Ādhikya Buddhi — The Attitude of Considering Oneself Superior
Ādhikya buddhi (Sanskrit: ādhikya = superiority/excess, buddhi = understanding/attitude) is the dangerous internal orientation in which a Śrī Vaiṣṇava regards himself as spiritually, socially, or in any manner superior to another bhāgavata. It is a fundamental violation of the correct relationship among Vaiṣṇavas, which requires sāmya buddhi — equal regard — toward all devotees regardless of birth, social position, learning, or apparent spiritual advancement.
The Śrī Vaiṣṇava tradition holds that bhāgavatas — those who have taken refuge in Bhagavān — are all equally special to Him and equally objects of infinite divine affection. Bhagavān does not distinguish among His devotees on the basis of birth or social station; indeed, the scriptures affirm that the Āzhvārs themselves, though born in various social stations, all received Bhagavān's grace in its fullness. To presume that one stands above another devotee is therefore to contradict Bhagavān's own equal regard and to position oneself in direct opposition to His will.
Piḷḷai Lokācārya and Maṇavāḷa Māmunigaḷ repeatedly warn that ādhikya buddhi is an especially treacherous fault because it is often invisible to its possessor — it hides behind religious learning, observance of orthodox ritual, strict varṇāśrama practice, or long years of study. A person may follow all external forms of sampradāya practice and still harbor this subtle pride toward other devotees, which in the Āchāryas' view inflicts more damage on the spiritual life than gross sins. The reasoning is that sins against Bhagavān can be atoned for, but the spiritual wound caused by looking down on a bhāgavata — one who belongs entirely to Bhagavān — is considered by the tradition to be far more difficult to heal.
The antidote prescribed is the cultivation of sāmya buddhi (equal regard for all bhāgavatas) and, at its pinnacle, seeing every bhāgavata as greater than oneself — the attitude of dainyam (humble acknowledgment of one's own smallness) that the Āzhvārs model in their pāsurams.