Hindu Devotionalism and the Vaisnava Tradition

 

I.  Bhakti: Hindu Devotionalism

 

1.      The Medieval Period (600 C.E. – 1800 C.E.): Three Major Developments

a.       (1) Systematization of Hindu philosophy into six schools (darsanas)

b.      (2) Rise of Tantrism (dissent against convention)

                                                  i.      Techniques that lead directly to liberation, bypassing tradition

                                                ii.      Mantras, mandalas, yogic techniques, guru

                                              iii.      Right-handed and left-handed

1.      RH: For all adepts, use of mantras, mandalas, rituals

2.      LH: Partaking of forbidden things, transcend artificial distinctions (caste, purity-impurity, dharma-adharma). Polluting things, meat, illicit sexual intercourse.

a.       Everything pervaded by Brahman, sanctity of all things, underlying unity -- no high/low, no pure/impure

c.       (3) Rise of devotional movements

                                                  i.      Nayanars (Saiva) and Alvars (Vaisnava) – new forms of piety

                                                ii.      Rise of temples as religious centers

                                              iii.      Puranas (“stories of old”): 18 major

2.      Rise of great theistic traditions associated particularly with Visnu but also with Siva and Devi the Goddess. 

a.       Beginnings of Hindu theism: Late Upanishads reflect the idea of a supreme, God or Goddess who generates cosmos, maintains it, destroys it.

a.       Two deities become focus: Siva (first appears in Rg as Rudra) and Visnu.  Devotees to Siva = Saivas.  Dev to Visnu = Vaisnavas.

 

II.  Three Narrative Traditions

1.      The growth of Hindu theism and devotionalism reflected in narrative traditions of:

a.       Itihasa: Mainly the Epics.  Sanskrit

b.      Puranas: Mythological and ritual treatises. Sanskrit.  18 major.

c.       Devotional poetry.  Vernacular languages (particularly Tamil).

2.      Itihasa

a.       No historiography in South Asia: as in Greek, Arabic and European traditions.  Reinforces tendency to construct India as ahistorical mythical, irrational in contrast to the West: historical, scientific, rational = the West’s irrational other.  This hides the ‘rationalist’ elements of Hindu culture: science of ritual, grammar, architecture, mathematics, logic and philosophy

b.      Even so, no clear distinction between history, hagiography, and mythology.  Itihasa embraces the categories of myth and history.  Most important seems to be the truth, values, identity they convey.

c.       Epics are primarily Vaisnava: Mahabharata and Ramayana

3.      Puranas “stories of the ancient past”:

a.       Vast body of complex narratives containing genealogies of deities and kings, cosmologies, law coded, descriptions of ritual and pilgrimage.

b.      Oral traditions written down – absorbed influences from epics, Upanishads, dharmasastras, samhitas.

c.       18 major Puranas – bulk of the material established  c. 320-500 CE.  Some are more sectarian than others (focused on a particular deity)

4.      Visnu

a.       Vaisnava worldview:  supremacy of Visnu as creator and pervader of the universe.  Takes the designations Brahma, Visnu and Siva

b.      “Visnu”: possibly from the Snskr verbal root vis (to enter) – Visnu is ‘he who enters’ or pervades the universe.

                                                  i.      Rg Veda: benevolent, solar deity, often coupled with warrior god Indra. In one hymn: Visnu takes three strides and separates earth from sky.  Basis of later Puranic myth: Visnu incarnated as Vamana the dwarf, covers universe with three strides and so destroys power of demon Bali

5.      By Puranas (4th-6th century CE) Visnu depicted two major ways:

a.       Dark blue youth, standing upright, 4 arms holding: conch shell (origin of existence, primeval sound from which creation developed), discus (wheel of time, limitless power, circle around wheel is maya), mace (power of knowledge, time), lotus (the universe, unfolds from formless ocean).  Wears the jewel called the kaustubha, curl of hair on left side of his chest (srivasta, beloved of goddess Sri), jewel on wrist

b.      Visnu lying asleep on coils of a great cosmic snake, Sesa, that floats on the cosmic ocean.  When he awakes he creates the universe.  Lotus from navel, flower and Brahma, who manifests the universe that is maintained by Visnu, destroyed by Siva, withdraws into Visnu’s navel and Visnu falls asleep once more.

c.       Visnu married to Lakshmi and Sri: a single being (goddess of good fortune and prosperity), originally distinct. Rides his mount Garuda, a hawk.