Vadagalais, though not rejecting the Nalayiram, insist on the authority of the Vedas.  But both divisions are scrupulous about caste observances and the ceremonial purity of their food.  They are separated by nice questions of doctrine, especially as to the nature of prapatti, resignation or self-surrender to the deity, a sentiment slightly different from bhakti which is active faith or devotion.  The northerners hold that the soul lays hold of the Lord, as the young monkey hangs on to its mother, whereas the southerners say that the Lord picks up the helpless and passive soul as a cat picks up a kitten.[590] According to the northerners, the consort of Vishnu is, like him, uncreated and equally to be worshipped as a bestower of grace:  according to the southerners she is created and, though divine, merely a mediator or channel of the Lord’s grace.  Even more important in popular esteem is the fact that the Vadagalai sectarian mark ends between the eyebrows whereas the Tengalais prolong it to the tip of the nose. Odium theologicum is often bitterest between the sects which are most nearly related and accordingly we find that the Tengalais and Vadagalais frequently quarrel.  They use the same temples but in many places both claim the exclusive right to recite the hymns of the Arvars.  The chief difference in their recitation lies in the opening verse in which each party celebrates the names of its special teachers, and disputes as to the legality of a particular verse in a particular shrine sometimes give rise to free fights and subsequent lawsuits.

The two schools reckon the apostolic succession differently and appear to have separated in the thirteenth century, in which they were represented by Pillai Lokacarya and Vedanta Desika[591] respectively.  The Tengalai, of which the first-named teacher was the practical founder, must be regarded as innovators, for in their use of Tamil as the language of religion they do not follow the example of Ramanuja.  Lokacarya teaches that the grace of God is irresistible and should be met not merely by active faith, but by self-surrender,[592] and entire submission to the guidance of the spiritual teacher.  He was the author of eighteen works called Rahasyas or secrets[593] but though he appears to have been the first to formulate the Tengalai doctrines, Manavala Mahamuni (1370-1443 A.D.) is regarded by the sect as its chief saint.  His images and pictures are frequent in south India and he wrote numerous commentaries and poems.  Vedanta Desika, the founder of the Vadagalai, was a native of Conjeevaram but spent much of his life at Srirangam.  He was a voluminous author and composed inter alia an allegorical play in ten acts, portraying the liberation of the soul under the auspices of King Viveka (discrimination) and Queen Sumati (Wisdom).

At the present day the two sects recognize as their respective heads two Acaryas who are married, whereas all Smarta Acaryas are celibates.[594] The Tengalai Acarya resides near Tinnevelly, the Vadagalai in the district of Kurnool.  They both make periodical visitations in their districts and have considerable ecclesiastical power.  In the south Srirangam near Trichinopoly is their principal shrine:  in the north Melucote in the Seringapatam district is esteemed very sacred.