VILNIUS, Lithuania -How we would call and seek help from God if all our needs would be answered? Would there be no shortage of food or shelter? Would therebe no pain and suffering? Indian tradition realized that beauty is the only thing that draws our attention even when we have everything we need. Beauty and love are the biggest and strongest powers in this world.
The inhabitants of the cities of Lithuania are more likely to observe Vaishnavas, more commonly known as 'krishnaits'. It is impossible not to notice such extraordinary people as the Vaishnavas. Their processions, songs, dances, colorful and embroidered clothes and wide smiles raise passerbys' attention and many questions. Vaishnavism is a young religion in this world, especially in Lithuania. The first Vaishnavas were seen in 1979 here. It is not a surprise that for the general public this religious minority is still outlandish.
Saulius is one of the Vaishnavas members here in Lithuania. He said that Vaishnavas do not call themselves '‘krishnaits‘'. It is more like a Western term and this term is more popular among people. Vaishnavas worship the god '‘Vishna‘'. In Indian tradition, unlike the Western world, the god has many names and '‘Vishna‘' is one of them. Every name reflects a certain god's feature. Vishna means “being everywhere, seeing everything“.
Saulius started his story by telling what actually attracted him the most to Vaishnavism. He said it was the idea of the god. Other religious traditions can offer a merciful, careful god to people. But Vaishnavism has a different god's conception. The god Vishna has a conception of love, beauty and being always around. Saulius ensured that his religion worships the god with his powers, not only the body of the god. Every member of Vaishnavism calls the god by his names. Passerbys could see this spectacular view in the streets of Vilnius. Vaishnavas call the god's name with their cheerful songs in the streets. Why doVaishnavas sing and dance in the town's streets? By singing the god's name, people can establish astrong bond between the god and themselves. Vaishnavas want to bring back the tradition of singing. The major problem is that people stopped singing, performing and became witnesses nowadays. This is the old tradition when a person expresses his sadness or happiness through a song. Saulius said, “I feel good when I walk around the streets with other Vaishnavas and I can sing. I do not think about other people's opinion then. It seems that many young people feel the same. They usually join us, start singing together, dancing and smiling widely.“
Vaishnavism seems like a noisy religion, but Saulius said that they try to pay more attention to surroundings. Vaishnavas decided to stop singing and dancing or just become quiet when they see, for example, a mother with her sleeping baby, or when they are passing by the Cathedral. Vaishnavas want to respect other people's tranquility in addition to their desire to communicate with their god. Saulius said that it is important to respect others if you want to be respected too.
The interviewee Saulius openly said that people, especially his father, had a very skeptical view when he first became Vaishnava. Luckily, the perception of Vaishnavism in society is getting better. The reason for this is that Lithuania focuses on equal rights and the government's view of religious minorities is getting better.
Like Vaishnava Saulius said that the division of religion in Indian culture is realized as a tree. The tree begins and grows from the god and has many strong and different branches. If the tree would have only one branch with one leaf (one religion), it would not be a healthy tree. This is the reason the world has so many different religions. People are different and they are interested in different things. Like colors, one person likes green, another black, yellow or purple. The same is true for religions- one is interested in Buddhism, another in Catholicism. The world needs diversity. Lithuania needs diversity too. People need those minorities, like Vaishnavas, which brings songs and dances to the streets.