Introduction

The term "Smartha" refers to those who accept and profess the Advaitha or "non-dualistic" philosophy propounded by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. This is the oldest of the three south Indian schools of Vedantha, the other two being the "Vishishtha-Advaitha" [literally "special Advaitha"] philosophy propounded by Sri Ramanujacharya, and the "Dvaita" or "dualistic" philosophy propounded by Sri Madhavacharya. Advaita Vedanta is probably the best known of all Vedanta schools of Hinduism, the others being Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita. ... Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (Shri Shankaracharya, Adhi Shankaracharya; the first Shankara in his lineage), reverentially called Bhagavatpada Acharya (the teacher at the feet of Lord) (very approximately 788–820 C.E., but see below) was the most famous Advaita philosopher, who had a profound influence on the growth of Hinduism... The book, All about Hinduism by Swami Sivananda discusses aspects of Vishisthadvaita, theological school founded by Ramanuja. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Dvaita, a school of Vedanta (the most widespread Hindu theology), founded by Shri Madhvacharya, stresses strict distinction between God (expressed as Vishnu) and souls. ... Shri Madhvacharya,(1238-1317), was the chief propounder of the Dvaita or dualistic school of Hindu philosophy, one of the three influential Vedanta philosophies. ...

Main Beliefs

The Advaitha philosophy essentially holds that the human soul or "Jeevatma" is not fundamentally distinct from the Divine soul or "Paramatma"; they are, in other words, "non-dual". Neither the human soul nor the divine power have form, substance or other attributes; the divine power may however be visualized by the devotee in any convenient form. Advaita Vedanta is probably the best known of all Vedanta schools of Hinduism, the others being Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita. ...

A bedrock of Advaitha philosophy is its belief in the essential sameness of all deities, in other words the unity of Godhead, and its conceptualization of the myraid deities of India as various manifestations of the one divine power. This view of Godhead, the idea that the divine power may be deified in any convenient form, and that all such forms and deities are equally venerable, served to systematize the bewildering diversity of faiths and philosophies constituting Hinduism, and in particular the diversity of the Hindu pantheon, in an inclusive and heterodox fashion. Advaita Vedanta is probably the best known of all Vedanta schools of Hinduism, the others being Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita. ...

Thus, a very important aspect of Advaitha philosophy is its refusal to countenance the superiority or primacy of any one Hindu deity over others. This sets it apart from the two other philosophies alluded to above, being Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita, both of which claim the primacy of certain deity over all others. Advaita Vedanta is probably the best known of all Vedanta schools of Hinduism, the others being Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita. ... The book, All about Hinduism by Swami Sivananda discusses aspects of Vishisthadvaita, theological school founded by Ramanuja. ... Dvaita, a school of Vedanta (the most widespread Hindu theology), founded by Shri Madhvacharya, stresses strict distinction between God (expressed as Vishnu) and souls. ...

Worldly Significance

The Smartha view defines the mainstream of the Hindu view of divinity today, and dominates the view of Hinduism in the West. Other denominations of Hinduism, such as Vaishnavism and Saivism, are "exclusive monotheistic" faiths markedly different from the "inclusive monotheistic" model of Smarthism. The Smartha view is generally pervasive across every section of Hindus, regardless of caste or domicile. Smarta is a Hindu follower of Smartism. ... Vaishnavism is the branch of Hinduism in which Vishnu or one of his avatars (Catursana, Narad, Varaha, Matsya, Yajna, Nara-Narayana, Kapila, Dattatreya, Hayasirsa, Hamsa, Prsnigarbha, Rsabha, Prithu, Narasimha , Kurma, Dhanvantari, Mohini, Vamana, Parasurama, Raghavendra, Vyasa, Balarama, Krishna, Buddha, Kalki) is worshipped as the supreme God and is a monotheistic... Shaivism, also Saivism, is a branch of Hinduism that worships Siva as the Supreme God. ...

All south Indian brahmin communities belong to one of the three schools of philosophy mentioned above. Of these, the Advaitha philosophy is the oldest and encompasses by far the largest number of adherents. A map of South India, its rivers, regions and water bodies. ... A Brahmin (less often Brahman) is a member of the Hindu priestly caste, the highest in the Hindu caste system. ... Advaita Vedanta is probably the best known of all Vedanta schools of Hinduism, the others being Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita. ...

Prominent Communities

Prominent Smartha communities of South India include the Iyer community of Tamil Nadu, the Namboothiri community of Kerala, and the vaidiki Mulukanadu, Vaidiki Velanadu, vaidike Badaganadu, Vaidiki Telanganya, Babboor Kamme, Hoysala Kannada, Koti, Arvel Niyogi and Gaud Saraswat communities of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, among many others. Iyer is the name given to a community of Brahmins (members of the priestly class / caste) of India whose members profess the advaita philosophy propounded by sri Shankaracharya and who hail from Tamil Nadu. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... The Namboothiris are the Brahmins of Kerala. ... Kerala (കേരളം - Keralam) is a state in South India, occupying a narrow strip of Indias southwestern coast. ... Introduction The Mulukanadu community is a caste of Telugu speaking Vaidiki Smartha Brahmins. ... Kota Brahmins (Koti is the wrong usage) hail from the Kundapur and surrounding areas of Udupi district in Karnataka. ... The Saraswat Brahmins claim descent from a Brahmin caste listed in the ancient Vedanta as inhabiting the Saraswati River valley in what is now Pakistan. ...

See also the Smartism page See also the Smartha page Smartism is a denomination of the religion of Hinduism and is closely affiliated with the Advaita tradition. ...