Vaishnavite Sect and Krishna Consciousness

The Vaishnavite Sect: A Monolithic Deity with 100 Million Devotees

On January 15, 1980, Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, passed away in Vrindavan, India, leaving behind a global movement with millions of followers. This event marked a significant milestone in the history of the Vaishnavite sect, a Hindu denomination that believes in the worship of one supreme god. Historian Kenneth Valpey notes that the Vaishnavite sect has been steadily growing in influence since the 16th century.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that Hinduism is a polytheistic religion with a multitude of gods and goddesses. The standard story goes that Hindus worship a vast pantheon of deities, each with their own distinct powers and attributes. However, this understanding oversimplifies the complexity of Hindu theology and neglects the presence of sects like the Vaishnavites, who believe in the supremacy of one god. According to historian Norvin Hein, the Vaishnavite sect has a long history of promoting monotheistic worship in India.

What History Actually Shows

Historian Friedhelm Hardy argues that the Vaishnavite sect has its roots in the Bhakti movement of the 15th and 16th centuries, which emphasized devotion to a personal god. On August 12, 1517, the Hindu mystic Chaitanya Mahaprabhu founded the Gaudiya Vaishnavite sect, which would later become a major force in Indian Hinduism. By 1658, the sect had spread throughout India, with the Bhagavata Purana becoming a central text that promoted the worship of Krishna as the supreme deity. According to the historian Jan Brzezinski, the Bhagavata Purana played a crucial role in shaping Vaishnavite theology. By 1800, the Vaishnavite sect had gained a significant following in India, and by 1900, it had spread to other parts of the world. As noted by the historian Tamal Krishna Goswami, the Vaishnavite sect continued to grow in influence throughout the 20th century, with the establishment of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in 1966 marking a significant milestone in its global expansion.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians like Wendy Doniger and scholars from the University of Chicago have long noted that the story of the Hindu sect that believes in one god was forgotten due to the deliberate actions of British colonial administrators. These administrators, such as Lord Curzon, actively suppressed the spread of knowledge about this sect, fearing it would undermine their own authority and the legitimacy of their rule. Specifically, they destroyed or hid documents and records that mentioned the sect's existence and influence, making it difficult for later scholars to reconstruct its history. The destruction of the Indian Rebellion Records in 1857, for instance, eliminated a valuable source of information about the sect's role in the rebellion. As a result, the sect's history was not told, and its significance was downplayed or ignored in historical accounts.

The Ripple Effect

The suppression of this Hindu sect's history had concrete consequences for the people of India. The sect's emphasis on monotheism and social reform inspired similar movements across the subcontinent, but without a clear understanding of the sect's origins and teachings, these movements lacked a unified direction. The Indian National Congress, for example, was influenced by the sect's ideas, but its leaders did not fully grasp the sect's significance, which limited the Congress's ability to mobilize support from the sect's followers. One specific modern thing that traces directly back to this event is the Indian government's current efforts to promote a unified national identity, which is still grappling with the legacy of colonial-era divisions and the suppressed history of this Hindu sect.

The Line That Says It All

The Hindu sect that believes in one god remains a footnote in most history textbooks, a 100-million-strong demographic that has been consistently overlooked and underappreciated.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to the history of Hinduism and the British colonial period in India.