Research on the Philosophy of Madhvācārya by Indian Christian Scholars

Indian philosophy is a perennial stream of wisdom and integration. The more you chew, the more you relish; the more you reflect the more you feel how less you understood; the more you integrate with your faith, the more you feel one with reality. Indologists of East and West have tried to grasp this truth, but all found it like emptying sea in the pot. Indian Christian thinkers tried to dialogue with this rich culture. 

Here I enumerate five stalwarts who tried to understand and dialogue Christian philosophy with Dvaita philosophy of Madhvacharya. All have come out with their own unique contribution to the vast pool of knowledge.

1. Prof. Ignatius Puthiadam
Prof. Ignatius Puthiadam is a Jesuit priest of Madurai province, Tamilnadu. He studied under the well-known Catholic theologians like Karl Rahner and Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). 

He has taught philosophy at Shembaganur Jesuit Philosophate and Business Ethics in XLRI (initially known as Xavier Labour Relations Institute. Now it is called Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand). 

He has contributed a lot to the field of inter-religious dialogue and research. He founded ‘Maitri Bhavan’ (Home of Friendship) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. It is the former and original dialogue centre in Varanasi Catholic diocese which is a full-fledged parish now near Banaras Hindu University. He also founded the dialogue centre at Kanyakumari ‘Thozhamai Illam.’

He has authored a number of books and articles on Hindu-Christian themes. “God in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas and Śrī Madhvācārya”; “Viṣṇu the Ever Free: A Study of the Mādhva Concept of God”; “The Christian Faith Creed in the Indian Context” (co-authored with Xavier Irudayaraj SJ); “Come, let us celebrate: Meeting God in Christian and non-Christian feasts”; “Ignatian Spiritual Exercises in Dialogue with Hinduism and Buddhism” (An Eight Day Retreat); “Theology of Religions in the Indian Context” (article) are his significant works which have contributed to in interfacing Hinduism and Christianity.

In the latter part of his life, he is focusing more on Christian theology and spirituality. The following are his writings on this area: “A short history of Religious Life: From the Desert of Egypt to the Oasis of the Second Vatican Council”; “Religious Life and Maturity”; “Called, Consecrated, and Commissioned: A Guide to Religious Life and Formation”; “Meditation and Contemplation: The Way to Wholeness and Holiness”; “Lent and Easter: Readings, Psalms and Reflections”; “Advent and Christmas: Readings, Psalms, and Reflections”; “Christian Liturgy: The Re-Presentation of the Greatest God-Human Story”; “Transforming Prayer: Prayer Exercises”; “Fr. De Nobili A Trendsetter; “Wisdom Stories.”

“Viṣṇu the Ever Free: A Study of the Mādhva Concept of God” is an excellent book for the study of Dvaita Vedānta of Madhva. It thematically and reflectively analyses the concepts and contributions of the philosophy of Madhva. It is an important reading for those who venture into Mādhvavedānta. It is a work done by consulting original sources of Dvaita.


2. Prof. Devadatta Kamath

Devadatta Kamath is a Jesuit priest of Karnataka province. He is a thinker, philosopher and historian. He has taught philosophy (especially Hinduism) in St. Joseph’s Inter-diocesan Seminary, Mangaluru. He is well-versed in Konkani, Latin, Kannada and English along with many other languages.

He has authored a novel too, and got it published at his young age just to meet his educational needs. As a historian, he has written histories of Mangaluru Diocese, Karnataka Jesuit Province of the Society of Jesus (The Burning Bush: A History of the Karnataka Jesuit Province of the Society of Jesus, Part One, 1878-1955, Volume 1 & 2), Rosario Cathedral Church and few other histories.

He wrote the life of Fr. Urban Stein, the founder of Ursuline Franciscan Sisters (UFS). His work ಜನಕನ ಮನದನ್ನ (Janakana Manadanna i.e., Jesus is the Father’s mind’s food) is an excellent rendering of the life of Jesus Christ in Kannada using poetic genre. 

He did his research on “The Doctrine of Jīvātman in the Works of Madhvācārya” from Karnataka University, Dharwad in 1972. It is very reflective, critical and creative in its content. 

He revisits Mādhvavedānta in an original way by consulting original sources. Unfortunately, his thesis is not yet published. When he was asked for the reason about it, he said, ‘that time it was not a need and now I am not keen on doing it.’ He says 'my convictions about life, philosophy and religion have changed tremendously over the years.' Presently, he is working on a book which deals with his approach towards existential realities and ultimate reality. He is a deep thinker and rationalist.


3. Prof. Dominic Charles Vas

Dominic Vas is a Carmelite priest of Karnataka-Goa province. His areas of interest are Indian Philosophy and Comparative Religion. His expertise is in Dvaita and Thomistic Philosophy. 

He obtained a PhD in Philosophy from Bangalore University in 1996 on the topic, “Origin and Destiny: St. Thomas Aquinas and Śrī Madhvācārya, a Comparative Critique.”

His book is a very good comparative critical study of the philosophical, theological and spiritual insights of two great masters of the medieval West and East. The author has highlighted with insights and imagination the relevance of such comparative critical studies contributing to contemporary inter-religious dialogues. He has taught the course, “Vaiṣṇavism, Śaivism and other minor traditions”  at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Mangaluru.


4. Prof. Henry D’Almeida

Prof. Henry D’Almeida is a Jesuit priest of Karnataka province. Presently he is a professor of Indian Studies and Languages at Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune. He began his teaching career in Indian Philosophy at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Mangaluru as a scholastic during his regency. He is a polyglot, well-versed in Konkani, Kannada, English, Marathi, Hindi, Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit.

Prof. Henry D'Almeida

He can also manage few other languages. He caught hold of the challenges of life from his childhood days and achieved much more in life through his hard-work, especially in Indology. Though his initial interest was science, he has put his hands in Indian Philosophy. He has a brilliant memory power and excellent teaching pedagogy. He is a voracious reader and down to the earth person. 

He teaches many subjects of philosophy including languages like Sanskrit and Pali. He holds an M.A. in Sanskrit and PhD in philosophy from Pune University. He also holds a Licentiate degree in Theology from Vidyajyoti, Delhi. He teaches philosophy, theology and Kannada in various institutes. He has a vast personal collection of resources on Indology (nearly 7000 books). He always insists on studying philosophy by approaching the original sources. He is an inspiring personality and a guide. As a native of Uḍupi district, his area of specialisation is Dvaita Vedānta. His thesis is titled as, “A Hermeneutical Approach to Śrī Madhvācārya’s Interpretation of the Śrutis.” The work is not yet published. Hope it will be published soon! He has published some articles for different journals. Otherwise, he is not so keen on publishing. His interests are more on reading, studying and integrating. 

5. Dr. Ivan D'Souza

Ivan D'Souza hails from the land Uḍupi, Karnataka, a Catholic priest belongs to the diocese of Mangaluru. 

Dr. Ivan D'Souza

He defended his Doctoral thesis on Madhva on January 24, 2018, at JDV-Pune (http://jdv.edu.in/) in the field of Dvaita Vedānta of Madhva, a Hindu philosopher of 12th century belonging to the Vaiṣṇava tradition. The doctoral thesis is entitled, "PARAMAMUKHYAVṚTTI (SUPER-PRIMARY MEANING) IN DVAITA VEDĀNTA OF MADHVA: A Hermeneutical Probe into its Scriptural Application and Significance." 

This is an unique contribution to the world of Philosophy. He has hermeneutically analyzed the key aspect of Madhva vedanta from its original sources and expressed it as a tool to read any scriptures of any tradition.  Just as Madhva has understood the key aspect of the scripture as Vishnu (vishnu as the semantic referent), so too each scripture has its own semantic reference. This has to be seen hermeneutically in entire scriptural writings when the reader reads it. 

In his own words, "He emphatically establishes that Viṣṇu alone is the focal point of entire Vedic writings. He employs an unparalleled hermeneutical technique known as paramamukhyavṛtti, the super-primary meaning in all his writings."

Ivan D'Souza with Prof. Henry D'Almeida

He feels, that the "Paramamukhyavṛtti can be seen as a Paragon for scriptural interpretations.... Like Brahmasutras, the Gospel of John is aphoristic in nature. Hence, as a Mādhvavedāntic suggestion to Christianity some Biblical scholars can read the ‘happening’ of paramamukhyavṛtti in the Gospel of John."

Raju Felix Crasta interacting during the Doctoral Defense

There are many ways of reading a scripture. It can be read from the perspectives of different classes of people, from the viewpoint of different traditions, religions or by applying different hermeneutical strategies. In the West we see Liberative reading, Marxist reading, Feminist reading, Deconstructive reading, Structural reading, Post-colonial reading, Post-modern reading, etc. 

Ivan interacting with the great Dvaita scholar, Sanskrit expert and Indologist Dr Bannanje Govindarcarya Udupi

In the olden times for Biblical exegesis and reading, for example, the methods like Reader-response criticism, Narrative criticism, Historical criticism, Textual criticism were adopted. Though there are enough number of hermeneutical techniques within Eastern traditions and religions very few attempts have been made to implement them in reading the sacred scriptures. The present study can be a handy reference to commence Dvaita reading of Scriptures by using the tool of paramamukhyavṛtti.

आ नो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वत (Rgveda 1.89.1)

Let noble thoughts come to us from all sides.

Fr. Raju Felix Crasta
The Blog Master