PHILOSOPHY OF SRI MADHVAGARYA by Vidyabhusana Dr. B. N. K. SHARMA, m. a., Ph. d., Head of the Department of Sanskrit and Ardhamagadhl, Ruparel College, Bombay- 16. 1962 BHARATIYA VIDYA BHAVAN BOMBAY-7 Copyright and rights of translation and reproduction reserved by the author.. First published.' March, 1962 Pri/e Rs. 15/- Prlnted in India By h. G. Gore at the Perfecta Printing Works, 109A, Industrial Aiea, Sion, Bombay 22. and published by S. Ramakrishnan, Executive Secrelaiy Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay 1. Dedicated to &R1 MADHVACARYA Who showed how Philosophy could fulfil its purpose and attain its goal by enabling man to realize the eternal and indissoluble bond of Bitnbapratibimbabhava that exists between the Infinite and the finite. ABBREVIATIONS AV. Anu-Vyakhyana Bhag. Bhagavata B. T. Bhagavata-Tatparya B. S. Brahma-Sutra B. S. B. Brahmasutra Bhasya Brh. Up. Brhadaranyaka-Upanisad C. Commentary Chan. Up. Chandogya Upanisad Cri. Sur. I. Phil. A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy D. M. S. Daivi Mimamsa Sutras I. Phil. Indian Philosophy G. B. Glta-Bha»sya G. T. Glta-Tatparya KN. Karma-Nirnaya KN. t. Karma Nirpaya Tika M. G. B. Madhva's GTta Bhasya M. Vij. Madhvavijaya M. S. Madhvasiddhantasara Mbh. Mahabharata Mbh. T. N. Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya Man. Up. Mandukya Upanisad Mith. Kh.t. Mithyatvanumana Khandana Tika Mund.Up. Mundaka Upanisad Nym- Nyayamrta NS. Nyaya Sudha NV. Nyaya Vivarapa PP- Pramana Paddhati P- M. S. Purva Mlmamsa Sutras R- V. Rg Veda R.G.B. Ramanuja's Glta Bhasya S. N. R. Sannyaya Ratnavalf Svet. Up. Svetaivatara Upanisad Tg. ( Nyayamrta )-Tarangini TS. Tattva Samkhyana TSt. Tattva Samkhyana tika T.T. TarkaTapdava T.V. Tattva Viveka Tdy. t Tattvodyota tika TP. Tattva Prakas'ika T. A. Taittirlya Arapyaka T. B. Taittirlya Brahmaija Taitt.Up. Taittirlya Upanisad Up.KLt. UpadMKhapdanatlka VTN. Vispy Tattva Nirnaya VTNt Visnu Tattva Nirnaya tika KEY TO DIACRITICAL HARKS a an i i u ~S r 5K n ? c =? ch 3S ft ^ t ? th s. d ? d 1. t ?T. th «l d * dh ^ n \ £ 51. s 1 s g Jna f CONTENTS Chapters Pages Biographical Note xi-xvii Preface xviii-xxv I. GENERAL INTRODUCTION I The Function and Goal of Philosophy 1 -6 II Madhva's Thought in Relation to Earlier and Contemporary Schools 7-14 III Madhva's Samanvaya of Upanisadic Philosophy 15-25 IV Madhva's Contribution to Indian Thought 26-30 II. ONTOLOGY V Madhva's Ontological Theory 31-41 VI Madhva's Ontological Scheme 42-44 VII The Concept of Vi&sas 45-57 VIII Madhva's Doctrine of Difference 58-66 IX Some Other Categories : Vis'ista, Ams'i and oakti 67-68 X Sadrs'ya Vs. the Universal 69-71 XI Space and Time 72-77 XII Causation 78-79 XIII Negation 80-81 III. EPISTEMOLOGY XIV Madhva's Theory of Pramapas 82-85 XV Perception, Inference and Verbal Testimony 86-92 XVI The Status of Memory 93-99 " 1 Vlll Chapters Pages XVII The Doctrine of Validity 100-105 XVIII The Doctrine of Saks! 106-112 XIX Saksl as the Ultimate Criterion of Truth 113-115 XX Theories of Error in Indian Thought 116-130 XXI Madhva's Theory of Error: Abhinavanyath&khyati 131-136 IV THE WORLD OF EXPERIENCE XXII Reality of World-Experience 1 37-42 XXIII Objections to the Reality of the World Answered 143-48 XXIV Textual Evidence in Support of the Reality of the World 149-50 XXV The Meaning and Nature of Creation 151-53 XXVI Doctrine of " Eternal Creation " Thro' " Paradhma-Vis'esapti 1 54-6 XXVII Madhva's Theory of the Evolution of the World 162-64 XXVIII Critique of Brahma-Parinama and Vivarta Vftdas 165-76 V. DOCTRINE OF ATMAN XXIX Essence of Selfhood 177-79 XXX Metaphysical Dependence of Souls 180-84 XXXI Self-Luminosity of Souls 185-87 XXXII Madhva's Theory of Bondage : SvabhavajMnavada 188-95 IX Chapters Pages XXXIII Plurality of Selves and Their Svarupabheda 196-203 XXXIV Rational Basis of Intrinsic Gradation Among Souls and Their Tripartite Classification 204-13 XXXV Textual Evidence of Intrinsic Gradation Among Souls 214-17 XXXVI The Souls' Relation to Brahman 218-29 VI. DOCTRINE OF BRAHMAN XXXVII Independence of Brahman 230-34 XXXVIII Attributes of Brahman 225-45 XXXIX Knowability of Brahman 246-47 XL Brahman is a Savis'esa Personality 248-53 XLI Cosmic Activities of Brahman 254-57 XLII Manifestation of Brahman 258-60 VII SADHANA-VICARA XLHI Freedom and Freewill in Madhva's Philosophy 261-69 XLIV Problem of Evil in Relation to Ethical Advancement 270-73 XLV Classification of Adhikaris 274-75 XLVI General Scheme of Sadhanas 276-81 XLVII Karma-Yoga and Jfiana-Yoga 282-86 XLV1II Conception of Bhakti, Its Orders and Kinds 287-98 XLIX Dhyana and Its Place 299-300 X Cfmpters Pages L Pratlkopasana 301 -05 LI Bimbopasanft 806 LII Place of Grace in Redemption 307-14 Lin Aparokga-Jftana : God-Realization 815-20 VIII DOCTRINE OF MUKTI LIV Nature of the Released State and Its Stages 321-30 LV Critique of the Conception of Moksa in Other Systems 331-35 LVI Madhva's View of Mukti 336-43 LVII Rationale of Ananda-Taratamya in Moksa 344-60 Bibliography Index BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE {)n Madhvacarya ( 1238-1317 ) was the historical founder of the Dvaita system of Vedanta, which is one of the three principal schools of Vedanta. He was a native of Tulun&d, in Karnatak. P&jaka. ksetra, eight miles south-east of the modern town of Udipi, on the west coast of S. India, was the village of his birth. He was born in 1238 A. D. and lived for seventynine years. He appeared on the Indian philosophical scene after the systems of Sarhkara and Ramanuja had become well-established. The reasons that led him to propound a new system of Vedanta were his doctri- nal differences and ideological dissatisfaction with contemporary trends and schools of thought, within and without Hinduism and particularly with the system of Sarhkara, which was the dominating philosophy of the times. In spite of the Theistic revolt against Sarhkara led by Rama- nuja, Madhva could not agree with him on many points of Theistic doctrine. So he felt called upon to give a new lead in thought, to his countrymen. " Madhva called his system Tattvavada " ( Realism ). It is described '" " by Vidyaranya, in his Sarvadarianasamgraha, as Purnaprajnadarsana . Purnaprajria and inanda TTrtha were other names of Madhvacarya. All these three names have been found used by him, in his works. He is now more widely known by the last name of Madhva or Madhvacarya. While yet in his teens, the call of the spirit took him to Acyutapreksa, an ascetic of the Ekadandi order, belonging to the Ekantl or Brahma- Sampradaya. He received initiation from him as a Sannyasin. After this, Madhva studied the classics of the Advaita school such as the Istasiddhi. Later he began to expound the Prasthanatrayi, independently and from a new standpoint, laying bare the defects in the received inter- pretations of Sarhkara and his school. Sometimes, he used to enter into xu scholastic disputations with veteran scholars of the day. Mention has been made in his biography of Buddhisagara, Vadisimha and Bhanu Pandita. He toured all over India several times and visited BadarikftsVama, Bengal, Bihar and Banaras in the north and many centres of learning on the God&vari and important places like Goa, $rlrangam and Kanyakumari, in the south. Madhva has left thirtyseven works in all. They include ( i ) Daia- Prakaranas or ten philosophical monographs expounding his logic and metaphysics ( ii ) Commentaries on the Ten Upanisads ( iii ) cc. on ; Gtta and the BrahmasMras ; (iv) a brief c. on the first three Adhya- yas of the Jtg Veda, an epitome of the Mbh. in verses and brief notes on the Bh&gavata; and (v) miscellaneous works comprising Stotras, poems and works on worship and ritual. His greatest work is the Anu-Vyakhyd,na, a critical exposition of the philosophy of the Brahma- s&tras. It is a metrical work. It is his masterpiece. It was commented upon by Jayatirtha in his famous work, the NyHya-Sudhd. Madhva's writings are characterized by extreme brevity of express- ion and compression of thought. They need the help of a very good commentary to be understood in their fulness of thought and depth of meaning. His commentator Jayatfrtha has infused into them the necess- ary amplitude of utterance and expansiveness of thought. Madhva was endowed with a fine magnetic personality. He was a born leader of men. As a creative thinker, he cared little for the conventions of fashionable belief and interpretation. He was not cowed down by mere technical display of learning. His logic was as inexorable as his faith in Theism was unshakable. He made a deep impression on his contemporaries. Some of his eminent disciples like Trivikrama Pandita, Padmanabha Tfrtha and Narahari Tlrtha were distinguished scholars of Advaita and other systems before they became converted to X1U his views. They belonged to different parts of India and spoke different languages. After establishing his system on firm foundations, Madhva erected a temple for $rl Krspa at Udipi and installed in it the idol of Bala Krsoa secured from Dvaraka. He made Udipi the spiritual centre of his school and entrusted the worship at the temple to eight ascetic disciples. Their lines and those of the other disciples, entrusted with the task of propagating his system, are flourishing to this day. According to tradition, Madhva disappeared from vision and retired to Badarikas'rama, in his seventyninth year. Narayana Paijdita, the son of his direct disciple Trivikrama Pandita.