The Three Gurus

The three great Acharyas — Jagadguru Sri Shankaracharya, Sri Ramanujacharya, and Sri Madhvacharya — are the founding lights of Vedanta, each illuminating one path by which the seeker realizes the Supreme. Sri Shankaracharya (Advaita) proclaimed the non-dual Brahman: Atman and Brahman are one, and liberation is the direct realization of that oneness. Sri Ramanujacharya (Vishishtadvaita) taught that Brahman is qualified by and inseparable from His devotees and the universe, with loving surrender (prapatti) as the way. Sri Madhvacharya (Dvaita) affirmed the eternal distinction between the Lord and the soul, holding unbroken devotion (bhakti) as the means to moksha. Though their philosophies differ, all three walked the path of dharma and left commentaries on the Prasthana Trayi — the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita — that guide seekers to this day.