List of works by Madhvacharya

The extant works of the Dvaita founder-philosopher, Sri Madhvacharya, called the Sarvamūla Granthas, are many in number. The works span a wide spectrum of topics concerning Dvaita philosophy in specific and Vedic thought in general. They are commentaries on the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavadgita, Brahma Sutras and other works. The list of works are enumerated below.[1]

Commentaries on the Bhagavadgita

This work focusses on explaining the meaning of Gita. This is said to be the first work of Sri Madhvacharya, and at a very young age. Like all his other works, there is extremely brevity of expression, profusion of quotations from other authoritative sources (the exception being Brahmatarka, which is quoted in most other works), and is very definitive.

This work compliments the Bhashya in two ways - it gives some alternate meanings to Gita (perhaps an indication to the truth in the quotation given in the Bhashya that Gita has at least 10 meanings) and reviews and criticizes some other commentaries on Gita, notably the advaita commentary on Gita.

Commentaries on the Brahmasutras

This is a commentary on the Brahmasutras and covering every suutra. According to the Dvaita sampradaya, there are 564 sutras. More details can be seen from.[1]

This has multiple commentaries, including some of the earliest disciples of Sri Madhvacharya --

Sri Madhvacharya's treatment of Brahmasutras has many unique points:

Brahmasutras are considered decisive [निर्णायक] of purport of the entire scriptures. This is unlike other traditions which consider the suutras as just an aid or a part of the process to arrive at the purport. And for this reason, Brahmasutras are part of paravidyA in dvaita, while it is not in other sampradAyAs.

Brahmasuutras are recited with an 'OM' at the beginning and the end.

Brahmasuutras' range of coverage is the entire shabdashAstra, not just that Upanishads.

According to Advaita, one of the prerequisites to studying Brahmasutras or doing brahmajijnAsa (i.e. an enquiry into nature of Brahman) requires a thorough understanding of the karmamiimaasma. According to Vishishtaadvaita, Brahmasutras comprise one unit of shaastra, along with karmamiimaamsa and daivii miimaamsaa. According to Dvaita, Brahmasuutras are a unit in themselves, and having devotion to Vishnu and detachment in regular materialism etc., form the minimum prerequisite. There is no stress on understanding of karmakANDa.

Commentaries on the Upanishads

Work on Veda

Prakarana

These are short works, each of which has a very specific focus.

Works on Mahabharata

Work on Puranas

Stotras

Works on Acharya

Other works

References

External links

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