Sunday, August 2, 2026

Flow chart.

                            HINDUISM

                               │

        ┌──────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┐

        │              │              │              │

   VAISHNAVISM     SHAIVISM      SHAKTISM      SMARTA TRADITION

        │              │              │              │

        │              │              │              └─ Panchayatana worship

        │              │              │

        │              │              ├─ Sri Vidya

        │              │              ├─ Kaula

        │              │              └─ Devi traditions

        │              │

        │              ├─ Shaiva Siddhanta

        │              ├─ Kashmir Shaivism

        │              ├─ Veerashaiva/Lingayat

        │              └─ Pashupata

        │

        ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐

        │                                                         │

   SRI VAISHNAVISM                                      MADHVA TRADITION

        │                                                         │

        │                                                         ├─ Uttaradi Math

        │                                                         ├─ Vyasaraja       Math

        │                                                         └─ Raghavendra Math

        │

        ├─ Vadakalai

        ├─ Tenkalai

        ├─ Ahobila Math

        ├─ Andavan Ashram

        ├─ Vanamamalai Math

        ├─ Parakala Math

        ├─ Yatiraja Mutts

        └─ Various Jeeyar Mutts


        │

        ├─ Gaudiya Vaishnavism

        ├─ Vallabha Sampradaya (Pushti Marg)

        ├─ Nimbarka Sampradaya

        └─ Ramanandi Sampradaya

Another way to understand it

The four major devotional streams are:

Vaishnavism – Worship of Vishnu and His avatāras.

Shaivism – Worship of Shiva.

Shaktism – Worship of the Divine Mother.

Smarta – Worship of multiple deities with the understanding that all are manifestations of one Brahman.

Within Vaishnavism, the classical medieval traditions are often grouped into four principal sampradāyas:

Ramanuja – Sri Sampradāya (Sri Vaishnavism)

Madhvacharya – Brahma Sampradāya

Vallabhacharya – Rudra Sampradāya

Nimbarkacharya – Kumara Sampradāya

Later traditions, such as the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition associated with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, trace their lineage through the Brahma (Madhva) sampradāya.

For a Sri Vaishnava audience, you could even draw a more detailed tree:

Vedas

   │

Narayana

   │

Sri (Lakshmi)

   │

Vishvaksena

   │

Nammalvar

   │

Nathamuni

   │

Yamunacharya (Alavandar)

   │

Ramanuja

   │

──────────────────────────────────────

│        │         │         │

Vadakalai Tenkalai Ahobila  Andavan ...

                    Math     Ashram

This second tree represents the guru-paramparā (lineage of teachers), whereas the first represents the family tree of Hindu sampradāyas. Together they give a clear picture of both the broad traditions and the living lineages within them.

The tree somehow never comes out well computing.

A hierarchical outline is often much clearer than a tree diagram. To follow it easily on both phones and computers.


HINDUISM

├── I. Vaishnavism

│   ├── Sri Vaishnavism

│   │   ├── Vadakalai

│   │   ├── Tenkalai

│   │   ├── Ahobila Math

│   │   ├── Andavan Ashram

│   │   ├── Vanamamalai Math

│   │   ├── Parakala Math

│   │   └── Jeeyar Mutts

│   ├── Madhva Sampradaya

│   ├── Gaudiya Vaishnavism

│   ├── Vallabha Sampradaya

│   ├── Nimbarka Sampradaya

│   └── Ramanandi Sampradaya

├── II. Shaivism

│   ├── Shaiva Siddhanta

│   ├── Kashmir Shaivism

│   ├── Veerashaivism (Lingayat)

│   └── Pashupata

├── III. Shaktism

│   ├── Sri Vidya

│   ├── Kaula

│   └── Devi Traditions

└── IV. Smarta Tradition

    └── Panchayatana Worship

Or, even better for an article, use numbering:

Hinduism 1.1 Vaishnavism

Sri Vaishnavism

Vadakalai

Tenkalai

Ahobila Math

Andavan Ashram

Vanamamalai Math

Parakala Math

Jeeyar Mutts

Madhva

Vallabha

Nimbarka

Gaudiya

1.2 Shaivism

1.3 Shaktism

1.4 Smarta Tradition

Hinduism ↓ Four Major Sampradāyas ↓ Vaishnavism • Shaivism • Shaktism • Smarta ↓ Vaishnavism ↓ Sri • Madhva • Vallabha • Nimbarka • Gaudiya ↓ Sri Vaishnavism ↓ Vadakalai • Tenkalai • Mutts & Ashrams

This vertical flow is much easier to read on mobile devices and avoids the cramped appearance that tree diagrams often have. It also leaves room to add short descriptions under each branch later.

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