Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism is one of the major branches of Hinduism along with Shaivism, Smartism, and Shaktism. It is focused on the veneration of Vishnu. Vaishnavites, or the followers of the Vishnu, lead a way of life promoting differentiated monotheism, which gives importance to Vishnu and his ten incarnations. Followers worship Vishnu, the preserver god of the Hindu
Trimurti, and his ten incarnations, and many other deities, including Ram and Krishna, both thought to be incarnations of Vishnu. The adherents of this sect are generally non-ascetic, monastic and devoted to meditative practice and ecstatic chanting. Vaishnavites are mainly dualistic. They are deeply devotional. Their religion is rich in saints, temples and scriptures. Its beliefs and practices, especially the concepts of Bhakti and Bhakti Yoga, are based largely on the
Upanishads, and associated with the
Vedas and Puranic texts such as the
Bhagavad Gita, and the
Padma Purana,
Vishnu Purana and
Bhagavata Purana. The followers of Vaishnavism are referred to as
Vaishnava or
Vaishnavites.