Sampradaya

The Sanskrit word sampradaya ( saṁpradāya ^IAST ) can be translated as “tradition” or “religious system”, although it should be noted that in the Indian religious context, this term has a much more authoritative and strong meaning, which cannot be completely translated by translating it into Russian . ^[one]

The closest in meaning to the term “sampradaya” is perhaps the word “tradition”, if we mean by tradition the totality of elements of religious and theological doctrine transmitted from one generation to another, forms of religious experience, religious practice, etiquette, moral attitudes, forms of social life, etc. D. Sampradaya is the unity of these elements, which has absorbed the entire past tradition and represents it in the present. Part of the concept of sampradaya is its correlation with other traditions, as well as the ability, without changing over time, to be a living source of knowledge and experience.

Sampradaya is a spiritual channel, a chain of relationships that maintains a clear religious identity and continuity throughout history. ^[1] One can join sampradaya by receiving diksa in a certain parampara - thus, the concept of “sampradaya” is closely connected with guru-parampara - a line in which spiritual teachers act as transmitters and transmitters of tradition. ^[1] Diksha is a ritual procedure and also acts as one of the main purposes of sampradaya. Sampradaya is a set of practices, relationships and a certain worldview that are transmitted, and in the process of this transfer are reformulated and revised by each subsequent generation of followers. The sampradaya system helps maintain the cultural and philosophical continuity of a tradition from the past, and at the same time provides the basis for the necessary changes within the tradition itself that are being carried out by its people. ^[one]

In Vaishnavism, outside of sampradaya, religious practice is considered fruitless, since the mantras that form its basis produce the proper effect only if they are received from an authoritative tradition guru . ^[2] In Vaishnavism, it is customary to distinguish four authentic sampradayas, the founders of which are the goddess Lakshmi ( sri-sampradaya ), Shiva ( rudra-sampradaya ), Brahma ( brahma-sampradaya ) and Kumara ( kumara-sampradaya ). Each sampradayi also has its own “original teacher” (mulacharya), or “Vedanta teacher” (Vedantacharya), who is usually the author of basic commentaries on the Vedanta-sutras , the main Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita , the fundamental texts of philosophical and theological doctrines of sampradaya.

In Sri Sampradaya, the role of Vedantacarya is performed by Ramanuja , in Rudra Sampradaya by Vishnuswami , in Brahma Sampradaya by Madhva , in Kumara Sampradaya by Nimbarka . Although all four sampradayas are considered authoritative, each of them has its own ideas about the existing (para-tattva), about the subject of worship (upasya-tattva), about the purpose of religious practice (sadhya-tattva), about the ways to achieve this goal (sadhana-tattva) ) and on the determining criteria for belonging to the sampradaya of its follower (sadhaka-tattva).

In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, it is generally accepted that the appearance of four Vaishnava sampradayas was predicted in one of the texts of the Padma Purana : ^[3]

Without initiation into disciples from a true guru belonging to the parampara , the mantra will have no effect. For this reason, four Vaishnava sampradayas started by Lakshmi , Lord Brahma , Lord Rudra , and Sanaka (one of the four Kumaras ) will appear in the holy pilgrimage site of Jagannatha Puri and purify the whole earth in the age of Kali-yuga . Lakshmi will choose Ramanuja as the founder of his sampradaya, Lord Brahma will choose Madhvacarya , Lord Rudra will choose Vishnuswami , and four Kumaras will choose Nimbaditya .

Some movements in Vaishnavism proclaimed their founder an avatar and broke away from their parent sampradaya, creating their own. An example of this is the tradition of Ramananda . ^[four]

The exact number and names of Shaivite sampradayas cannot be determined. The main reason for this is the lack of general systematization in Shaivite literature; the texts often contain very different lists both in name and in quantity: for example, the author of the Sammohan Tantra, without going into too much detail, divides everyone according to geographical feature ^[5] . In some tantras, there are lists of Shivaite sampradayas (in most cases, these are just transfers of names), and the number varies from 18 to 1008 sampradayas: for example, there is a list of 52 Shivaite sampradayas, linking them with the places where they fell to the ground Sati body fragments ^[6] .

There is also a classic division into 6 sampradayas or darshanas ; however, this division is difficult to recognize as correct - for example, Kashmiri Shaivism within itself is divided into several areas: Trika, Spanda, Pratyabhijna and others ^[6] . The situation is similar in virashivaism - the tradition is divided into 5 main schools, which, in turn, are also divided into sub-schools.

In many cases, it is very difficult to separate one sampradaya from another - schools can differ from each other only in the understanding of secondary concepts. The fact that one and the same school in different sources may have different names makes it very difficult. There is just the opposite phenomenon - the same name in different schools: there is the Shakti “Kula” and the Kashmiri “Kula” ^[5] .

The purpose or role that sampradaya plays in the formation, transmission and preservation of a common religious identity has many aspects. Naturally, the preservation of identity is subject to many challenges that can serve as a basis for understanding the constituent parts of this identity and determining the main inner essence of a tradition in comparison with its external attributes. However, for most observers, the controversy surrounding sampradaya simply means a controversy over continuity, an example of which is the sequence in the movement of Swaminarayan . This controversy usually occurs at the “human” end of the parampara on the elementary issue of control: “who is the true representative in a certain line”, or who is at a higher “level of spiritual awareness”. ^[7] All this must be considered in the context of the fact that "remembering past experience in parampara determined the main aspects of sampradaya for each individual belonging to it." ^[eight]

In the context of traditional Hinduism, belonging to sampradaya not only gives high authority to the statement about the truth and tradition of a certain trend, but is also a necessary factor in order to have the right to claim truth and tradition. As the verse often quoted from Padma Purana says, sampradaya vihina ye mantras te nishphala mata : " Mantras that were not received in sampradaya have no effect . " ^[1] "Without receiving diksa from a true guru belonging to the parampara , the mantra will have no effect . " ^{[1] [9]} This can be compared with the case when a person cannot prove that his parents were legally married and rejected as an illegitimate child. A similar standard applies to religious organizations. If a religious movement cannot prove its affiliation with one of the recognized sampradayas, it runs the risk of being rejected as unconventional. ^[ten]

• Gotra
• Guru
• Parampara
• Deeksha

• S. A. Gorokhov. Tantrism and Tantrists.
• S.V. Pakhomov. The identification problem in Hindu tantrism.
• S.V. Pakhomov. The problem of the definition and classification of tantric schools.

• Srila B.P. Puri, “Discipleship (Sampradaya)”
• Vedic literature library
• Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Vaisnava Sampradaya