Sri Sripadarajaru (Lakshminarayana Yogi )

 

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)