How Thoreau's Walden Pond Mixed with the Ganges and Yoga Came to America with Swami Vivekananda

Vaishnaiva Bhakti
“Gaudiya Vaishnavism (also known as
Chaitanya Vaishnavism and Hare
Krishna) is a Vaishnava religious movement
founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
(1486–1534) in India in the 16th
century. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gauḍa
region (present day Bengal/Bangladesh)
with Vaishnavism meaning "the worship
of Vishnu.” Its philosophical basis is primarily
that of the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana, as well as other Puranic
scriptures and Upanishads such as the Isha Upanishad, Gopala Tapani
Upanishad, and Kali Santarana Upanishad.
The focus of Gaudiya Vaishnavism is the devotional worship (bhakti) of
Radha and Krishna, and their many divine incarnations as the supreme forms
of God, Svayam Bhagavan. Most popularly, this worship takes the form of singing
Radha and Krishna's holy names, such as "Hare,” "Krishna" and "Rama,”
most commonly in the form of the Hare Krishna (mantra), also known as kirtan.
The movement is sometimes referred to as the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya sampradaya,
referring to its traditional origins in the succession of spiritual masters
(gurus) believed to originate from Brahma. It classifies itself as a monotheistic tradition,
seeing the many forms of Vishnu as expansions or incarnations of the
one Supreme God, adipurusha . . .
Release from the process of samsara (known as moksha) is believed to be
achievable through a variety of yoga processes. However, within Gaudiya
Vaishnavism it is bhakti in its purest state (or "pure love of God") which is given
as the ultimate aim, rather than liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
Gaudiya Vaishnavas believe that God has many forms and names, but that
the name "Krishna" is the 'fullest' description because it means "He who is allattractive,”
covering all of God's aspects, such as being all-powerful, supremely
merciful and all-loving. God is worshiped as the eternal, all-knowing, omnipresent,
all-powerful and all-attractive Supreme Person. Names of God from other
religious traditions, such as Allah and Jehovah, are also accepted as bonafide titles
of the same Supreme Person.”
One of the defining aspects of Gaudiya Vaishnavism is that Krishna is worshiped
specifically as the source of all Avataric incarnations of God. This is
based on quotations from the Bhagavata Purana, such as "krsnas tu bhagavan
svayam,” translated as "Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead" and
from the Bhagavad Gita where Arjuna, when speaking to Krishna, states:
"You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest,
the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the
unborn, the greatest. All the great sages such as Narada, Asita, Devala and Vyasa
confirm this truth about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me."
Krishna is described elsewhere as the "seed-giving father of all living beings"
and is worshiped within the Gaudiya tradition literally, as such - Krishna being
the "sustaining energy of the universe"
– Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Related Glossary Terms
Bhaktivedanta Swami, Hare Krishna movement, ISKCON, Swami B.G. Narasingha
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Chapter 1 - How Thoreau's Walden Pond Mixed with the Ganges and Yoga Came to America with Swami Vivekananda