Śrī Vaiṣṇavas — The Community of the Sampradāya
Śrī Vaiṣṇavas are the members of the Śrī Sampradāya — the tradition transmitted from Śrī Mahālakṣmī (Śrī) through Nārāyaṇa, Viṣvaksena, Nammāzhvār, Nāthamuni, and the lineage of Āchāryas, culminating in Rāmānujāchārya's 11th-century systematisation and carried forward by his successors. The term Śrī Vaiṣṇava carries two interlocked meanings: one who worships Viṣṇu alongside Śrī (Lakṣmī), and one who belongs to this specific sampradāya community. The two are inseparable — Śrī as puruṣakāra (divine intercessor who recommends the surrendering soul to Bhagavān) is constitutive of the tradition's identity.
Initiation and identity: Formal membership in the Śrī Vaiṣṇava community is established through pañca-saṃskāra — the five-fold rite of initiation administered by a qualified Āchārya: (1) tāpa (branding with Viṣṇu's discus and conch on the shoulders), (2) puṇḍra (adoption of the ūrdhvapuṇḍra Thirumān clay marks), (3) nāma (receiving a Vaiṣṇava name ending in 'dāsa'), (4) mantra (receiving the Thirumantram, Dvaya, and Carama Śloka), and (5) yāga (commitment to Viṣṇu-worship). After pañca-saṃskāra, the initiate is a dāsa (servant) of Bhagavān through the Āchārya's grace.
The two schools: By the 13th–14th centuries CE, the sampradāya differentiated into two theological schools. The Teṅkalai (southern school, associated with Piḷḷai Lokāchārya and Maṇavāḷa Māmunigaḷ) emphasises the primacy of the Tamil Divya Prabandham and the mārjāra-nyāya (cat-and-kitten analogy: the jīva is entirely passive, lifted by Bhagavān as a cat carries its kitten). The Vaḍakalai (northern school, associated with Vedānta Deśika) emphasises the co-primacy of Sanskrit Vedic authority and the markāṭa-nyāya (monkey analogy: the jīva clings to the mother as a baby monkey, contributing some active effort). Both schools share the foundation of Viśiṣṭādvaita and the centrality of Nārāyaṇa with Śrī.
Daily life and mutual love: Śrī Vaiṣṇavas are marked by daily disciplines: Sandhyāvandanam, japa of the Thirumantram, recitation of Divya Prabandham, service to Āchāryas and Bhāgavatas, and pilgrimage to Divya Dēśas. As the Āzhvārs' pāsurams celebrate, Śrī Vaiṣṇavas call out to Emperumān with heartfelt cries of 'Oh Rangā!' and glorify one another with profound love — the community itself, bound by mutual reverence (bhāgavata-sambandham), is considered a reflection of Paramapadam on earth.