Vaishnavism is one of the principal traditions of
Hinduism, and is distinguished from other schools by its primary worship of
Vishnu (and his associated
avatars) as the Supreme
God. It is principally
monotheistic in its philosophy, whilst also incorporating elements which could be described as being
panentheistic. Its beliefs and practices, (known as
Bhakti Yoga, or
Bhakti) are based largely on
Vedic and
Puranic texts such as
Bhagavad Gita,
Isha Upanishad, and the
Vishnu and
Bhagavata Puranas. The followers of Vaishnavism are referred to as 'Vaishnava(s)', sometimes 'Vaishnavites' in English. According to recent statistics Vaishnavas make up a majority of the total of all followers of Hinduism with the vast majority of these being in
India. The
Gaudiya Vaishnava branch of the tradition has significantly increased the awareness of Vaishnavism on an international basis over the past fifty years, largely through the activities and geographical expansion of the
Hare Krishna movement (
ISKCON).
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