Picture: Srila Vyasadeva and Srila Madhvacharya
Disappearance Day Of Srila Madhvacharya
Shri Madhvacharya appeared in 1238 A.D. near Udupi, Karnataka in South India. He was considered an incarnation of Vayu (wind god). He had an unusually strong physique and extraordinary intellectual power. Once a fierce Bengali tiger attacked Madhvacharya's sannyasa disciple, Satya Tirtha. Madhvacharya wrestled the tiger and sent him away with his tail between his legs. Madhvacharya took diksha at age five, sannyasa at twelve and left home. He appeared with a mission to fight and defeat Sankara's Mayavada (impersonal) philosophy. By giving a pure interpretation of Vedanta-sutra he promoted pure theism. He named his innovative shastric explanation dvaita-dvaita-vada (pure dualism). After Shankaracharya, who had previously toured India spreading impersonalism, Madhvacarya also traveled the length and breadth of India preaching personaltheism and devotion to Lord Vishnu. He defeated innumerable Jains, Buddhists, Mayavadis, atheists, logicians, and agnostics. With a hope of meeting Shrila Vyasadeva himself Madhvacharya walked up the Himalayas. Vyasadeva gave him a Shalagrama sila called Ashtamurti, approved his Bhagavad-gita commentary, and blessed Madhvacharya with deeper realizations of the sastras.
The Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya originates with the Madhvas. Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers thoroughly studied Madhva's works before compiling their philosophy. For the Sat Sandarbhas Shri Jiva Goswami drew heavily from Madhva's writings. Jiva Goswami found 'the Gaudiya philosophy of acintya-bheda-abheda tattva in Madhva's Bhagavat-parya. Shri Chaitanya Himself visited Udupi, the seat of Madhva's sect. The Lord introduced Hari Nama sankirtana into their sect.
Shri Madhvacharya's Nine Teachings:
(1) Bhagavan Shri Krishna alone is the Supreme Absolute Truth, one without a second. (2) He is the object of knowledge in all the Vedas.
(3) The universe is real, satya. (4) The differences between Ishvara (God), Jiva (soul) and Matter are real. (5) Jiva souls are by nature the servants of the Supreme Lord Hari. (6) There are two categories of jivas; liberated and illusioned.
(7) Liberation (moksha) means attainmg the lotus feet of Bhagavan Krishna, in other words, entering an eternal relationship of service to the Supreme Lord.
(8) Pure devotional service to Krishna is the only way to attain this liberation. (9) The truth may be known by pratyaksha (direct perception), anuman (inference or logic), sabda (spiritual sound or Vedic authority.
