The uniqueness of the Madhva system

[V Subrahmanian]

The uniqueness of the Madhva system

Sri Balagaru Srinivasacharya in his book 'Manimanjari Vaibhava'

On page 45 of the Sanskrit part says:

(Here is a brief Kannada translation. See its original Sanskrit in the image below)

// In the Madhva faith, the world is real, Hari is the Supreme, Mukhyaprana is the Jagadguru, Three types among the living beings, salvation is only for the noble jivas, the evil jivas are censurable, those who hate Hari and Vayu are to be abused because it is the means to salvation (in the Madhva system)...the determination of the deity-hood of Madhvacarya, etc. is necessary.

Also the determination of the demonic nature of other (non-Madhva) philosophers like Shankara is also necessary. However in the non-Madhva systems there is no such requirement for the determination of the deity nature (devata svarupa) of their Acharyas and the demonic nature (daitya svabhava) of their opponent Acharyas for attaining the purushartha like Moksha. //

Thus the author has asserted the uniqueness of the Madhva system (the determination of the devilish nature of other philosophers) by saying that there is no need to do so in other non-Madhva schools.

And on page 58-59 he quotes some supposed verses from the Skanda Purana - from which he asserts Shankaracharya's demonic nature and the demonic nature of all other philosophers.

Thus, except for their Acharyas, all the 21 Ku-bhasyakaras including Ramanuja, are daityas, of demonic nature as per the Madhva system. He has also said that such abuse is a sine qua non for salvation in the Madhva system.

This book was published in 2003.

It may also be noticed that Narayana Pandita, commenting on his own Madhva Vijaya (a biography of Madhvacharya), has named the 21 ku-bhashyakara-s, where Shankara and Ramanuja are included among others.

Jagannatha Dasa, in his Harikathamruta saara, a Kannada poetic work, has, at the beginning, declared that all pre-Madhva commentators of the Brahma sutra, 21 of them, are 'ati duraatma's (extremely wicked). The commentary to this lists the 21 including Ramanuja and Shankara.

Om