Radha Vallabh Sampradaya
The Radha Vallabh Sampradaya is a Vaishnava Hindu denomination which began in 1535 at Vrindavan with the bhakti sant Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu (1502–1552).[4] Harivansh's views are related to Krishnaism but emphasizes devotion to goddess Radha as the Supreme Being.[5][1][6][7][8]
 Goddess Radha, the principal goddess of Radha Vallabh tradition | |
| Founder | |
|---|---|
| Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mathura, Uttar Pradesh[1] | |
| Religions | |
| Vaishnavism | |
| Scriptures | |
| Hita-Chaurāsī[2] • other hymns | |
| Languages | |
| Braj Bhasha • Sanskrit[3] | |
| Website | |
| radhavallabhmandir |
| Part of a series on |
| Vaishnavism |
|---|
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Features
According to the scholar Guy L. Beck, the Radha vallabh sampradaya has the following features, in comparison with Krishnaite traditions.[9]
- Its view on Radha and Krishna differentiates from normative Krishnaite theology. The ultimate Supreme Being is the Devi Radha, the Queen, while her consort Krishna is the penultimate step toward the supreme deity,[1] her most intimate servant.[note 1]
- The tradition prefers to remain unaffiliated with any classical philosophical positions[3] and previous four major Vaishnavite sampradayas.[note 2]
- It declines to produce theological and philosophical commentaries, basing on pure bhakti, divine love.
- The founder and followers lived and live as householders and sannyasa is not praised.
Scriptures
The main scriptures of the sampradaya created in regional Braj Bhasha with status of the heaven language.[3]
Lineage of Radhavallabh Sampraday
The Shri Radha Vallabh Temple in Vrindavan, Mathura is a very famous temple of the same preaching. This temple is among the most famous 7 temples of Thakur of Vrindavan including Sri Radhavallabh ji, Shri Govind Dev ji, Shri Bankey Bihari Ji and four others. In this temple, there is no idol of Radharani, but a crown is placed next to Krishna to signify her presence.[13]
Shri Radha Vallabh Temple was founded by Shri Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu who is worshipped in the adjacent temple of Shri Radhavallabh ji which was earlier Shri Radhavallabh ji's temple but because of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb attack on Vrindavan he was shifted to other place and then the new temple was built. The Yugal Darshan of Radhavallabh ji is considered as difficult because of rituals due to which the "patt" gets closed. This temple with Madan teer and Seva kunj with Maharasmandal are held by the Tikaet Adhyaksh and are considered as Shri Radhavallabh ji's property. In this temple Radhastami is celebrated largely which is a festival on the birthday of Shri Radha Rani . The Temple of Shri Radhavallabh lal is also the mighty temple as many people confirmed that The Lord there residing is living power while others feel a real relaxation on having the Yugal Darshan of Radhavallabh ji.
In the lap of nature, in Vrindavan with its cluster of forests and meadows surrounded by the revered river Yamuna, the almighty mingled with the people of the land, making on destination of cast and creed. The purest form of divine love play with Sri Radha displayed by him, opened up the most secluded, rarest and the super most path of "Ras-Bhakti", hitherto unknown to the world.
Shri Radhavallabhlal temple is one of the icons of Vrindavan with extraordinary beauty, building style and wonderful darshans of deity. The Lord is considered as living with unearthly powers. Many people from far away come to seek the darshan of Thakur Ji.[14]
The forces of creation and sustenance, in effect Mother Nature herself, reincarnated around Him as Sri Radha, and her companions. Lord Krishna's haunting flute sweetest melodies was the call of God and followers happily abandoned worldly attachments to serve God and joy in this garden of nature.
The kirtan "Samaj-Gayan" is the Radha-vallabha's collective style of hymn singing by the Hindustani classical music forms, such "dhrupad" and "dhamar".[3]
Notable people
- Prabodhananda Sarasvati, a Sanskrit poet, sannyasi, saint.[15]
See also
Notes
- As a precursor to this view can be understand the 12th-century poet Jayadeva, in whose Gita Govinda (10.9) Krishna beneath Radha.[10]
- Scholaes sometimes count the Radhavallabhis as offshoot of Nimbarka Sampradaya.[11]
References
Footnotes
- Beck 2005, p. 66.
- White 1977; Snell 1991; Beck 2005, pp. 67–68.
- Beck 2005, p. 67.
- White 1977; Snell 1991, chapter 1; Brzezinski 1992; Rosenstein 1998; Beck 2005.
- Rosenstein 1998.
- Vemsani, Lavanya (2016). Krishna in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names. Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio. ISBN 978-1-61069-211-3. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- Lochtefeld, James G. (2002). "Radha". The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N–Z. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 542. ISBN 978-0-8239-3180-4.
- Balfour, Edward (1885). The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia: Commercial, Industrial and Scientific, Products of the Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal Kingdoms, Useful Arts and Manufactures (3rd ed.). London: B. Quaritch. p. 62. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
- Beck 2005, pp. 74–76.
- Beck 2005, p. 76.
- De, Sushil Kumar (1942). Early History of the Vaisnava Faith and Movement in Bengal from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources. Calcutta: General Printers and Publishers. p. 6 note.
- Beck 2005, pp. 86–90.
- Rājaśekhara Dāsa (2000). The Color Guide to Vṛndāvana: India's Most Holy City of Over 5,000 Temples. Vedanta Vision Publication.
- "Shri Radhavallabh Mandir - Asthyam Sewa". www.radhavallabhmandir.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-13. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
- Brzezinski 1992.
Bibliography
- Beck, Guy L. (2005). "Krishna as Loving Husband of God: The Alternative Krishnology of the Rādhāvallabha Sampradaya". In Guy L. Beck (ed.). Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity. Albany, NY: SUNY Press. pp. 65–90. ISBN 978-0-7914-6415-1.
- Brzezinski, J. K. (1992). "Prabodhānanda, Hita Harivaṃśa and the Rādhārasasudhānidhi". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 55 (3): 472–497. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00003669. JSTOR 620194. S2CID 161089313.
- Rosenstein, Lucy (1998). "The Rādhāvallabha and the Haridāsā Samprādayas: A Comparison". Journal of Vaishnava Studies. 7 (1): 5–18.
- Snell, Rupert (1991). The Eighty-four Hymns of Hita Harivaṃśa: An Edition of the Caurāsī Pada. Delhi; London: Motilal Banarsidass; School of Oriental and African Studies. ISBN 81-208-0629-8.
- White, Charles S. J. (1977). The Caurāsī Pad of Śri Hit Harivaṃś: Introduction, Translation, Notes, and Edited Braj Bhaṣa. Asian studies at Hawaii, 16. Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii. ISBN 9780824803599. ISSN 0066-8486.