34 BELIGIOUS SECTS 



necklace of tlie wood of tiie Tidasi, and carry a rosary of the seeds of the same 



plant, or of the Lotus. 



The principal authorities of this sect, are the comments of the founder on 

 the Siitras of Vyasa, and other Vaidika works : they are written in Sanscrit, 

 and are the Sn Bhdshya, the Gitd Bhcishya, the Veddrtha Sangraha, Veddnta 

 Pradipa, and Veddnia Sara : besides these, the works of Venkdia Achdri/a, are 

 of great repute amongst them, as the Stotra Bhdshya, and Satadushini, and 

 others : the Chanda Mdruia Vaidika, and Trinsatadhydnam, are also works of 

 authority, as is the Tancliardtra of Nareda : of the Purdnas they acknowledge 

 only six as authorities, the Vishnu, Ndrediija, Garura, Fadma, Vardha and. 

 the Bhdgavat : the other twelve are regarded as Tdmasi, or originating in the 

 principles of darkness and passion, as we have already observed. Besides these, 

 the Rdmdnujas have a variety of popular works in the dialects of the South, 

 one of which the Guru Para, containing an account of the life of Ramanuja, 

 was procured by Dr. Buchanan, in the course of his statistical researches in 

 Mysore. 



The chief religious tenet of the Rdmdnujas, is the assertion that Vishnu 

 is Brahme ; that he was before all worlds, and was the cause and the creator 

 of all. Although they maintain that Vishnu and the universe are one, yet, 

 in opposition to the Vedanfa doctrines, they deny that the deity is void of 

 form or quality, and regard him as endowed with all good qualities, and with 

 a two-fold form : the supreme spirit, Paramdtmd, or cause, and the gross one, 

 the effect, the universe or matter. The doctrine is hence called the Visishthd- 

 (c/waz/fl!, or doctrine of unity vfith attributes. In these assertions they are fol- 

 lowed by most of the Vaishnava sects. Creation originated in the wish of 

 Vishnu, who was alone, without a second, to multiply himself: he said, I will 

 become many ; and he was individually embodied as visible and etherial light. 

 After that, as a ball of clay may be moulded into various forms, so the grosser 



