Calendar

Oct
13
Sun
2024
Madhvacharya Jayanti
Oct 13 all-day
Madhvacharya Jayanti

Dashami Tithi of Ashwin Shukla Paksha is celebrated as Sri Madhva Jayanti or Madhvacharya Jayanthi. Sri Madhvacharya (1238-1317 C.E.) was born on the auspicious day of Vijaya Dashami (which is also known as Dussehra) in 1238 C.E. at Pajaka, a tiny hamlet near Udupi.

His father, Madhyageha Bhatta, was a pious brahmin belonging to Bhagavata Sampradaya and a pauranic by profession. He was happy and proud in no ordinary degree in his son whom he christened Vasudeva as Sri Madhvacharya was born at a late period in his father’s life after constant prayer. Sri Madhvacharya took sanyasa under Achutaprekshacharya in Udipi. Achutaprekshacharya was somewhat displeased with his new disciple as the philosophy of that school, current Adwaita school of thought, did not appeal to the new Sanyasi but he was very much impressed with the earnestness, and scholarship of his disciple whom he had named as Purnaprajna. Purnaprajna thereupon began to preach his own philosophy according to which the world is real, the individual souls are different from Brahman, and Vishnu is the Highest Entity in the universe. To propagate his faith, he undertook a pilgrimage to various shrines in South India and also utilized this opportunity for spreading his views on the basic texts of Vedanta. Immediately after he returned from the pilgrimage Purnaprajna wrote the commentary on Bhagavad Gita. The Gita Bhashya (commentary on the Gita ) is the first work of the Acharya. He commenced a pilgrimage to the North where he touched Benares, Allahabad, Dwaraka, Delhi and other places and reached the famous Badrikshetra. He composed the Brahmasutra Bhashya at this place and went further North alone, all by himself, to the depths of Himalayas, where Sri Vedavyasa is said to have his abode.

After his return to Udupi, Madhvacharya began to write various works establishing the new system of philosophy which came to be called Dwaita Siddhanta. The Acharya founded the famous Sri Krishna temple at Udupi and established eight mutts.

During his second tour to the North India again, Madhvacharya met Jalaluddin Khilji at Delhi and is said to have conversed with him in Urdu. Also during his second pilgrimage to Badari he performed many miracles of various types like walking on the water of the river Ganges etc. At Udupi his stolen manuscripts by rival scholars were recovered miraculously. The various miracles attributed to him in the traditional biography (the Madhavavijaya) prove that the Acharya was a giant both physically and intellectually as also in yogic powers.

Sri Madhvacharya has written thirty-seven works like bhasyas on all Upanishads, Bhagavadgitabhasya, Brahmasutrabhasya, Dvadasastotra and more. The followers of Madhvacharya don’t document his death but his departure to Badri at the age of 79 in 1317 C.E. According to followers he felt that he had finished his work, Madhvacharya disappeared from his seat mysteriously, while teaching the Attareya Upanishad to his disciples, leaving a big heap of flowers on it. The day on which Sri Madhvacharya proceeded to Badri is celebrated as Madhva Navami which is also known as disappearance day of Madhva Acharya by his disciples.

Madhvacharya was the proponent of Dvaita Vedanta. It regards Brahman and individual souls as eternal and mutually separate entities. Hence the philosophy of Dvaita Vedanta is based on principles of dualism which is opposite to philosophy of Advaita Vedanta and Vishishta Advaita Vedanta. The philosophy of Dvaita Vedanta is also known as Tattvavada – the Philosophy of Reality. It identifies God with Brahman completely and in turns with Vishnu or his various incarnations.

Oct
2
Thu
2025
Madhvacharya Jayanti
Oct 2 all-day
Madhvacharya Jayanti

Dashami Tithi of Ashwin Shukla Paksha is celebrated as Sri Madhva Jayanti or Madhvacharya Jayanthi. Sri Madhvacharya (1238-1317 C.E.) was born on the auspicious day of Vijaya Dashami (which is also known as Dussehra) in 1238 C.E. at Pajaka, a tiny hamlet near Udupi.

His father, Madhyageha Bhatta, was a pious brahmin belonging to Bhagavata Sampradaya and a pauranic by profession. He was happy and proud in no ordinary degree in his son whom he christened Vasudeva as Sri Madhvacharya was born at a late period in his father’s life after constant prayer. Sri Madhvacharya took sanyasa under Achutaprekshacharya in Udipi. Achutaprekshacharya was somewhat displeased with his new disciple as the philosophy of that school, current Adwaita school of thought, did not appeal to the new Sanyasi but he was very much impressed with the earnestness, and scholarship of his disciple whom he had named as Purnaprajna. Purnaprajna thereupon began to preach his own philosophy according to which the world is real, the individual souls are different from Brahman, and Vishnu is the Highest Entity in the universe. To propagate his faith, he undertook a pilgrimage to various shrines in South India and also utilized this opportunity for spreading his views on the basic texts of Vedanta. Immediately after he returned from the pilgrimage Purnaprajna wrote the commentary on Bhagavad Gita. The Gita Bhashya (commentary on the Gita ) is the first work of the Acharya. He commenced a pilgrimage to the North where he touched Benares, Allahabad, Dwaraka, Delhi and other places and reached the famous Badrikshetra. He composed the Brahmasutra Bhashya at this place and went further North alone, all by himself, to the depths of Himalayas, where Sri Vedavyasa is said to have his abode.

After his return to Udupi, Madhvacharya began to write various works establishing the new system of philosophy which came to be called Dwaita Siddhanta. The Acharya founded the famous Sri Krishna temple at Udupi and established eight mutts.

During his second tour to the North India again, Madhvacharya met Jalaluddin Khilji at Delhi and is said to have conversed with him in Urdu. Also during his second pilgrimage to Badari he performed many miracles of various types like walking on the water of the river Ganges etc. At Udupi his stolen manuscripts by rival scholars were recovered miraculously. The various miracles attributed to him in the traditional biography (the Madhavavijaya) prove that the Acharya was a giant both physically and intellectually as also in yogic powers.

Sri Madhvacharya has written thirty-seven works like bhasyas on all Upanishads, Bhagavadgitabhasya, Brahmasutrabhasya, Dvadasastotra and more. The followers of Madhvacharya don’t document his death but his departure to Badri at the age of 79 in 1317 C.E. According to followers he felt that he had finished his work, Madhvacharya disappeared from his seat mysteriously, while teaching the Attareya Upanishad to his disciples, leaving a big heap of flowers on it. The day on which Sri Madhvacharya proceeded to Badri is celebrated as Madhva Navami which is also known as disappearance day of Madhva Acharya by his disciples.

Madhvacharya was the proponent of Dvaita Vedanta. It regards Brahman and individual souls as eternal and mutually separate entities. Hence the philosophy of Dvaita Vedanta is based on principles of dualism which is opposite to philosophy of Advaita Vedanta and Vishishta Advaita Vedanta. The philosophy of Dvaita Vedanta is also known as Tattvavada – the Philosophy of Reality. It identifies God with Brahman completely and in turns with Vishnu or his various incarnations.