samsara-davanala-lidha-loka-
tranaya karunya-ghanaghanatwam
praptasya kalyana-gunarnavasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam
The spiritual master is receiving benediction from the ocean of mercy. Just as a cloud pours water on a forest fire to extinguish it, so the spiritual master delivers the materially afflicted world by extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is an ocean of auspicious qualities.
There are ancient texts that form the basis of Sanatan Dharma : the Vedas, the Puranas, the Mahabharata (including the Bhagavad-gita, the Ramayana, and the writings of great teachers). Some of these texts date back to time immemorial, with an oral tradition that goes back to antiquity.
Vaishnavism can be described as devotion to Krishna, or any of His divine incarnations. It is monotheism in which worship of a personal God is the focus. In sheer numbers, Vaishnavism prevails as the leading religious system over Shaivism, Shaktism, and the many other paths commonly associated with Hinduism.
Vaishnavism is known as sanatana dharma, or "the eternal function of the soul." And it is also referred to as a bhakti-yoga, or "the devotional path through which one can link with the supreme."