Sri Madhvacharya, the dualist

Sri Madhvacharya, the dualist
Sri Madhvacharya was born on family of Tulu Brahmin, near Udupi, Karnataka. he lived during 1238-1317. Sri Madhva was also known by three other names – Vasudeva, Purnaprajna and Anandatirtha. He demonstrated that each Vedic Sukta had three meanings, the Mahabharata ten meanings, and each word of the Vishnu-sehsranama, a hundred meanings. He introduced the use of animal forms made of a paste of black gram power and ghee in place of animals in sacrifices. He proclaimed that in most ancient days Vedic rituals did not allow animal sacrifice.
 
He, besides philosophical works, influenced great devotional movement known as Dasa Kuta, in Karnataka. He also made excellent arrangements for worship in the temple by founding eight Maths in Udupi. Madhva, unlike all other vedantic acharyas, built an intellectual structure to stimulate people to sustain their faith in a real God and real spiritual destiny for human beings to be attained through devotional disciplines enlivened and enlightened by love and knowledge, and crowned by the grace of God.

Madhva’s philosophy is called Dvaita or the Doctrine of the Two, because it accepts two entirely separate substances, the independent reality (God) and the Dependent reality (the Jivas, Nature and other allied categories). He challenged the philosophy of Advaita (philosophers – Sri Gaudapada & Sri Adishankaracharya) and put forth following reasoning:
 
Theory of Illusions (Khyati-vada):
Advaitia Philosophy:
According to Advaita philosophy (means Non-dual), Brahman is the one and only reality and everything else is a mere illusion. Maya creates apparent multiplicity in a universe where only Brahman really exists. One of the most common examples used to describe the state is momentarily seeing a snake in a rope when it is lying in the darkness. The Advaita system has three levels of experience as under:
 

1. Paramarthika – Ultimately real i.e. the Para-Brahman – attribute less and quality less, and indicated only by indirect scriptural epithets viz. Satyam, Jnanam, Anandam and Anantam (Truth-Consciousness-Bliss-Absolute). These are not its attributes but the Absolute itself.
2. Vyavaharika – Empirically real - Daily experiences take the nature of real due to the illusion caused by Avidya-Maya. It persists for all time for those who have not attained the Paramarthika.
3. Pratibhasika – The momentary experiences such as snake in rope, nacre in silver etc. It is category forming a mixture of both reality (as actually experienced) and unreality (as sublated). For this reason, this is called Anirvacaniya-khyati.

 
Advaitins maintain that Vyavaharika is sublated (taken away) when consciousness get established in Paramarthika level. The Vyavaharika world is then realized as disappearing. The evidence is of the perfected sage.
 
Dvaita Philosophy:
However, Dvaitins dispute both claims of Advaitins. If there is a at all a non-dualistic experience, it is only the temporary disappearance of world consciousness in the blissful absorption of the Jiva in mystic communion with the divine. The Vaisnavite doctrine claims:

1. Only through devotion and self-surrender to the Supreme Being Jiva can secure salvation. It presupposes a basic difference between them. For this reason, Advaita philosophy characterizes the experience of difference as an illusion resulting from Avidya. Madhva’s philosophy of realism does not accept the Advaita’s two tier conception of Paramartha and Vyavahara and holds difference is an actual experience, and our life is based on its recognition.
2. Advaitins argued that perceivablity is the nature of falsehood and maintain that experience is their conclusive proof of Paramartha (ultimate reality). Paramartha is attained when there is Alhandkara-vriti (unmodified mind). As per Dvaita philosophy, experience always requires experiencer and the experienced. In case mental mode of Akhandkara-vriti subsides, Paramartha experience too must disappear with it. So all the old mental viritis may come back, or consciousness itself may be destroyed. These arguments proved futile in disproving the reality of the world experience.
3. Perception through Sense Organs: Madhva maintains that a valid experience must basically be self-validating. Errors occur because of the defects in the organs of perception and placement of the objects. Certainty may not arise in the mind, because presentation by the sense is done through intellect whose nature is to doubt, thinking of the pros and cons of all experiences that pass through it. When the energy of the soul enlightens the impression presented to it by the senses through the mind and intellect that certainty arises. This energy of Atman that gives certainty is called as Saksi (witness). When saksi functions, experience becomes self-validating or svatassiddha. The defects of the organs and placement of objects obstruct the operation of the saksi, and hence one must take all care to remove these obstructions to get valid experience. Experiences like joy and sorrow, dream experiences and sense of duration & peace in deep sleep, are felt without involvement of senses and doubt. These experiences are felt indicating existence of validating power or saksi. 

 
Location of Avidya:
According to the Advaita Philosophy, Jiva is one with Brahman and this assumes Avidya being in Brahman. Brahman will thus become the center of all corruption.
 
As per Dvaita philosophy, Avidya has its locus only in the Jiva. So their theory of Avidya is called Svabhavajnana-vada, which means the forgetfulness of the Jiva’s true nature and of his dependence on God. It is induced in them by the Independent Being, God. As Jiva is different from Brahman, Avidya is located in the Jiva does not affect Him as in Advaita. Though located in the Jiva, it is not natural to him. For being, an eternal category and a reflection of God, the Jiva’s existentiality and self-consciousness are retained, but his blissful nature is gravely clouded and bodily identification is generated.
 
Reference: Bhakti Schools of Vedanta – by Swami Tapasyananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai.