Washington: Madhva Navami Kids Program details

[Guest guest]

|| prathamO hanumannAma dvitIyO bhima eva cha|||| poornaprajna trRitIyastu bhagavatkArya sAdhakaah||

 

 

 

Namaskara:

 

Here are the details of the Children/Teens program on the day of Madhva Navami 01/27/2007. Place: Mangal Mandir in Silver Spring MD. Please encourage your youngsters to actively participate and support this effort.

 

 

ü 02:00PM Kids Program—Jeopardy

ü 03:00PM Kids Program—Essay Reading

ü 03:30PM Kids Program—Open Q & A

 

1. All kids aged 20 and below are welcome to participate.

2. Please email back to me by the 24th with your Name, Age to enroll in your favorite program, you can enroll in all three.

3. Quiz will be Jeopardy style(Answer and question) and will cover the first THREE chapters of the attachment Madhva.txt.

4. The Topics for Essay Reading are ( Choose one)

 

Madhva Philosophy in my own words.

My favorite work of Sri MadhvaAcharya.

 

Why I like Hanuman.

5. Essays should be written at home by the participant independently. Parents can guide if necessary.

6. Essays shouldn't be more than two pages and should be handed to the organizers after reading.

7. Essay Reading will be between 3 to 4 minutes for each participant, depending on number of participants.

8. Q & A is open to all, youth are encouraged to actively participate.

9. Please submit your questions in advance if possible, with your name and question.

7. Open Q & A will be moderated by Sri Vasu Murthy. Questions will be answered by a panel consisting of Dr. Sarma, Sri. Balakrishna Bhatt and Sri Harish Bipadithaya

 

Beginner’s Guide to

Sri MadhvAchArya’s

Life and Philosophy

Published By:

Vishwa Madhva Sangha

ÓÓ1999

 

Beginner’s Guide to

 

 

Sri MadhvAchArya’s

 

 

Life and Philosophy

 

 

(in Q & A format)

 

Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

www.vishwamAdhvasangha.org

 

mAdhva

 

ª1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha,

 

11413, Potomac Oaks Drive,

Rockville MD 20850

 

All rights reserved. Book may be freely published and distributed while

acknowledging

publishers.

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

Table of Contents

 

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

.................................................................................\

............................................. 4

FOREWORD........................................................................\

................................................................... 5

CHAPTER 1: SHRI MADHVACHARYA –

INTRODUCTION.............................................................. 6

CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND

.................................................................................\

............................... 8

CHAPTER 3: MADHVACHARYA'S CHILDHOOD

.............................................................................. 9

CHAPTER 4 --EARLY YEARS OF SANYASA

.................................................................................\

.... 14

CHAPTER 5: LATER YEARS OF SANYASA

.................................................................................\

...... 18

CHAPTER 6: SHRI MADHVACHARYA’S

PHILOSOPHY................................................................ 23

CHAPTER 7: SHRI MADHVACHARYA’S

WORKS...........................................................................

24

APPENDIX A: UDUPI KRISHNA TEMPLE AND THE EIGHT

MATHAS........................................ 33

 

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

 

Publisher’s Note

 

This booklet is intended to provide an introduction to the life and works of

shrI

madhvAchArya. The intended audience is teenage children and laymen interested in

knowing more about shrI madhvAchArya and dvaita, the philosophy propounded by

him.

A Q & A format has been used in order to answer some of the basic questions that

people

beginning this journey of enquiry may have. The objective is to provide

information in a

simple and easy to understand manner. We want to whet the appetites of these

inquisitive minds so that they can proceed to study these concepts in a more

formal

fashion.

 

This booklet has been produced by the amateur volunteers of VMS. We have drawn

freely from the books of famous scholars of dvaita philosophy such as Dr. BNK

Sharma,

Dr. KT Pandurangi and others. We want to thank them for permitting us to use

their

material. This booklet is intended to be the first one in a series on important

mAdhva

personalities.

 

We want to thank the contributors shrI Raghavendra Rachuri, shrI Sudhindra

Yapalparvi,

shrI Srinivasa Bhat, Dr. Kurudi Muralidhar, Miss Samhitha Muralidhar, shrI

Sathyanarayana, shrI Hunsur Sriprasad, shrI Jayakrishna and Dr. Hebbar for their

tireless

efforts in producing this booklet. We thank shrI Bannur for providing some

material from

his dvaita list postings. May shrI Hari and vAyu bless all the contributors,

volunteers and

readers of this book.

 

The ITRANS notation has been used for Sanskrit and Indian words. ITRANS is an

Indian language TRANSliteration scheme popular on the Internet.

 

Please give any feedback by using addresses given in this book.

 

VishNu preraNaya, vishNu prIthyartham,

s of VMS.

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

FOREWORD

 

 

There are some philosophies which are honored without being read while some

other

philosophies are ignored without being read. Sri Madhvacharya's philosophy and

religion belongs to the second category.

 

There are more people who have misunderstood and misinterpreted Srimadacharya

and

his philosophy than the people who have understood him. Sri madhvacharya's

philosophy is like a cane of sugar which has all the juice hidden under a tough

surface.

 

Sri madhvAcharya's philosophy did not come to mislead people by spurious

attractions

but came to give the essence of vedas to the people who have been misled. It is

the

tattvavaada of the right knowledge.

 

Sri madhvAcharya's philosophy does not mislead innocent people with colorful

explanations. It gives a clear and coherent explanation to the universal

principles.

 

Sri madhvAcharya says " Illusion may be very attractive but it is not good for

the people " .

His words are " mithyOpaasaahi anarthadaa " and " worship of the wrong principles

leads

to destruction " . Truth may be hard to swallow but not difficult.

 

Even though Sri madhvAcharya's philosophy is difficult, it is a philosophy that

is suitable

for debate, serious thinking and introspection. It is important to learn about

such

philosophy, its creator and the historical tradition of that philosophy.

 

This booklet which gives information about sri madhvacharya in an unique

question and

answer format serves a very useful purpose.

 

We are very happy that Vishwa mAdhva Sangha (VMS), which was founded by us, has

taken the publication of such an important work. We wish that this activity

continues for

a long time and wish that VMS fulfills the aspirations of the mAdhva world.

 

We pray to sri pAnDuranga viTTala that His blessings be showered on all the

volunteers

who have worked hard to bring out this booklet.

 

It gives great pleasure to release this booklet during the first ever

celebration in North

America of a great scholar sri Jayatheertha who was the major contributor to

mAdhva

philosophy through his works like sri Nyayasudha.

 

sri 1008 sri suguNendra theertha swamiji,

Sri jagadguru sri madhvAcharya mula mahA samsthAnam,

sri upEndra theetha pITham,

Sri puthige maTha, uDupi.

 

 

Dated: Jul 31st, 1999.

 

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

Chapter 1: shrI MadhvAcharya – Introduction

 

Q1: Who is shrI MadhvAchArya?

 

shrI MadhvAcharya is the founder of the dvaita school of Philosophy and

religion. Students of Indian

philosophy know him as the founder of a major school of vedanta1, like shrI

SankarAchArya and shrI

RamanujAchArya. He is regarded as the third avatAra of vAyu or Mukhya PraaNa

(the god of life), the

other two being: shrI Hanuman in tretA yuga, and shrI bhImasena in dvApara yuga.

His name and advent

are mentioned in the BaLitthA SUkta of the Rg VEda2. shrI MadhvAcharya himself

acknowledges this in

one of his works.3

 

shrI MadhvAcharya was born on Vijayadashami (10th day of the bright half of the

lunar month of

Ashwayuja - September and October) in the year 1238 AD(CE4) in the village of

Pajaka near Udupi,

Karnataka, India. He took up sanyAsa at the age of ten from shrI achyutapreksha,

with the ashrAmanAma

of (the name that a new ascetic should take) pUrNapraj~na.

 

shrI achyutapreksha who belonged to the Advaita (monistic) school of VEdanta,

had a hard time

convincing his student on the monistic interpretation of the Hindu spiritual

classics such as the Upanisads,

the Bhagavadglta etc. pUrNapraj~na impressed his teacher by interpreting Hindu

Scriptures along dualistic

and theistic lines, and arguing resourcefully with anyone who challenged his

ideas.

 

Subsequently, pUrNapraj~na toured Southern India; debating with monistic

scholars wherever he

encountered them. Upon his return to Udupi, his guru, gave him the title of

“Madhva”. Madhva wrote the

first of his 40 works, i.e. the commentary on the GIta.

 

shrI MadhvAchArya undertook two major tours of Northern India; winning several

monistic scholars over

to his dualistic view point. Ultimately, he managed to convert his teacher as

well. He met shrI vedavyasa

and shrI bAdarAyaNa (both are forms of shrI viShNu) during his two tours of

North India.

 

One significant incident in the life of shrI madhvAchArya was the miraculous

obtaining of a Krishna icon

on the seashore close to Udupi. He brought it to his monastery and duly

consecrated it in Udupi. He

personally worshipped the icon for 20 years.

 

shrI madhvAchArya debated with many scholars and won them to his school of

thought. The veteran

scholar of Andhra region, Shobhana bhatta (who later became his disciple, shrI

padmanAbha tIrtha), and a

well-known panDit in the Tulu region, trivikrama panDitAchArya were among the

prominent ones. shrI

nArayaNa panDitAchArya, the son of trivikrama panDitAchArya, composed shrI

sumadhva vijaya, a

contemporary biography of shrI madhvAchArya.

 

Then in 1298 CE, he ordained 8 young boys and appointed them as pontiffs of 8

apostolic institutions

(maThAs). Madhva asked the 8 pontiffs to undertake the worship of the Krishna

icon by a system of

rotation, which lasted two months each (In 1532 CE, this term was extended from

two months to two years

and continues to be so even to this day). Madhva disappeared from mortal sight

on the 9th day of the bright

half of the month of Magha in the Hindu cyclic year of Pingala (1317 CE) while

lecturing on the

Aitareyopanisad, to the first eight pontiffs of Udupi.

 

1 VEdanta literally means the end of the vedas. VEdanta refers to the

philosophical systems that are based

on the vedanta sUtras or BramhasUtras of shrI bAdarAyaNa. These sUtras were done

to systematize the

teachings of the vedas and the upanishads.

2 yadImanupradivO madhva AdhavE guhasantham.h maatarishvaa mathaayatI - Rig VEda

I.141. 1-5

3 Mahabharata tatparya nirNaya – yasya theenyuditAni veda vachane 4

In academic circles, it is common to use CE (Common Era) instead of AD(Anno

Domini-in the year of

our Lord). CE is more secular connotation.

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

Further sections of this booklet, give more details about his life and his

works.

Note: The biographical details of his life are from the authoritative biography

of shrI madhvAchArya called

shrI sumadhvavijaya.

 

 

Q2: What are his contributions to Indian Philosophy and religion?

 

shrI madhvAchArya made several important contributions to Indian Philosophy.

 

• The most important contribution was his approach in treating all the Hindu

scriptures as an integral

entity. Unlike other commentators who treat differentiate between VEdas and

Upanishads, treating the

former as " lower knowledge " (apara vidya), he treated both of them as an

integral entity. He may be

regarded as the greatest " SamanvayAcharya " of Indian Philosophy.

(SamanvayAcharya: a person who

gives coherent and wholesome interpretation while keeping in mind the pretext

and context of a series

of passages in a particular scriptural text).

• He was the first philosopher to formulate an Adhyatmic (philosophical)

intepretation of the Rg. veda.

To illustrate his point, he interpreted forty suktas as an example. Recent

philosophers like shrI

arabindo have continued on this path. 5

• He gave a fresh doctrine of the validity of knowledge with special reference

to the principle of

" sAkshi " . Though sakshi concept can be traced to earlier sources, it was

shrImadacharya who

developed the concepts and used them in the right places in his philosophy.

• He introduced the concept of " vishesha”, in the relationship between a

substance and its attributes.

• There are several other concepts like svatantra-paratantra, bimba-pratibimba

bhAva (relation between

Jivas and brahman) which he developed and used in his works.

• He also influenced the bhakti movement in India. He wrote dvAdasha stotra, a

devotional poem having

his " amkita " or signature. This was a precursor to the famous " Haridasa "

movement of Karnataka,

which has enriched the devotional literature of the entire country.

Q3: What are shrI madhva's influences on other schools of thought?

 

Post-madhva vaishNava schools of shrI nimbarka, shrI vallabha, and shrI

chaitanya have come under the

influence of shrI madhva. They have used concepts proposed by him, with slight

changes in semantics.

Nimbarka’s concept of bheda and abheda comes very close to that of

madhvAchArya’s, with slight changes

in terminology. Vallabha uses concepts similar to Ananda taratamya (gradation in

bliss of souls in

salvation). In the Chaitanya School, madhvA’s influence can be seen in the works

of rupa goswami, jiva

goswami and to a great extent in the works of shrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaNa.

 

Summary:

 

We can say that shrI madhvAchArya is one of the giants of Indian philosophy and

religion. Even though

the number of his followers is numerically smaller than those of other schools,

they are second to none in

creative ideas, vision and richness of thought.

 

Note: Several important philosophical concepts proposed by shrI madhvAchArya

have been mentioned in

passing. One needs to study his philosophy in greater detail to understand these

concepts better. There will

be a future booklet devoted to this philosophy.

 

5 shrI madhva’s teachings in his own words- p.18 - shrI B.N.K. Sharma- Bharatiya

vidya Bhavan

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

Chapter 2: Background

 

Q1: What was the state of Hinduism and Indian Philosophy at his birth?

 

The thirteenth century was a time of great turbulence in India’s political and

religious history; Hindu

kingdoms were in a state of disunity and disarray. Portions of India were on the

verge of losing their

political and religious freedoms.

 

On the philosophical front, Buddhism and Jainism had taken birth as a backlash

to excessive ritualism of

the vedas. shrI Sankara’s Advaita (monism) propounded the concepts of mAyavada

(Theory of illusion).

mAyavAda claims that the whole world is unreal and there is only one real

substance called Atman or

Brahman. Brahman is supposed to be nirguNa (without any attributes). shrI

Sankara’s theory was the

dominant philosophy at that time. There are several versions of shrI Sankara’s

theory which compete with

each other, claiming to be the correct monistic interpretation.

 

People who wanted a Theistic and realistic philosophy that recognized the

reality of the world and was

based on the concept of a personal and saguNa God (one with auspicious

attributes) did not have any

philosophy they could claim as their own. shrI Ramanujacharya did give a good

theistic rebuttal to shrI

Sankara’s philosophy, but it was not complete. Among other things, shrI

Ramanujacharya did not comment

on all the ten upanishads. Since shrI sankara’s advaita philosophy was based on

the mahAvAkyas of the

upanishads as its foundation shrI Ramanujacharya’s response was not considered

as a complete rebuttal of

shrI Sankaracharya. In addition, Saivism was also on the rise in parts of

Tamilnadu and Karnataka.

 

With this being the state of Indian Philosophy and religion, time was ripe for a

vigorous and rigorous

rebuttal of the mAyAvAda and for a theistic and realistic vedantic philosophy.

Time was ripe for the

birth of shrI madhvAchArya.6

 

6 Note: This represents a really brief description of the state of the Indian

Philosophy at that time. More

details are in 1. History of dvaita school of VEdanta and its Literature- shrI

BNK Sharma 2. dvaita

Philosophy as expounded by shrI madhvacharya-shrI Aroor shrInivasa Rao endowment

lectures-

University of Madras.

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

Chapter 3: MadhvAchArya's childhood

 

Q1. Who were shrI MadhvAchArya's parents?

 

An eminent brahmin named nArAyaNa NaDDillAya was tremendously devoted to Lord

Vishnu. He had a

very devout and chaste wife named VEdavatI. The couple aspired for a son who

would be the embodiment

of knowledge. With immense devotion, they incessantly served Lord Ananteshvara

7, the giver of cherished

gifts, and observed a variety of vows for 12 years and prayed Lord Ananteshvara

to grant them such a son.

Finally, their prayers were answered and Lord Ananteshvara ordered his chief

aide, mukhyaprANa a.k.a

vAyudeva 8 to be born to them as MadhvAchArya.

 

Q2. Where is the birth place of shrI madhvAchArya?

 

shrI madhvAchArya was born in the village of Pajaka9 near uDupi, Karnataka,

India.

 

 

House where sri madhvAcharya was born in pAjaka near Udupi

 

Q3. What was the name given to him by his parents?

 

NaDDillAya and his wife were very ecstatic to have this child who was full of

auspicious qualities. During

the naming ceremony, they called their son vAsudeva. This name connotes sound

knowledge and deep

devotion to supreme Lord, a befitting name applauded even by the gods.

 

Q4. Why was vAsudeva special?

 

vAsudeva was unlike other kids of his age. True to his name, he was overflowing

with deep devotion to the

supreme Lord. He used to see God everywhere and used to bow before Him. He was

extraordinary in every

 

7 Ananteshvara was the spiritual deity of their community. The Ananteshvara

Temple at UDupi used to be

the spiritual center of the community until the KRSn.a Temple was established in

1278 CE

8 Mukhyaprana, the god of life is hailed in sacred texts as the chief aide of

Lord Narayana.

9 The house where Madhvacharya was born still exists in PAjaka Village.

 

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

respect, and repeatedly astounded his teachers, and performed several miracles.

He showed his

extraordinary mental abilities and spiritual bent of mind on several occasions.

 

Q5. What miracles did vAsudeva perform?

 

• Once, when VAsudeva was less than a year old, his mother left him in the care

of his sister and

went out on some work. The baby started crying for food soon after his mother

left him. Not

knowing what to do, his sister fed him well boiled horse-gram (which was meant

for the bullocks)

by mistake. VAsudeva ate quite a large quantity of this with great relish.

VAsudeva’s mother

returned home thinking that the baby would be crying for milk. She was surprised

to see him quite

playful and cheerful, instead of crying for food. When she learnt that he had

been fed boiled horse-

gram, which is difficult even for adults to eat and digest, she was very worried

about what would

happen to him. But he was cheerful and healthy and showed no signs of

discomfort. The

extraordinary digestive power of the child surprised everybody.

• Once VAsudeva, a year old, accompanied his father’s bullock, to the fields in

the morning. He

followed the bullock, holding on to the tip of its tail. His parents searched

for him in vain

throughout the day. In the evening, the bullock returned with the child to the

surprise of everyone.

Even though the child had not eaten anything from dawn to dusk, and had walked a

great deal,

there was no sign of fatigue on its face. The extraordinary endurance of the

child convinced all

that he was no ordinary mortal, but was divine with superhuman powers.

• Once, VAsudEva returned from play and requested his father to dine with him.

His father told him

that he could not do so as he was prevented from moving out by the person, who

had lent him

money to buy the bullock. Thereupon VAsudEva, with his hands full of tamarind

seeds, came to

the lendor and gave him the seeds in lieu of the money due to him. The quantity

of the tamarind

seeds, was found to be equal to the amount of money due. The child’s innocence

and charming

personality made a deep impression on the lendor. He considered the tamarind

seeds given by the

child to be more valuable than the loan amount. He accepted the seeds with

faith, love and

devotion, from the hands of the handsome child and went away satisfied. At a

later day, when

vAsudeva’s father went to the lendor to repay the loan, he was told that the

amount had already

been repaid by his son. The faith the lender had shown in vAsudEva did not go

unrewarded; in due

course, he became a devotee of God and attained salvation. Such was the effect

of reposing faith

in Lord MukhyapraNa in the form of vAsudeva.

Tamarind tree near vAsudeva’s house

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

Sri madhAcharya giving tamarind seeds to the lender

 

• Even before he was eight, VAsudEva exhibited supernatural powers and performed

several daring

feats of physical power. Once, he was playing on a hillock called durgabeTTa,

when his mother

called him; he immediately jumped from the top of the hillock and landed near

his house! On

another occasion, he replanted a dry plant and made it sprout !

• VAsudEva’s friend, the son of his Guru, had chronic headache since birth,

which had defied all

treatments and medicines. Once when they were together in a forest, VAsudEva

noticed his friend

suffer from a sudden onset of pain. He blew air into his ears and cured him of

his headache

• Once, a devil known as Manimantha took the form of a deadly serpent and bit

vAsudeva,

However, vAsudEva was not affected, he jumped on its hood and pressed it down to

earth. It was

a miracle that the deadly snake’s poison did not harm him in any way. The place

where this

incident took place is near pAjaka kSetra and has been preserved by putting up a

small enclosure

round the place. The place can be seen even now.

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

Q6. What are examples of vAsudeva's extra-ordinary knowledge and strength?

 

vAsudeva was such a brilliant child that he used to grasp everything at once.

When his father repeated the

previous day’s lesson, little vAsudeva immediately complained, “Father! Why are

you teaching me what

was taught yesterday?” His father rejoiced on seeing his son’s brilliance.

vAsudeva was once sitting in the

class and was contemplating on god. His teacher ToTTintillAya, noticed that

vAsudeva was not paying

attention to what was being taught in the class. He scolded vAsudeva for his

negligence. vAsudeva replied

back, “Guruji! I don’t like learning by rote VEdic hymns, part by part”. This

angered the teacher who then

ordered vAsudeva to recite any hymn that had not been taught till then. vAsudeva

obliged and recited the

whole hymn. vAsudeva’s recital was flawless, with an immaculate pronunciation of

VEdic words10. It

could be used as a model for learning VEdic intonations and won the appreciation

of not only his teacher,

but also that of the gods in heaven. vAsudeva was also very skilled in sports

and was the reigning

champion in swimming, wrestling and weight lifting. In wrestling matches, he

could easily take on several

of his strong friends at the same time and defeat them with great ease. People

who witnessed his strength

could not help exclaiming in wonder, “Indeed he is BhImasena!”

 

Q7. Why did vAsudeva decide to take up sanyAsa?

 

From his childhood, VAsudeva was completely devoted to the feet of shrI ViShNu.

He was not at all

interested in superficial objects. After attending gurukula, VAsudEva returned

home and pondered on the

difficulty faced by good people who wanted to acquire correct knowledge of God.

He observed that there

was utter confusion in the minds of even scholars on account of apparently

contradicting versions

appearing in the different parts of the holy scriptures. He thought it was

necessary to reveal the real hidden

meanings of holy scriptures and establish the unrivalled and unequalled

supremacy of God. He decided that

the only way he could do so was by embracing sanyAsa Asharama and becoming a

sanyAsi to propogate

the true philosophy enshrined in the holy scriptures to the world. Thus, at the

age of eight, he announced to

his parents his intention to take up sanyAsa.

 

Q8. How did VAsudEva convince his parents?

 

vAsudeva’s parents were very distressed on hearing this news. They were worried

that there would be no

one to take care of them in their old age. On seeing their distress, vAsudeva

promised to wait until another

son was born to them. He won over his father by quoting the VEdas that “the

moment one renounces all

worldly attachments and completely immerses in contemplation of God, he should

become a monk”. His

father, being a great scholar himself, saw the logic in vAsudEva’s argument.

However, he declined to give

his permission, stating that even if he could bear his parting, his mother would

never be able to do so.

vAsudeva assured his father that he would get his mother’s permission later but

insisted that his father

agree to it first. NaDDillAya had to agree with great difficulty.

 

When another baby was born to his parents, vAsudeva sought his mother’s

permission. She had made up

her mind to deny him permission. On hearing her decision, vAsudeva declared that

he would run away

from home if he was not allowed to become a monk. His mother was caught in a

dilemma. Finally, she

thought, “Never to be seen again is as good as being no more”, and agreed to his

request

 

Q9. Whom did vAsudeva choose as his guru?

 

Though VEdavyAsa was his real guru, vAsudeva chose shrI achyutaprekSha tIrtha, a

great ascetic, to be

the guru who would take him into the ascetic order. shrI achyutaprekSha belonged

to the Advaita (nondualistic)

school of VEdanta. He had his maTha in the Ananteshvara shrine, and was the

spiritual leader of

the community at that time. He was well known for his purity in thought, word

and deed. He had studied

the existing systems of philosophy and was conscious of their limitations. He

was offering prayers to Lord

Ananteshwara to bless him with true knowledge. Lord Ananteshwara, pleased with

his devotion, informed

 

10 Madhvacharya is known to have once chanted a Rig VEdic hymn and made green

grams sprout, leaf,

fruit and grain in order in his hands. Such was the power of his chanting!

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

him through the medium of a person, that he would soon get a disciple who would

lead him on the correct

path of knowledge and wisdom. VAsudeva approached shrI achyutaprekSha and

requested him to take him

as his disciple. achyutaprekSha, who was eagerly waiting for this moment,

immediately agreed.

 

Q10. How did he get the title 'pUrNaprajn~a'?

 

His preceptor shrI achyutaprekSha tIrtha named him pUrNaprajn~a after his

induction into monkhood.

pUrNaprajn~a astounded achyutaprekSha by his knowledge. On one occasion, his

guru tried to teach him

the noted Advaita text iSTasiddhi (a tough work on the Advaita theory of

knowledge). pUrNaprajn~a

pointed out, to achyutaprekSha tIrtha's amazement, 32 errors in the very first

line of that work, where its

author vimuktAtman had paid obeisance to himself by saying something like: " The

only truth is the soul's

empirical knowledge. In the presence of this truth the world appears to be an

illusory play. The essential

soul manifests itself as I, you and everything... " It was this profound

knowledge of all subjects that earned

him the title of " PurNa-prajn~a " which meant " one whose knowledge is complete. "

The greatly pleased

achyutaprekSha tIrtha gave up trying to educate his pupil. He later converted

himself to dvaita, with the

name puruSottama TIrtha.

 

Q11. How did he come to be known as 'Ananda tIrtha’?

 

achyutaprekSha TIrtha appointed PurNa-prajn~a as his successor, to become the

head of his maTha. In

those days, the ordination (upasampadA) was given by the preceptor only after

the disciple reached a

certain age and accomplishment. The name given to him at the time of the

upasampadA was Ananda TIrtha

when he was formally admitted into the " TIrtha " , order of the Ekadan.DI

sannyAsins by his guru

achyutaprekSha TIrtha11.

 

Q12. Why is he more popularly known as MadhvAchArya?

 

The words AnandatIrtha and MadhvAchArya are synonymous. The word ‘Madhva’ comes

from

‘Madhu+A’ (‘honey bringer’), a title given to him by achyutaprekSha after

AnandatIrtha wrote a

commentary on the BrahmasUtras along theistic lines. As Madhva is also a name

that occurs in the

BaLittha Sukta12 of the Rigveda for the third avatAra of MukhyaprANa, he became

famous as

MadhvAchArya.

 

11 A lineage of monks keep a honorific title denoting the lineage. All the

mAdhva monks have the title

“tIrtha”. EkadanDi refers to the order having one sceptre that is the symbol of

monks.

12 BaLittha tadvapushe dhayidarshatam… (Rig VEda I.141. 1-5)

 

 

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Chapter 4 -- Early Years of Sanyasa

 

Q1. How did shrI MadhvachArya come to present a new philosophy?

 

shrI MadhvAchArya’s guru was shrI achyutaprekSha. Lord shrI AnantheSwara Himself

told shrI

achyutaprekSha that he would obtain right knowledge from shrI madhvAchArya, his

own student. Ever

since he took sanyAsa at the age of ten, shrI MadvAchArya taught others the

right meaning of VEdas and

how this meaning could be assimilated by praying to Lord shrI Hari. He knew this

because he was in

essence shrI VAyu himself and had learnt the right knowledge directly from Lord

shrI NArAyaNa.

 

Forty days after taking sanyAsa, shrI MadvachArya skillfully debated a famous

Advaita scholar, VAsudeva

panDita and defeated him. shrI achyutaprekSha was totally impressed by his

pupil’s victory, and wanted

him to get even better at debating. So, he then started teaching him isTasiddhi,

an Advaita philosopher’s

work. Immediately, shrI MadhvAchArya pointed out that there were 32 incorrect

items in the very first

sentence. shrI achyutaprekSha asked him to show the incorrect items and told

everyone that he would not

teach anymore. From then on, shrI MadvAchArya started his teachings on dvaita

philosophy. He also

undertook a south Indian tour and visited Trivandrum, KanyAkumAri, shrIrangam

and rAmeshwara to

spread his ideas around. He had vigorous debates with scholars from other

traditions. This tour of South

India convinced shrI madhvAchArya that he needed to give his new sidhhAnta or

philosophy a formal

basis. He started writing his first work, a commentary on GIta, soon after his

return from the tour.

 

He taught that Lord shrI Hari is Supreme (Hari Sarvottama), the world is real

(Jagat Satya) and not an

illusion (mAya), there is a five-fold difference between God, living things, and

non-living things. This fivefold

difference is called pancha Bedha and includes the following elements:

 

– between God and living things,

– between God and non-living things,

– between living and non-living things,

– amongst living things themselves,

– amongst non-living things.

He used three main methods of proof (pramANa) to present his philosophy. They

are – personal

experience (pratyakSa), scriptures (agamas), and inference (anumana).

 

Q2. How did he propagate his philosophy?

 

shrI madvAchArya started propagating his philosophy, dvaita meaning two

different things, referring to

difference between God and us. Initially, the only way of propagating his

philosophy was to take on

scholars belonging to other schools of thought and debating with them. In the

course of the debate, the

scholars would learn how mistaken they were in misinterpreting Vedas, concluding

that their knowledge

about God, World, and Living things was grossly incorrect. More often than not,

they would then surrender

and implore shrI madvAchArya to accept them as his disciples and impart correct

knowledge to them.

 

In addition to his melodious chanting of the VEdas and his concise way of

communicating ideas, shrI

madvAchArya was a charismatic person and a natural leader. He toured North and

South India, giving

discourses and debating and winning over scholars from other traditions. He

debated and converted

Shobhana Bhatta, a scholar in the GodAvari province, who became a disciple of

madhva under the ascetic

name of shrI padmanAbha tIrtha. He also converted narahari tIrtha, who was a

scholar in the Orissa region.

 

He used many down-to-earth examples to illustrate his arguments. His incisive

logic and enormous

learning helped him win over all his opponents. His ability to defeat anybody in

debate made him very

popular. He was fearless, and many times argued with groups of scholars and

still was able to come on top,

efficiently promoting his philosophy. He converted many of them and made them

his followers.

 

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Q3. What did he do while traveling?

 

When shrI MadhvAchArya traveled, he visited temples, sacred rivers, and met

scholars from other schools.

He engaged them in intellectual debates and proved to them the error of their

ways. He defeated

BuddhisAgara and Vadisimha, both Buddhists, with very concise one-sentence

responses to their

arguments. They ran away overnight accepting defeat. Similarly, he argued

against Sankara BhaSya

saying that the world is real, not an illusion, God is supreme and different

from living and non-living

beings.

 

On one occasion, during his travel through south india (1256-1259 CE) he halted

at a place called

ViShNumangala (Kerala). In order to test shrI MadhvAchArya, one person gave him

hundreds of bananas

after lunch. shrI MadhvAchArya ate all of them without any difficulty. This act

resembled that of shrI

bhIma in his previous incarnation where he ate a lot of food meant for a demon

called BakAsura and then

killed him. He then went to Kerala and halted near river Payasvini. He reminded

everybody that shrI

DurgA (sister of Lord shrI KrSn.a) would reincarnate here. Then he visited the

shrI Ananta PadmanAbha

temple in Trivandrum. He addressed many people in the temple and presented his

dvaita philosophy. Here,

he challenged KudipustUru, a leading advaita scholar, and defeated him. In order

to establish his

philosophy on a sound footing he decided to write commentaries on holy

scriptures.

 

shrI MadhvAchArya then went to KanyAkumari and Rameshwara, and remembered shrI

Hanuman’s

incarnation. In Rameshwara he camped for four months during ChaturmAsa. Many

scholars from other

disciplines also camped there to try and defeat him. Many of them, including

KudipustUru formed a team,

to defeat him, but none of them prevalied. Somedboy challenged his statement

that every name in ViShNu

SahasranAma has 100 meanings. He agreed to list out the meanings, provided the

audience was able to

remember them. He began with the first name – “ViShvam” and started listing its

meanings. After he

crossed 50, his audience requested him to stop since they were unable to keep up

with him. He also

addressed another group of scholars and won their heart by using logic, VEdas,

and mImamsa. He finally

returned back to UDupi. So wherever he went, he propagated his philosophy and

defeated scholars with

incorrect knowledge.

 

Q4. How did he meet shrI VEdavyAsa ?

 

shrI MadhvAchArya decided that to protect VEdic traditions he would have to

refute existing wrong

commentaries on the BrahmasUtra. In order to do so, he would have to write a

commentary that brought

out the true meaning of the sUtras, along with the true import of the Vedas. He

decided to go to Badari to

meet shrI VEdavyAsa and get His blessings before writing the commentary. To make

sure that his guru

shrI achyutaprekSha did not object to his long journey, he wrote a commentary on

the Bhagavad GIta. This

kept his guru busy and he accorded his permission for the trip.

 

He traveled north (1263-1271 CE) with several disciples towards Lower Badari.

The travel was very

pleasant, with a symbolic cool breeze because shrI MadhvAchArya (shrI VAyu

himself) was leading the

entourage. He reached Badari and offered his salutations to shrI NArAyaNa. He

sent his disciples away

and presented his commentary on the gIta to God. He told God that he had created

this commentary to the

best of his capability. To this God replied, “Not really, you have more

capability but have written only a

little, you could do even more13”. On the same night, God woke shrI MadhvAchArya

and asked him to

present his commentary again. This shows Lord shrI NArAyaNa was completely happy

with his work and

wanted to listen to it many times.

 

Then shrI MadhvAchArya made preparations to meet shrI VEdavyAsa (Reincarnation

of Lord shrI Hari)

who was living in Upper Badari. Travel to Upper Badari is difficult even today

and could take 48 days. He

took an oath not to talk and eat until he met shrI VEdavyAsa. He did this in

order to keep his mind focused

 

13 Under the instruction of shrI nArAyana , shrI madhvAcharya changed a verse in

gItA tAtparya to

say”vakshyAmi leshataH” (I will tell a little bit) from “vaskshyAmi shaktitaH” (

I will tell according to my

ability).

 

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on prayers to shrI VEdavyAsa and ward away distractions. He asked his disciples

to stay back and

proceeded towards Upper Badari. Everyone stayed back except one disciple, shrI

Sathya tIrtha who was

determined to follow his master. However, after a while he became so tired that

he could neither keep up

with shrI MadhvAchArya nor go back to lower back. shrI MadhvAchArya looked back

and waved at him

signaling him to go back. This wave created a fierce wind that carried shrI

Sathya tIrtha back to the lower

Badari camp.

 

shrI MadhvAchArya proceeded towards upper Badari and went to shrI VEdavyAsa’s

Ashrama (hermitage).

This was a beautiful forest with many trees, birds, and animals. There were many

saints praising God and

getting lessons from shrI VEdavyAsa himself. Those saints saw a well-built and

charismatic shrI

MadhvAchArya coming towards them and were curious to know who he was. Then shrI

MadhvAchArya

saw shrI VEdavyAsa sitting in the middle of a stage. This beautiful sight moved

him and he started

praying to him. He looked at shrI VEdavyAsa’s beautiful face, hands, body, and

legs. shrI VEdavyAsa’s

eyes were very bright and he had a melodious voice. Then shrI MadhvAchArya went

near shrI

VEdavyAsa and did namaskaras to him. shrI VEdavyAsa was very happy to see him

and greeted him

effusively. This meeting with shrI vedavyAsa was only possible because shrI

MadhvAchArya was a

reincarnation of shrI VAyu, supreme among jIvas (VAyu jIvottama).

 

Then shrI VEdavyAsa taught VEdas and BhAgavata to shrI MadhvAchArya. As vAyu he

had already been

imparted knowledge of the scriptures by NArAyANA, however, he learnt them again

from shrI

VEdavyAsa for several reasons. Foremost among them was his obvious pleasure in

learning something

from his Lord and Master. Second, he wanted to emphasize that true knowledge has

to be learnt from a

guru. Third, he wanted to show the world that his knowledge of scriptures was

flawless because this had

been imparted to him by the Lord shrI Hari Himself.

 

Q5. How was his mental personality?

 

shrI MadhvAchArya had complete and correct knowledge of VEdas. Once, he

demonstrated the power of

VEdic chants in front of a skeptic by sprouting a seed into a plant and then

into tree with flowers and fruits.

 

He was able to articulate his knowledge of the vEdas in a clear and concise

manner to help others

understand their true import - Lord shrI Hari is supreme (Hari Sarvottama), the

world is real (Jagat Satya),

and there is difference between God, Living, and non-Living things (pancha

bedha).

 

Expounding the remarkable philosophy of dvaita and constructing 40 works that

laid the foundation for the

philosophy also shows shrI madhvAchArya’s remarkable intellect. Acharyas of

other vedAntic schools had

a person who had laid out the basic principles of their philosophy before them.

shrI sankarAcharya had shrI

Gaudapada before him who had come up the basic principles of advaita. shrI

sankarAcharya gave the

philosophy, a formal basis with commentaries on brahmasUtras, upanishads and the

gIta. shrI

madhvAchArya did not have the benefit of a precursor. He had to build all of his

philosophical

underpinnings and the building blocks himself. This shows his amazing intellect.

 

Once when shrI achyutaprekSha was teaching bhAgavata, shrI MadhvAchArya took one

of the prints in the

class and said this is was the only correct print. When asked how he knew, shrI

MadhvAchArya replied,

this is how shrI VEdavyAsa has written BhAgavata and hence this print is the

only correct print. His guru

asked him to prove his point by reciting the most difficult part of bhAgavatha,

the fifth chapter. shrI

madhva immediately obliged, without looking at the text at all. The other

students verified the fact that his

recitation exactly matched the version that he had identified as the

authoritative one. shrI achyutapreksha

was amazed and exclaimed that he could not have learnt this in this lifetime.

shrI madhvAchArya replied

that he had indeed learnt the text in his previous life. This episode clearly

shows shrI madhvAchArya’s

superhuman mental abilities.

 

He was a visionary who knew what was going to come. Once while giving the

correct meaning to a word

ApAla (beautiful girl) he predicted that a scholar would visit the man seeking

the meaning in exactly two

days and would give him the same meaning. Voila!! It happened. He feared no one

because he knew that

his knowledge was right and Lord shrI Hari was inside him all the time carrying

out his actions. He knew

 

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several languages fluently without attending any school. He was taught directly

by shrI NArAyaNa and

shrI VEdavyAsa. These remarkable features made shrI MadhvAchArya pUrNa praj.na.

 

Q6. How was his physical personality?

 

shrI MadhvAchArya was very well built, over 6 feet, handsome with grace, and

with superhuman

capabilities. He was able to eat a lot of food, hundreds of bananas at once or

fast for several days without

exhaustion. He once carried a large boulder (over 300 tons) in one hand and put

it aside to clear the way

for others14. Many strong men challenged him in wresting and were unable to move

even a toe of his leg

when he held pressed on the floor. But on another occasion he became so light

that he could be carried on

the shoulder of a small boy.

 

He also saw a pregnant woman carrying water from the tank to the house in

ShrImuShn.a (Kerala State).

Immediately, he struck the ground with his danDa (scepter carried by an ascetic)

and brought out a fountain

of water for that woman. Even today this is called danDa tIrtha.

 

Once, when he was travelling in north India with a group of his disciples, they

had to cross a rising river.

He crossed the river by walking on river. He then met the king on the opposite

shore and arranged a boat

for the disciples to cross the river. This proved that shrI MadhvAchArya was the

incarnation of Lord shrI

VAyu himself. Lord shrI VAyu is the commander of all our organs in our body and

thus shrI

MadhvAchArya exhibited superhuman qualities.

 

14 This boulder still exists with the inscription on it reading “Sri

MadhvAcAryen.a ekahastEna stApita

shila”.

 

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Chapter 5: Later Years of SanyAsa

 

Q1. What were the main highlights of the second North Indian tour?

 

shrIMadhvAchArya visited Badari, HastinApura (near Delhi), KurukshEtra, Varanasi

(KAshi),

Hrishikesha, Ishupata Kshetra, and several other holy places in North India

during his second North Indian

Tour (1280-1290 CE). The main highlights of this tour were:

 

• Meeting Lord BAdarayana at Badari, and receiving eight Saligramas from Him

(these are said to be

presents made by Vyasa to his favorite pupil). Incidentally, these sAligrAmAs

are called VyAsa

Mushtis.

• Writing of shrIman MahAbhArata Tatparya Nirnaya, the great epitome of

MahAbhArata.

• Conducting tapas (meditation) under a tree near GangA river for four months.

• Crossing the river GangA, defying physical and political limitations.

• Converting the mind of King MahAdEva of Maharastra to do hard labor, alongside

with the people

whom he was forcing to do real hard labor.

• Drawing attention of his disciples to some of the key incidents of the

Mahabharatha war, showing the

ammunitions and himself depicting as Lord BhIma, during his tour of KurukshEtra.

• Conversing with Ghyasuddin Balban (1266-1286 CE) and getting half of his

province as a jaghir

(gift).

Q2. Who were the main scholars that he won over during that time?

 

While coming back from his first North Indian tour, ShrI madhvAchArya

participated in a vidvat sabha

was being held at RAjamahendri on the banks on the GodAvarI river in the Andhra

county. The

sabha was organized by two erudite scholars, Shobhana BhaTTa (the prime minister

of the kAkatIya

kings at Warangal) and SvAmI ShAstrI (the prime minister of the Gajapati kings

of kaLinga). Both

were staunch Advaitins. Both of them were thoroughly mesmerized by ShrI

madhvAchArya at the

RAjamahendri sabha. They not only converted to dvAita, but asked to be given

holy orders. After

resigning their privileged positions, Shobana BhaTTa and SvAmI ShAstrI were

ordained as

PadmanAbha and Narahari TIrthas respectively.

 

Q3. How did he cross the river GangA?

 

On their way to badari, shrI MadhvAchArya and his disciples had to cross the

river gangA. It was

impossible to cross the river without boats but none were available since the

muslim ruler of that province

had prohibited people from crossing the river. shrI MadhvAchArya’s disciples

were in a quandry, and did

not know what to do. However, ShrI madhvAcharya was not perturbed; he asked his

disciples to hold on to

him and form a chain. Together, they easily swam across the river to the great

amazement of everybody,

including the soldiers guarding the other side of the river. They tried to

prevent him from crossing the

river, but could not do so. They surrounded him and tried to capture him, but he

was unstoppable. He

confidently marched ahead with his disciples.

 

Q4. Did he meet the muslim rulers in North India?

 

He met many Muslim rulers like Ghyasuddin Balban in North India. To great

astonishment, he conversed

with them in their native tongue. His charm and scholarly approach bowled them

over and gained their

respect.

 

Q5. How did ShrI madhvAchArya impress the Muslim King Ghyasuddin Balban?

 

When the King questioned shrI madhvAchArya about how he crossed the river and

passed his security,

AchArya responded, " I could do all of this by the grace of the Supreme God, who

is the controller of you,

me and the entire Universe " . He immediately understood the greatness of shrI

madhvAchArya and offered

 

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a part of his kingdom as jaghir if AchArya would stay in that kingdom. AchArya

did not accept his offer.

He asked the king to allow them to peacefully pass through his kingdom and

continued on his journey

towards Badari.

 

Q6. What was the highlight in winning over and converting scholars in the

western

Karanataka (tuLu) region?

 

Once, shrI Madhva was visiting ViShNumangaLam, near Kumbla River (located in the

present day

Kasargod District of Kerala State). He was giving a sermon in the ViShNumangaLam

temple's biggest

mantapam. Many learned people were present in the congregation. shrI

Pan.DitAchArya Trivikrama

PejattAya, a prominent scholar, was one of them. Though he was looking for an

opportunity to challenge

shrI Madhva's VedAnta, he could not find a suitable opportunity as shrI Madhva's

Siddhantha was flawless.

Later, in the village of AmarAlaya (KuDilu), shrI Pan.DitAchArya Trivikrama

PejattAya challenged shrI

Madhva for a discussion. This discussion continued for fifteen days and ended

with surrender and

conversion of shrIPan.DitAchArya Trivikrama PejattAya to dvaita VedAnta. Without

any ill will, he

became a convert and became a strong disciple of shrI Madhva. trivikrama's

brother, Shankara PejattAya,

was already a disciple of shrI Madhva. He was shrI Madhva's librarian. Later

shrI Pan.DitAchArya

trivikrama PejattAya wrote TattvapradIpikA, a commentary on SUtra BhAsya, as

assigned by shrI

Madhva. He also convinced shrI Madhva to write An.uvyAkhyAna, a commentary to

explain the dvaita

VedAnta fully and freely, at depth, for the benefit of his disciples. He

composed the famous Hari-vAyu

sthuthi, a sanskrit poem consisting of 41 verses. In this poem, he describes

Madhva as the avatAra

(incarnation) of shrI vAyu and sings of his greatness and glory as Hanuman,

bhImasEna and

madhvAchArya. It is extremely popular among mAdhvAs and it is believed that a

recitation of it with

devotion is enough to keep one from harm and shower happiness and peace.

 

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sri madhvAcharya debating sri trivikrama panDitAcharya

 

Q7. Who was his main biographer?

 

NArAyaNa panDitAchArya, the son of shrI Trivikrama panDitAchArya, wrote shrI

MadhvA’s biography,

“sumadhva Vijaya”. He was a contemporary of Shri Madhva. He was a great poet. He

narrated the life and

achievements of Sri MadhvAchArya in a fairly full, reliable and accurate way.

 

Q8. What is different about this biography compared with that of other AchAryas

?

 

SumadhvA Vijaya, is written in the form of a poem and has sixteen chapters in

various meters. This

describes the great AchArya’s life and doings. Their contemporaries wrote none

of the extant biographies

of shankara and rAmAnuja. There are several biographies with conflicting details

in the case of shrI

sankarAchArya. shrimadAchArya's biography was written by a junior contemporary

of his. Sumadhva

vijaya is the only biography accepted by all the segments of the mAdhva society.

 

Q9. How did he establish the Krishna temple in Udupi?

 

Once, shrI MadhvA noticed from the shores of Malpe (a coastal village near

Udupi), a ship, which had lost

its direction in the Arabian Sea. shrI MadhvA used his saffron colored overcloth

to direct the ship to the

shores. The thankful captain of the ship offered shrI MadhvA any thing he wanted

from the ship. Being a

SanyAsi with no materialistic desires, shrI MadhvA picked up a small mound of

Gopi Chandana from the

 

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ship. When he broke that Gopi Chandana, he saw a statue of shrI Krishna. He

established Udupi shrI

Krishna Temple, for this idol of shrI Krishna.

 

 

Udupi Shri Krishna

 

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Q10. Did he perform any miracles during this time?

 

shrI madhvAchArya performed many miracles during this period.

 

• The famous one is “Walking on water”. While returning from Badari, AchArya and

his

disciples had to once again cross the river GangA. It was impossible to cross

the river

without boats, but none were available. AchArya left behind all his disciples

and walked into

the GangA River. He disappeared from the sight of his disciples and reached the

other end.

The Muslim King was surprised to see him crossing the river without a boat. His

clothes were

also not wet. The king recognized the greatness of AchArya. He immediately

arranged for

boats to get AchArya’s disciples from the other end of the river.

• Once AchArya was travelling through the Goa region. A brahmaNa named Shankara

invited

him to his place. He wanted to test him, so he offered 4000 banana fruits to him

which were

first offered to God. AchArya ate all of them and later drank 30 vessels full of

milk. The super

human abilities of AchArya impressed the King of that place. Seeing the special

powers of

AchArya, He tried to force him to stay in his kingdom. When AcArya refused to

stay, he

even tried to lock him in the village temple. AchArya became invisible to the

king and his

soldiers and left the place with his disciples.

• Some thieves once tried to rob AchArya and his entourage. Observing them from

a distance,

he asked all his disciples to remain standstill. When the thieves arrived,

AchArya and his

disciples looked like stones to them. When they passed the place, AchArya and

disciples

resumed their journey without any problems. The thieves looked back and saw him

and his

disciples walking. They were stunned by his yogic power. They fell at his feet

and asked for

forgiveness.

Q11. How and when did he leave from the view of people? How long did shrI

MadhvAchArya live?

 

shrI MadhvAchArya lived for seventy nine years, from the Vijaya Dashami day of

Vilambi Samvatsara

(year) to the Navami of Shukla Paksha in the Month of Magha of Pingala

Samvatsara. For some months

prior to his disappearance from earthly environments, he stayed on the banks of

Kanwa tIrtha. It is said that

shrI madhvAchArya is currently present at Uttarabadari with shrI vedavyAsa.

 

 

Place from where shrI MadhvAchArya disappeared

 

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Chapter 6: shrI MadhvAchArya’s Philosophy

 

Q1. What is shrI MadhvAchArya’s philosophy?

 

shrI vyaasa thirtha has beautifully captured the essence of shrI MadhvAchArya’s

philosophy in this verse

(which has been quoted by Baladeva Vidyabhushana at the end of his work ‘Prameya

Ratnavali’) :

 

shrIman Madhva Mate harih paratarah Satyam Jagat Tattvato

bhinno jeeva ganaah, hareh anucharAh, nichochha bhavam

gatAh Muktih Naija sukhAnubhUtiramalA bhaktishcha tat

saadhanam Hi Aksyaadi tritayam pramaanam akhilam Amnaayaika

vedyo harih

 

Q2. Can you translate the above verse, in simple words?

 

A very simple translation of the above verse is:

 

The philosophy of Madhva is that

 

• ViShNu is the highest God,

• the world is real,

• the five-fold difference between God, living and non-living beings is an

eternal fact,

• all living beings are dependent upon ViShNu for their existence

• there is a hierarchy amongst living beings, that is eternal (without beginning

or end)

• salvation lies in the soul experiencing its intrinsic joy,

• salvation can be attained only through pure and unsullied love of God

(combined with

knowledge of His greatness)

• means of knowledge are sensory perception, inference and holy scriptures

• ViShNu is to be perceived in His nature through the holy scriptures and only

through them.

Pancha bhedas or five fold differences in dvaita philosophy

 

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Chapter 7: shrI MadhvAchArya’s Works

 

Q1. Can you give a brief introduction to shrI MadhvAchArya’s works?

 

Forty works of shrI MadhvAchArya have so far been discovered. Of these, thirty

seven are very

commonly known. These thirty seven works put together are very popularly known

as the Sarva Mula

Granthas.

 

Q2. How was shrI MadhvAchArya’s approach different from those of other

philosophers?

 

There is one striking difference between shrI MadhvAchArya’s compositions and

those of other vEdanta

philosophers.

 

When one goes through the works of shrI MadhvAchArya the thing that immediately

stands out is the

remarkable consistency of approach and clarity of thought. There is one central

theme that runs through all

of his works – the supremacy of ViShNu and the dependence of other entities on

Him for sustenance.

Everything else is woven around this theme and flows from it. One does not find

this kind of consistent,

coherent thinking in the works of any other vedanta philosophers.

 

For style of writing shrI MadhvAchArya follows the sUtras as insisted by the

VEdic thinking. His

interpretation of the VEdic texts show great astuteness and originality. Also

notable is that his works are

thoroughly VEdic. His style of writing is very precise and to the point; he

manages his language with great

efficiency. He puts down long chains of thoughts in very precise and terse

sentences. Another feature is

that he rarely makes statements which he does not support with quotations from

scriptures.

 

P.T. Srinivasa Iyengar in his book “Outlines if Indian Philosophy” says about

shrI MadhvAchArya’s

Brahma Sutra Bhasya:

“By comparing Sankara and Ramanuja’s Bhasyas Sutra by Sutra, a comparative study

of

their common points and divergence can be made. But Madhva’s Bhasya strikes such

original lines, that therein is visible most plainly how the traditional

interpretations of the

Sutras having become lost, the Bhasyakaras, commentators were untrammeled and

could

make out whatever they wanted from the Sutras.”

 

Q3. What are the works shrI MadhvAchArya has authored?

 

shriI MadhvAchArya’s works fall into two groups: the commentaries dedicated to

the explanation of holy

scriptures and independent treatises.

 

The following are the titles of his works

 

I. Commentaries and Writings with explanatory notes:

a. On VEdic Hymns

1. Rg Bhasya

2. Karmanirnaya

b. On Upanishads

1. Aitareya Upanishad Bhasya

2. Brhadaranyaka Upanishad Bhasya

3. Chandogya Upanishad Bhasya

4. Taittiriyaa Upanishad Bhasya

5. Isavasya Upanishad Bhasya

6. Kathaka Upanishad Bhasya

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7. Atharvana [Mundaka] Upanishad Bhasya

8. Manduka Upanishad Bhasya

9. Satprasna Upanishad Bhasya

10. Talavakara [Kena] upanishad Bhasya

These ten works are together known as 'upanishad prasthAna'

 

c. On PurANAs

1. BhagavadgitA bhAshya

2. BhagavadgitA tAtparya nirnaya

These two works are together known as 'GitA prasthAna'

3. BhAgavata tAtparya nirnaya

4. shrIman mahAbhArata tAtparya nirnaya

d. On VEdanta Sutras

1. BrahmasUtra - bhAshya

2. BrahmasUtra - AnUbhAshya

3. BrahmasUtra - AnuvyAkhyAna

4. BrahmasUtra - NyAyavivarana

These four works together are known as 'sUtra prasthAna'

II. Independent Writings

1. pramAnalakshna

2. kathAlakshana

These two works together are known as 'lakshna granthAs'

3. upAdhi khandana

4. mayAvada khandana

5. mithyAtvAnumAnakhandana

These three works together are known as 'khandana traya'

6. tattvasankhyAna

7. tattvavivEka

8. tattvOdyOta

9. vishnutattva(vi)nirnaya.

These four works together are known as 'tattva granthAs'

The above nine works along with karma nirnaya are collectively known as

'dasaprakaranAs'

 

10. dwadasa stotra

11. nakhastuti

12. sadAchArasmriti

13. jayanti nirnaya

14. krishnAmritamahArnava

15. tantrasArasangraha

16. yamakabhArata

17. yatipranavakalpa

III. Other Works

1. kandukastuti

2. thithi nirnaya

3. nyasa paddati

Q4. Give a brief description of the works of shrI MadhvAchArya

 

RG BHASYA

 

shrI MadhvAchArya has stated that each statement in the VEdas has at least three

meanings, the primary

meaning being the praise of the Lord ViShNu. He has illustrated this by writing

a commentary on forty

 

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hymns (suktas) from the Rg veda, starting with 'AgnimeelE purOhitam... '. He

explains how this Sukta is

primarily a prayer to Lord ViShNu. As in the case of all his works, he has, in

this commentary also, shown

that the VEdas uphold the supremacy of Lord Vishnu, and the dependence of all

the gods (devatas) on Him.

He has explained the importance of “Rishi, Devata and Chandas " in reciting

VEdas.

 

KARMANIRNAYA

 

This work is said to have been composed by shrI MadhvAchArya in reply to a

remark by some people that

he was only propagating 'Tattvajnana' but was not versed in the 'karmakanda' of

the VEdas. Being

Sarvajnacharya (the all-knowing preceptor), he has shown that even works dealing

with karmas are actually

hymns in praise of Lord ViShNu. He has illustrated aspect in this work. He has

chosen a mantra in a

'chandas' (metre) called 'Mahanamni' which apparently praises Indra and

explained its significance with

reference to ViShNu. This work illustrates the profoundity of his knowledge in

VEdas. In fact, while

Shankaracharya has stated that only a few VEdic statements are to be taken as

stating real philosophy and

the others are 'a-tattvavedaka' (not having any philosophic meaning), shrI

MadhvAchArya has upheld that

all VEdic statements are basically stating the philosophic truth of the

supremacy of Vishnu.

 

BHAGAVADGITA BHASHYA

 

This is said to be the first work of shrI MadhvAchArya . It is a commentary on

the GIta. He took it to

Badari and recited it before the Lord. The benedictory verse 'devam NArAyAnam

natvA ....' ended with the

word ‘shakitah' , meaning that he has written the 'bhashya' according to his

ability. But, he and his sishyas

who had accompanied him heard a voice from the Lord's vigraha that he should

change the word 'shaktitah'

to 'lesatah' indicating that he had the ability to give more interpretation of

the 'GIta' than what he had

written . By this the Lord gave his approval of the Acharya's commentary.

 

In this Bhashya shrI MadhvAchArya has not commented on each sloka of the GIta,

but has given

explanation to about 250 to 300 stanzas, starting with the 11th sloka of chapter

2. His sentences are

pregnant with meanings which only masters like Jayatirtha, Vyasaraja,

Raghavendraswamy,

shrInivasatirtha could explain to ordinary sadhakas.

 

SRIMADBHAGAVATA TATPARYA NIRNAYA

 

shrI MadhvAchArya has identified the works that are to be treated as 'Shastras'

(Agamas) - the four VEdas,

MUlarAmAyaNa, MahAbhArata, PancharAtra; in addition, PurANas and other works

which do not

contradict basic principles stated in shAstras are also to be taken as

'pramANa'. Of the 'purANas',

BhAgavata is considered to be fully authoritative. He has written a commentary

on the BhAgavata called

'BhAgavata tatparya nirnaya'. In this work he has explained the meaning of

several passages and the

implications of several anecdotes. As usual, he has not commented on every

single verse, but has chosen

only those which have some philosophical import, profusely substantiating them

with quotations. The

BhAgavata Tatparyanirnaya gives us the right approach with which we should study

a 'PurANa' or any

other work, viz., we should look for 'ViShNusarvOttamatva' and treat anything

opposed to it as false

knowledge.

 

BHAGAVADGITA TATPARYA NIRNAYA

 

This supplements his gItA-bhAshya. In fact, this work by itself can give us the

true import of the gIta. It

supplements points given in the bhAshya and also gives some additional ones. The

benedictory verse itself

contains the main import of the gIta that NArAyaNa whose greatness is intended

to be extolled in this work

is full of auspicious qualities and does not have even an iota of a flaw. All

other principles stated herein are

subservient to this knowledge of the supreme Lord.

 

SRIMAN MAHABHARATA TATPARYA NIRNAYA

 

This is his biggest work in terms of size. It comprises of thirty two chapters

spread over 5200 slokas. It

encompasses the two itihAsas - RAmAyaNa and MahAbhArata; in the latter he has

parallelly covered the

story of shrI Krishna as in the BhAgavata. It is not just a narration of events

but gives the correct

 

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interpretation for some baffling actions of the Lord (Rama and Krishna), in

cases like 'VAli vadha', 'pUtana

vadha' etc.

 

In the first chapter he has established that NArAyaNa is the supreme Lord of

this world, that He is full of

auspicious qualities (gunaparipurna), without absolutely no blemish whatsoever

(nirdosa). shrI

MadhvAchArya has also quoted the BaLittha sUkta and identified the three

avataras of VAyu, and given

the gradation among other 'dEvatas' and almost all other tenets of the shastras.

 

SUTRA PRASTHANA

 

The BrahmasUtras were composed by shrI VEdavyAsa. The BrahmasUtras are a

collection of 564 short

phrases. These phrases are said to form the basis for interpreting the VEdas.

The BrahmasUtras have been

grouped into four chapters and each chapter has four sections. The four chapters

are:

 

· Samanvaya adhyAya

· avirodha adhyAya

· sAdhana adhyAya

· phala adhyAya

BRAHMASUTRA BHASHYA

 

This work of shrI MadhvAchArya gives a detailed interpretation of each 'sUtra'

and establishes the main

tenets of his philosophy. According to it, the summary of each of the chapters

of the BrahmasUtras is as

follows:

 

Samanvaya adhyAya: This chapter explains that shrI NArAyaNa is ParaBrahma, and

that all names

(including names of other devatas etc.), all words, and even all sounds are

primarily His names and so

apply to Him primarily, and only secondarily apply to other persons or objects

that they seem to indicate.

shrI NArAyaNa is the controller of all functions in the universe as stated in 1

above.

 

Avirodha adhyAya: In this chapter shrI MadhvAchArya has shown that according to

the Sutras there is

no statement which contradicts the supremacy and the qualities of the Lord

defined in the first chapter; and

wherever any statement appears to contradict the same, it should be reconciled

with this main principle by

considering the statements prior to it and those following it (in philosophic

parlance these are called

upakrama and upasamhara). This chapter also deals with the errors in the

interpretations given by others to

the BrahmasUtras.

 

SAdhana adhyAya: The third chapter deals with the fact that the Lord will be

pleased with us only by

devotion to Him with the knowledge about Him as given in 1 above. shrI

MadhvAchArya has defined

'bhakti' as devotion with right knowledge, and complete attachment to Him.

 

Phala AdhyAya: This chapter gives the result of such 'sadhana', namely freedom

from the bondage of this

world where we face a lot of misery and, the attainment of 'moksha' or

liberation which is said to be a state

of eternal bliss. The gradation of souls, commonly known as 'taratamya', is also

dealt with here.

 

ANUBHASHYA

 

As the name itself indicates, this work is a summary of the BrahmasUtra bhAshya.

It is said that shrI

achyutapreksha, the Ashramaguru of shrI MadhvAchArya, was reciting the

BrahmasUtra bhAshya daily

before taking food, but was finding it difficult to do so on dvAdashi (when one

has to eat very early in the

day). When shrI MadhvAchArya heard about this, he promptly composed this work to

help him out. This

work follows a simple style and in only about 35 stanzas provides the gist of

the brahmasUtra bhAshya.

 

NYAYAVIVARANA

 

This work also summarizes the brahmasUtra bhAshya, incorporating the points made

out in

anUvyAkhyAna. It highlights many of the arguments used in the brahmasUtra

bhAshya.

 

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ANUVYAKHYANA

 

The 'anuvyAkhyAna' was written in response to the request by shrI trivikrama

panDitAchArya. It is said

that shrI madhvAchArya dictated the four chapters of this work simultaneously to

four of his sishyas. This

work contains further explanation of the brahmasUtra bhAshya for many 'sUtras'.

The implied meanings of

several sUtras would have been not clear or obscure, but for this work. While

the language of the original

brahmasUtra Bhashya is terse, this work follows a simple style. However, in

order to fully understand this

work, it is necessary to study it along with its commentary by shrI Jayatirtha -

'shrImanNyayasudha'.

 

shrI madhvAchArya has grouped this work into 4 chapters or adhyAyas as follows:

 

Samanvayadhyaya: It discusses the first brahma sUtra ('aum athato brahma jignasa

aum'), as also the

question of why ,when and wherefore the study regarding 'brahma' should be

undertaken; it also outlines

the fallacy in the approach to the subject by other thinkers earlier to him.

Then, the fact that NArAyaNa

alone is referred to by the term 'brahma' and that He is represented by the

letter 'aum' (incorporating eight

syllables), denoting the 'gunaparipurnhen thatva', 'nirdoshatva' and other

qualities of 'brahman' has been

established. ShrI madhvAchArya has explained further that 'NArAyaNa' can be

understood by 'Agamas'

alone and not by any logic. However, statements of Rishis and devotees like

Dhruva, illustrate the greatness

of the Lord.

 

avirodha adhyaya: In this chapter he deals with all the systems of philosophy

that were prevalent at that

time and shows that each of them is inconsistant with what is stated in the

VEdas, BrahmasUtras,

BhagavadgIta, and all authoritative shastras like the BhAgavata. He has also

concluded in this chapter that

there is hardly any difference between Buddhism and Advaita except in the use of

terms.

 

sadhana adhyaya: In this chapter he has stressed that bhakti combined with jnana

and vairAgya is the only

path for attaining Moksha or liberation. In fact he has said that one should

first practice 'VairAgya' which

leads to 'bhakti' which in turn leads to the desire for 'jnana'. Once this

happens, jnana and bhakti go hand-

in-hand leading us in the path of attaining His grace, which alone can grant us

the ultimate goal of reaching

His abode.

 

phala adhyaya: In this chapter the concept of Moksha or liberation is discussed

in depth. He starts with

how other systems like Jainism, Buddhism undertand Moksha and establishes how

this understanding is

flawed. He then points out the errors and inconsistencies in the concept of

moksha as described in the

Ramanuja system. Finally, the concept of Moksha as the one giving the Jiva ( a

sattvic jiva) his or her

intrinsic 'ananda' has been detailed, at the same time giving in detail the

'taratamya' amongst the gods in

Moksha ,and as a corrollary the 'taratamya' among all jivas is established.

 

PRAMANALAKSHANA

 

This is a work of Epistemology. Nature and a number of PramANas are discussed.

The shastraic meaning

of the word 'PramANa' is a statement which supports or proves a theory proposed

to be established. In

traditional accounts of systems of Indian thought, it is usual to begin with a

statement of the number and

nature of Pramanas, ie sources or guarantors of correct knowledge, recognized by

a given system.

 

Following this time-honored practice, shrI MadhvAchArya discusses the number of

PramANAs accepted

by him, their definitions, modes of functioning and the nature of reality

described by them. At the end, it

is stated that this work follows Brahmatarka of VEdaVyAsa which is now not in

existence. shrI

MadhvAchArya considers three Pramanas as fundamental : Pratyaksa (individual

experience), Anumana

(inference) and Agama (verbal testimony or Scriptures). The vindication of the

status of Smrti as a valid

experience is one of the distinctive and outstanding contributions of shrI

MadhvAchArya to Indian thought.

 

KATHALAKSHANA

 

The philosophical debate is called Katha. Certain guidelines and rules have been

laid down for

philosophical debate in Indian tradition. shrI MadhvAchArya gives these

guidelines and rules in this

work. He has defined three types of 'katha'. They are 'vAda' (discussion between

a teacher and a student),

 

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'jalpa' (discussion betweeen any two persons who have divergent views in the

presence of an impartial

judge) and 'vittanda' (similar to jalpa but the person involved resorts to

talking without pramanas).

 

KHANDANATRAYA

 

KhanDanatraya is a collection of three treatises - MAyAvAda KhanDana, UpAdhi

KhanDana and

Prapanchamithyatvanumana KhanDana, that critically review the Advaita concepts

of Mayavada, Upadhi,

and Mithyatva.

 

In MAyAvAda KhanDana, consisting of 20 granthas, he shows that MAyAvAda, the

identity of JIva and

Brahman, the central thesis of Advaita, is riddled with contradictions and that

the concept of Jiva Brahma

Aikya is not the purport of the VEdas. Having condemning advaitic concepts, he

then does 'svamata

sthapana' (establishing his philosophy) by quoting the last five verses of

chapter 15 of the BhagavadgIta

which state the 'supremacy of the Lord', and the principle of 'bheda'.

 

UpAdhi KhanDana is a short metrical work in 20 granthas. In this, he criticizes

the concept of " UpAdhi " ,

the pluralising factor, which is a central theme in the Advaita philosophy of

shrI Sankara. The Advaitin

believes that the world of plurality is the outcome of ignorance (Ajnana)

playing upon the One Real. This

ignorance is the cause of the bondage and its removal is Liberation. In this

work shrI madhvAchArya

points out that Ajnana cannot play the role of Upadhi. He refutes this Advaitic

theme by examining the

nature and role of the concept of UpAdhi.

 

Prapanchamithyatvanumana KhanDana is a work consisting of 29 lines. It analyses

and refutes the well

known Advaitic reasoning that the nature of world is illusory.

 

TATVASAMKHYANA and TATVAVIVEKA

 

Tatvasamkhyana has 11 granthas. Tatvaviveka has 13 granthas. Tatvasamkhyana and

Tatvaviveka together

form one unit. In this short work, shrI MadhvAchArya has given a complete

description of all entities in

the whole universe. Categories of reality are enumerated and are classified into

independent (Svatantra) and

dependant (Paratantra). This is the highest metaphysical and ontological

classification in shrI Madhva's

system, hence his system derives its name " dvaita " . The Supreme God alone is

Svatantra and all other

categories are Paratantra. The Svatantra is defined as that which is independent

by nature, functioning and

the comprehension. The Supreme God alone is independent. All others are entirely

dependent on Him.

 

Tatvaviveka has verses of a larger work of the same name composed by God

Himself. Thirteen verses are

quoted in this small work in support of Tatvasamkhyana. Therefore, it is not a

repetion but an extract of a

source work to support Tatvasamkhyana.

 

The last verse of Tatvasamkhyana enumerates concepts like creation, sustenance,

destruction etc, eight

states of the world caused by God and glorifies Him by giving His shrIstyadi

astakartritva definition. The

concluding verse of Tatvaviveka emphatically states that it is the knowledge

that the entire world consisting

of Chetana and Achetana entirely depends upon God that enables one to attain the

Liberation.

 

TATTVODYOTA

 

This is one of the major works of shrI MadhvAchArya, both in volume and content.

The circumstances

leading to the writing of this work are very interesting. After listening to the

BrahmasUtra Bhashya, many

good thinking persons became shrI MadhvAchArya’s pupils and his popularity rose

tremendously. Some

advaitic scholars could not tolerate. So, one of their leaders challenged the

AchArya for a debate. However,

when the debate started, this scholar could not start his arguments

(poorvapaksha) at all. He sat in the

'sabha' spell bound and mute. Then, shrI MadhvAchArya, started the debate

providing both the opening

arguments of the opponent (pUrvapaksha) and the replies (siddhAnta) to these

argument. Before the debate

could end, the scholar and his group ran away from the scene.

 

The main theme of this text is to point out the difference between Brahman and

the Jivas even in the

Liberated State and the fact that both the Jiva and Jagat are completely under

the control of the Supreme

 

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God and are regulated by him. This work strikes at the root of all the

philosophic thought in 'advaita'. Their

logic is that the entire world is an illusion just as one can mistake a shell to

be silver. This argument is

discussed threadbare and it is proved that this anology cannot substantiate the

claim that the world is

'unreal'. The concept of an 'akhanDa brahma' and his manifestation as this world

due to 'avidya' is also

shown to be invalid. The 'siddhanta' according to the 'Tattvavada' of shrI

MadhvAchArya is placed on a

sound footing with " paramata khandana' and 'svamata sthapana' in this work. The

logical arguments in this

work are highly sophisticated and in order to understand it fully one needs

proper instructions from a

qualified guru, who is well versed with the commentary of shrI Jayatirtha and

the notes of shrI

Raghavendra Swamy and others. After pointing out the similarity between Buddism

and Advaita, he then

discusses the vEdic hymns that are quoted by advaitins in support of Advaita and

shows that these actually

contradict Advaita.

 

VISHNUTATTVA NIRNAYA

 

Vishnu-Tattva-Nirnaya is the biggest (540 granthas) and the most important

amongst all Prakaranas and

contains an exhaustive and brilliant refutation of Advaita vaada of Sankara. It

is a neatly planned text.

 

Before establishing the central thesis of his thought that Brahman (NArAyaNa) is

the highest subject-

matter of the scriptures, shrI MadhvAchArya discusses the place and importance

of Shabda among

Pramanas and puts up a strong case for the infallibility and Apauruseyatva of

the VEdas. He is the only

VEdantin (after the mImamsakas) to have given this question serious attention.

The VEdas are self-valid

and cannot be ascribed to any known author, human or divine. The eternity of the

VEdas rests on the

eternity of Shabda. It is convincingly shown that no system of philosophy can do

without some kind of

Apauruseyavakya, for its ultimate validity.

 

The most important item discussed in ViShNutattvanirnaya is the interpretation

of key vEdic passages.

This is to show that the entire vEda supports ViShNusarvOttamatva and

JivEshvarabhEda but not

Jivabrahmaikya. This statement is illustrated by showing the correct reading and

interpretation of the

passage Atat tvam asi.

 

The central theme of ViShNutattvanirnaya is to proclaim the supremacy of Lord

ViShNu. All other issues

are subsidiary to this central doctrine. This theme has been emphasised more

than once in this work.

Several vedic and Itihasa, Purana passages are quoted to drive home this point.

 

TANTRASARASANGRAHA

 

This work contains information about several important procedures in the worship

of the Lord. This work

contains extracts from a larger work existing on the topics dealt with herein.

 

The important things dealt with in this work include:

 

1. The procedure for the 'upadesa' and practice of important 'mantras' like

'NArAyaNa AshtAkshara

mantra, Krishna shadakshara mantra, VAsudEva dvdashakshara mantra, Shiva

shadakshra mantra '

etc.(about 70 mantras are included).

2. Procedure for construction of Temples, sizes of icons of deities,

characteristics of temple architecture,

size of the 'garbha griha'etc.

3. Procedure for the construction of 'yagna kundas' etc. for purpose of

conducting 'yagnas' .

4. While most books on 'tantra' include some discussion of the practice of

sorcery etc., shrImadacharya

has excluded them from his work, and stressed only on those aspects which please

the Lord.

YAMAKABHARATA

 

This is a work of poetry. In a small work of only 75 to 80 shlokas,

shrImadacharya has pleased 'Sattvikas'

interested in good poetry full of 'alankaras',at the same time telling the story

of shrI Krishna, as in the

BhAgavata and his kindness towards the Pandavas (who represent all sattvic

souls). It is like a condensed

version of the tenth canto of the BhAgavata. One should read through it to enjoy

its sweetness.

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

YATIPRANAVAKALPA

 

The procedure to be followed by a person taking up 'Sanyasa' is detailed in this

work of about 30 shlokas.

The 'karmas' to be performed prior to taking 'sanyAsa', the 'upadesa' to be

given by a senior pontiff, the

oath to be taken for protection of 'vaishnava dharma' have clearly been

explained for the guidance of those

who would be placed as the protectors of the 'VEdic dharma'.

 

DVADASASTOTRA

 

‘Dvadasastotra' is a set of twelve devotional stotras. One day while performing

his morning rituals on the

sea shore, he saw a ship that was sinking and saved it. He found shrI krishna

vigraha in the gopi chandana

lumps which he got from the ship. He composed these 12 stotras at this time.

These stotras are a feast to

the ears and mind when sung with devotion. The stotras are in praise of the Lord

Hari, and His

manifestations as the ten avatars. The stotras also incorporate important

aspects of shrI MadhvAchArya’s

philosophy, such as the Lord's powers of creation, and sustanance of the world.

The purport of the

BhagavadgIta, doing one's duty as service to God without any desire for fruit is

stated in the stotra

'kurubhunxva cha karma nijam niyatam..'.

 

NARASIMHA NAKHA STUTI

 

When shrI MadhvAchArya saw the Vayu stuti composed by shrI Trivikrama

panDitacharya, he said that

the work only praised him and Lord Hari. To remedy this, he then wrote the

Narasimha Nakha Stuti. This

stotra is commonly recited at the beginning and end of a recitation of the ‘VAyu

stuti’. The stotra is in

praise of the 'finger nails' of Lord Narasimha that killed the demon

Hiranyakasipu and protected the

Devatas (and Prahlada).

 

KANDUKA STUTI

 

This is a small and one of the lesser known works of shrI MadhvAchArya. It is

said that he composed this

stuti during his childhood days, while playing.

 

TITHI NIRNAYA

 

This is a very unique work with great mathematical importance. It has twenty

eight shlokas and is a very

useful work in determining the dates according to the Hindu calendar.

 

SADACHARASMRUTI

 

This work of thirty eight shlokas outlines the right procedures to be followed

by a good Vaishnava in the

course of a day. He should pray to Lord Vishnu as he rises, and at the close of

the day, before retiring to

bed. In between, he should observe austere practices. Basic procedures such as

brushing the teeth, taking a

bath etc., have been clearly stated in this work. Other practices like

'sandhyavandana', 'pooja', eating, study,

etc., have also been clearly outlined.

 

KRISHNAMRITAMAHARNAVA

 

The title literally means “the ocean of nectar called shrI Krishna”. When one of

his followers asked him for

'upadEsha' (advice), shri madhvAchArya wrote this work in response, as guidance

for him and all other

interested devotees. He has selected verses from various authoritative works

(MahAbhArata, PurANAs

etc.). There are two hundred twenty nine verses in it. The importance of

devotion to the Lord is stressed.

The superiority of shrI NArAyaNa over other gods is also pronounced. One

highlight of this work is the

emphasis on EkAdashi Vrata, with about about 70 shlokas (verses) devoted to this

topic exclusively.

Following this is the efficacy of 'saligrama tirtha', which, the Acharya states,

is more gratifying than taking

bath in all the sacred rivers. The work is devoted to extolling the greatness of

the Lord who incarnated as

Krishna, and whose praise is there in every breath Acharya. In this work, he is

imploring us to take at least

a drop in the ocean of " krishnamrita' by following the path he has shown.

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

JAYANTI NIRNAYA

 

This work asserts the procedure to be followed on shrI Krishna Jayanti (a.k.a.

KrishnaAshTami,

gokulAshTami, janmAshTami). It specifies the rituals to be followed on that day;

it also gives information

about bathing, puja, fasting, etc.

 

NYASA PADDATI

 

This is a small work of twelve shlokas. It is oriented towards sanyAsis and

gives information about the

daily rituals to be followed by yathis and sanyAsis.

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

Appendix A: Udupi krishNa temple and the eight maThAs

 

This appendix describes the krishNa temple in uDupi and the eight maThAs

surrounding the temple. This

appendix also describes the various pUjAs, practices and customs in the temple

and the maThAs. Below is

a picture of shrI KRSn.a MaTha.

 

 

shrI KRSn.a MaTha

 

Q1. What are ashTa maThAs?

 

In the SamskRata language, " Ashta " means eight. These are eight monasteries

established by shrI

MadhvAchArya in order to perform pooja and carry on the traditional services to

Udupi shrI KRSn.a. The

pIthAdhipatis are not just ordinary monks but pontiffs of their institutions,

each of which, has a set of

parishioners who owe traditional allegiance to it. The following are the eight

maThas and their first

 

ascetics:

phaLimAr MaTha hRSIkesha TIrtha

adamAr MaTha narasimha TIrtha

kRSNApura MaTha janArdana TIrtha

puttige MaTha upEndra TIrtha

kANiyUr MaTha vAmana TIrtha

sode MaTha ViShNu TIrtha

shIrUr MaTha rAma TIrtha

pejAvar MaTha adhOksaja TIrtha

 

Q2. Where are these ashta maThAs?

 

These MaThAs are in Udupi, which is in Udupi district of Karnataka. Udupi is

about thirty miles north of

Mangalore. These MaThAs are in the Ratha BIdi (Car Street) surrounding shrI

AnantEshvara and shrI

Chandra MouLIshvara Temples.

 

Initially these MaThAs were known by the name of their first yathis

(pIthAdhipatis). For e.g. VishnuTIrtha

MaTha, AdhOkshaja MaTha etc. Later, the names of MaThAs were changed to the

names of the places

where these great yathis stayed for long periods. For example, VAdiraja MaTha is

called as Sode MaTha.

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

Incidentally, before the advent of shrI VadirAja, his maTha was known as

KumbhAsi MaTha. Arasappa

NAyaka (1555-1598 CE) was a devotee of shrI VAdirAja tIrtha. He pleaded with

shrI VAdirAja tIrtha to

settle down in Sode (Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka State) and made a land

grant to the pontiff. ShrI

VAdirAja tIrtha agreed to his request and established the Trivikrama idol that

he had brought with him

from BadrinAtha at Sode on VaishAkha PUrn.imA day, CitrabhAnu Samvatsara, 1582

CE. Henceforth, his

maTha became known as the Sode MaTha.

..

 

Q3. How does this arrangement function?

 

When this arrangement was made by shrI MadhvAchArya, each MaTha used to perform

their duties for

two months. So, each MaTha used to get its turn after sixteen months. This

arrangement operated from

1317-1532 CE.

 

In 1532 CE, shrI VAdirAja TIrtha changed the system so that each paryAya lasted

for 2 years instead of 2

months. This means that each MaTha gets its turn once in sixteen years.

 

But during shrI VAdirAja TIrtha’s time (Sode MaTha), he arranged for each

pIthAdhipatis to perform the

service for two years and then hand over it to the next MaTha.

 

The ParyAyamahotsava takes place four days after the Makara shankrAnti festival

of every even year.

Each period of two years is called “ParyAya” and the next “ParyAya” starting

from January 2000, will be

managed by shrI PejAvara MaTha Swamiji (pIthAdhipati).

 

For each MaTha, shriI MadhvAchArya established the concept of “Dvandva MaTha”.

“Dvandva” means

joint. The eight MaThAs are grouped into four groups and each group has two

MaThAs. These are called

“Dvandva” MaThAs. In case of an emergency, a MaTha helps its “Dvandva” MaTha.

Probably this is the

only place where one can find eight yathis doing pooja at one temple by turn

without any conflict and has

functioned for over seven hundred years.

 

Q4. When swamijI’s are not in their “Paryaya”, what do they do?

 

When they are not in their " ParyAya " , these swamijI’s have the responsibility to

travel around India and

spread the teachings of shrI MadhvAchArya. Apart from teaching and spreading

shrI Madhva's philosophy,

Swamijis have their own educational, charitable, cultural and religious

projects. For example shrI PEjawar

SwamIji is involved in Akhila BhArata Madhva MahAman.Dala (All India Madhva

Association), ShriI

PUrn.aprajn~a VidyApItha, and other such organizations. The Pontiff of the Sode

MaTha runs an

educational organization called " shrI Hayavadana Educational Trust " which

manages schools and colleges,

KAmadhenu GosamrakSn.a Kendra (a center for protecting non-productive cows).

shrI AdmAr SwamIji

runs a SamskRata College (PUrNa Prajna College), shrI PUrNa Prajna high school

and other educational

institutions. These are but a few examples of their projects. They support many

students by providing them

food and shelter during their school years.

 

Q5. Why does the shrI Krishna idol in the Udupi temple face West?

 

There are many stories related to this unusual situation. No one knows for sure,

why and how this

happened. One story goes like this: kanaka dAsa, a bhakta belonging to a lower

caste, was not allowed to

enter the temple from the front door. He stood outside the temple and prayed to

the Lord. Pleased by his

prayer, the Lord turned backward and provided him darshana,. Below is a snap

shot of the temple.

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

Q6. Did shrI MadhvAchArya establish other MaThAs?

 

shrI Madhva ordained many other ascetics. Towards the tail-end of his life, ShrI

madhvAchArya

converted two SmArta scholars, ViShNu shAstrI and govinda shAstri. The latter

was the Prime

Minister of the chAlukya kings of bAdAmI. After conversion, they were ordained

as MAdhava

and AkSobhya tIrthas respectively. The MajjigehaLLi MaTha is descended from

MAdhava TIrtha

and the 3 premier institutions of the deshastha mAdhvas, i.e. the UttarAdi

MaTha, the VyAsarAya

(dakSiNAdi) maTha and the aryara (PUrvAdi) maTha are descended from akSobhya

tIrtha as are

also the kUDli and bAlegAru maThAs.

 

Q7. Where is madhva sarOvara?

 

Madhva sarOvara is a pond (sarOvara) on the north side of Udupi shrI Krishna

temple. This is a holy tIrtha

where the swamIjis, their staff and visitors to the temple take bath or sprinkle

the holy water on their bodies

before entering the temple.

 

 

Madhva sarOvara

 

Q8. What is bhOjana shAla?

 

BhOjana ShAla (dining hall) is a facility for serving visitors with prasada

(food offered to shrI Krishna).

Bhojana ShAla is a part of Udupi shrI Krishna Temple. The paryAya swamIji, his

entourage, visitors and

others are served with the prasAda after the pUja in the afternoon and night.

The prasAda is very famous

for Udupi cooks’ culinary skills.

 

Q9 What is gOshAla?

 

gOshala (cow shed) is a facility for cows, which belong to the Udupi shrI

Krishna Temple. After visitors

have finished eating in the BhOjana Shala, these cows are let into the BhOjana

ShAla to eat the left over

prasAda and the banana leaves. Then the BhOjana Shala floor is cleaned with cow

dung, which is

considered as “pavitra (purifier)”

 

Q10. What is vasanta mantapa?

 

Vasanta Mantapa is an auditorium attached to shrI Krishna Temple. This facility

is used for cultural events

(music, dance, upanyasa (speech), discussion etc., by swamIjis, artists, and

other visitors and dignitaries

visiting the Temple.

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

Q11. What is kattige ratha?

 

“kattige” means wood and “ratha” means chariot. This is a chariot-like structure

built with fire wood. It is

located near the “bhOjana shAla” by the Matha which would take charge of the

next paryAya. This fire

wood is used to prepare the prasAda during the paryAya. Typically this is done

about a year before the

paryAya.

 

Q12. What is gIta bhavana?

 

gIta bhavana was established by shrI SuguNEndra tIrtha SwAmiji of Putthige Mutt

during his paryAya in

1994. This is near Madhva sarOvara and is used for the study of the Bhagavad

gIta.

 

Ó1999 Vishwa Madhva Sangha

 

Sri Vedavyasa Teaching Sri Madhva

For Information Contact:

Vishwa Madhva Sangha

www..org

mAdhva

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