Madhvacharya

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 77-feet bronze statue of Lord Rama at the Shree Samsthan Gokarn Partagali Jeevottam Math in Goa.

• He also visited Udupi evoked the legacy of Jagadguru Madhvacharya, linking Udupi’s spiritual heritage to India’s cultural unity.

About Madhvacharya:

Who He Was?

• Madhvacharya (13th century CE) was a renowned Indian philosopher, theologian and founder of the Dvaita (dualism) school of Vedanta. He is revered as a major Vaishnava acharya and is traditionally regarded as an incarnation of Vayu, the Wind God.

Birth and Early Life:

• Born as Vāsudeva in Pajaka village near Udupi, Karnataka (1199–1278 CE or 1238–1317 CE, dates debated).
• Exceptional physical strength and intellect—nicknamed Bhima.
• Took Sannyasa as a teenager, initiated by Achyutapreksha, receiving the names Purna Prajna and later Ananda Tirtha.

His Philosophy

• Madhvacharya’s school, Tattvavāda, is based on realist dualism. Key principles:
• Pancha-Bheda (Five Eternal Distinctions):

• • God – Soul
  • God – Matter
  • Soul – Matter
  • Soul – Soul
  • Matter – Matter

These differences are natural, eternal and real, rejecting monism.

• God:

• • Vishnu/Narayana is the supreme independent reality (Svatantra Tattva).
  • All souls and matter are dependent realities.
  • Liberation (moksha) is possible only through Vishnu’s grace.

• Pramānas (Sources of Knowledge):
  • Accepted three:

• • Pratyaksha (perception)
  • Anumāna (inference)
  • Śabda (scriptural testimony)

• Bhakti over Jnana

Liberation comes through devotion (bhakti), not mere intellectual knowledge.