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Madhva Brahmin

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Madhva Brahmins
1858 illustration of Madhva Brahmins with religious symbols on London News
Regions with significant populations
India
(Karnataka, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh)
Languages
Kannada, Konkani, Marathi, Telugu, Hindi, Tulu, Tamil, Malayalam
Religion
Hinduism (Vaishnava)

Madhva Brahmins (also often referred as Madhvas or Sadh-Vaishnavas[1]), are Hindu Brahmin communities in India, who follow Sadh Vaishnavism (Sanskrit: सद्वैष्णवसम्प्रदाय) and Dvaita philosophy propounded by Madhvacharya. They are found mostly in the Indian states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.[2]

History

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The Madhwa community traces its philosophical origins to Madhvacharya, the founder of Tattvavada (Dvaita) philosophy, who lived around 13th century. The Ashta Mathas of Udupi were established by Madhvacharya by his disciples. Other Acharyas who established mathas after Madhvacharya include Padmanabha Tirtha, Naraharitirtha, Akshobhya Tirtha, Jayatirtha, Sripadaraja, Vyasatirtha, Vadiraja Tirtha, Vijayendra Tirtha, Raghavendra Tirtha.[3] The affiliations of the Madhwa philosophy extended in the form of temples and monasteries from Udupi in the South India to Dwaraka in West India to Gaya in the East India to Badrinath in the North India.[4]

The town of Udupi is famous for the Sri Krishna temple of the 13th century. The Madhwas believe that the human soul is saved by the grace of God and God bestows on true devotees. Devotional worship is central to the lives of madhwas.[5]

Demographics

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Statewise list of Brahmin communities who have a section that follows the Dvaita Vedanta of Madhvacharya.[6][7]

Society and culture

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Masala dosa with Sambar and chutney in Udupi

Language

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Madhwa Brahmins are not a homogeneous community. Followers of Madhvacharya include Brahmins from multiple regions and are from various linguistic backgrounds. Madhwas who speak Kannada, one of the major languages of the mainly southern Dravidian languages group, speak a variety of Kannada that borders on a literary dialect.[30] Even in the non-Kannada states Madhwas speak Kannada in their homes but with outsiders they speak the native language of that state.[31] The Marathi, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil speaking Madhva Brahmins are all followers of Deshastha Mathas, which are spread in Maharashtra and throughout South India.[32] The Tulu speaking Madhva Brahmins are followers of Tuluva Mathas. They are mainly concentrated in Tulunadu region of Karnataka, in the coastal districts of Udupi, Dakshina Kannada of present-day Karnataka state, and also in Kasargod and other parts of Kerala state. The Konkani speaking Madhva Brahmins are Gaud Saraswat Madhva Brahmins, who are spread throughout the Coastal Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Kerala.[33] The Bihari, Magahi and Hindi speaking Madhva Brahmins are Gayawal Brahmins, who are spread throughout the Gaya and Benares.[34][35]

Occupations

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The traditional occupation of Madhwa Brahmins is priesthood, but they also engaged in occupations such as agriculture and the business. At present, the majority of them work in government and private sectors.[36]

The Tuluva Madhvas and Deshastha Madhvas are more sought after for priestly services by other communities. The Gaud Saraswat Madhvas are a religiously self-contained community. There are numerous cultural difference between these three subdivisions.[37] In Bihar, Gayawal Brahmins are traditionally priests. They are the priests in the famous Vishnupad Temple, Gaya, who also hold a traditional monopoly over the performance of shraddha rituals on the Ghats of Gaya.[38]

Diet

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Main articles: Karnataka cuisine and Maharashtrian cuisine

Madhwa Brahmins are pure vegetarian and their staple cereals are rice and wheat.[39] Udupi cuisine is a synonymous name to Madhwa cuisine. It is a major vegetarian cuisine of Karnataka, which includes a combination of cereals, pulses, vegetables and spices.[40]

Typical Madhwa cuisine consists of Saaru (Rasam), Huli (Sambar), Gojju and Anna (Rice).[41] Gojju is generally a beloved dish to entire Madhwa community.[42] In sweets, Hayagreeva is a very common sweet dish made in most Madhwa Brahmin homes, made using Bengal gram with jaggery and coconut. [43]

Strict Madhva Brahmins avoid onion, garlic, red lentils, and even carrots, radish, brinjal and a few other vegetables and spices. They usually only eat food (prasāda) that is offered (naivedya) to one of the Vishnu deities, and fast on Vaishnava Ekadashi days (twice a month) without taking any food or water. Fruits and milk are usually allowed on Ekadashi days.

Social and political issues

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In 2017 the government of Karnataka introduced The Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2017 in the assembly, which planned to ban all superstition practices considered black magic that promoted "social evils" and the persecution of skeptics. After much debate, Madhwa practices were exempted. In this practice, mudras usually made of gold or copper are heated in the yajna fire and stamped on the body.[44]

Notable people

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Whole Koteshwara Magane Brahmins are followers of Madhvacharya
  2. ^ Majority of Gaud Saraswat Brahmins are followers of Madhvacharya
  3. ^ Mainly found in Satara, Pune, Kolhapur districts of Maharashtra and North Karnataka region of Karnataka
  4. ^ Sharma says Savase Brahmins are found in large numbers in the Satara, Valva, Tasgoan, Koregoan and Karad taluks of Satara district of Maharashtra and in parts of Dharwad district in Karnataka.[18]
  5. ^ Entire Pennaththurar Brahmins are followers of Madhvacharya

References

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  1. ^ Bansi Dhar Tripathi (1978). Sadhus of India: The Sociological View. Popular Prakashan. p. 32. The followers of Madhwa are called Sad- Vaishnavas in contra-distinction to the Vaishnavas of Sri Sampradaya.
  2. ^ The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 93. Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press. 1972. pp. 18–22. Page 18:The followers of Madhvacharya (especially Vaishnavas) are found all over Mysore, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra, apart from Maharashtra (Savase brahmins of Sangli, Tasgoan, Karad, Satara, etc) and Central Kerala (Gaud Saraswats)....Page 22:The institutions established by Madhva and his successors for the propagation of the system are found in different parts of the country. A large community of Madhva-Vaishnavas drawn mostly (not exclusively) from the brahmin fold has grown round these institutions. It is not a homogenous community on account of the barriers of language, manner's and customs, food habits and restrictions about intermarriages, etc. The largest number of the community are to found in the North Karnataka areas. Next comes The old Mysore areas, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, parts of Maharashtra proper, Tulunad (South Kanara) and U.P. Barring the Karnatak area and Tamil Nadu , the largest community of Madhvas is to be found among the Gaud Saraswats.
  3. ^ O. P. Bhatnagar, India. University Grants Commission, University of Allahabad. Dept. of Modern Indian History (1964). Studies in social history: modern India. St. Paul's Press Training School. pp. 133–135.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Nataraja Guru (1990). Life and Teachings of Narayana Guru: In Two Parts. Narayana Gurukula Foundation. p. 200.
  5. ^ Yamuna Lingappa, Banadakoppa T. Lingappa (1992). Wholesome nutrition for mind, body, and microflora: the goal of lacto-vegetarianism (recipes of Udipi cuisine included). Ecobiology Foundation International. p. 320. ISBN 9780963499905.
  6. ^ M. V. Kamath (1989). B.G. Kher, the Gentleman Premier. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 4. The majority of Karhades are Shaivites and subscribe to Advaita though a small minority are Vaishnavites , having , like many Saraswat brahmins , come under the influence of Madhva.
  7. ^ Tapan K. Bose; Rita Manchanda (1997). States, Citizens and Outsiders: The Uprooted Peoples of South Asia. South Asia Forum for Human Rights. p. 27. Most notably these were the Deshastha and the Karhade Brahmans many of whom migrated across the Deccan into the east Godavari basin.
  8. ^ B. N. Sri Sathyan (1973). Karnataka State Gazetteer: South Kanara. Director of Print., Stationery and Publications at the Government Press. p. 109. The Koteshwara Brahmins, who are Madhvas, are a small body who take their name from Koteshwara, a place in Coondapur taluk.
  9. ^ Mysore Narasimhachar Srinivas (1978). Marriage and Family in Mysore. AMS Press. p. 27. ISBN 9780404159757. The Nanda Vaidikas come from the Telugu country and include both Smarthas and Madhvas.
  10. ^ Mysore Narasimhachar Srinivas (1978). Marriage and Family in Mysore. AMS Press. p. 28. ISBN 9780404159757. the Kannada Kamme and Ulcha Kamme are both Smartas and Madhvas : nearly all speak Kannada, a few Telugu also.
  11. ^ Karnataka State Gazetteer: Mysore. Director of Print, Stationery and Publications at the Government Press. 1988. p. 157. The Madhwas are followers of the Dwaitha philosophy of Madhwacharya and have sub-sects like the Badaganadu, Aravelu, Aravathuvokkalu, Deshastha, etc.
  12. ^ B. N. Sri Sathyan (1973). Karnataka State Gazetteer: South Kanara. Director of Print., Stationery and Publications at the Government Press. p. 109. The groups usually styled as Tulu Brahmins are mainly the Shivalli Brahmins whose main centre is Udipi....The Tulu-speaking Brahmins of the present day are largely followers of Madhvacharya. only a small number remaining Smarthas
  13. ^ Karnataka State Gazetteer: Belgaum. Karnataka (India), Director of Print, Stationery and Publications at the Government Press. 1987. p. 199. Most of the Madhwas of the district speak Kannada at home. Among the Marathi speaking, a few are Chitpavans ( or Kokanasthas ) and Karhades and most of them are Deshasthas.
  14. ^ Sharma 2000, p. 532.
  15. ^ Gregory Naik (2000). Understanding Our Fellow Pilgrims. Gujarat Sahitya Prakash. p. 65. ISBN 9788187886105. The Karhada Brahmins: The Brahmins lived in southern parts of modern Maharashtra, between Konkan and Desh, in a province, then called Karathak, comprising Satara, Sangli, and Kolhapur, with Karad as capital. Hence the name of Karhada Brahmins. Among them too there are Smartas and Madhvas or Bhagwats (Vaishnavites).
  16. ^ Syed Siraj ul Hassan (1989). The Castes and Tribes of H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions, Volume 1. Asian Educational Services. p. 113. ISBN 9788120604889. The Karhades are all Rigvedis of the Shakala Shaka, who respect the sutra, or aphorism, of Ashwalayana. They belong to both the Smartha, and the Vaishnava sects, and in religious and spiritual matters follow the guidance of Sri Shankaracharya, and Madhwacharya, respectively.
  17. ^ Sandhya Gokhale (2008). The Chitpavans: Social Ascendancy of a Creative Minority in Maharashtra, 1818–1918. Shubhi Publications. p. 27. ISBN 9788182901322.
  18. ^ Sharma 2000, p. 542.
  19. ^ Sharma 2000, p. 627.
  20. ^ Kumar Suresh Singh (1998). India's Communities, Volume 6. Oxford University Press. p. 2044. ISBN 9780195633542. In Tamil Nadu, the Madhwa Brahmins are migrants from Karnataka. They have six sub-groups, they are Aruvela, Aruvanththuvakkalu, Badaganadu, Pennaththurar, Prathamasaki and Desastha and Badaga. They are concentrated in the Madras, Coimbatore, Coonoor and in Ooty.
  21. ^ Y. Subhashini Subrahmanyam (1975). Social Change in Village India:An Andhra Case Study. Prithvi Raj Publishers. p. 71. The Madhwas or Golconda Vyapari Brahmins follow the teachings of their Guru Madhwachari who preached Dvaita in contrast to Sankaracharya's Advaita which believes that the Jivatma (soul of the individual) and Paramatma (cosmic soul) ...
  22. ^ Sharma 2000, p. 227.
  23. ^ A. M. Shah (6 December 2012). The Structure of Indian Society: Then and Now. Routledge. p. 88. ISBN 9781136197710. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  24. ^ T. N. Madan (1992). Religion in India. Oxford University Press. A third religious leader who has had tremendous influence on the Gayawal is Madhavacharya who flourished during the twelfth century ad. The Gayawal caste as a whole is a follower of the Madhava Vaishnava sect, and, as we have noted earlier, the Madhva math is a living religious center that wields a powerful influence on Gayawal.
  25. ^ Vithal Raghavendra Mitragotri (1999). A socio-cultural history of Goa from the Bhojas to the Vijayanagara. Institute Menezes Braganza. p. 105.
  26. ^ Sharma 2000, p. 601.
  27. ^ Raj Kumar (1999). Survey of Ancient India: Literary and cultural perspectives on ancient. Anmol Publications. p. 267. ISBN 9788126101955.
  28. ^ Sharma 2000, p. 583.
  29. ^ Sharma 2000, p. 541.
  30. ^ Dr. Amith Kumar P.V. Bakhtin and Translation Studies: Theoretical Extensions and Connotations. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 83. The Madhwa Brahmins speak a variety of Kannada that borders on a literary dialect. Their language is punctuated by Sanskrit shlokas
  31. ^ R. Thirumalai, S. Manoharan (1997). Tamil Nadu, Part 2. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 854. The Madhva speak Kannada, their mother tongue, in their homes but with outsiders they speak Tamil
  32. ^ Studies in the Linguistic Sciences, Volumes 8–9. Department of Linguistics, University of Illinois. 1978. p. 199. The Desastha Madhwa brahmins in the South have traditionally been bilingual in Marathi and Kannada, Telugu or Tamil
  33. ^ Hebbar 2005, p. 152.
  34. ^ Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi (1978). The Sacred Complex in Hindu Gaya. Concept Publishing Company. p. 54.
  35. ^ Sharma 2000, p. 476.
  36. ^ People of India: India's communities, Volume 5. Oxford University Press. 1998. p. 2044. ISBN 9788185579092. The Madhwa Brahman are traditionally priests . In addition , they are engaged in agriculture and business . At present , most of them are in government and private services .
  37. ^ Vasudha Dalmia; Angelika Malinar; Martin Christof (2001). Charisma and Canon: Essays on the Religious History of the Indian Subcontinent. Oxford University Press. p. 123. ISBN 9780195654530. While the GSBs tend to be a religiously self-contained community, the Taulavas and Desasthas are more sought after for priestly services by other communities. There are numerous cultural difference between these three subdivisions.
  38. ^ Journal of Social Research, Volume 17. Council of Social and Cultural Research, Bihar. 1974. p. 3.
  39. ^ India's Communities, Volume 5. Oxford University Press. 1998. p. 2045. ISBN 9780195633542. They are pure vegetarian and the staple cereals are rice and wheat
  40. ^ Secrets From The Udupi Kitchen
  41. ^ "A Peek Into A Madhwa Brahmin Kitchen". India Food Network. 10 October 2015.
  42. ^ Madhur Jaffrey (2014). Curry Easy Vegetarian. Penguin Random House. ISBN 9781473503458.
  43. ^ Sweets from Karnataka that deserve Geographical Indication (GI)
  44. ^ "Karnataka Takes Stand Against Superstition, Bans All Evil Practices Including Black Magic". Indiatimes. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  45. ^ Journal of the Andhra Historical Society, Volumes 25–26. Andhra Historical Research Society. 1960. p. 175. Krishnadevaraya of Tuluva Dynasty honoured the famous Madhwa Brahmin Poet Vyasatheertha
  46. ^ A. K. Ramanujan (2006). Poems and a Novella. Oxford University Press. p. 193. ISBN 9780195674989. Saint Vadiraja: Belonged to the sect of the Madhva Brahmins of Udipi.
  47. ^ C. T. M. Kotraiah; K. M. Suresh (2008). Archaeology of Hampi-Vijayanagara. Bharatiya Kala Prakashan. p. 390. ISBN 9788180902116. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
  48. ^ Purandaradāsa; A. S. Panchapakesa Iyer (1992). Sree Puranḍara gānāmrutham: text with notation. Gānāmrutha Prachuram. Shri Purandara dasa who is considered to be the aadhiguru and Sangeeta Pitamaha of carnatic music was born in purandaragad in Ballary District near the town of Hampi, to a millionaire Varadappa Nayak and Kamalambal, a devoted wife and great lady, belonging to Madhva Desastha Brahmin race, by the blessings of Tirupati Venkatachalapathi in the year 1484.
  49. ^ The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 101, Issues 35–46. Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press. 1980. p. 7. , it has been mentioned that Pachimiriyam Adiayyappaiah was a Karnataka Brahmin of the Madhva Sect.
  50. ^ "Statesman and a survivor". Deccab Herald. 7 February 2011.
  51. ^ Rajaram N S (12 January 2019). The Vanished Raj A Memoir of Princely India. Prism Books Private Limited. p. 447. ISBN 9789388478113. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  52. ^ "C. Hayavandana Rao". The Indian Biographical Dictionary, 1915 (Classic Reprint). Fb&c Limited. 24 February 2018. p. 238. ISBN 9780666284051. Retrieved 24 February 2018. (page 238) Krishnaswami Rao Kanchi, Dewan Bahadur, (1895), C.I.E, (1898), Dewan of Travsncore (retired), belongs to respectable Madhwa Deshastha Brahmin family; of late Mr. Kanchi Venkat Rao; b. 1845.
  53. ^ P.N. Sundaresan (1994). Sruti, Issues 112–113. p. 9. Born in 1852 in a Madhwa brahmin family, Seshanna was the son of Veena- Bakshi Chikkaramappa, a vidwan in Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar's court and a descendant of Pachimiriam Adiappaiah, the creator of the immortal Bhairavi
  54. ^ The Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society (Bangalore)., Volume 73. The Society. 1982. p. 124. P.N.Krishnamurthi Mysorean and Madhwa Brahmin was a Dewan
  55. ^ "The quarterly journal of the Mythic society (Bangalore)". 56. Mythic Society. 1966: 94. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  56. ^ Life Sketch of Rajacharitha Visharada Rao Bahadur C.Hayavadana Rao at Google Books at page 94; Quote – "Rao Bahadur C.Hayavadana Rao was born on Tenth of July 1865 at Hosur, Krishnagiri talk in a Madhwa Deshastha Family.His father was C.Raja Rao"
  57. ^ Rajaram N S (12 January 2019). The Vanished Raj A Memoir of Princely India. Prism Books Private Limited. p. 18. ISBN 9789388478113. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  58. ^ Datta, Amaresh (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo. Sahithya Akademi. p. 145. ISBN 9788126018031. Born in an orthodox Madhwa Brahmin household, he graduated in Philosophy hons
  59. ^ Vuppuluri Lakshminarayana Sastri (1920). Encyclopaedia of the Madras Presidency and the Adjacent States. Oriental Enclyclopaedic Publishing Company. p. 610. Mr. Sanjeevi Rao is the youngest of the three sons, born in 1883, of his father Venkobachariar of Palladam, Coimbatore District, belonging to a respected orthodox Madhwa Brahmin family
  60. ^ Vijendra Kasturi Ranga Varadaraja Rao; S. L. Rao (2002). The Partial Memoirs of V.K.R.V. Rao. Oxford University Press. p. 1. ISBN 9780195658231.
  61. ^ "Man with saucer eyes". The Hindu. 28 May 2015.
  62. ^ Alonzo Simpson McDaniel (1990). The Absorption of Hydrocarbon Gases by Non-aqueous Liquids. University of Wisconsin—Madison. p. 124. Kattingeri Krishna Hebbar was born on 15 June 1912 at Kattingeri, a village in Udupi Taluk of Dakshina Kannada District of coastal Karnataka, in a middle-class Kannada- speaking, Madhwa, Shivalli Brahman family.
  63. ^ "The Dharwad Gharana: Hindustani music's southern home". THE NEWS MINUTE. A name that stands tall is that of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi born to a Madhwa Brahmin family of scholars in Gadag, Bhimsen took his training under the great Pt Rambhau Kundgolkar, popular as 'Sawai Gandharva'.
  64. ^ Baiderbettu Upendra Nayak; N. C. Ghosh; Shikaripur Ranganatha Rao (1992). New trends in Indian art and archaeology: S.R. Rao's 70th birthday felicitation volume, Volume 1. Aditya Prakashan. p. xxi. ISBN 9788185689135. Shikaripur Ranganatha Rao (S. R. Rao) was born on 1st July, 1920 at Anandapuram in Sagar taluk of Shimoga district in the erstwhile Mysore (now Karnataka) state. His father Shikaripur Hucha Rao, a Madhwa Brahmin, was well educated up to the first year in Arts and wanted to practise Law.
  65. ^ "Vishnuvardhan: The silent superstar". Rediff News. 30 December 2009.
  66. ^ "C.K. Prahalad Bio".
  67. ^ The mind and metaphors of U.R. Ananthamurthy – The Hindu
  68. ^ "Changing roles with the years". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  69. ^ Kashinath laid to rest: Shivaraj Kumar, Darshan and entire Sandalwood bids tearful adieu
  70. ^ The Journal of the Music Academy, Madras, Volume 58. Music Academy. 1987. p. 110. Sakharam Rao was born at Madhyarjunam ( Tiruvidaimarudur) in the Tanjore District. He was the eldest son of Gottu Vadya Srinivasa Rao, a famous player of the preceding generation from whom he learnt the art. He was a Madhva Desastha Brahmin and a Rigvedi.
  71. ^ "Sri Pejavara Adhokshaja Matha". www.pejavara.org. Archived from the original on 26 July 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  72. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). mha.nic.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Bibliography

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