Viṣṇusvāmī | |
|---|---|
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Philosophy | Shuddhadvaita,Hindu philosophy,Vedanta |
Viṣṇusvāmī was aHindu religious leader. He is primarily known for having started theRudra sampradaya.[1][2][3] There are almost no sources on the life of Viṣṇusvāmī. The dates of Viṣṇusvāmī's life are unknown, but scholars conjecture he lived circa the 13th century. Viṣṇusvāmī's own works do not survive, and thus little is directly known of his theological positions. His students are also unknown, and his lineage did not continue uninterrupted.[4]
According to Śrīdhara's commentaries on theBhāgavata Purāṇa and theViṣṇu Purāṇa (c. 1250), Viṣṇusvāmī consideredNarasiṁha to be the supreme deity.Mādhavācārya'sSarvadarśanasaṅgraha (14th century) quotes theSākarasiddhi, a work of one of Viṣṇusvāmī's followers, and states the same.[5]
InVallabha's (c. 1478 - 1530) commentary on theBhāgavata Purāṇa entitledSubodhinī, he states that Viṣṇusvāmī's devotional path was of thetamāsa guṇa, while he states his own is nirguṇa. Vallabha was the founder of the Puṣṭimārga.[5]
According to a Puṣṭimārga text, Gadādharadāsa'sSaṁpradāyapradīpa (colophon states A.D. 1552–54, but according to Hawley, actually from the latter half of the 1600s), at one point inKali Yuga a king fromDrāviḍa country had conquered all of India and Viṣṇusvāmī was the son of that king's Brāhmaṇa minister. The text states the Viṣṇusvāmī prayed for seven days until Kr̥ṣṇa appeared before him and thus started the Viṣṇusvāmī sampradāya. Centuries later Vallabha wins aśāstrārtha at the court of Vijayanagara rulerKr̥ṣṇadevarāya and is offer theācārya seat of the Madhva sampradāya byVyāsatīrtha; however he rejects the offer after he receives a dream in whichVilvamaṅgala (author of theŚrīkr̥ṣṇakarṇāmr̥ta) reveals that he has waited 700 years as the last of 700 Viṣṇusvāmīācāryas for Vallabha to take his seat and end the popular worship ofŚiva as promoted byŚaṅkara. Due to historical inconsistencies, Hawley states this account is "clearly counterfactual" and was composed to further late 17th century Puṣṭimārga interests in promoting Vallabha's sect as one of the four sampradāyas of Vaishnavism and Vallabha as preeminent among contemporary Vaiṣṇava figures as well as previous generations of South Indian Vaiṣṇavas.[5][6][7]
There exists a copper land-grant plate dated to 1661, which states that theVijayanagara rulerRaṁga Rāya gifted the villages of Raṇaghaṭa and Hirekalyāṇi to the head of the Viṣṇusvāmīmaṭha. The plate states that Viṣṇusvāmī was a 5th generation student of Gauḍapāda, the student ofŚuka, the student ofVyāsa and from thereNārada.[5][8]
In 1812, the king of MysoreKr̥ṣṇa Rāja Oḍeyar III remitted the taxes owed by Kr̥ṣṇānanda Svāmī, who was the head of the Viṣṇusvāmī maṭha.[8]
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