Dvaitas

Dvaitas, or Dvaitins, are adherents of Dvaita Vedanta, a dualistic school of Hindu philosophy that posits an eternal distinction between the divine and the individual soul. Founded by Madhvacharya in the 13th century, chiefly within the Indian state of Karnataka, the tradition argues that reality consists of three eternal kinds: God (Vishnu or Narayana) as the supreme ruler, individual souls (jivas), and the material world (jagat). These categories are real and separate, and there is an unbridgeable ontological difference between God and created beings.

Core teachings of Dvaita emphasize devotion (bhakti) to Vishnu and his avatars as the central means of liberation. Unlike monistic schools, Dvaita maintains that the soul remains distinct from God in the liberated state, existing in eternal service to the divine in a Vaikuntha-like realm. Knowledge and grace can illuminate the relationship, but they do not dissolve the individual identity.

Scriptural authority for the Dvaita view is drawn from the Vedas and Upanishads, interpreted through the commentarial tradition initiated by Madhvacharya, including a major treatment of the Brahma Sutras. The philosophy shapes ritual practice, temple devotion, and catechesis within Vaishnavism, particularly in the Udipi tradition and related centers.

Historically, Dvaita has influenced Vaishnavism across parts of South India and beyond, sustaining a network of mathas (monasteries) and scholars. Today, Dvaitas are identified with a distinctive theistic, personalist approach to Vedanta that foregrounds loving devotion to a personal God and the inherent, eternal distinction between God and individual souls.