Dvaita Vedanta: researchers

There are no major specialists in Madhva’s Dvaita Vedanta at the universities of Germany and Austria. If they relate to the teachings or the history of Madhva’s school, then only indirectly. Prof. Robert Zydenbos, for example, in his study of Jainism clearly showed that in the teachings of Madhva and the views of his early followers there is a whole layer of Jaina ideas, often misunderstood by Madhvaites, and sometimes even denying the existence of such in the teachings of Madhva. 

Prof. Zydenbos has been retired since the autumn of this year. In Vienna, however, there is Dr. Marcus Schmücker and Dr. Michael Williams. Madhva and Madhva Sampradaya are researched in the USA/Canada by Prof. Valerie Stoker. In Oxford, Kiyokatsu Okita, who focuses more on Chaitanya’s Gaudiya Vaishnavism, mentions Madhva from time to time. It seems to me that Okita is generally an adherent of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Okita’s articles are quite interesting. He makes thematic squeezes and presents them from a new side.

26 years ago, appeared first works of Roque Mesquita from the University of Vienna dedicated to Madhva’s works. In 1995–1996 he led seminars on „Works of the School of Madhva“. In 1997, Mesquita organized a workshop on Madhva and his Vishnu Tattva Vinirnaya. From 1998–1999, Mesquita organized a seminar on Gita Bhashya, Madhva’s first commentary on Bhagavad Gita. In 2000–2001 there was a seminar on Madhva’s commentary on Brahma Sutra — Brahma Sutra Bhashya. Since 2008, there has been a seminar on Sarva Darshana Samgraha. In parallel, Mesquita published books dedicated to Madhva’s works. Mesquita devoted several books to the study of untraceable quotations in Madhva’s writings. Unfortunately, R. Mesquita died in 2016. I really regret that I did not have time to get to know him and maybe even learn from him.

Of course, this is not a complete list of writers on Dvaita Vedanta. But the rest are only insofar as they relate to this area. Anusha S. Rao from Canada wrote a good essay on Madhva’s reasons for calling himself an incarnation of Vayu.
But the greatest Madhva expert, in my opinion, was B.N.K. Sharma. Concurrently, he was a Madhvaite, which, however, did not in the least prevent him from expounding the teachings of Madhva and the history of the Madhva Sampradaya at a high academic level. Perhaps it is precisely for this academic objectivity that some Madhvaites, both Indian and Russian-speaking, defame Sharma.

Fortunately, Sharma was not a religious fanatic, and therefore his books are devoid of a touch of radicalism and unfounded claims inherent in religious adepts. Those wishing to get acquainted with the teachings of Madhva and the history of his school, I strongly recommend doing this, starting with the books of B.N.K. Sharma. Compared to the works of other Madhvaite authors writing in English, Sharma’s books best reflect the historical perspective of the development of the Madhva Sampradaya and accurately represent the teachings of Madhva. There are no misconceptions about the teachings of Madhva in Sharma’s books, as some claim. In addition, they are written in refined English.

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This article was originally published on my personal website. The full and authoritative version is available here: https://bergstreisser.com/researchers-dvaita/