Sri Madhvacharya

References from Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita. Translation and purport by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad.

Adi 1: The Spiritual Masters
Text 1.19

These three Deities of Vrindavan [Madana-mohana, Govinda and Gopinath] have absorbed the heart and soul of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas [followers of Lord Chaitanya]. I worship Their lotus feet, for They are the Lords of my heart.

PURPORT
The author of Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita offers his respectful obeisances unto the three Deities of Vrindavan named Sri Radha-Madana-mohan, Sri Radha-Govindadev and Sri Radha-Gopinathji. These three Deities are the life and soul of the Bengali Vaishnavas, or Gaudiya Vaishnavas, who have a natural aptitude for residing in Vrindavan...

The four Vaishnava acharyas who are the great authorities of the four Vaishnava disciplic successions, as well as Sripad Shankaracharya of the Mayavada school, appeared in the Pancha-dravida provinces. Among the four Vaishnava acharyas, who are all accepted by the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, Sri Ramanuja Acharya appeared in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh at Mahabhutapuri, Sri Madhva Acharya appeared at Pajakam (near Vimanagiri) in the district of Mangalore, Sri Vishnuswami appeared at Pandya, and Sri Nimbarka appeared at Mungera-patana in the extreme south.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the chain of disciplic succession from Madhva Acharya, but the Vaishnavas in His line do not accept the tattva-vadis, who also claim to belong to the Madhva-sampradaya. To distinguish themselves clearly from the tattva-vadi branch of Madhva's descendants, the Vaishnavas of Bengal prefer to call themselves Gaudiya Vaishnavas. Sri Madhva Acharya is also known as Sri Gauda-purnananda, and therefore the name Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya is quite suitable for the disciplic succession of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas. Our spiritual master, Om Vishnupad Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Gosvami Maharaj, accepted initiation in the Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya.

Adi 3: The External Reasons for Lord Chaitanya's Appearance
Text 3.40

The religious practice for the Age of Kali is to broadcast the glories of the Holy Name. Only for this purpose has the Lord, in a yellow colour, descended as Lord Chaitanya.

PURPORT
In this Age of Kali the practical system of religion for everyone is the chanting of the Name of Godhead. This was introduced in this age by Lord Chaitanya. Bhakti yoga actually begins with the chanting of the Holy Name, as confirmed by Madhvacharya in his commentary on the Mundaka Upanishad. He quotes this verse from the Narayana-samhita:

dvapariyair janair vishnuh
pancharatrais tu kevalaih
kalau tu nama-matrena
pujyate bhagavan harih

"In the Dvapara-yuga people should worship Lord Vishnu only by the regulative principles of the Naradapa-charatra and other such authorized books. In the Age of Kali, however, people should simply chant the Holy Names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

Adi 6: The Glories of Sri Advaita Acharya
Text 6.40

Thinking "He [Sri Advaita Acharya] is a disciple of Sri Madhavendra Puri," Lord Chaitanya obeys Him, respecting Him as His spiritual master.

PURPORT
Sri Madhavendra Puri is one of the acharyas in the disciplic succession from Madhvacharya. Madhavendra Puri had two principal disciples, Ishvara Puri and Sri Advaita Prabhu. Therefore the Gaudiya Vaishnava-sampradaya is a disciplic succession from Madhvacharya.

This fact has been accepted in the authorized books known as Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika and Prameya-ratnavali, as well as by Gopal Guru Goswami. The Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika clearly states the disciplic succession of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas as follows:

"Lord Brahma is the direct disciple of Vishnu, the Lord of the spiritual sky. His disciple is Narada, Narada's disciple is Vyasa, and Vyasa's disciples are Sukadev Goswami and Madhvacharya. Padmanabha Acharya is the disciple of Madhvacharya, and Narahari is the disciple of Padmanabha Acharya. Madhava is the disciple of Narahari, Akshobhya is the direct disciple of Madhava, and Jayatirtha is the disciple of Akshobhya.

"Jayatirtha's disciple is Jnanasindhu, and his disciple is Mahanidhi. Vidyanidhi is the disciple of Mahanidhi, and Rajendra is the disciple of Vidyanidhi. Jayadharma is the disciple of Rajendra. Purushottama is the disciple of Jayadharma. Sriman Lakshmipati is the disciple of Vyasatirtha, who is the disciple of Purushottama. And Madhavendra Puri is the disciple of Lakshmipati."

 

Adi 7: Lord Chaitanya in Five Features
Text 7.110

"Shankaracharya is not at fault, for he has thus covered the real purpose of the Vedas under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT
The Vedic literature is to be considered a source of real knowledge, but if one does not take it as it is, one will be misled. For example, the Bhagavad-gita is an important book of Vedic literature that has been taught for many years, but because it was commented upon by unscrupulous rascals, people derived no benefit from it, and no one came to the conclusion of Krishna consciousness...

Therefore Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, mukhya-vrttye sei artha parama mahattva: "To teach the Vedic literature according to its direct meaning, without false commentary, is glorious." Unfortunately, Sri Shankaracharya, by the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, compromised between atheism and theism in order to cheat the atheists and bring them to theism, and to do so he gave up the direct method of Vedic knowledge and tried to present a meaning which is indirect...

The purpose of the discussions in the Upanishads and Vedanta-sutra is to philosophically establish the personal feature of the Absolute Truth. The impersonalists, however, in order to establish their philosophy, accept these discussions in terms of laksana-vrtti, or indirect meanings. Thus instead of being tattva-vada, or in search of the Absolute Truth, they become Mayavad, or illusioned by the material energy. When Sri Vishnuswami, one of the four acharyas of the Vaishnava cult, presented his thesis on the subject matter of suddhadvaita-vada, immediately the Mayavadis took advantage of this philosophy and tried to establish their advaita-vada or kevaladvaita-vada. To defeat this kevaladvaita-vada, Sri Ramanujacharya presented his philosophy as visistadvaita-vada, and Sri Madhvacharya presented his philosophy of tattva-vada, both of which are stumbling blocks to the Mayavadis because they defeat their philosophy in scrupulous detail.

Students of Vedic philosophy know very well how strongly Sri Ramanujacharya's visistadvaita-vada and Sri Madhvacharya's tattva-vada contest the impersonal Mayavad philosophy. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, however, accepted the direct meaning of the Vedanta philosophy and thus defeated the Mayavad philosophy immediately. He opined in this connection that anyone who follows the principles of the Sariraka-bhasya is doomed.

 

Madhya 9: Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's travels to the Holy Places
Text 9.245-249

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu next arrived at Udupi, the place of Madhvacharya, where the philosophers known as Tattva-vadis resided. There He saw the Deity of Lord Krishna and became mad with ecstasy.

While at the Udupi monastery, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw "dancing Gopal," a most beautiful Deity. This Deity appeared to Madhvacharya in a dream.

Madhvacharya had somehow or other acquired the Deity of Krishna from a heap of gopi-chandana that had been transported in a boat.

Madhvacharya brought this dancing Gopal Deity to Udupi and installed Him in the temple. To date, the followers of Madhvacharya, known as Tattvavadis, worship this Deity.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu received great pleasure in seeing this beautiful form of Gopal. For a long time He danced and chanted in ecstatic love.

Read more: Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita.