Sri Madhvacharya (Life and Philosophy in Brief)

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Sri Kalanidhi Satyanarayana Murthy was born in 1936 at Kakinada, East Godavari Dist., Andha Pradesh. He received his early education at Razole, East Godavari Dist. and subsequently. he did his graduation in Arts and Law in Osmania University, Hyderabad.

He worked in the Law Department of the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat for forty years in various capacities. He was elevated to the rank of Secretary to Government, Law Department in the year 1991. He retired from service in June 1995.

Though his profession relates to Law, his bent of mind is towards Indian Philosophy. Sri Murthy authored 'Upanishad Ratnavali a lucid exposition of the principal Upanishads inTelugu and it has gone into five editions in a short space of time.

He wrote a book in Telugu on the six systems of Indian Philosophy in which he explained to the ordinary reader the essential aspects of Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa and Uttara Mimamsa Darshanas. His other contribution is a series of three booklets in Telugu on the lives and philosophies in brief of the Trimatachoryas Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva. These booklets have been translated by him into English also and this booklet is one among them.

by three great Acharyas, namely, Sri Adi Shankaracharya, Sri Ramanujacharya and Sri Madhvacharya, each of whom has provided perceptive interpretations of the same basic source material of knowledge namely Upanishads, Brahmasutras and the Bhagvadgita, thereby deriving their own schools of thought on Indian Philosophy. No study of Indian Philosophy would be complete unless all these three main schools of thought are studied, understood and critically analyzed. Each Acharya claims his interpretation to be the final Truth and it is only the followers of the different Acharyas, who take such assertions as unquestionable.

Sri Vadiraja Tirtha, the great saint philosopher of Madhva school of thought argues in his highly logical and penetrative treatise called Yuktimallika that the Madhva Siddhanta is the Final Truth, because Madhva's interpreta- tions have been propounded after refuting all the earlier interpretations as Purva Pakshas. He mentions, rather very forcefully, his assertion in the following Sloka.

purvah purvah purvapaksho yaavanmadhva matodayah I

ante siddhastu siddhanto madhvasyaagama eva hi II

It is commendable that Shri Vedabharati headed by Vidwan Dr. Remella Avadhanulu has launched the project of publishing three small booklets on Adi Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya with a view to acquainting the students of Indian Philosophy, about the life and the philosophical contributions of the different Acharyas. This initiative is indeed a very noble. service in the interest of preserving and fostering the Indian heritage and knowledge system.

The present booklet on Sri Madhvacharya, authored by Sri Kalanidhi Satyanarayana Murthy fulfils very eminently the objective of providing the basic information about the life and contributions of Madhvacharya.

Sri Satyanarayana Murthy, not only narrates the significant events in the life of Sri Madhvacharya, but also provides insight into his Philosophy of Dwaita Vedanta in a critical framework of analysis.