Saraswati arrived in California. Refusing to adver-
tise or promote their presence, the two established
a temple, Devi Mandir, in Martinez, California,
and undertook the CHANDI YA J N A, a three-year fire
ceremony. As word spread, people traveled from
around the world to worship at the temple. In the
early 1990s as a regular congregation formed, Devi
Mandir moved to Napa Valley, California.
Since 1992, Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda
have traveled much of the world offering pro-
grams and teachings of devotion and inspiration,
while maintaining Devi Mandir. Shree Maa has
recorded compositions inspired by Ramprasad
and has produced several instructional videos
demonstrating systems of worship. Following the
tradition of Ramakrishna, she encourages worship
and devotion in all places, insisting that all action
can be a service to the divine.
Further reading: Linda Johnsen, Daughters of the God-
dess: The Women Saints of India (St. Paul, Minn.: Yes
International, 1994); Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda
Saraswati, Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess (Napa,
Calif.: Devi Mandir, 1996); Swami Satyananda Saras-
wati, Shree Maa: The Life of a Saint (Napa, Calif.: Devi
Mandir, 1997).
Madhva (c. 1197 to 1276 C.E.) Vedanta
philosopher
Madhva was a brilliant, prolific scholar of
VEDANTA who developed his own DVAITA or dual-
ist philosophy.
Madhva was born near Udipi in Karnataka in
a village called Rajapitha, which may be the mod-
ern Kalyanapura. He was born into an orthodox
Vaishnavite BRAHMIN family. He became the dis-
ciple of Acutyapreksha, a great teacher.
Madhva studied the writings of SHANKARA,
the great non-dual (ADVAITA) philosopher, but
concluded by rejecting his teachings. In fact, he
eventually wrote tracts opposing 21 important
philosophers in order to establish his own phi-
losophy of dvaita or dualist VEDANTA. He made a
circuit of the south of India, going first to Trivan-
drum and staying in RAMESHVARAM, the famous
Vaishnavite holy city in Tamil Nadu. As he spoke,
he would argue against the various existing philo-
sophical schools. He later traveled in North India,
living in such places as HARIDVAR and Badarika. He
is said to have converted many followers of Shan-
kara in his travels. Eventually, he even converted
his own GURU.
Madhva produced a massive corpus of work
including commentaries on all the 13 orthodox
Vedic Upanishads, the Vedanta Sutra, and the
Bhagavad Gita. In these works he relentlessly
argued for the idea that God and the human self
or soul were completely distinct from each other,
and that the world also was completely distinct
from God. His profound dualism was a challenge
to the non-dualist thinkers who preceded and fol-
lowed him, who represent by far the largest school
of Vedanta. He argued that only the grace of God,
in the form of KRISHNA, could save a human being
from the endless round of birth and rebirth, and
only BHAKTI, or devotion to the divinity, could res-
cue humans from the abyss of successive rebirth.Further reading: S. N. Dasgupta, The History of Indian
Philosophy (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas, 1975); Vasudeva
Rao, Living Traditions in Contemporary Contexts: The
Madhva Matha of Udupi (New Delhi: Orient Longman,
2002); B. N. K. Sharma, Dvaita Philosophy as Expounded
by Sri Madhvacarya (Madras: University of Madras,
1996); Swami Tapasyananda, Bhakti Schools of Vedanta
(Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math, n.d.).madya See PANCHA MAKARA.
Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram)
Mahabalipuram was an ancient port city, known
to Greek traders, which served as a provincial
capital under the Pallava dynasty (sixth through
eighth centuries). It is known for its extraordinary
rock carvings.K 266 Madhva