Sadācāra Smṛti

Summary

Asoke Chatterjee introduces for the first time a short Dharma‑text titled Sadācāra‑smṛti, traditionally attributed to Ānandatīrtha Madhva, the founder of the Dvaita school. The text, preserved in an Asiatic Society manuscript, opens by noting that philosophers often neglect Smṛti literature. The treatise consists of seventy verses that prescribe daily conduct, rituals and worship centred on Viṣṇu. It instructs devotees to begin the day with bodily purification, to meditate on Viṣṇu while reciting the Gāyatrī mantra and to perform sandhyā rituals at dawn and dusk. The verses emphasise strict observance of Vedic duties, including pūjā, homa, offerings to guests and ancestors, chanting of the eight‑lettered mantra oṃ namo Nārāyaṇāya and constant mindfulness that all actions are dedicated to the Lord. Chatterjee points out that the final verse explicitly names “Śrīmad Ānandatīrtha Bhagavatpāda” as the author, bolstering Madhva’s authorship claim. A commentary titled Sadācāra‑smṛti‑ṭīkā by Narāyaṇa Paṇḍita, son of Hitartha Śrī, survives in the Bikaner royal library. Chatterjee argues that the treatise’s popularity is attested by the existence of this commentary and by its mention in R. G. Bhandarkar’s report, which lists it among Madhva’s works. The article also notes variant attributions in catalogues, some naming Madhva’s disciple Nṛhari or a later scholar Śrīnatha Cūḍāmaṇi as author. However, Chatterjee concludes that internal evidence favours Madhva. By publishing the text and summarising its content, he demonstrates that the Dvaita tradition had its own Smṛti manual aligning ritual practice with its theistic philosophy.