Re: Shaivite vs. Vaishnavite faiths
From the Bhakti List Archives
• September 21, 1995
sgopalan@eng.utah.edu writes: > Why is it that the Smarthas of Tamil Nadu > worship both Shiva and Vishnu whereas the Sri Vaishnavas worship only > Vishnu? Sri Vaishnavas understand the Vedas to teach that Sriman Narayana is the Supreme Brahman, and that meditation and surrender to him is the only means to moksha. The Tamil heritage of the Sri Vaishnavas also teaches them that Narayana alone is the supreme entity. With these as a background, the question of worshipping Siva as envisioned in temples and puraanas cannot even arise, since according to the Vaishnava tradition, Siva is not God as such. This is somewhat contrary to the smaarta view that both Vishnu and Siva are merely subjective and ultimately false conceptions of the formless, undifferentiated Absolute. Mani
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