WHICH SHAIVA SAMPRADAYA?

[Ram11]

Namaste,

During Puja priests announce their tradition(parampara).The general format is something like this

"SadaShiva samarambham _______acarya madhyamam asmad acarya paryantam vande guru paramparam"



Meaning: Salutation to the lineage starting with Lord Sadashiva, with _________ in the middle and continuing up to my immediate teacher.

That Brahmin(priest) said 'Neelakantacharya madhyamam'.Who is Sri Neelakantacharya,what philosophy did he preach?

[ShivaFan]

In the early 1500s AD the Virashaivas had a renaissance of religious authors and teachers, Nilakhantacharya wrote Aradhyacharitra at that time. Could this be the same? This was during the Vijayanahar Empire in South India 14th Century to 16th in Karnataka. The Virasaivas (Shiva devotees) held literature and poetic sway even earlier in the 12 Century, while Vaishnava authors started having influence later in the 15th Century. Nilakanthacharya was a court poet of the Ummattur chieftain Virananjendra, you can find background information on the internet but the name Nilakantha and combined with Acharya are common enough to appear often in other reference.

[Ram11]

Thanks a lot for the reply.

It is possible that he is a Virashaiva Brahmin.But there were certain anomalies,he did not wear any linga around his neck and he is the priest in a Panchayatana temple.In the Garbha Griha,Sri Vishnu was installed on the same platform with Sri Shiva and he conducted the puja of Sri Vishnu.I assumed that Virashaivas don't worship Sri Vishnu.Also,when I visited his home,I saw a large portrait of the incumbent Sri Sringeri Shankaracharya.Do Virashaivas/ Srauta Shaivas accept Smarta Panchayatana system or are they against it?Is there any other Nilakantacharya from Smarta/Advaita tradition?
I am confused.

[Eastern Mind]

Thanks a lot for the reply.

It is possible that he is a Virashaiva Brahmin.But there were certain anomalies,he did not wear any linga around his neck and he is the priest in a Panchayatana temple.In the Garbha Griha,Sri Vishnu was installed on the same platform with Sri Shiva and he conducted the puja of Sri Vishnu.I assumed that Virashaivas don't worship Sri Vishnu.Also,when I visited his home,I saw a large portrait of the incumbent Sri Sringeri Shankaracharya.Do Virashaivas/ Srauta Shaivas accept Smarta Panchayatana system or are they against it?Is there any other Nilakantacharya from Smarta/Advaita tradition?
I am confused.

Vannakkam: Seems clear to me he's a Smarta, mostly from your description of the Shankaracharya picture, and the joint Siva/Vishnu shrine. This enables him to look and act pretty much any way he wishes.

Aum Namasivaya

[karthik]

Thanks a lot for the reply.

It is possible that he is a Virashaiva Brahmin.But there were certain anomalies,he did not wear any linga around his neck and he is the priest in a Panchayatana temple.In the Garbha Griha,Sri Vishnu was installed on the same platform with Sri Shiva and he conducted the puja of Sri Vishnu.I assumed that Virashaivas don't worship Sri Vishnu.Also,when I visited his home,I saw a large portrait of the incumbent Sri Sringeri Shankaracharya.Do Virashaivas/ Srauta Shaivas accept Smarta Panchayatana system or are they against it?Is there any other Nilakantacharya from Smarta/Advaita tradition?
I am confused.

Vishnu is also known as shakti of shiva.