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Against Shankara's claim that the self and the absolute are strictly identical with nothing left over, he argued they are one but qualified: a single reality that still leaves real room for a soul to love, and be loved by, its God.
Against both Shankara's strict non-dualism and Ramanuja's qualified oneness, he argued reality is built on irreducible, permanent difference: soul is never God, and never will be.
Connection
Ramanuja qualified non-dualism pushed toward full dualism Madhva — Madhva took Ramanuja's move toward real distinction within a single reality and pushed it further, arguing that God and soul are not merely internally distinguishable but eternally and completely separate substances.
Ideas
Words
“The individual soul is a part of the Supreme, as a spark is of fire, distinct yet dependent, never separate and never identical.”
“Devotion is not a single act but a continuous stream of remembrance, unbroken like a flow of oil, directed toward the Supreme Person.”
“Difference is real and fivefold: between God and soul, God and matter, soul and soul, soul and matter, and matter and matter.”
“Even in liberation, the soul remains a servant of the Lord; it is bliss without becoming identical with its master.”
Key Moments
c. 1100 CE
Writes the Sri Bhashya
c. 1120s CE
Becomes head priest at Srirangam
c. 1280s CE
Founds the eight monasteries at Udupi
c. 1290s CE
Undertakes a pilgrimage to the Himalayas
Works
Sri Bhashya
Purnaprajna Bhashya