The Vaishnava Sampradayas
By Srila BR Sridhara Deva Goswami
There are four Vaishnava Sampradayas; I am only giving a summary here. Nimbarka’s teaching is known as dvaitadvaita; Madhvacarya’s, dvaita; Visnuswami’s, suddhadvaita; and Ramanuja’s, visisthadvaita.
Ramanuja’s sampradaya is known as Sri sampradaya, it is coming from Sri, Laxmidevi; Madhvacarya’s sampradaya is coming from Lord Brahma; Rudra, Siva, is the source of the Visnuswami sampradaya, and Nimbarka’s sampradaya stems from Catuhsana, the four Kumaras. Sridhar Swami, the renowned commentator of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, belongs to the teachings of suddhadvaita. And the Vallabha sampradaya also springs up from there; it is a branch from the same.
In the teachings of the Nimbarka sampradaya, known as dvaitadvaita-vada, both difference (dvaita) and oneness (advaita) between the Lord and his energies are accepted, but this is not qualified as acintya, inconceivable. Mahaprabhu’s philosophy is also of bhedabheda, oneness and difference, but the necessary qualification is given: acintya. The demarcation between the two—the oneness and the difference—is not in the hand of anybody, it is reserved with him, with the Lord. Whatever we find, whatever is existing, is, in general, existing as both common with, and different from, him, the Absolute; but that is not a rigid thing. It depends on him; he can change the line of demarcation anytime, anywhere. The line of demarcation is acintya. Where that line may be, where it happens one time, we should not think that it will happen that way every time. It depends on the sweet will of the ultimate reality. So, Nimbarka’s’ dvaitadvaita is very akin to Mahaprabhu’s acintya-bhedabheda, though with this difference.
Another distinction is that though the object of worship in Nimbarka’s line is Radha-Krishna, and up to madhurya-rasa, they do not accept the play of parakiya-bhava, paramour love. Between the Nimbarka and Gaudiya sampradayas, the difference is the acceptance of parakiya, such as is shown in the madhyana-lila, the noontime pastimes of Radha and Krishna.
The Nimbarkas also are more concerned with, and more fond of, arcana, worship, performed strictly according to the scriptures. The viddhi, the laws, regulations, is the principal thing for them. In the Gaudiya sampradaya, the strictness of the viddhi is a little slackened, with affection, love, having the better part.
Such a mood of affectionate worship is there also in the Vallabha sampradaya, the line of suddhadvaita. They do not like to even use the word “arcane”, but they say “seva”, as we do. We speak of seva, that is, raga-marga: that with affection we shall serve, and not according to the strict, scriptural rules. The Vallabha sampradaya has this in common with us also.
And there is also the Ramanandi sampradaya, which though springing from the Ramanuja sampradaya, is yet a deviation, because we find in Ramananda himself, and later in Tulasi das, a greater rigidity in asceticism. Asceticism has a bigger part in them, and also the tendency towards salvation, towards liberation, moksa.
The four sampradayas also have their respective bhasyas, their commentaries, on Vedanta. Nimbarka has his Parijad-bhasya; Madhvacarya has his bhasya; Ramanuja has got his own commentary, Sri-bhasya by name; Visnuswami also has got his bhasya, and Sridhar Swami also follows that line. The Gaudiya sampradaya has got its own commentary, Govinda-bhasya. These are interpretations, different types of interpretation of Vedanta, Brahma-sutra, but all are theistic. These four, and their branches, are all theistic.
Dandavats Harmonist Staff,
The following excerpts are from 2 books about our Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya.
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Sriman Mahaprabhu Accepts Two Essential Conceptions From Each of the Four Vaisnava Sampradayas
“O great personality from the Madhva sampradaya, I will accept two essential principles: the refutation of kevaladvaita (exclusive monism) and service to Sri Krishna’s deity form, having accepted this form as eternal. (52-53) [Brahma Sampradaya]
“From Sri Ramanuja I will accept exclusive devotion (ananya-bhakti) and service to devotees. (54) [Laxmi’s Sri Sampradaya]
“From Sri Visnusvami I will accept the sentiment that Bhagavan Sri Krishna alone is my everything (tvadiya-sarvasva-bhava) and the path of spontaneous devotion (raga-marga). (55) [Rudra Sampradaya]
“From your sampradaya (the line of Sri Nimbaditya) I will accept two supremely essential principles: to exclusively take shelter of the lotus feet of Srimati Radhika (ekanta-radhikasraya) and the sentiments of the gopis. (56) [Kumara Sampradaya]
From Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Sri Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya: Parikrama-khanda, Chapter 16 (GVP) pg 387-388
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“There are four sampradayas, disciplic successions. One comes from Lord Brahma (the Brahma-sampradaya), and another comes from Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, (the Sri-sampradaya). There are also the Kumara-sampradaya and the Rudra-sampradaya.
From the purport to Teachings of Lord Kapila, Chapter 14, Verse 31 (BBT)
Beautiful ! Lovely ! “two essential conceptions” above