All About Him (Acharya Madhva's Treatise on Sarvashabdavachya)

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Every aspect of the teachings of Acharya Madhva needs commentary and explanation for the common person to get a glimpse of the depth of the teachings. This book, ably written by Dr. Usha Chadaga, addresses one such concept with reference to the ultimate meaning of any word in any language. Not mere words, but every sound is an epithet of Bhagavanta, and His greatness, In this universe, there are five objects of perception. Shabda, roopa, rasa, gandha and sparsha. In the human experience, knowledge always starts with shabda or sound. We hear and listen to what others tell us. For us to gain any knowledge of what was said, we need prior experience to associate a sound with a meaning. Since our experience base is finite and limited, we try to use other sensory perceptions to fine tune the meaning of the sound. But, even with multi-sensory perception, there are limits to our understanding of the true meaning of any word. So, the first conclusion that we can draw is that our understanding of any aspect of the universe is always limited. Given this limited understanding of the universe, how can we attempt to understand its Creator whose attributes are infinite? Here, we can look at any sound and realize that we only hear the limited attribute of the particular sound or word. We might put a boundary on its meaning based on our limited capabilities. However, we should realize that the depth of meaning is infinite and we can never really reach the bottom. This realization leads us to the path of tapas, which is the only way to go towards the Infinite bottom. So, irrespective of which word or sound we start from, inner contemplation can only lead to the same Infinite source. This is one way of understanding Shri Acharya Madhvas claim that Shri Hari is sarva shabda vachya. There is another way of looking at the same concept, which is in terms of frequency. Every sound has a fundamental frequency and harmonics. Even though the harmonics may reduce in amplitude as we get to higher orders, we need an unlimited number of harmonics to represent any sound in completeness. The human experience in shabda is bound between 20 Hertz and 20,000 Hertz, in the best of circumstances. In reality, there is no limit to the range of frequencies. So, every sound that we are capable of hearing, in reality, has an infinite bandwidth. So, if we look at the sum total of any sound, the summation of an infinite number of harmonics can only be Infinity, or Ananta It is with pleasure that Tara Prakashana is able to bring this unique philosophical concept to the reader. Even though the size of the book is not big, the content is without bounds. It is our hope that the reader gets an introduction to the amazing concept of Shri Hari being sarva shabda vachya, and that it leads to a journey towards the Infinite.

I always had a keen desire to learn Sanskrit so that I could read and understand our sacred scriptures in the original language and not through their translations. But somehow circumstances were not conducive until about sixteen years ago, as I turned sixty. We had moved to Udupi, and I was able to fulfil my dream of learning the divine language. An interesting part of my life's journey began when I enrolled as a regular student of Sanskrit at the century old prestigious SMSP Sanskrit College in Udupi at the age of sixty, which was a retirement age for the teaching staff. 1 thank Mother Providence for bringing me to Udupi to meet one of the greatest Teachers of our times -Vidyavachaspati Dr. Bannanje Govindacharya. I had been an ardent admirer of him and his learned discourses. I began my scholastic journey of eight years developing a keen interest in the various subjects being taught in the college. However, I opted for Vedanta in Madhva Siddhanta for my Vidvat degree When I wanted to pursue my studies in Vedanta, there were some barriers. Dr. Bannanje Govindacharya was instrumental in creating a platform for me to learn, against all odds, and in doing so he paved the way to my becoming a pioneer of sorts, representing women. Dr Bannanje Govindacharya influenced many not only through his brilliance and deep knowledge, but also raised his voice against iniquities and hypocrisy. To me, he was like an anchor without whose support and guidance I could not have moved into unchartered territories of new knowledge. The significance of his mentorship was felt by me when he suggested the subjects Jeevasvabhavavada and Sarvashabdavachyatva, the two Doctrines of Shri Madhvacharya for my thesis. It was a subject not taken up for scholastic pursuit by anyone before. I was deeply humbled by the confidence he had reposed in me. It was also a proof of his conviction that women also take up formidable subjects in the field of Madhva Siddhanta. Only a great Guru can do it. With his guidance, I obtained my PhD degree at the age of seventy-five, being the only lady to be awarded a Doctorate in Madhva philosophy from Mangalore University. I am and will always be greatly indebted to my Guru, the Great Teacher and Philosopher, Vidya Vachaspati Dr Bannanje Govindacharya. The subject of this book is Sarvashabdavachyatva of Vishnu is a part of my thesis titled 'Critical Analysis of Shri Madhvacharya's Unique Doctrines of Jeevasvabhavavada and Sarvashabdavachyatva of Vishnu, which was submitted to the Mangalore University for the award of Doctor of Philosophy in Sanskrit in the year 2021-2023. Madhvacharya's belief in Sarvashabdavachyatva is rooted in the notion that every word, or epithet, can be traced back to Lord Vishnu. From his perspective, all words and their meanings ultimately originate from the divine. This concept is an important aspect of Madhva's philosophical framework within Dvaita Vedanta. The revered Acharya explains in his magnum opus that every word, every syllable and even every sound is an epithet of the Supreme Lord Vishnu.

The content of this book is extracted from the PhD thesis of Dr. Usha Chadaga titled "Critical Analysis of Sri Madhwacharya's Unique Doctrines of Jeevasvabhavavada and Sarvashabdavachyatva of Vishnu". Dr. Chadaga got her PhD at the age of 75 from Mangalore University. More importantly, she has dedicated her work to the great Vachaspati Dr Bannanje Govindacharya, who suggested to her this subject, and then mentored and guided her in the pursuit of this stream of philosophy. Born in 1947 in Dakshina Kannada, Dr. Usha Chadaga had her formal education in Microbiology from the University of Bombay. After her marriage to Shri Ramakrishna Chadaga, an Aerospace Engineer at ISRO, she moved to Thiruvananthapuram where she worked on ICMR projects as a microbiologist in Trivandrum Medical College for a few years, and then became the Principal of Sanatana Public School. Dr. Usha Chadaga also holds a Sangeet Visharad degree in Hindustani Vocal Music. After retirement, destiny brought her to Udupi where she started her Sanskrit studies at the age of sixty. She pursued her studies for eight continuous years at the century old SMSP College and obtained her Vidvat degree, being the only woman to get a Vidhvat degree in Madhva Siddhanta. Dr. Usha Chadaga is also a recipient of the prestigious Udupi district Rajyotsava award for the year 2022-2023. The publication of this work from Tara Prakashana is our way of honouring Dr. Usha Chadaga's achievements overcoming all obstacles and her effort and dedication to spread the knowledge of Tatvavada.