Epistemologies and the Limitations of Philosophical Inquiry: Doctrine in Madhva Vedanta

Do you have to be one to know one? Madhvacarya, the founder of the thirteenth century school of Vedanta, answered this question with a resounding 'yes!' Madhvacarya's insistence that one must be a Madhva to study Madhva Vedanta led him to employ various strategies to exclude outsiders and unauthorized readers from accessing the root texts of his tradition and from obtaining oral commentary from living virtuosos. Deepak Sarma explores the degree to which outsiders can understand and interpret the doctrine of the Madhva school of Vedanta. The school is based on insider epistemology which is so restrictive that few can learn its intricate doctrines. This book reveals the complexity of studying traditions based on insider epistemologies and encourages its audience to ponder both the value and the hazards of granting any outsider the authority and opportunity to derive important insights into a tradition as an insider. The first analysis of the Madhvatradition, this work contributes to the ongoing controversies regarding epistemic authority and voice in religious studies.

Deepak Sarma is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Case Western Reserve University.