Nimbārkācārya
Medieval (dates disputed) · Vraja · Dvaitādvaita
Nimbārka is the founder of the Nimbārka Sampradāya, one of the four classical Vaiṣṇava lineages. Tradition says he was of Telugu origin and lived in Vraja near Govardhana; his dates are disputed, with many scholars placing him around the 12th–13th century.
His philosophy, Dvaitādvaita (or svābhāvika bhedābheda), teaches that souls and the world are both different and not different from God, like the sun and its rays. He was among the first teachers to centre worship on Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa together. His works include the Vedānta Pārijāta Saurabha on the Brahma Sūtra and the Daśaślokī.
Tradition explains his name: a guest who would not eat after sunset arrived late at his āśrama, and Nimbārka showed him the sun (arka) shining through a neem tree (nimba) so that he could take his meal.
Dvaitādvaita · Rādhā–Kṛṣṇa worship · Vedānta Pārijāta Saurabha