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    Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya and Bhakthi Movement

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    T Sampath Kumaran
    The document discusses the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya and the Bhakti movement in India. It notes that religion in India focuses more on direct spiritual experience than codes of conduct. It describes the Bhakti movement as originating from the 12 Alwar saints who composed devotional songs dedicated to Vishnu in Tamil. The movement gained momentum under Sri Ramanuja who promoted the path of love and surrender to God. The Bhakti movement spread devotion to all levels of society and inspired many folk theatrical forms that helped propagate its message of devotion across India.

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    Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya and Bhakthi Movement

    Uploaded by

    T Sampath Kumaran
    925 views3 pages
    The document discusses the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya and the Bhakti movement in India. It notes that religion in India focuses more on direct spiritual experience than codes of conduct. It describes the Bhakti movement as originating from the 12 Alwar saints who composed devotional songs dedicated to Vishnu in Tamil. The movement gained momentum under Sri Ramanuja who promoted the path of love and surrender to God. The Bhakti movement spread devotion to all levels of society and inspired many folk theatrical forms that helped propagate its message of devotion across India.

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    By Tamarapu Sampath Kumaran - extracts from his book THE PATH OF RAMANUJA - (Ramanuja.org)

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    The document discusses the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya and the Bhakti movement in India. It notes that religion in India focuses more on direct spiritual experience than codes of conduct. It describes the Bhakti movement as originating from the 12 Alwar saints who composed devotional songs dedicated to Vishnu in Tamil. The movement gained momentum under Sri Ramanuja who promoted the path of love and surrender to God. The Bhakti movement spread devotion to all levels of society and inspired many folk theatrical forms that helped propagate its message of devotion across India.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    925 views3 pages

    Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya and Bhakthi Movement

    Uploaded by

    T Sampath Kumaran
    The document discusses the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya and the Bhakti movement in India. It notes that religion in India focuses more on direct spiritual experience than codes of conduct. It describes the Bhakti movement as originating from the 12 Alwar saints who composed devotional songs dedicated to Vishnu in Tamil. The movement gained momentum under Sri Ramanuja who promoted the path of love and surrender to God. The Bhakti movement spread devotion to all levels of society and inspired many folk theatrical forms that helped propagate its message of devotion across India.

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    Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya and Bhakthi Movement:

    Religion in India is more a direct experience than a code of conduct and


    from an early age different systems of margas (paths) have been prescribed
    for attaining the goal, variously called liberation, bliss and heaven. However
    the different margas are not contradictory and in some respects they
    supplemented each other; for example proficiency in Gnana-yoga,
    Raja-yoga and Bhakthi-yoga are demanded from the highest Sadhakas
    (devotees).

    The word Bhakthi derived from the root bhaj by the application of the ktin
    suffix, which expresses an action, and means among other things service,
    devotion, attachment, loyalty and homage.

    The Bhakthi movement of the Alwars derived an


    impetus and momentum in the hands of Sri Ramanuja. SriVaishnavism is
    one of the pre-eminent traditions of Hinduism. An unbroken lineage of
    teachers (the Acharyas) and a wealth of literature in Tamil and Sanskrit and
    the Vishistadvaitha philosophy form the backbone of the Sri Vaishnava sect
    of Hindu religion.
    Twelve Alwars lived their lives dedicated to expressing their devotion to
    Maha Vishnu – considered to be the supreme manifestation of Divinity in
    the Vaishnava system of beliefs. These saints composed verses in chaste
    Tamil, and revitalized the spirit of the region, sparkling a renewal of
    devotional worship in what is generally referred as Bhakthi Movement.

    Sri Ramanuja was essentially a propagator of Bhakthimarga –quoting him,


    “love and total surrender alone would be the only way to receive the grace of
    God”.
    Vaishnavism as a school of thought and religion is ancient. The original
    bhakthi movement spread with vigour after the 10th century. It took religion
    to the common man, to the lowest strata of society, those classes to whom
    the highly formalized and Vedic religion was beyond reach. Hence Bhakthi
    movement was also a social movement.

    Bhakthi according to the Alwars is not confined to the worship of the image
    in the temple or singing (devotional songs) but practicing in daily life the
    principle of LOVE ALL and SERVE ALL. They practiced to the letter the
    message as in Bhagavad Gita in the XII Chapter:
    “Adveshta Sarva bhoothaanam Maithram Karuna evacha
    Nirimamo nirahamkaarah Sama dukka Sukha Kshami

    (It means) One who does not hate any species of creation, One who is kind
    and compassionate, One who is humble, and treats joy and sorrow alike – he
    alone is my dear devotee says Lord Krishna.

    Basically Yakshagana – the folk drama of


    Karnataka – is the product of Vaishnavite Bhakthimovement, and its origin
    is connected with a wider historical situation. In order to propagate and
    spread the message of devotion it adopted the existing folk as well classical
    literary forms and performances. It created its own form. Most of the
    traditional theatre forms are the results of this phenomenon.
    Hence there are clear resemblances among the members of the
    “Traditional Theatre Family” like Ankhia Nata (Assam), Jathra (Bengal),
    Chau (Bihar, Bengal ), Prahlada Nata (Orissa), Veedhi Natakam and Chindu
    (Andhra), Terukoothu and Bhagavata Mela (Tamilnadu), Kathakali (Kerala).
    Harinama Sankeerthanam (Chanting of the name of God) also form part of
    the Bhakthi Movement.

    -Extract from the book –THE PATH OF RAMANUJA –


    By Tamarapu Sampath Kumaran

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