Within the confines of the last 30 years, I have been travelling between Europe and India. During this time, I was fortunate enough to have studied the sacred books of the East, namely the Vedas, under the guidance of some great masters. I was born a Christian, and I have found that the most appealing part of this vast Vedic body of knowledge in its enlightened is the school of monotheistic thought, “Vaisnavism”.

Contrary to some preconceived ideas, the Indian religion which is commonly known as Hinduism is not a form of polytheism. The word ‘Hinduism’ covers different schools of thought; some are atheistic, some are nihilistic while other schools such as Vaisnavism are monotheistic. Actually, Hinduism is a recent name given in order to regroup all of the different schools of philosophy.

Orthodox Hinduism includes six principal schools of philosophy: the Vaisesika school of the sage Kanâda; the Nyâya school of the sage Gautama; the Sankhya school of the sage Kapila; the Astanga-yoga school of the sage Patanjali; the Purva-mimansâ (karma-mimansâ) school of the sage Jaimini; the Uttara-mimansâ (vedânta-darsana) school of the sage Vyâsadeva to which both the Vaisnavas and Sankara claim allegiance, although the latter’s philosophical conclusion differs from that of Vyâsadeva. All these schools acknowledge the fact that the ultimate goal of life is liberation, even though their views may differ (some are monotheistic, others are theistic, polytheistic, pantheistic...)

The first four declare that one can only attain liberation through knowledge while the fifth that of Jaimini, thinks that it is only possible through meritorious deeds which afford one some good karma. The sixth school, that of Vyâsadeva, known as Uttara-mimasâ or Vaisnavism, explains that liberation can be achieved by performing one’s duties in a spirit of renunciation, as an expression of loving devotional service to God. Sankarâcârya, although belonging to the Uttara-mimansâ school, teaches that there is nos difference between God and the living entity, which is contrary to the thought of Vyâsadeva the compiler of the all Vedic literature.

Vaisnavism is the original monotheism. Indeed, it can be found in Vedic texts which go back to the dawn of time. As such, Yamunâcârya has shown in his Mahâpurusa-nirnaya that Visnu is indeed the Mahâpurusa described in the Purusa-sukta (Rig Veda, Visnu-samhitâ 1.22.20). Of all the monotheistic schools of thought (including Judaism, Catholicism and Islam), Vaisnavism is the only one that deals with the individual living entity’s relationship with God (the Complete Whole). No school of thought has undertaken such an elaborate study in this matter. This confidential science has been neglected by other religions, usually in the name of mysticism, unity or faith, as if spiritual science had to be simple. Vaisnavas have always refused to believe without thinking. For Vaisnavas, faith without philosophy is simply sentiment while philosophy without faith is dry ideology.

The Brahma-Gaudiya-Vaisnava-sampradâya carries within itself the divine transcendental message of Bhaktivata-dharma, the intrinsic culture of the primeval Tradition, to repeat the phrase of the famous French philosopher, René Guénon. This primeval Tradition obviously rests on the original, universal and very sacred foundations of Vaisnava-vedânta whose socio cultural, scientific, philosophical, religious and spiritual legacy is boundlessly rich. Anyone whoever is interested in this legacy cannot remain indifferent to the Vaisnava culture, ritualistic practices, and philosophy.

Therefore, through the eyes of the scriptures and the great self realised sages of this tradition, we will analyse, compare, and discover its richness and its contribution to today’s world. We would like to share a way of life, which may be helpful in solving the problems that many societies are facing. If there are any solutions to the variegated dilemmas of the world, it cannot be solved solely through materialistic interactions but could be solved by the way of a holistic path. This holistic path would include the interplay of matter and spirit; in a spirit of love and trust, precisely as we see demonstrated through Vaisnavism.

This website invites you to taste new “foods for thoughts” utilising the most palatable Indian spices, served with an exquisite French dressing. Please feel free to send some relevant articles, ideas, addresses, events, questions to: rivault108@yahoo.com