Four Vaisnava sampradayas

Expressions researched:
"Four Vaisnava sampradayas"

SB Canto 4

There are four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas (systems) of disciplic succession

SB 4.17.5, Purport: There are four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas (systems) of disciplic succession. One sampradāya comes from Lord Brahmā, one from the goddess of fortune, one from the Kumāras, headed by Sanat-kumāra, and one from Lord Śiva. These four systems of disciplic succession are still going on. As King Pṛthu has illustrated, one who is serious about receiving transcendental Vedic knowledge must accept a guru, or spiritual master, in one of these four disciplic successions. It is said that unless one accepts a mantra from one of these sampradāyas, the so-called mantra will not act in Kali-yuga.

SB Canto 8

There are four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas, and the Rudra-sampradāya is one of them because Lord Śiva (Rudra) is the best of the Vaiṣṇavas

SB 8.7.39, Purport: Lord Śiva and his followers in the paramparā system try to save people from this dangerous condition of materialistic life. This is the duty of devotees following the principles of Lord Śiva and belonging to the Rudra-sampradāya. There are four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas, and the Rudra-sampradāya is one of them because Lord Śiva (Rudra) is the best of the Vaiṣṇavas (vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ). Indeed, as we shall see, Lord Śiva drank all the poison for the benefit of humanity.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

All the great ācāryas of the four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas have made commentaries on the Vedānta-sūtra

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 18: On the other hand, there are many so-called devotees who think Vedānta is not meant for devotees. Such people are ignorant of the fact that Vedānta is the only platform of pure devotees. All the great ācāryas of the four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas have made commentaries on the Vedānta-sūtra, but the so-called devotees known as prākṛta-sahajiyā carefully avoid the study of Vedānta-sūtra. The prākṛta-sahajiyā mistakenly take the pure devotees and Vaiṣṇava ācāryas to be mental speculators or fruitive actors. Consequently they themselves become Māyāvādīs and leave the service of the Supreme Lord.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

There are four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas. The Rudra-sampradāya, Brahma-sampradāya, Kumāra-sampradāya, and Lakṣmī-sampradāya, Śrī-sampradāya

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Bombay, March 25, 1974: There is a paramparā system. Kṛṣṇa, He instructed Lord Brahmā. Lord Brahmā instructed Nārada. Nārada instructed Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva instructed Madhvācārya. Madhvācārya instructed in so many ways. Then Mādhavendra Purī. The Mādhavendra Purī, Īśvara Purī. From Īśvara Purī, Lord Caitanya. In this way, there is a paramparā system. There are four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas. The Rudra-sampradāya, Brahma-sampradāya, Kumāra-sampradāya, and Lakṣmī-sampradāya, Śrī-sampradāya.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

There are four sampradāyas. One from Brahmā, one from Śrī, Lakṣmī, one from Śambhu, Lord Śiva, and one from Kumāra

Lecture on SB 1.8.34 -- Los Angeles, April 26, 1973: So Brahmā is getting knowledge from Kṛṣṇa and Brahmā is distributing Vedic knowledge. Therefore he's authority. We, we belong to the Brahma-sampradāya. Our, this Caitanya Mahāprabhu's sampradāya... There are four sampradāyas. One from Brahmā, one from Śrī, Lakṣmī, one from Śambhu, Lord Śiva, and one from Kumāra. Kumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ. So there are four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas. So we have to approach the authoritative representative of Brahmā, Kṛṣṇa. Then we can get the real knowledge.

Initiation Lectures

Rāmānujācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka—there are four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas

Gurudasa Sannyasa Initiation -- San Francisco, July 21, 1975:: Prabhupāda: So the mantra means etām, "by accepting this daṇḍa or sannyāsa order," sa āsthāya, "taking shelter of it," parātma-niṣṭhām... This accepting of this daṇḍa means full faith in the Supreme. There are four rods within this bundle. One rod is representing himself, and the other three rods means his body, mind, and word. So the person who is accepting sannyāsa order, he is dedicating from this moment his personality, his body, his mind and his words. Why? Now, parātma-niṣṭhām, simply for service of the Supreme. So am I accepting something new? No. Upāsitāṁ pūrvatamair mahadbhiḥ. All the great personalities in our guru paramparā system, all the four ācārya system, they have done it. Rāmānujācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka—there are four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas. So they were all sannyāsīs. Now, directly, our sampradāya is Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya. Gauḍīya-sampradāya means the Vaiṣṇavas of the Bengal. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is accepted as the supreme guru of this sampradāya. So His guru was Īśvara Purī, and his guru was Mādhavendra Purī. And this Mādhavendra Purī belonged to the Madhva-sampradāya; therefore our sampradāya, this disciplic succession, is called Madhva-Gauḍīya sampradāya.

1970 Correspondence

In quality they are one, but in magnitude they are different. This is the whole philosophy of the four Vaisnava sampradayas

Letter to Professor S. C. Chakravarti -- Calcutta 3 October, 1970: I am so glad to learn that you are interested in the matter of Vaisnava philosophy. Vaisnava philosophy is very simple: that God is great and everyone is His servant. Nobody can be equal to or greater than God. They are simultaneously one and different. In quality they are one, but in magnitude they are different. This is the whole philosophy of the four Vaisnava sampradayas.