted in cosmic chaitanya as their universal source, and become individualized for experience and work in the material realms by means of the karanopadhi. Chaitanya is thus the invisible essence of human intelligence, the cosmic root of monadic individuality, and the cosmic intelligence-force which is the intrinsic or essential consciousness behind and within individuality.

As a proper name, a reformer of the Vaishnava sect in India (1485-1527), regarded in Bengal as an avatara of Krishna. One of his chief teachings was the duty of bhakti (attachment, devotion, or love) for Krishna so strong that no caste-feeling implying sectarian division could exist with it.

(See also: Chaitanya, caitanya, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Ramanujacharya Ranmanujacarya (Sanskrit) A celebrated Vaishnava reformer, founder of a Vedantic school which taught the doctrine of Visishnadvaita (qualified nonduality), that the human spirit is separate and different from the supreme spirit, though dependent from it and ultimately to be united with it. He lived at Kanchipura and Sri-ranga in South India, and is supposed by many Occidental Orientalists to have lived from 1017-1137. His followers believe him to have been an incarnation of Sesha.

This Vedantic sect is one of the three most important Vedanta schools, the other two being the Advaita (nondualistic) school, of which the chief exponent and teacher was the avatara Sankaracharya; and that of the Dvaitas (dualists). Of these three, the Advaita teachings of Sankaracharya is by far the closest to theosophy.

The differences as among these three Vedantic schools are mainly manners of considering the relation of the human and cosmic spirit-souls. The Advaita in common with theosophy considered the cosmic spirit to be the fountainhead of all later differentiations of consciousness; and therefore it teaches that all such later individualizations are nevertheless all rooted in the cosmic spirit.

The Dvaita school believes that there is a distinct difference of identity between individuals and the cosmic spirit (as likewise do the Christians), although individuals nevertheless issue forth from the cosmic spirit. The Visishtadvaita school believes that although all individuals ultimately issue forth from the cosmic source, they yet possess only qualified identity with it.

(See also: Ramanujacharya, Ranmanujacarya, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Ishta Devata: (Sanskrit) "Cherished or chosen Deity." The Deity that is the object of one's special pious attention. Ishta Devata is a concept common to all Hindu sects.

Vaishnavas may choose among many Divine forms, most commonly Vishnu, Balaji, Krishna, Radha, Rama, Lakshmi, Hanuman and Narasinha, as well as the aniconic shalagrama, a sacred river rock.

Traditionally, Smartas choose from among six Deities: Siva, Shakti, Vishnu, Surya, Ganesha and Kumara (or any of their traditional forms).

For Shaktas, the Divine is worshiped as the Goddess, Shakti, in Her many fierce forms and benign forms, invoking the furious power of Kali or Durga, or the comforting grace of Parvati,

Ambika and others. Saivites direct their worship primarily to Siva as represented by the aniconic Siva Linga, and the human-like murtis, Nataraja and Ardhanarishvara. In temples and scriptural lore, Siva is venerated in a multitude of forms, including the following 23 additional anthropomorphic images: Somaskanda, Rishabarudra, Kalyanasundara, Chandrashekhara, Bhikshatana, Kamadahanamurti, Kalari, Jalandara, Tripurari, Gajari, Virabhadra, Dakshinamurti, Kiratamurti, Nilakantha, Kankala, Chakradana, Gajamukhanugraha, Chandesanugraha, Ekapada, Lingodbhava, Sukhasana, Uma Maheshvara and Haryardha.

See: murti, Shakti, Siva.

(See also: Ishta Devata, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)