By his wife Lakshmt, the goddess of beauty, he had lama or Manmatha, the god of love. The PnrAn'as, which are the text-books for the Vaishn'avas, are the Vishn'u, NAradiya, BhAgavata, Garud'a, Padma, and VarAha, which are called Satwika, or pure and true.
Sects of Vaishn'ara8.—The first authentic records w•e have of the different worshippers of Vishn'u date from the 8th or 9th century of our era. At that time the two great divisions of Vaishn'avas and S'aivas were in a flourishing condition, and each embraced six sub divisions; those which belonged to the Vaishnava faith are the following :— I. The Matas, who worshipped Viahn'u as VAsudeva, and wore no characteristic marks ; their worship was that of the one supreme lord of the universe.
2. The Bhdgavataa, who thus called themselves from a name of Vishn'u, and impressed upon their persons the Vaishreara representing the discus, club, conch, &c., of their divinity. But they had an admixture of superstition in their religious creed, and reverenced the Tulasi plant and the Sellagrelma stone, of which more will be said hereafter. The authorities of both these sects were the Upanishads and the Bhagavarl.GRA.
3. The Vaishn•araa differed only from the preceding sect by pro mising themselves a sort of sensual paradise after death in Vaikun't'a.
4. The Panchardtrakaa, who worshipped the female personifica tions of Vishn'u.
Besides these there were, 5, the Vaikhtinaias, and, 6, the Karntma Idnel$, who abstained from all ritual observances.
These six sects, of which some have disappeared, have given rise to about twenty different schools, which for the greater part exist to this day. Amongst other divisions of less importance, the Vaishn'avas are usually distinguished into four principal SampradAyos, or sects, of which the most ancient and respectable is the S'rl Sampradaya, founded by the Vaishn'ava reformer Ramanuja Ach&rya, who lived about the middle of the 12th century. The establishments of the lamlinujiyds are still numerous in the Deccan, and the same country comprehends the site of the Gaddi, or the pillow-seat of the primi tive teacher ; his spiritual throne, to which his disciples are success ively elevated; and this circumstance gives a superiority to the Acharyas of the south over those of the north of India. The worship
of this sect is addressed to Vishn'u and to Lakshmt, and their respective incarnations, either singly or conjointly; and this causes many subdivisions according as these Vaishn'avas adore either Nara yan'a or Lakshmt, or Lakshmt Narayan'a, or Rama or SitA, or Sita Rama, &e. Images of metal or stone are set up in the houses of the private members of this sect, which are daily worshipped, and the temples and dwellings are all decorated with the Salagrama stone and the Tulasl plant. A peculiarity of this sect is that they always cook for themselves, and observe the most scrupulous privacy in eating their meals.
The chief ceremony of initiation in all Hindu sects is the com munication by the teacher to the disciple of the Mantra, which generally consists of the name of some deity, or a short address to him. It is communicated in a whisper ; that of the RAmanuja sect is, an Itarndya namah, that is, Om Salutation to Rama! The Hindu sects are usually discriminated from each other by various streaks (Bliaktichchheda) on their faces, breasts, and arms; for this purpose all the VaLshn'avas employ a white earth called Gopt chandana, which should be brought from Dwaraka, it being said to be the soil of a pool at that place, in which the Gopis drowned them selves when they heard of Krishn'aa death. (This word means the " sandal-wood of the Gopts," and is nothing but a kind of calcareous clay.) The followers of RAmAnuja hi•lve for their authorities the S"./ Bheishya, the GSta-BMashya, the recttishra-Sangralm, and the eight SAtwika PurIn'as ; besides numerous other works which are still cur rent in various parts of India. The doctrine contained in these books is called the " Vis'isht'adwaits," or doctrine of unity with attributes ; for although the Ratnanujas maintain that Vishn'u and the universe are one, yet, in opposition to the Vedanta school of philosophy, they deny that the deity is void of form or quality, and regard him as endowed with all good qualities, and with a twofold form—the supreme spirit, Paramdtmd, or cause, and the gross one, the effect, the universe : and in these assertions they are followed by most of the Vaishn'ava. sects.