Nimbarka | |
|---|---|
.JPG){kind=icon} An icon of Nimbarkacharya at Ukhra Mahanta Asthal, West Bengal. | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Niyamananda 1130 (1130) Pratiṣṭḥāna, India[1] |
| Died | 1200 (aged 69–70) Vrindavan, India |
| Parents |
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| Honors | Jagadguru, Pravakta acharya |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Order | Vedanta |
| Founder of | Nimbarka Sampradaya |
| Philosophy | Dvaitadvaita Vedanta |
| Religious career | |
Disciples | |
To the left hand side of Goloka Bihari is the daughter of KingVrishabhanu, Sri Radha, who is as beautiful as the Lord and is worshipped by thousands of handmaidens. She fulfills the wishes of all. Sri Kishori is eternally remembered as Sri Ji.
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Nimbarka, also known asNimbarkacharya,Nimbaditya orNiyamananda, was a Hindu philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the theology ofDvaitādvaita (dvaita–advaita) or dualistic–non-dualistic sometimes known asSvābhāvika bhedābheda. He played a major role in spreading the worship of the divine coupleRadha andKrishna, and founded theNimbarka Sampradaya.[5][6]
Nimbarka is believed to have lived around the 12th century,[7] but this dating has been questioned, suggesting that he lived somewhat earlier thanShankaracharya, in the 6th or 7th century CE.[1] Born in Southern India in aTelugu Brahmin family,[6] he spent most of his life inMathura,Uttar Pradesh. He is sometimes identified with another philosopher namedBhaskara,[8] but this is considered to be a misconception due to the differences between the spiritual views of the two saints.[3][9]
The word 'Nimbārka' (निंबार्क) is derived from twoSanskrit words — nimba (निम्ब) and arka (अर्क). It is believed that Nimbarka was given the name 'Niyamananda' at his birth. According to a folk tale, Niyamananda achieve the name Nimbarka because he trapped some rays of sunlight (arka) in the leaves ofNeem (nimba). He was also referred as Nimbaditya by his followers.[10] Sometimes Bhaskara is also considered his epithet because of the identification of Nimbarka with the philosopher Bhaskara.[11] Thetradition which he founded is named after him.
Nimbarka's traditional followers believe that he appeared in 3096 BCE, but this dating is controversial as historians believe that he lived between 7th and 11th century CE.[10] According to Roma Bose, Nimbarka lived in the 13th century, on the presupposition that Nimbarkacharya was the author of the workMadhvamukhamardana.[12] Meanwhile, Vijay Ramnarace concluded that the workMadhvamukhamardana has been wrongly attributed to Nimbarkacharya.[13] This view is also supported by traditional scholars, who hold a similar perspective.[14] Bhandarkar places Nimbārka after Rāmānuja, suggesting 1162 CE as the approximate date of his demise,[15] though he acknowledged that this estimation is highly speculative.[16] S.N. Dasgupta, on the other hand, dates Nimbārka to the mid-14th century.[17] Dasgupta bases this dating on the absence of Nimbārka's mention in theSarvadarśanasaṅgraha, a doxography by 14th-century authorMādhava Vidyāraṇya.[18] However, it is important to note that none of the Bhedābhedins—whether Bhartṛprapañca, Nimbārka,Bhāskara, orYādavaprakāśa—are referenced in theSarvadarśanasaṅgraha.[19] While S. A. A. Rizvi assigns a date of c.1130–1200 CE.[20]
According to Satyanand, Bose's dating of the 13th century is an erroneous attribution.[21] Malkovsky, following Satyanand, notes that in Bhandarkar's own work it is clearly stated that his dating of Nimbarka was an approximation based on an extremely flimsy calculation; yet most scholars chose to honour his suggested date, even until modern times.[5] According to Malkovsky, Satyanand has convincingly demonstrated that Nimbarka and his immediate discipleSrinivasacharya flourished well beforeRamanuja (1017–1137 CE), arguing thatSrinivasacharya was a contemporary, or just afterSankaracarya (early 8th century).[5] According to Ramnarace, summarising the available research, Nimbarka must be dated in the 7th century CE.[22]
Little is known about Nimbarka's life. He is said to have been born into aTelugu Brahmin family[6] on the 3rd bright half of the monthVaisakha and his parents were Jagannath, aBhagavata saint, and his wife Sarasvati, who lived in Pratiṣṭḥāna, which is in present-dayPaithan,Maharashtra.[1][23] However, some other versions suggest that the name of his parents were Aruna Rishi and Jayanti Devi,[2] who lived in a place near the riverGodavari, which may be inMaharashtra. Nimbarka's followers believe him as the incarnation of Vishnu's weapon,Sudarshana Chakra.[10][24]
It is believed that Nimbarka was given the name Niyamananda at his birth, but sometimes Bhaskara is considered as his birth name.[11][25] During Nimbarka's early years, it is described that his family moved toVrindavan, but there is no historical recorded account.[26]
The Vedānta Pārijāta Saurabha composed by Nimbārka is extremely concise and does not refute the views of others. This form of commentary undoubtedly indicates it's antiquity.[27] The Vedānta Pārijāta Saurabha represents an earlier style of Brahmasūtra commentary in the manner of the authors that preceded Śaṅkara.[28] It supports the bhedābheda school of Vedānta,[27] which advocates the view of a relationship of simultaneous unity and diversity between Brahman, the individual soul (jīva) and the universe (jagat).[29]
Vedānta Pārijāta Saurabha is further commented bySrinivasacharya in hisVedanta kaustubha[30][31]
The dashashloki is very simple, suited to a devotee who does not want to be bothered with abstract logical theories and hair-splitting wranglings, but wants to have the truth immediately in a nut-shell.[32][33]
The Vedānta kāmadhenu Daśaślokī have been extensively commented upon by several scholars. Among them, the three primary commentaries[34] are:
Mantrarahasyaṣoḍaśī is a work consisting of 18 verses, with the first 16 dedicated to exposition of the revered 18-syllable Gopāla Mantra, a central element of the Nimbārka tradition. Sundara bhaṭṭācharya has authored a commentary on this work titledMantrārtharahasya.[39]
ThePrapannakalpavallī explains the mukunda śaraṇāgati mantra. On this, Sundara bhaṭṭācharya has written an extensive commentary titledPrapannasuratarumañjarī.[39]
Nimbarka's Dvaitadvaita philosophy emphasizes a dualistic non-dualism where the soul is both distinct and non-distinct from God. His teachings emphasize devotion to Krishna and Radha.[40]
According to Nimbarka, the ultimate reality orBrahman is Krishna, recognized by various names such as Purushottama, Hari, and Bhagavan. He is accompanied by Radha. Brahman, as described by Nimbarka, is flawless, possessing auspicious qualities and transcending the influence of karma, and with attributes such as knowledge, power, and compassion; Brahman is also both the material and efficient cause of creation, likened to a sovereign emperor engaging in playful activities without specific outcomes in mind.[41]
Nimbarka considered thejiva to possess inherent knowledge (jnana), which distinguishes it from non-sentient elements such as the body, sense organs, and mind. This inherent knowledge permeates every state of thejiva, including waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. Nimbarka explains that thejiva is both knowledge and knower, likening their relationship to that of a gem and its radiance, where they are distinct yet inseparable, existing in a relationship of substrate and attribute.[42]
Nimbarka's philosophy distinctively outlines the differences betweenjiva andBrahman by emphasizing their intrinsic relationship as cause and effect, part and whole.Brahman is portrayed as the ultimate cause and the whole, whereasjiva, the individual soul that experiences pleasure and pain, is seen as an effect or a transformation of Brahman. This relationship is analogous to clay transforming into pottery or a tree bearing leaves and fruits, showing differences between the source material and its derivatives. Using scriptural references, Nimbarka asserted thatjiva, as a part of the omnipotent Brahman, lacks independence and fullness of power.[43]
Like Nimbarka,acharyas of other Vedanta schools also accept the concepts of difference and non-difference between Jiva and Brahman as real, but they explain and reconcile these ideas in various ways:[44]
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