Knowra Dvaita Vedanta Dvaita Vedanta Dvaita Vedanta is a Vedanta school founded by Madhva that holds God, individual souls, and matter to be eternally distinct. It identifies Vishnu as the supreme reality and source of liberation.
Madhva : A thirteenth-century Indian philosopher who founded Dvaita Vedanta and taught the supremacy of Vishnu. He established the school and its central doctrines.
Advaita Vedanta : A Vedanta school that teaches nonduality: ultimate reality is Brahman, and liberation reveals the self’s identity with it. Advaita denies the ultimate separateness that Dvaita defends.
Bhakti : Devotion to a personal deity, expressed through love, worship, remembrance, and service. Dvaita presents devotion to Vishnu as the central path toward liberation.
Brahma Sutras : A foundational collection of terse aphorisms organizing and interpreting the teachings of the Upanishads. Madhva’s commentary uses this text to establish Dvaita as a Vedanta interpretation.
Vishnu : A major Hindu deity, worshipped in Vaishnavism as the supreme God and preserver of the cosmos. Dvaita identifies Vishnu as the independent, supreme reality.
Vishishtadvaita : A Vedanta school that understands Brahman as qualified by real souls and matter, which remain dependent on God. It preserves real difference while relating souls and matter to God as modes of Brahman.
Moksha : Liberation from the cycle of rebirth in Indian religious and philosophical traditions. Dvaita describes liberation as eternal blissful communion with God, not identity with God.
Bhagavad Gita : A Hindu scripture presenting a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna on duty, devotion, and liberation. Madhva’s interpretation of the Gita supports devotion to Vishnu and distinction between God and souls.
Brahman : The ultimate reality in Indian philosophical traditions, interpreted differently across Vedanta schools. Dvaita treats Brahman as Vishnu, distinct from souls and matter.
Bhedabheda : A family of Vedanta positions that describes the relation between God, souls, and the world as both difference and non-difference. Its mixed account contrasts with Dvaita’s insistence on enduring difference.
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