Shri Krishna Sharanam Mama

[Sirona]

Namaste,

Is there a(ny) particular group or tradition associated with the mantra "Shri Krishna Sharanam Mama" ?

 

[Aupmanyav]

Quite many. Madhvacharya (Udipi Math), Nimbarka, Vallabhacharya and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Hare Krishnas). The first is Dvaita, the rest are shades of Advaita.

 

[ameyAtmA]

Namaste,

Is there a(ny) particular group or tradition associated with the mantra "Shri Krishna Sharanam Mama" ?

Yes.

|| Shri KRshNaH: sharaNam mama ||

is the mantra given by Shri VallabhAchArya to his PushTikul or PushTiMArg followers.
PushTi = actually nourishment, but in this context it is Grace. This is the path of Grace. KRshNa nourishes you with His Grace to salvation.
I really like PushTimarg.

The sidhhAnta is called Shuddha Advaita => there is only One and that One is KRshNa
The community is called PushTikul / PushTimArg as a special group that is directly linked to Shri KRshNa through VallabhAchArya by grace of YamunA MahArANi

This lineage comes in the Rudra SampradAy initiated by Hamsa , of the 4 VaishNav sampradAy]

A person is in pushTimarg either because they grew up in the paramparA or by Bramhasambandh dIkshA through a Vallabh - bALAk - a PushtimArg guru in paramparA.


Their philosophy is "Everything is KRshNa ['s energy] and the only worshippable shelter and point of total dependance and surrender is KRshNa and ONLY KRshNa without anyone else by His side!
Of course you take shelter through and of Vallabhacharya, Guru and YamunA Devi but they are not on the "worship altar " as such.

Their mandirs are 'havelis' - palaces. Idea is to make the little KRshNa at home, at ease, comfortable so that He can live and play freely in His own Haveli.

This is why VallabhAchArya encouraged "tanu vittejja seva" - Seva of KRshNa at home (for the initiated - where they are to strictly use the vigraha given by the Guru and nothing else, but also uninitiated) by means of whatever they get as earnings, and whatever they have as energy and motivation -- whatever is physically possible (tanu) and mentally - mAnas.
Using the wealth one gets without too much stress, offer everything to KRshNa and use it as prasAd.

Strict PushTimArgis also offer the new clothes they buy to KRshNa first, all food , like an old lady ate mango only if the first mango of the season was offered to KRshNa


Welcome to Pushtimarg - Pusti, pushtikul.com ( - in GujrAthi language)

 

[ameyAtmA]

I have this on CD :
Shri KRshNaH: SharaNam mama - transcendental guitar

 

[Sirona]

I have this on CD :
Shri KRshNaH: SharaNam mama - transcendental guitar

Thanks for the info. As usual, the German Wikipedia has nothing about this, and if I started to translate they would possibly criticize that "no references are given". Argh. As for the CD I posted an excerpt of in post #1, I had to order it from Spain as it is no longer available. It's the mantra in one and the same "endless" tune sung by several famous Indian singers. Feels a bit like a kirtan session. I wondered a bit because the chants are titled Maha-mantra, which I only had heard about in the context of Gaudiya Vaishnavism before.

Quite many. Madhvacharya (Udipi Math), Nimbarka, Vallabhacharya and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Hare Krishnas). The first is Dvaita, the rest are shades of Advaita.

@Aupmanyav I'll take your word for that, although I'd say in practice, at least as far as I know, Gaudiya Vaishnavism has a strong dvaita flavour. They say you "want to eat the honey, not become the honey", for example. But that's a completely different topic.

 

[Aupmanyav]

@Aupmanyav I'll take your word for that, although I'd say in practice, at least as far as I know, Gaudiya Vaishnavism has a strong dvaita flavour. They say you "want to eat the honey, not become the honey", for example. But that's a completely different topic.

Technically, Gaudiya Vaishnavism is "Acintya Bheda Abheda Advaita". Wikipedia translates it as "inconceivable one-ness and difference" - non-duality. So it is still one-ness. Otherwise they should not use the 'advaita' designation for it.
In simple English, there may be same-ness and there may be difference. But, both are inconceivable for us.
The predecessors of Acintya Bhedabheda Advaita are Bhedabheda of Bhaskara and Nimbarka. (Wikipedia articles)
If the Hare-Krishnas do not want to become honey, then they should get a new designation for themselves, they are not with Advaita.

 

[ameyAtmA]

Thanks for the info.

You are welcome

I wondered a bit because the chants are titled Maha-mantra, which I only had heard about in the context of Gaudiya Vaishnavism before.

That is the 'Hare Krishna MahAMantra'
Many others claim their mantra as MahAMantra e.g. the 24-syllable GAyatri is called MahAMantra.
So yes, for PushTimArg devotees, "Shri KrushNah: sharaNam mama" is indeed THE mantra and hence MahAMantra

@Aupmanyav I'll take your word for that, although I'd say in practice, at least as far as I know, Gaudiya Vaishnavism has a strong dvaita flavour. They say you "want to eat the honey, not become the honey", for example. But that's a completely different topic.

Yes. PushTimArg devotees also want to taste honey and not become honey although the siddhAnta is Shuddha Advaita -- all is Krishna , the world is Krishna as avyakta and vyakta.

Gaudiya Vaishnav call those who become honey "mayavadis" but it is very likely that KRshNa Himself / ParaBramhan had made plans to turn them into honey and they had no say in it -- they were led into it involuntarily by the Lord(s) as a puppet in His/Their hands.

In theory the best example of achintya-bhedAbheda is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu... and Nityananda Prabhu.