Session 5 – madhva and Vallabha acharyas , and the Gaudiya tradition

1. Session 5 – madhvaand Vallabhaacharyas, and the Gaudiya tradition Gopal haridasa

2. Madhva Acharya(1238-1317) Two principal ideas of `being' in his Ontology: • Reality and • Independence

3. Madhva’s difference with advaita • (1) Sajatiya or difference of one thing from others of its own kind, • (2) Vijatiya or difference from those of another kind, and • (3) Svagata or internal distinctions within "an organic whole." • (1) the distinction between Isvara and Jiva • (2) the distinction between Isvara and Jada (prakrti) • (3) the distinction among the Jivas • (4) the distinction between the Jiva and the Jada • (5) the distinction among the Jadasi.e, distinction between one inanimate object and another.

4. VallabhaAcharya (1473-1531)

5. Vallabhaacharya Vallabha’s Sources of Knowledge: • The highest authority is Veda. Other key texts are: • The Upanisads • The Smrtis– Ramayana, Mahabharata etc. (if they agree with the Vedas like Manu's law book). From philosophical • The Bhagavad Gita • The Puranas • The BhagavataPurana is the highest literature • The Upanisads, the Brahmasutras and Gita are the pillars on which Vallabha erects his building of doctrines. • To these 3 `prasthanas,' the Bhagavatais joined as the fourth one.

6. VallabhaAcharya’s God Brahman is a pure entity, free from ‘maya’. Brahman is free from the 3 kinds of difference known as • `Svajatiya-bheda‘ (difference which appears between things of the same category), • `vijatiya-bheda‘ (difference which appears between things of different category) and • `svagata-bheda' (difference which manifests itself in one and the same thing, either between its essence and form or between its component parts). Brahman has three forms, • The highest Divine Form (`adhidaivika') as Krsna, possessing an infinite number of auspicious attributes, attainable by a devotee; • The `aksara' form (`adhyatmika'), in which all the attributes have become non-manifest and which is attainable by sages (`jnanis'), and • The `antaryamin' form as seen in the incarnation or avatarasof Visnu.

7. Vallabha Acharya’s self There are three categories of Jiva: • `suddha' (pure), • `samsarin' (in bondage) and • `mukta‘ (liberated). The souls to be found in `samsara' fall in three categories • the divine (`daivi') souls, which are fit for salvation (`muktiyogya'), • the middle (`madhyama') or human souls who are destined for wandering (`srustiyogya') and • the demoniac (`danava') souls who are condemned to gloom or darkness.

8. Vallabha Acharya’s world • Brahman creates the cosmos not like a potter, who creates a pot from material different from that of his own self, and by turning the potter's wheel which is something found outside his own self, but He creates without any stuff and without instruments; • like a Yogin, He turns `Himself' into the world; • just as milk becomes sour-milk of its own accord. • Just as an unrolled piece of cloth is not different from a rolled up one, • Just as a bangle and a ring are different from each other, but both of them have the same material basis, namely gold.

9. GaudiyaVaisnavism

10. GaudiyaVaisnavism • Chaitanya aligned himself with the MadhvaSampradaya because of three reasons: • Madhva’s worship of Krsna as the Supreme Being • Madhva’s attack on Advaita • Madhva’s commentary on the Bhagavata, and its central place in the Madhva tradition. • It is said that JivaGoswami found the doctrine of acintya-bhedabheda in Madhva’s writings