Posted on: 08 Sep 2022
[Mrs. Chhanda asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, What a wonderful explanation You gave us for the three school of thoughts from the three Acharyas. You added the fourth philosophy with the name Poorna Dvaita and it really felt that nothing can be better than this explanation. While listening itself, I was feeling blessed and could not resist my greediness to have all these explanations coming from the sreemukha of Lord (Yourself) to have a copy in writing. Swami, please elaborate this whole idea once again in an elaborated way as You said that this is the specific program of Your mission in this incarnation. This discussion keeps on coming many times in spiritual discussions and now You have given a whole new direction or thought to it. At Your divine lotus feet Chhanda]
Swami replied:- The gift given by God as per the path of Shankara is the highest degree called Ph.D. The gift as per Ramanuja is the post graduate degree. The gift as per Madhva is the graduate degree. As the devotee becomes closer and closer to God, the degree awarded becomes higher and higher. In this way, Madhva, Ramanuja and Shankara are in ascending order. But, this order is in reverse because Shankara came first, then Ramanuja and then Madhva. The reason is that the student at the first degree level is very egoistic and does not agree with the existence of God other than himself. Hence, Shankara said that if the student joins the degree level, the degree offered is directly Ph.D. Had the student been disciplined and obedient, the truth should have been declared and thus Madhva should have come first. After admission, Shankara told the atheistic student that the first year classes are related to the pre-Ph.D. course and that whatever preached by Madhva shall be followed since Madhva is the first pre-Ph.D. course teacher. The pre-Ph.D. course took three years time and the bachelor degree was awarded and this was treated as the pre-Ph.D. degree. Then, Ramanuja came as the next senior pre-Ph.D. course teacher and after two years, the post graduate degree was awarded, which was treated as the senior pre-Ph.D. degree. All these five years, the student is under the impression that he is acquiring pre-Ph.D. degrees alone and not separate bachelor and postgraduate degrees. Then, Shankara appeared again as the research guide and awarded the Ph.D. degree. The student since admission was always thinking that he is working for the Ph.D. degree only and not for the bachelor and the postgraduate degrees. It is just a psychological way of treatment of the brain while the true path remains as it is, which is that first, the bachelor degree must be attained, then the postgraduate degree must be attained and finally the Ph.D. degree can be attained. Shankara named the bachelor and postgraduate degrees as the two pre-Ph.D. degrees.
In the olden days, there were separate colleges or centers for the graduate course, the PG course and the Ph.D. program. The degrees given by those centers are also separate. But, there is a sequence, which is that you have to get graduate degree first, then only PG degree and finally Ph.D. degree. This system becomes the simile for Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva existing separately in different times. The sequence is also correct, which is first Madhva, then Ramanuja and finally Shankara. As the closeness of the devotee with God increases, the devotee becomes a beloved servant (dualism of Madhva), a more beloved relative like an inseparable limb (qualified monism of Ramanuja) and finally becomes one with God (perfect monism of Shankara). But, a doubt may come that why Shankara came first, then Ramanuja and finally Madhva. The reason is that in the beginning, all were atheists and will refuse bluntly the dualism of Madhva. They will accept only the monism of Shankara. Hence, Shankara came first and preached perfect monism to attract them to the correct path. When they questioned about the absence of miraculous powers with them (since they are God), Shankara preached the philosophies of Ramanuja and Madhva to get the purity of mind in order to practically become God. In this way, Shankara came first to attract atheists, introduced philosophies of Ramanuja and Madhva as pre-courses for the soul to become God finally. This system of Shankara appears like the present single institution made deemed University in which all the three degrees are awarded in sequence from the same institution. If you take the three divine preachers as separate institutions giving separate degrees, you will find difference among them. If you take the three divine preachers as a single deemed university giving only one final degree (Ph.D.) for which graduate and PG degrees are considered as pre-Ph.D. degrees, all the three divine preachers have preached only one philosophy in gradual steps. Such excellent correlation of the three divine preachers is done by Shri Datta Swami at the present.