Which is first Shaivism or Vaishnavism?
Clearly Saivism is much much older than Vaishnavism. Lord Shiva was the prime God of the Indus Valley Civilization (3300 BCE – 1500 BCE) and Shaivism was the religion of the native IVC people before Aryans entered there from Central Asia. The earliest Megalithic IVC settlers came to the region in 7000 BCE.
What are the 4 sects of Hinduism?
Four major traditions are, however, used in scholarly studies: Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism and Smartism. These are sometimes referred to as the denominations of Hinduism, and they differ in the primary deity at the centre of the tradition.
Which has more followers Shaivism or Vaishnavism?
Another almost 240 million, roughly 27 percent, adhere to Shaivism. The rest are followers of Shaktism and other Hindu traditions. Vaishnavism is also the third biggest religious tradition in the world today, after Roman Catholicism and Sunni Islam….Indian Religion – Hinduism.
| Deities | |
|---|---|
| Vishnu | Lakshmi |
| Krishna | |
| Rama | |
| Kali |
What’s the difference between Shaivism and Vaishnavism?
Even though both the sects branch off from the same religion, they have some significant differences between them. The major difference between Vaishnavism and Shaivism is that the former identifies Lord Vishnu as the one supreme god, whereas the latter identifies Lord Shiva as the supreme power.
Who is the supreme God according to Vaishnavism?
Lord Shiva is spoken of as the Supreme Brahman or the Supreme Self that gives birth to many individual selves. In the Vaishnavism sect of religion, Lord Vishnu is considered as the Supreme Brahman who gives birth to several individual selves. Lord Vishnu is the supreme God according to the Vaishnavaites.
What kind of Hinduism do Shaivites and Vaishnavas worship?
Shaivites worship while focusing on the importance of Shiva and practise raja yoga. This kind of Hinduism is called Shaivism. Vaishnavas (sometimes know as Vaishnavites) are Hindus who follow Vishnu and want to show Vishnu that he is the most special deity. They focus their worship on the ten incarnations of Vishnu, which include Rama and Krishna.
Is there a division between Hinduism and Shaivism?
While Hinduism has been and continues to be about synthesis and assimilation, there are factors which have created some or the other form of division over the last several millennia. And one of the divisions which has pre-existed in Hinduism is between Shaivism and Vaishnavism.