Dvaita Vedanta

Dvaita Vedānta

Dualist Vedanta: God, souls and matter are eternally, really distinct.

Editorial overviewFounded by Madhva, traditionally dated 1238–1317 CE (some accounts give 1199–1278); developed by later thinkers such as Jayatirtha and Vyasatirtha.

In simple words

Madhva taught that God, souls and the world are truly different and always will be. We depend completely on God, and liberation comes through knowing and loving God, by God's grace.

Overview

Dvaita Vedanta, founded by Madhva, holds that reality consists of independent reality — God, identified with Vishnu — and dependent realities: souls and matter. It affirms five real differences: between God and souls, God and matter, soul and soul, soul and matter, and matter and matter. The world is real, and so are its distinctions. Souls are eternally distinct from God and from one another, and, in a distinctive and much-discussed doctrine, differ in their inherent natures and destinies. Bondage arises from ignorance of God's supremacy and of the soul's dependence; liberation is granted by God's grace to those with right knowledge and devotion, and the liberated soul enjoys its own innate bliss in God's presence.

Scholar’s note

Madhva's doctrine of svarupa-bheda among souls includes a threefold classification by innate nature; this is among the most debated features of Dvaita. Vyasatirtha's Nyayamrita provoked Madhusudana Sarasvati's Advaitasiddhi, a famous exchange. The school is also called Tattvavada.

Core questions

?Are God and the soul ever one?
?What makes differences real?
?Why do souls differ?
?How does grace relate to knowledge and devotion?

How it sees

Editorial overview

What problem is it trying to solve?: How should the Vedas be read so that God's supremacy and the reality of the world and souls are upheld, and how does the soul attain God?
What does it consider real?: God (Vishnu) is the one independent reality; souls and matter are real, eternal and dependent. The five differences are real.
What is valid knowledge?: Perception, inference and testimony (shabda). Madhva stresses the witness-consciousness (sakshi) of the soul as the final guarantor of valid knowledge.
What is the Self?: The soul is an eternal, conscious reflection (pratibimba) of God, wholly dependent on him and distinct from him and from every other soul.
What causes bondage?: Ignorance of God's supremacy and of the soul's dependence, together with karma, which conceal the soul's innate nature.
What is liberation?: Release from rebirth by God's grace; the soul experiences its innate bliss in God's presence, retaining its distinct identity. Degrees of bliss differ among liberated souls.
What is the path?: Study of scripture under a qualified teacher, right knowledge of God's supremacy, and devotion (bhakti), culminating in God's grace, which is decisive.

Core concepts

Conceptईश्वरIshvara — GodThe Lord — God as ruler, creator and object of worship.ConceptजीवJiva — the individual soulThe living, embodied individual who acts, experiences and transmigrates.Conceptभक्तिBhakti — devotionLoving devotion to God, as a path and as an end in itself.Conceptअनुग्रहAnugraha — graceDivine grace — God's freely given favour that frees the soul.Conceptमोक्षMoksha — liberationFinal freedom from bondage and the cycle of rebirth.Conceptब्रह्मन्BrahmanThe ultimate reality, the ground from which everything arises.

Primary texts

Major thinkers

Thinkerमध्वाचार्यMadhvacharyaTraditionally 1238–1317 CE; some scholars prefer 1199–1278 CE.

Where it disagrees

Stated neutrally. The purpose is understanding, not a verdict.

With Advaita Vedanta · identity of self and Brahman
Madhva reads the key identity statements as expressing similarity or dependence, not identity, and argues the Advaita notion of indeterminable maya is incoherent.
With Vishishtadvaita Vedanta · the soul as God's body
Dvaita holds that the body-soul model does not sufficiently safeguard difference.