The Dueling Sacred Biographies of Madhva and Ûankara: Journal of Vaishnava Studies

Abstract

Over the last millennium, in the history of the family of religious movements called Hinduism, there is a great deal that is missing.
Vast areas remain to be explored. One relatively unexplored gap in this religious history of Hinduism is the ongoing conflict, polemic, andantagonism between the dominant non-theism of Advaita Vedånta, initially presented by Ûaõkara in the seventh century,2 and the fierce resistance given to Advaita by the Vaishnava theism of the Dvaita Vedånta of Madhva (1238–1317). This antagonism demands deeper historical exploration and understanding. Although the subject is inherently interesting because of the universal significance of its non-theism versus theism theme, exploring it would also fill the great gap in our historical understanding of the complex interaction of non-theism and theism within Hinduism, and the shaping of modern Hinduism. In the words of K. Narain, “With this antagonism in their views on almost every problem of philosophical interest, the scholars of both schools engaged themselves in a conflict of ideology which is, probably the most interesting and memorable in the history of philosophy in India.” The two schools are poles apart in matters of scriptural interpretation, ontology, epistemology, soteriology, and theology. Since the impact of Ûaõkara’s writings, and presumably of his skills in organizing ma†has, on an ascendant Hinduism from the seventh century on was so emphatic, the rise of Dvaita in the thirteenth century was a profound reaction to this impact. The antagonism of Madhva and his school of Dvaita toward Ûaõkara and Advaita was so vehement that it shaped and defined almost everything about the historical development of Dvaita and its literature. The antagonism has biographical roots in the actual life of Madhva and is expressed in the “sacred
life stories” and the “sacred biographies” of both Madhva and Ûaõkara.