Sri Madhvacharya re-established Paancharatra Agama tradition of Bhagavata thinking on the Vedic
literature. Born in Pajaka ( Belle) a small hamlet out seeing Arabian sea, 7
kms from the temple town of Udupi, boy Vasudeva was a child prodigy. He was
quick to learn whatever was taught to him at once(Ekasandhigraahi)
His parents are referred as Madhyageha Bhatta and Vedavati
( Satyavati) by tradition, while the father’s name was Narayana Bhatta. He was
a great exponent of Bhagavata tradition, prevalent in those days, pious and
humble.
Madhwa Vijaya, biography of Acharya Madhwa, written by
Narayana Panditacharya, a junior contemporary of Madhvacharya, is the only
authentic source on the Life & Teachings of Sri Madhvacharya. It has 16
Chapters describing the events that followed the birth of Vasudeva to
Madhyageha Bhatta couple who were childless for many years.
The date of Madhwacharya is hinted by him in his work
‘ Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya’, a digest on the contents, symbolism and
misunderstood portions of the great Epic, Mahabharatam.
Sri Madhwacharya, born as Vasudeva in Vilambi Samvat Ashvayuja Shukla Dashami, 1238
A.D., on the auspicious day of
Vijayadashami, was a boy of miraculous strength, acumen and profound knowledge
of scriptures, as if it was already studied by him. Ordinary teachers of those
days, could not quench his thirst of Knowledge. His first teacher Totantillaya
was dumbfounded at the sound knowledge & grasping ability of young Vasudeva.
Vasudeva showed signs of a boy with divine gift of
clear thought, logic and scriptural scholarship, which was quite strange to be
expected from a boy at that tender age. He could recite Vedas at ease, soon
after his Upanayanam. He was less interested in material life of a householder,
and was more into spiritual way of leading a meaningful life, guiding others
also in the same path. He was good at Games, sports and adventure, much
impossible at that age. He knew control of breath ( Pranaayama), wrestling, lifting
heavy weight and so on, without a teacher!
He went in search of a Master (guru) who could give
him Sanyasa Deeksha, so that people lend their ears to what he says, else he
was understood as a boy ’possessed’. Without wasting time, he sought the permission
of his parents that he would become a Monk. Naturally it was impossible for
them to let him go, as their only son, leaving them forever. He left the
village home and reached Udupi, where Sri Achyutaprajna teertha presided over a
Bhagavata Pitha, who wanted a successor of sharp intellect, who could
answer philosophical debates & disputes of scholarship of high order those
days.
Sri Achyutaprajna, also called Purushottama teertha
readily initiated him as his successor, in A.D 1249, Soumya Samvat, naming
young Vasudeva as Poornaprajna-the all- knower. Within 40 days of Sanyasa
Deeksha, the young Sanyasi could defeat elderly scholars of other faiths, who were
Advaitins, Bauddhas and others of various schools of Vedanta, of those times.
Young Poornaprajna toured extensively in South India,
encountering scholars of different faiths, and silencing them in debates. He
returned to Udupi and sought the permission of his Guru to tour North of India,
particularly the most sacred abode of Bhagavan Sri Vedavyasa, Badarikshetram.
He was very eager to see Sri Vedavyasa, who composed
Brahmasutras, edited Vedic Samhitas and blessed the world of Indian Philosophy.
Sri Purnaprajna decided to write a Commentary on
Srimad Bhagavadgita, the Divine Song of Life, taught by Sri Krishna to Arjuna
in dilemma to wage the war against his kin. In fact, Gita is a Book of Life,
which shows us the Right way of Living, and dangers of unethical practices to
be avoided.
Sri Purnaprajna called himself Madhva,
a Vedic name and used it as his pen name in all his 40 works, which constitute
Sarvamoola- the thought original of Veda and Upanishads, Brahmasutras in the
right sense, hitherto wrongly interpreted by his predecessors of Shankara &
Ramanuja Schools of thought. He based his
presentation on Brahmatarka (now extinct, available in parts) composed by
Bhagavan Sri Vyasa himself, and not sheer Logic of reasoning.
After his return from Badari with blessings of Sri
Vyasa, he started touring most parts of the country, when several erudite
Scholars came into his fold of Realism-Tattvavada. Promonent among his
disciples were Trivikrama Pandita, a doyen among Advaitins of those days, who
lost debate with Madhvacharya and came into Tatvavada fold.
Sri Anandateertha-Madhwa-Purnaprajna initiated several
knowledgeable disciples from various parts of Bharat. The foremost among them
was a great logician Sri Shobhana Bhatta, who hailed from Godavari belt. He was
accepted by Sri Madhwa as a disciple, and was given Ashrama Name Sri Padmanabha
Tirtha, whose direct lineage is now Sripadaraja Matha, Mulabagilu, Kolar
District.
The Tree of lineage
1. Shri
Padmanabha Thirtharu – (1317-1324)
2. Sri Narahari Thirtha
3. Sri Madhava Thirtha
4.
Sri Akshobhya Thirtha
5.Sri
Jayatirtha
6.Sri
Vidhyadhiraja .
The
Holy place of Brindavanas in Anegondi
1. Shri Padmanabha Thirtharu --- 1317-1324
2.
Sri Jaya Thirtharu – 1365-1388 / Sri Raghuvarya Thirtharu --- 1502-1537
3. Shri Kavindra Thirtharu ---1392-1398
4.
Shri Vageesha Thirtharu ---1398-1406
5.
Sri Vyasaraja Thirtharu – 1447-1539 (Shri Vyasaraja Mutt)
6. Sri Srinivasa Tiitharu - 1539-1564 (Shri
Vyasaraja Mutt)
7. Sri Rama Thirtharu - 1564-1584 ((Shri
Vyasaraja Mutt)
8.
Sri Sudheendra Thirtharu - 1614-1622 ( Sri Raghavendra’s Guru)
9.
Sri Govinda Odeyaru ---(1534)( Sri Vyasaraja’s disciple)
Direct Line of Sri Padmanabha
Tirtharu
1. Sri Padmanabha Thirtha
2.Sri Lakshmidhara Thirtha
3.Sri Sankarshana Thirtha
4.Sri Parashurama Thirtha
5.Sri
Aadiraja Thirtha
6.Sri
Satyavratha Thirtha
7.Sri Swarmavarna Thirtha
8.Sri Lakshmi Narayana Thirtha (Sri
Sripadaraja)
The Lineage of Sripadaraja Matha after Sripadarajaru.
9. Sri Hayagreeva tirtha
10. Shripati Teertharu
11. Shreedhara teertharu
12. Sri Gopalaswamy Tirtha
13. Sri Uddanda Ramachandra Teertha
14. Sri Raghunatha Tirtha
15. Sri Lakshmimanohara Teertha
16. Sri Lakshmipathi Tirtha
17. Sri Lakshminatha Tirtha
18. Sri Lakshmisrikanta Tirtha
19. Sri Srikanta Tirtha (the Matha seems to have
branched out as the successor Srivallabha Tirtha, who was then on tour and thus
handed over Matha to Sri Srinidhi Tirtha) However, this branch Matha continued
successively from Sri Sri Lakshmivallabha- Tejonidhi-Taponidhi –Sugunandihi (
these brindavans ate together in Tamilnadu) and later merged with the main
Matha, Mulabagilu after Sri Yashonidhi, and handed over to Sri Sujnananidhi
tirtha)
20. Sri Srinidhitirtha ( Composer of Sripadaraja
Stotram)
21. Sri Vidyanidhi tirtha
22. Sri Jnananidhi Tirtha
23. Sri Gunanidhi Teertha
24. Sri Gunasaara nidhiteertha
25. Sri Praajnanidhi Teertha
26. Sri Subodhanidhi Teertha
27. Sri Vairagyanidhi Teertha
28. Sri Sujnananidhi teertha
29. Sri Sugunanidhi Teertha
30. Sri Sudheenidhi teertha
31. Sri Medhanidhiteertha
32. Sri Dayanidhi Teertharu.
33. Sri Satyanidhiteertha
34. Sri Vijayanidhi tirtha
35. Sri Vijnananidhi Teertha
36. Sri Keshavanidhi Teertha
37. Sri Sujaya nidhi tirtha ( Present)
