Madhwas
Encyclopedia
The Madhwa ( Kannada and Tulu
- ಮಾಧ್ವ ರು Marathi
and Konkani
- मध्व) are one community of Brahmins
of India
, whose members follow the doctrine of Dvaita
or Dualism
as codified by Madhwa Acharya
(मध्वाचार्य).
Madhwas are Vaishnavites (Vaishnavism
). While the largest number of Madhwas in India are Kannada or Tulu
speaking, there is a significant population of Marathi
, Konkani
and Telugu
speaking Madhwas also.
Madhwas live mainly in Karnataka
and a significant number live in Tamil Nadu
, Kerala
, Goa
, Maharashtra
and Andhra Pradesh
. The influx of Madhwas into Tamil Nadu is thought to have happened during and after the Maratha
conquest of Thanjavur.
Madhwas are also the largest Brahmin community in Karnataka.
--the Supreme-Soul
(paramaatma (परमात्मा)) and the individual souls of beings, jiivatma
(जीवात्मा).
Both Jiivaatma and Paramaatma are Anaadi (अनादि) (infinite, without beginning nor end ).
According to Madhvacharya, the individual souls of beings are not 'created' by God but do, nonetheless, depend on Him for their existence.
According to Dvaita philosophy, Atma and Paramatma are different. Atma is limited and Paramatma is omnipresent. Atama is part of Paramatma however not vice versa. GOD is everywhere. GOD is in you , in me but not you/me are NOT a GOD. Madhwa philosophy emphasizes on 3 different types in the universe. They are Paramatma , Jeeva and Jada. Paramatma is GOD the supreme and only one. He is Vishnu. Jeeva is beings including Guru's , human and animal any thing that has nature of life in it. Third is Jada which doesn't have life like a rock. Jada doesn't have any feelings , knowledge , life or death. Jeeva's vary in their stature based on their knowledge and bhakti towards Paramatma. Except Paramatma , VISHNU Madhwa philosophy considers everyone as Jeeva. This applies for Lakshmi wife of Vishnu, Brahma , Maheshwara , Hanuman , Rushi's to a normal animal. Concept of taratamya(differentiation) is based on Knowledge , Yogyata(capacity/kshamata/eleigibility) developed by good/bad things performed in the previous births. Know about GOD, hail his greatness as one continues to learn and appreciate more about GOD one gets into a better Jeeva. In such Jeeva's one who knows relatively most about GOD is Hanuman
.
Madhwa philosophy says Hari sarvottma Vayu Jeevottma. Hari (GOD) is Supreme where as Hanuman is greatest among all jeevas ahead of any other listed previously. It doesn't mean others are less or others are not prayed. It only means the one who does maximum daiva chainta is Hanuman.
Tulu language
The Tulu language |?]]]) is a Dravidian language spoken by 1.95 million native speakers mainly in the southwest part of Indian state Karnataka known as Tulu Nadu. In India, 1.72 million people speak it as their mother tongue , increased by 10 percent over the 1991 census...
- ಮಾಧ್ವ ರು Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
and Konkani
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
- मध्व) are one community of Brahmins
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, whose members follow the doctrine of Dvaita
Dvaita
Dvaita is a school of Vedanta founded by Shri Madhvacharya....
or Dualism
Dualism
Dualism denotes a state of two parts. The term 'dualism' was originally coined to denote co-eternal binary opposition, a meaning that is preserved in metaphysical and philosophical duality discourse but has been diluted in general or common usages. Dualism can refer to moral dualism, Dualism (from...
as codified by Madhwa Acharya
Madhvacharya
Madhvācārya was the chief proponent of Tattvavāda "Philosophy of Reality", popularly known as the Dvaita school of Hindu philosophy. It is one of the three most influential Vedānta philosophies. Madhvācārya was one of the important philosophers during the Bhakti movement. He was a pioneer in...
(मध्वाचार्य).
Madhwas are Vaishnavites (Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
). While the largest number of Madhwas in India are Kannada or Tulu
Tulu language
The Tulu language |?]]]) is a Dravidian language spoken by 1.95 million native speakers mainly in the southwest part of Indian state Karnataka known as Tulu Nadu. In India, 1.72 million people speak it as their mother tongue , increased by 10 percent over the 1991 census...
speaking, there is a significant population of Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, Konkani
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
and Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
speaking Madhwas also.
Madhwas live mainly in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
and a significant number live in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
and Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. The influx of Madhwas into Tamil Nadu is thought to have happened during and after the Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
conquest of Thanjavur.
Madhwas are also the largest Brahmin community in Karnataka.
Dvaita philosophy in brief
Dvaita stresses a strict distinction between GodGod
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
--the Supreme-Soul
Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...
(paramaatma (परमात्मा)) and the individual souls of beings, jiivatma
Jiva
In Hinduism and Jainism, a jiva is a living being, or more specifically, the immortal essence of a living organism which survives physical death. It has a very similar usage to atma, but whereas atma refers to "the cosmic self", jiva is used to denote an individual 'living entity' or 'living...
(जीवात्मा).
Both Jiivaatma and Paramaatma are Anaadi (अनादि) (infinite, without beginning nor end ).
According to Madhvacharya, the individual souls of beings are not 'created' by God but do, nonetheless, depend on Him for their existence.
According to Dvaita philosophy, Atma and Paramatma are different. Atma is limited and Paramatma is omnipresent. Atama is part of Paramatma however not vice versa. GOD is everywhere. GOD is in you , in me but not you/me are NOT a GOD. Madhwa philosophy emphasizes on 3 different types in the universe. They are Paramatma , Jeeva and Jada. Paramatma is GOD the supreme and only one. He is Vishnu. Jeeva is beings including Guru's , human and animal any thing that has nature of life in it. Third is Jada which doesn't have life like a rock. Jada doesn't have any feelings , knowledge , life or death. Jeeva's vary in their stature based on their knowledge and bhakti towards Paramatma. Except Paramatma , VISHNU Madhwa philosophy considers everyone as Jeeva. This applies for Lakshmi wife of Vishnu, Brahma , Maheshwara , Hanuman , Rushi's to a normal animal. Concept of taratamya(differentiation) is based on Knowledge , Yogyata(capacity/kshamata/eleigibility) developed by good/bad things performed in the previous births. Know about GOD, hail his greatness as one continues to learn and appreciate more about GOD one gets into a better Jeeva. In such Jeeva's one who knows relatively most about GOD is Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
.
Madhwa philosophy says Hari sarvottma Vayu Jeevottma. Hari (GOD) is Supreme where as Hanuman is greatest among all jeevas ahead of any other listed previously. It doesn't mean others are less or others are not prayed. It only means the one who does maximum daiva chainta is Hanuman.
List of Madhwa Brahmin Communities
They are-- Kannada Madhwa Brahmins
- Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins
- Koteswara Magane Brahmins
- Shukla Yajurvedi Madhwa Brahmins
- Telugu Madhwa Brahmins
- Deshastha Madhwa BrahminsDeshastha BrahminDeshastha Brahmins are the original and the oldest Hindu Brahmin sub-caste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and some districts of northern Karnataka. The word Deshastha comes from the Sanskrit words Desha and Stha which mean inland or country and resident respectively...
- Goud Saraswat Brahmins
- Daivajna Brahmins
- Tuluva HebbarsTuluva HebbarsTuluva Hebbars are a Tulu-speaking Brahmin community from Karnataka, India. The name "Hebbar" comes from the Kannada, "hebbu/hiridhu" + "haruva" ....