Purandarada ̄sa (sixteenth century), who contributed greatly to Carnatic music,
was a follower of the Harida ̄saku ̄t.a (Sharma 1961: 314–26).
The school of Dvaita ̄dvaita
Nimba ̄rka (Nimba ̄ditya, Niyama ̄nanda), the founder of the Dvaita ̄dvaita
(“Dualism-cum-nondualism”) or (Sva ̄bha ̄vika-)Bheda ̄bheda (“(natural) identity
in difference”) school (later referred to as Sanaka ̄disamprada ̄ya in north
India), probably flourished in the thirteenth century. His date and life still
remain a subject of discussion among scholars. The earliest hagiography, the
A ̄ca ̄ryacarita, probably does not predate the sixteenth century. Hagiographical
accounts locate Nimba ̄rka’s birth in various places in the Telugu country, in
Vrindavan or a nearby village, in a Brahmin family. His school traces Nimba ̄rka’s
spiritual lineage to Vis.n.u’s incarnation as a swan, through the four spiritual
sons of Brahma ̄ (Sanaka, Sananda, Sana ̄tana, and Sanatkuma ̄ra) who in turn
taught Na ̄rada, whom Nimba ̄rka acknowledges as his guru. Nimba ̄rka, like
Madhva, is said not to have received his doctrine from any historical teacher. Like
Madhva again, he is said to have remained an unmarried perpetual religious
student.
Nimba ̄rka’s main work is the Veda ̄ntapa ̄rija ̄tasaurabha, a brief commentary
on the Brahmasu ̄tras. Except this and probably the Das ́as ́lokı ̄, 10 verses which
summarize his doctrine, the authorship of most of the works attributed to him
like the Rahasyamı ̄ma ̄m.sa ̄ of which we know two sections only (the Man-
trarahasyas.od.as ́ı ̄ and the Prapannakalpavallı ̄), several hymns and several
unpublished works (R. Bose 1943: 8–12, 16) still need to be confirmed. In the
Veda ̄ntapa ̄rija ̄tasaurabha, Nimba ̄rka recognizes three principles: the sentient
(cit), the nonsentient (acit), and the Brahman. Their relation which is natural
(sva ̄bha ̄vika) and not caused by any condition (anaupa ̄dhika) is neither of absolute
nondifference (abheda), since they are distinct by nature, nor absolute differ-
ence (bheda), because citandacitare inseparable from the Brahman. The
Veda ̄ntapa ̄rija ̄tasaurabha does not mention the notion ofprapattiwhich the post-
Ra ̄ma ̄nuja Vis ́is.t.a ̄dvaita emphasized, but the Prapannakalpavallı ̄ describes it in
terms similar to those of later Vis ́is.t.a ̄dvaita. The path ofprapattior total surren-
der to the Lord is open to all including S ́u ̄dras, but does not imply absence of any
effort on the part of the surrendering devotee, for he is required to lead a life of
devotion and service. The Mantrarahasyas.od.as ́ı ̄ advocates complete self-
surrender not directly to the Lord, but to the preceptor (guru ̄pasatti) and the
abandonment of all other practices (R. Bose 1943: 54–7). These two attitudes
are reminiscent respectively of the Vat.akalai and Ten
̄
kalai views on prapatti.
There is no historical proof that Nimba ̄rka and the first 28 preceptors of this
tradition settled in Braj in and around Mathura before the end of the fifteenth
century. Kes ́ava Ka ̄s ́mirı ̄ Bhat.t.a (born in 1479), the 29th a ̄ca ̄rya, is the first
whose historical association with the Braj area is certain. His direction is marked
by the revival of the Nimba ̄rka tradition and the propagation of its teachings all
history of vais.n.ava traditions 253