Gaudiya Vaishnavism[3] is another important Bhagavata branch originally set in motion by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534) in sixteenth-century Bengal. Caitanya's religious sensibilities were marked by fervent love for the personalized god Krishna, sublimated in the form of sankirtana: public dancing, chanting, singing and ranting upon the god-man as well as his consort Radha and his incarnations. The philosophical basis of Gaudiya Vaishnavism is largely rooted in the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana, as well as other Puranic and Upanishadic scriptures such as the Isha Upanishad. The school classifies itself as a monotheistic tradition, since the incarnation of Krishna actually transcends the very deity from which he was originally said to emanate. That is, even Vishnu is considered an incarnation of the one Supreme God, Krishna in his personal form.
This tradition expanded beyond India due to the efforts of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a member of the Gaudiya disciplic lineage and founder of the the "International Society for Krishna Consciousness" (ISKCON). He arrived on the shores of New York City in 1965 at the age of 69, founding his first ISKCON center there in the summer of the following year. This group maintained the Gaudiya focus on singing Krishna's holy names, such as 'Hare', 'Krishna' and 'Rama', which it afforded it the moniker of the Hare Krishna movement. The following years saw the construction of numerous ISKCON throughout North America and Europe as the movement gained a dedicated following. Prabhupada eventually returned to India in 1970 with a troupe of disciples from the west, and established further ISKCON temples in major Indian centers such as Bombay and Vrindavan, as well as international headquarters in Mayapura.[4]
Symbols
- Tilak
The tilak is a mark of sectarian affiliation worn by Hindus upon the forehead. Tilak varies in design according to the group an affiliate belongs to, and so the various Vaishnava sampradayas each have their own distinctive marking which depict the siddhanta of their particular lineage. In the Vallabha Rudra-sampradaya, for instance, the tilak worn is generally a single vertical red line which represents Yamuna devi, a consort of one of Krishna's incarnations. The Madhva sampradaya mark is composed of two vertical lines representing Krishna's 'lotus feet' with a vertical black line in between. This intermediary line is made from the daily coal of the yajna-kunda[5] performed for the benefit of Narayana or Krishna. In the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, the tilak is basically identical to that of the Madhva lineage, with the exception that it is usually made out of mud from Vrindavan.
- Tulasi Tree
A recurrent symbol in Vaishnavism, particularly the Gaudiya lineage, is the Tulasi tree. This tree is named for Tulasi-devi, one of Krishna’s most devoted gopis, of whom the Tulasi plant is considered a manifestation or expansion. The Tulasi plant and its leaves figure prominently in Vaishnava services, wherein devotees water the Tulasi tree as an illustration of faith in its healing power. Ritual waterings occur daily. Also, Tulasi leaves are collected and given to icons of Krishna as an offering. Outside of the temple, the Tulasi tree can be found in virtually all Vaishnava homes.
- Chakra
One of the earliest ways in which to identify Vishnu was the circular sudarsana-cakra, from the Sanskrit term for "wheel." In the specific context of Vishnu, this refers to the sharp, spinning disk used by Vishnu as a weapon. It is almost always pictured in one of the many arms of Vishnu or those of any of his incarnations. Vishnu often employs the cakra to decapitate demons and other agents of evil; accordingly, the weapon has been associated by Vaishavas with Vishnu's capacity as preserver and protector of the universe. More generally, the wheel is probably a solar symbol, and so it links the later Vishnu with his precursors in the Vedas. The spinning nature of the disk may suggest Vishnu's status as the axis of the universe around which everything else rotates.[4]