Achintya-Bheda-Abheda (अचिन्त्यभेदाभेद, in
IAST) is a school of
Vedanta representing the philosophy of
inconceivable one-ness and difference, in relation to the power creation and creator, (
Krishna),
Svayam Bhagavan, and also between God and his energies within the
Gaudiya Vaishnava religious tradition. In
Sanskrit achintya means 'inconceivable',
bheda translates as 'difference', and
abheda translates as 'non-difference'. It is believed that this philosophy was taught by the movement's theological founder
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu(1486 - 1534) and differentiates the Gaudiya tradition from the other Vaishnava Sampradayas. It can best be understood as an integration of a strict dualist (
Dvaita) view of
Madhvacharya and the qualified monism
Vishishtadvaita of
Ramanujacharya while rejecting the absolute monism
Advaita of
Adi Sankara.