OF THE HINDUS. ^13 



with spiritual considerations : the Bhdgavat is one who follows particularly the 

 authority of the Sri Bhdgavat Purdna. 



The Vaishnavas adored Vishnu as Narayaiqa, they wore the usual marks, 

 and promised themselves a sort of sensual paradise after death, in Vaiku?tfha, or 

 Vishnu's heaven ; their tenets are still current, but they can scarcely be con- 

 sidered to belong to any separate sect. 



The Chakrinas, or Panchardtrakas were, in fact, Sdktas of the Vaishnava 

 class, worshipping the female personifications of Vishnu, and observing the 

 ritual of the Pa7icJiardtra Tantra : they still remain, but scarcely individualis- 

 ed, being confounded with the worshippers of KRisniiJA and Rama on the one 

 hand, and those of Sakii or Devi on the other. 



The Vaik'Jtdnasas appear to have been but little different from the Vaish- 

 nflW<z5 especially so called ; at least Ananda Giri has not particularised the 

 difference ; they worshipped NXrAyai&a as supreme god, and wore his marks. 

 The Karmahinas abstained, as the name implies, from all ritual observances, 

 and professed to know Vishnu as the sole source and sum of the universe, 

 ^^ 1% ^Tf'5f "^rTfrr I they can scarcely be considered as an existent sect, 

 though a few individuals of the Rdmdnujiya and Rdmdnandi Vaishnavas may 

 profess the leading doctrines. 



The Vaishnava forms of the Hindu faith, are still, as we shall hereafter 

 see, sufficiently numerous ; but we can scarcely identify any one of them with 

 those which seem to have prevailed when the Sankara Vijaija of Ananda 

 Giri was composed. The great divisions, of Ramanuja and RXmanand — the 

 former of which originated, we know, in the course of the 11th century, 

 are unnoticed, and it is also worth while to observe, that neither in this, 

 nor in any other portion of the Sankara Vijayay is any allusion made to the 



