The Life and Works of Madhva

Summary

This article provides a detailed biography of Madhva (Madhvacharya), the 13th-century founder of the Dvaita (dualistic) school of Vedanta. It begins by noting the lack of reliable information on his predecessors but places Madhva’s birth in a Brahmin family in present-day Karnataka around 1238 CE. His original name was Vasudeva. The article describes how, as a youth, he displayed exceptional strength and intellect, studied under the guru Achyuta Preksa and took sannyasa. Madhva travelled widely to propagate his doctrine, visiting places like Udupi, Vidarbha, the Himalayas and northern India. He argued against Advaita Vedanta and emphasised the duality between God (Vishnu) and the individual soul. He founded the eight mathas of Udupi and organised the distribution of prasada, making Udupi a centre of devotion to Krishna. The article lists Madhva’s works, including commentaries on the Brahma-sutra, Bhagavad Gita and the ten principal Upanishads, as well as independent treatises such as Vishnu-tattva-nirnaya, Pramana-lakshana and Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya. It highlights Madhva’s method of quoting from a wide range of texts and emphasises scriptural authority. He argued that the world is real, that the individual soul is eternally distinct from God and that liberation comes through the grace of Vishnu. The article notes Madhva’s debates with contemporaries, his influence in Karnataka and the spread of his school through disciples like Narahari Tirtha and Jayatirtha. It also touches on the Bhakti movement, explaining that Madhva’s teachings inspired devotional literature in Kannada and Marathi.