TATVAVAADA PHILOSOPHY MADHWA BRAHMINS This is the official blog of Madhwa Brahmins orkut community. Some of the important topics discussed in the orkut community can be found here. Check out our blog archives on the right side. We Madhwa Brahmins (brAhmaNas) are the brahmins who follow the Tatvavaada (dvaita) Philosophy, revived and propagated by the Vaishnava saint and philosopher Shri Madhwacharya (1238-1317 CE). Even though we are now scattered all around the world, we originally hail from places in Karnataka and the neighboring states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Our main dialects are Kannada, Tulu, Marathi, Telugu and Konkani. Our principal preceptor Shri Madhwacharya (also known by the names Poornaprajna and Anandateertha) is the 22nd commentator on the Brahma suutra of Sri Veda Vyasa. He is the third avatar of Sri Mukhya PraaNa, the god of life, as given in the baLittha sUkta of the Rig Veda, his first two avatars being Sri Hanumanta and Sri Bheemasena. abhramaM bhangarahitaM ajaDaM vimalaM sadA | AnandateerthaM atulaM bhaje tApatrayApaham || hari sarvOttama vAyu jeevOttama Biography of Sriman Madhvacharya Hare Sreenivasa Srimad Ananda Teertha, also known as Poornaprajna and Madhvacharya, is the propagator of the doctrine of Tattvavada. He is the last of the great Acharyas of Vedanta, and is also the 22nd commentator on the Brahma-Sûtra of Veda Vyasa. His doctrine asserts that the differences are eternally real, and that hence there is more than one absolute real, and that Hari (Vishnu) is the only entity praised in the Shrutis and their adjuncts. Thus, he always identifies the Brahman of the Upanishads with Vishnu, and forcefully argues against the dichotomy of Shrutis (tattvaavedaka / atattvaavedaka) as claimed by Sri Sankaracharya, saying that such arbitration of apaurusheya scripture is unacceptable both logically and spiritually. He also emphasizes that it is important to understand and specifically reject other schools' precepts, and hence devotes much time to nitpicking analyses and denunciations of other doctrines. Srimad Ananda Teertha is commonly identified with Madhva, the third avataara of Mukhya PraaNa, the god of life, as given in the BaLittha Sukta of the Rig Veda. The first two avatara-s are as Hanuman and Bheemasena, and the third is Madhva, who came down to Earth as a sanyasi. Srimad Ananda Teertha himself makes the claim to being Madhva in several instances, one of which is in the Vishnu-tattva-vinirnaya. It was recognized in his own time, and it has been documented, that he had all thirty-two shubha-lakshaNa-s that define a ruju- taattvika-yogi, including the prescribed height of ninety-six inches ("shaNNavati angulo.apetam") quoted in the Mahabharata-Tatparya-Nirnaya. However, he is firmly set against the notion of accepting doctrines because they come from prophets or claimed gods. He also dismisses claims that only part of the Vedas are useful, and claims that even the so-called karma-kaNDa portions of them are only meant to worship Hari. Sumadhvavijaya is a biographical account of Acharya Madhva composed by Sri Narayana Panditacharya, the son of Sri Trivikrama Panditacharya, who was a contemporary of Acharya Madhva. The generally accepted dates for Madhva are 1238- 1317 CE (AD), while those for Narayana Panditacharya are 1295-1370 CE. It is very likely that the young Narayana was associated with many of the events covered in detailed descriptions of Acharya Madhva’s life. Dr. B.N.K. Sharma says ―Madhva’s biography, unlike others of its kind, has a perfect historical perspective and never indulges in anachronisms and episodes of a compromising nature to the subject. We get a pen-picture of Madhva saying that he had all the maha purusha lakshana-s. Madhva was a great sportsman, and also a good wrestler, mountaineer, etc. The early incidents of digesting horsegram as a baby still on mother’s milk, eating thousands of plantains and drinking pots of milk as a young lad, and eating all the food offered by several hosts in Badarinath, as well as keeping a complete fast with total silence for 48 days in that extremely cold and difficult place before going to meet Sri Veda Vyasa — all portray Madhva as one who was not an ordinary person dependent on food.‖ Similarly, Madhva is said to have shown that God is present everywhere, even as a toddler of two years, by his actions in visiting the temples. The attachment of his parents to the beautiful child, and their sorrow when he renounced the world at the young age of eight years, are poignant, but Madhva maintains his dignity and conviction without hurting them. Note: The first fourteen sarga-s of Sumadhvavijaya were translated to English and coded by Sri Raghavendra Rachuri. The last two were added by Sri Krishna Kadiri. Smt Meera Tadipatri and Sri Anand Ravipati read the proofs. The latest version of this material is always available on the web at http://www.dvaita.net. I am only reproducing the same here. Invocation: kAntAya kalyANa guNaikadhAmnE navadhyunAthapratimaprabhAya nArAyaNAya akhila kAraNAya shrI prANanAthAya namaskarOmi I offer my obeisance to Lord Narayana, with the most delightful personality, who is the unique primal fountain head and embodiment of countless auspicious qualities like Jnana, Ananda etc, who is the creator of the world of living souls and inert matter, who has the effulgence of the just rising Sun, who is the Lord of Mahalakshmi, and Mukhya Prana, who controls the life force of all living beings. anAkulam gOkulamullalAsa yatpAlitam nityamanAvilAtma tasmai namO nIradanIlabhAsE kRuShNAya kRuShNAramaNa priyAya I offer my obeisance to Krishna who has the luster of dark rain-bearing clouds and is very dear to the husband(s) of Draupadi (called Krishnaa). Krishna also protected from danger or destruction, the cow herds of Gokula from enemies. mukunda bhaktyai gurubhaktijAyai satAm prasatyE cha nirantarAyai garIyasIm vishvagurOrvishuddhAm vakShyAmi vAyOravatAralIlAm Devotion to God (Mukunda) will arise only with devotion to the preceptor (Guru). Hence, for securing the grace of God for the good people through devotion, I will describe the great, pure Avataaraleela of Sri Vayu, who is the great preceptor of the entire world. Chapter 1 - Background to the incarnation Bhima sheltering at all times at the feet of the Lord had dealt severe blows to the demons (destroying them by his valorous deeds). The badly mauled demons who became powerless and lost courage ran away and dispersed. This was like clouds being dispersed by strong wind. To avenge their being rendered powerless at the hands of the powerful Bhima, the demons schemed to take birth again in Kali Yuga. According to their innate nature, they composed evil (misleading) works propounding that Vishnu does not possess any attribute (Nirguna). In Dwapara yuga, Manimanta, a demon who had been killed by Bhima at Gandhamadana mountain had developed a great hatred and a spirit of competition with Bhima. He performed rigorous penances to obtain Ishwara's boon that he should be endowed with great disputational abilities. Manimanta took birth in a Brahmin family in Kaliyuga. Many other main demons were also born on this earth at the same time (with the same objective). Like how a thieving cat tries to drink the milk, like how a lowly dog tries to steal food, like how an ape without sense tries to steal a necklace of invaluable jewels, similarly, the evil demons taking birth as brahmin pandits took away (tried to steal) the sacred Vedas and other Shastras. Note : Stealing the Vedas and Shastras refers to their misinterpretation knowingly against their purport, leading to their effective annihilation as a source of God knowledge. Knowing that the people will not show him respect unless he takes the vows of a sanyasi (ascetic), in a spirit of deceipt, Manimanta took the vows of an ascetic. This was similar to an untamed wild elephant wanting to stir up slush in a clear pool of water with lotuses. Realising that Buddhism was not accepted by the people as it did not accept the validity of the Vedas, Manimanta, who had faith in it, used a suitable subterfuge to put forward Buddhism. The wicked Manimanta called the asat of the Bauddhas as Sadasadvilakshana, and Samvruthi as Maya. To justify Shunya (of the Bauddhas), he called Brahman of Vedanta as Nirvishesha or Akhanda. As he propagated the tenets of Buddhism in a different vocabulary (claiming to be a Vedanthin), it was called Pracchanna Bauddha (concealed Bauddha). Note: The charge that Advaita is Buddhism in another format has been made by many opposing schools and not by Madhva only. Madhvacharya has fully justified this conclusion in his compositions Tatvodyota, Vishnu Tatva Nirnaya, and Anuvyakhyana. Brahma Sutras composed by VedaVyasa are like the Sun illuminating the tenets of Vedanta, with their aphorisms being the Sunrays. The Vedas (consisting of the Vishaya and Pramana texts) are the horses drawing the chariot of this Sun. Manimanta stole the Brahma Sutras (by his commentaries) and hence is called as a Great thief. Though Manimanta wrote his Bhashyas on Brahmasutras claiming to be their commentator, he conveyed the exact opposite of the meanings intended by VedaVyasa. Inspite of this gross offence, VedaVyasa being an ocean of mercy did not destroy and incinerate Manimanta instantly. The inherent pure effulgence of the Gems of the Vedas (illuminating the truth about the Supreme Being) was covered by the thick mud of gross misinterpretation in Manimanta’s commentaries. He became notorious amongst the good people as he propagated the doctrine of Non-difference (Abheda) between all entities in the world to the people ignorant of Vedanta Manimanta and other daityas thus propagated the doctrines of: The world is unreal (Sadasadvilakshana - it is neither real nor unreal but it is different) The Supreme Being is without any attributes (gunas).