The Hindu : Main teachings of Sri Madhwacharya

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 14, 2003

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Main teachings of Sri Madhwacharya

CHENNAI FEB. 14 . The constant endeavour of any man is to improve his lot. An effort to further this aim of his should never be discouraged as it is reckoned as a source of legitimate activities, until it infringes on the freedom of another or interferes with that man's plans. The moral code of conduct has been framed with this basic fact in view, viz., to promote individuality and to ensure non-disruptive atmosphere, just as two plants are allowed to grow without hampering one another. But can this reasoning of framing the moral code be extended to the spiritual field?

Scriptures say that while it may be easy to inflict injury — physical or mental — on a fellow individual, it is not possible to offend God. No one can conclude that it is of no consequence if God is spoken ill of or derided as He is not one amongst us. Atheists may argue that our good and evil deeds are only in respect of real happenings in this world and hence God can be kept out of purview, if not eliminated. But scriptures have clearly established that He is very much a phenomenological reality in each and every movement or action that takes place. Therefore we cannot exclude Him or harm Him as He is the in-dweller.

Sri Madhwacharya, one of the three spiritual leaders, who had given us guidance and made us tread the path of virtue through their systems of philosophy, had laid down the God-devotee relationship. On the occasion of Madhwa Navami, the day on which the saint 688 years ago "dematerialised" himself (but is believed to be among sages in upper Badari, in the presence of Vyasa), Sri Raghubushana Theertha of Balegar Math, in a message, said one of the Trinity and a stalwart of the Dwaita system has summed up in nine doctrines the main teachings of Sri Madhwa: Lord Hari is Supreme; the universe is real; man is absolutely dependent on the Lord; the groups of souls are His servants; they are graded as high or low in nature and capacity; "Moksha" is liberation from the tantalising transmigration and the enjoyment of inherent Bliss; pure devotion is the means to secure this goal; the sources of knowledge are three only — preceptor, inference and scriptures. The Lord (Hari) can be known only through scriptures. Sri Madhwacharya has categorically said that our helpless finiteness is an irrefragable fact, which points out to the existence of an Infinite Supreme God, who gives the necessary power and force for all our activities.

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