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Jewel-like Truths

The fundamental principles of the school of pure devotion.

On the appearance day of Śrīmad Madhva Āchārya, Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj cited the following verses which summarise the primary conclusions of the Gauḍīya sampradāya.

śrī-madhvaḥ prāha viṣṇuṁ paratamam akhilāmnāya-vedyañ cha viśvaṁ
satyaṁ bhedañ cha jīvām hari-charaṇa-juṣas tāratamyañ cha teṣām
mokṣaṁ viṣṇv-aṅghri-lābhaṁ tad-amala-bhajanaṁ tasya hetuṁ pramāṇaṁ
pratyākṣādi-trayañ chety upadiśati hariḥ kṛṣṇa-chaitanyachandraḥ
(Prameya-ratnāvalī: 1.8)

Śrī Madhva Āchārya taught:
(1) Viṣṇu is the Supreme Being (no one is equal to Him).
(2) Viṣṇu is the subject to be known by all the scriptures (impersonal Brahman is not).
(3) The world is real (not simply imaginary).
(4) The soul is separate (from the Lord; the distinction between the soul and the Lord is not false).
(5) The soul is a servant of the Lord’s feet (not simply a particle of spirit).
(6) There is gradation amongst souls (they may be conditioned or liberated, and they attain different ends according to their practices; they do not all become one or reach the same end).
(7) Liberation means attaining the feet of Viṣṇu (not merging into Viṣṇu).
(8) Pure devotion is the cause of liberation (not simply thinking, “I am Brahman”).
(9) Perception, inference, and scripture are the three means to true knowledge (not analogy, tradition, and other proposals).
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Chaitanyachandra teaches these nine truths.”

śrī-madhva-mate hariḥ paratamaḥ satyaṁ jagat tattvato
bhedo jīva-gaṇā harer anucharā nichochcha-bhāvaṁ gataḥ
muktir naija-sukhānubhūtir amalā bhaktiś cha tat-sādhanam
akṣādi-tritayaṁ pramāṇam akhilāmnāyaika-vedyo harir iti
(Prameya-ratnāvalī: 10.1)

According to the conception of Śrī Madhva Āchārya:
(1) Hari is the Supreme Being.
(2) The world is real.
(3) The souls are separate (from the Lord).
(4) The souls are servants of the Lord.
(5) The souls attain low or high positions (according to their practices).
(6) Liberation is the experience of the joy produced by the self.
(7) Pure devotion is the means to liberation.
(8) Perception, inference, and scripture are the three means to true knowledge.
(9) The Lord alone is the subject to be known by all the scriptures.”

āmnāyaḥ prāha tattvaṁ harim iha paramaṁ sarva-śaktim rasābdhiṁ
tad-bhinnāṁsāṁś cha jīvān prakṛti-kavalitān tad-vimuktāṁś cha bhāvāt
bhedābheda-prakāśaṁ sakalam api hareḥ sādhanaṁ śuddha-bhaktiṁ
sādhyaṁ tat-prītim evety upadiśati janān gaurachandraḥ svayaṁ saḥ
(Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur)

Śrī Gaurachandra personally teaches the souls:
(1) Revealed knowledge establishes the Truth.
(2) Hari is the Supreme Being.
(3) He is omnipotent.
(4) He is an ocean of rasa.
(5) The souls are His separated parts.
(6) The souls are covered by material energy, or
(7) The souls are liberated from material energy by devotion.
(8) Everything is a manifestation distinct and non-distinct from Hari.
(9) Pure devotion is the way.
(10) Love for Hari is the goal.”