Dvaita, also known as Bheda-vâda, Tattva-vâda, and Bimba-pratibimba-vâda, is the doctrine propounded by Ananda Tîrtha (1238-1317) that asserts that the difference between the individual soul or jîva, and the Creator, or Îshvara, is eternal and real. Actually, this is just one of the five differences that are so stated -- all five differences that constitute the universe are eternal. The five are given by:

        jiiveshvara bhidA chaiva jaDeshvara bhidA tathA    |
        jiiva-bhedo mithashchaiva jaDa-jiiva-bhidA tathA   |
        mithashcha jaDa-bhedo.ayam prapaJNcho bheda-pa.nchakaH    ||
                                            -- paramashruti

From the Paramopanishad a.k.a. Parama-shruti, as quoted by Ananda Tîrtha in his 'VishNu-tattva-vinirNaya'

This is the reason why some refer to the doctrine of Tattvavâda (the preferred name) as 'Dvaita'. However, 'Dvaita' is thought to be inadequately representative of the true grain of Tattvavâda.

The doctrine of Tattvavâda is considered to be eternal (in a flow-like sense, just as Creation is eternal); in historical times, it was revived by Ananda Tîrtha, who is also known as Madhvâchârya. Because of this, followers of Tattvavâda are called Mâdhvas, meaning followers of Madhva.

For some details about these, refer the Dvaita FAQ.

Ananda Tîrtha

This is the front-page of the section that deals with Sriman Madhvâchârya -- his biography, his works, and his special significance as the third incarnation of Mukhya PrâNa, the god of life.

Specifically, you may like to visit the sub-section that deals with Udupi -- there is a fairly extensive description of the place itself, its history, the Krishna temple, the kinds of worship practiced there, Kanaka Dâsa, etc.

Scholars of Tattvavâda

This is the section that deals with some of the other major scholars who followed in the footsteps of Srimad Ananda Tîrtha in propounding Tattvavâda.

In particular, do not miss seeing the web pages of Srî Vâdirâja Tîrtha and Srî Râghavendra Tîrtha.

Source Texts

In order to make the Dvaita web resources more useful to those interested in serious study of Tattvavâda rather than just to casual surfers and beginners, we have made serious efforts to create and deploy downloadable texts of major, hard to find works. These include the Mahâbhârata-Tâtparya-Nirnaya, the E-Book of which carries a blessing from the late H.H. Srî Srî Palimâr Swâmîjî. These texts are all in the widely-used PDF format, and need Acrobat Reader to view/print. See here for general tips on downloading &c.

The website http://www.dvaita.net has been specially acquired as an addendum to this one, for the exclusive purpose of hosting source texts. It is being supported by a different ISP than the dvaita.in facilities which will be continued as at present. The new site should allow for much faster downloads than at present. We therefore suggest that http://www.dvaita.net be preferred for downloads even where the material is duplicated (which will not be often).

Stotras

This section leads into several viewable (and in some cases, downloadable) stotra-s (hymns in praise of Vishnu or His servants) of interest to Mâdhvas -- many with transliterations and/or translations. Some shloka-s listed here are rather hard to find in print.

N.B. As of this writing (08/30/MM) the Stotra page has been taken down for thorough revision, but we believe the source texts page already referred to should be an ample resource in the meantime.

Doctrinal issues

This section, still under construction, will present some writings concerning specific points of interest in Tattvavâda. Please see the Dvaita FAQ before reading this section.

In order to combat the false preachment by some in Madhva's name, and to illustrate correctly the positions of Madhva on the Bhagavad Gita, we have created a section on the Bhagavad Gita. This includes the Gîtâ Sâroddhâra of H.H. Srî Pejâvara Swâmîjî. We also have some discussion of a few specific verses such as II-13 where the existence of a soul apart from the body is established, and X-41 where the common misinterpretation of the Bhâgavata Purâna's kR^ishhNastu bhagavAn.h svayam.h as meaning "Krishna is the original Form," (with other forms of Vishnu being somehow not so) is rejected. Last but not least, be sure not to miss out on our critical review of Prabhupada's "Bhagavad Gita As It Is."

Bibliography

This, as the name suggests, contains a bibliographical index of references to published Tattvavâda works. Separate, smaller bibliographies relating to specific individuals may be found on pages devoted to them -- if such exist -- but this larger bibliography has all of them, and also has some references to works that are not mentioned on any other page. This section is currently under revision, and is not yet comprehensive enough to be very useful to be an aid in looking for specific works, but may still be of some value.

N.B. This bibliography was current in 1995 when the web page was first created, but is lacking items published since.

Miscellaneous items

This page heads into links with information of interest to Mâdhvas, that often do not seem to fit into any of the previous categories.   You may be interested in the list of Ekâdashî-s for this year, or in our list of other links.

Navigating within the Dvaita Home Page

This bar may be used conveniently to move to any desired location, without the need to laboriously re-trace one's steps. If at any time one is lost and does not know how to get to a specific page, one can always move in one step to the front-page, or to this page, for instance, which may be familiar landmarks.

General notes

If you are interested in being part of an e-mail discussion group devoted to discussing Tattvavâda, see our documentation.

N.B. In order to best serve the interests of all our subscribers, we have now a moderated mailing list whose members simply receive copies of the Dvaita Digest, but cannot post directly. We subscribe newcomers to this list by default, and suggest that you ask again to be subscribed specifically to the list or digest if interested in being able to post. The unmoderated forums are meant for people wishing to post informational material rather than queries. Since we are all non-experts and since there are more people wishing to query than to answer queries, we have found it prudent to disallow people to subscribe just for the purpose of posting queries. We understand that it can be difficult and frustrating to look for answers and not find them, but we must point out that the list/digest are a shared communal resource -- no one can realistically be allowed to take from it if they are not also going to add something to it.

N.B. The Dvaita Home Page is a work in progress and has not yet achieved even a fraction of what it should, and the major obstacle we face in making improvements is lack of manpower. We receive hundreds of complimentary messages each year, and are truly grateful for the people who take the time to write us and express their interest, but we would much rather have even just a few people as colleagues in volunteering to add to and improve the content of the website. It is often useful to know something about Tattvavâda, or to have some specific skills such as HTML/Java, etc., but nothing is really essential except the keen desire to work for the preservation and propagation of the noble tradition of Âchârya Madhva.

We must point out that not knowing shâstra, or not having specific skills, are not in and of themselves sufficient reasons not to volunteer. It is no exaggeration to say that no part of this website would exist if they were so. It also is not required that one be born a Mâdhva, or even into any particular nationality, race, religion, etc., as such factors are considered irrelevant in the context of spiritual pursuits (Madhva considers the correct worship of Vishnu a more important attribute of a person than any other), and also since the website at present owes much to people from non-traditional backgrounds.

Feedback to the maintainers of the Dvaita Home Page may be sent to the address info -at- dvaita.net, or, if your browser is forms-capable, by using the response form. Both options are available from the cover page.

Created March 13, 1996; last modified March 26, 2023