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| Philosophical Elements |
Nimbarka:
The jiva has his true form distorted and obscured owing to his contact with karma resulting from ignorance,
which is beginningless, but which can come to an end, by the grace of God, when its true nature is fully
manifested.
Vallabha:
According to Vallabha, the jiva’s association with avidya, as well as his bondage and freedom, are brought
about by the free will of Brahman for the purpose of sport.
Ramanuja:
Beginningless Karma is considered to be the cause of bondage of the jivas in samsara. Because of this the
souls are caught up in a continuous cycle of births and deaths. Samsara is due to avidya which is of the nature
of karma, accumulated by the jiva in its previous births. In this condition jnana and ananda are obscured but
fully manifest in the state of liberation.
Madhva:
The sense of misery, which is bondage, is external to their essence and is brought about by a "real" though
"misplaced sense of independence of initiative and conduct". Bondage is of the nature of ignorance.
Madhva calls his theory of bondage by the name of svabhava ajnana vada. Even though the jiva is a self
luminous being, still, it is not inconceivable that he should become subject to ignorance of his own true
nature and of the nature of God and of his true relationship with Him, as he is a dependent being, and part.
According to Madhva the Lord actuates the latent power of prakrti known as maya and avidya and then the
bondage begins. Though the jivas are dependent on God, (the theory of svabhava ajnanavada accepts that)
the kartrtva (freewill) and bhoktrtva (enjoyer -mood) allows the avidya to act upon them. These faculties as
well as the resultant false ego, intelligence, mind, the senses and the senses are all God-given. In ignorance,
the jiva thinks that they are all under his control and his possessions. The fact is that they are our possessions
subject to the will of the Lord. Due to contact with such material existence and the permeation of the
consciousness through all these and the resultant attachment to them, the jiva regards the dualities as his own
and subjects himself to continuous material existence in various levels. This is known as samsara.
Acintya-bhedabheda-tattva of Lord Gauranga
1. Being part and parcel of Krsna, jivas have minute independence. (Lord Caitanya)
2. Jivas have infinitesimal lording tendency.
3. Some jivas lord the independence to become lord, independent of Krsna. Krsna, the Supreme Independent
by His will allows them (Madhva). It is the pastime of the Lord to provide for the desires of the living entities.
(Vallabha)
4. Due to misuse of independence they fall.
5. Forgetfulness of constitutional relationship results in ignorance. (Nimbarka)
6. They place their consciousness in material nature.
7. Material nature carries on activities for the lording tendency of jivas.
8. Jivas' consciousness gets more and more polluted, beginningless karma. (Ramanuja)
9. Jivas are in samsara.
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The jiva has his true form distorted and obscured owing to his contact with karma resulting from ignorance,
which is beginningless, but which can come to an end, by the grace of God, when its true nature is fully
manifested.
Vallabha:
According to Vallabha, the jiva’s association with avidya, as well as his bondage and freedom, are brought
about by the free will of Brahman for the purpose of sport.
Ramanuja:
Beginningless Karma is considered to be the cause of bondage of the jivas in samsara. Because of this the
souls are caught up in a continuous cycle of births and deaths. Samsara is due to avidya which is of the nature
of karma, accumulated by the jiva in its previous births. In this condition jnana and ananda are obscured but
fully manifest in the state of liberation.
Madhva:
The sense of misery, which is bondage, is external to their essence and is brought about by a "real" though
"misplaced sense of independence of initiative and conduct". Bondage is of the nature of ignorance.
Madhva calls his theory of bondage by the name of svabhava ajnana vada. Even though the jiva is a self
luminous being, still, it is not inconceivable that he should become subject to ignorance of his own true
nature and of the nature of God and of his true relationship with Him, as he is a dependent being, and part.
According to Madhva the Lord actuates the latent power of prakrti known as maya and avidya and then the
bondage begins. Though the jivas are dependent on God, (the theory of svabhava ajnanavada accepts that)
the kartrtva (freewill) and bhoktrtva (enjoyer -mood) allows the avidya to act upon them. These faculties as
well as the resultant false ego, intelligence, mind, the senses and the senses are all God-given. In ignorance,
the jiva thinks that they are all under his control and his possessions. The fact is that they are our possessions
subject to the will of the Lord. Due to contact with such material existence and the permeation of the
consciousness through all these and the resultant attachment to them, the jiva regards the dualities as his own
and subjects himself to continuous material existence in various levels. This is known as samsara.
Acintya-bhedabheda-tattva of Lord Gauranga
1. Being part and parcel of Krsna, jivas have minute independence. (Lord Caitanya)
2. Jivas have infinitesimal lording tendency.
3. Some jivas lord the independence to become lord, independent of Krsna. Krsna, the Supreme Independent
by His will allows them (Madhva). It is the pastime of the Lord to provide for the desires of the living entities.
(Vallabha)
4. Due to misuse of independence they fall.
5. Forgetfulness of constitutional relationship results in ignorance. (Nimbarka)
6. They place their consciousness in material nature.
7. Material nature carries on activities for the lording tendency of jivas.
8. Jivas' consciousness gets more and more polluted, beginningless karma. (Ramanuja)
9. Jivas are in samsara.
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The Four Sampradayas and their Theories of Bondage
