Nimbarkara was a philosopher born in Paithan, in East Maharashtra. Jayanti Devi and Aruna Rsi were his parents. After migrating to Mathura they started living in Nimbagrama (Neemgaon).
Later he was known as Nimbakaracharya and an advocate of Bhedabheda or Dwaita Adwaita philosophy in the c.7th century CE. As per this philosophy not only is the soul, God and the world different from each other (as the world and soul have capacities and qualities compared to God who has none) but they are also one and the same (as without the world and soul cannot exist without God and in many ways are dependent on God). Nimbarkaracharya’s philosophy is called DwaitaAdwaita philosophy because there is both difference as well as no difference amongst the three entities (soul, God and world). It states that humans are both non-different and different from the Supreme Being or God.
Nimbarkacharya is believed to be an incarnation of the Lord Krishna’s weapon called the Discus (Sudarshana Chakra). Vaishnavism and Nimbarka Sampradaya (also called the Sanakadi Sampradaya or Sana Sampradaya, Catuh Sana Sampradaya, Kumara Sampradaya or Hamsa Sampradaya) are his two schools of thought.
Nimbarka Sampradaya is one Sampradaya out of the 4 Vaishnava Sampradayas. Legends state that Sri Hansa Bhagavan revealed the Dwaita-Adwaita philosophy first to Sri Sankadi Bhagawan who passed it to Sri Narada Muni who in turn passed it on to Nimbarka.
For Nimbarkacharaya, Krishna and Radha (his consort) are the highest objects of worship. According to Nimbarkacharya, devotion means complete self-surrender or Prapatti. Nimbarkacharya is in acceptance of the thought that the world is a real transformation of Brahman (the material cause of the universe which brings subtle fundamentals into gross form by manifesting various Shaktis (capacities).
