Nava Vrindavana Dispute

 As a practicing Madhva with due respect to all our 24 or 25 Mathas, which were formed to propagate teachings of Acharya Madhva, I am watching  each year there will be some dispute or the other, earlier Mula Rama and now with 9 Vrindavanas at Anegondi. It was a very low key affair in olden days when river Tungabhadra sometimes was flooding with the place immersed under water for a couple of days, even after a dam was built near Kampli. 

Our great teachers from Sri Padmanabha tirtha to Sri Rama Tirtha have been interred here as they might have preferred to spend their last days near monuments of earlier Gurus, or on their entourage covering Vijayanagar province, for which Sri Vyasarajaru was a principal adviser to 3 generations of rulers here. As far I know there was no dispute before 150 years or so, when hardly any pontiff visited this place, except on few occasions. 

Now that a dispute has been raised by disciples of 2 Mathas, about Vrundavan of Sri Jayatirtharu, a great commentator on Sri Madhvacharya's works, whether it is at Anegondi or Malakhed near Kalaburagi. Generally, unless there is a land grant by a ruler, we fail to have any historical proofs for such tombs of saints. Traditional texts are always unclear or confused about such events, since the saints themselves were great men who discouraged publicity or fanfare by their successors or followers to celebrate their Aradhanas. 

The great Commentator on Madhva texts popularly called Tikacharya, the master commentator was a recluse living in a cave composing tikas to Sri Madhvacharya, answering later objections by other schools of Vedanta. He was away from public life, blessing those who occasionally visited him for knowledge or blessings. 

After the advent of IT industry, when neo- Madhvas' economical status improved, several youngsters turned towards learning Madhva texts, which even some of their forefathers  were unable to learn. They started visiting unvisited places of Madhva interest from Udupi to Rameshvaram, or even North of India to trace the final resting places of earlier Gurus. by way of this, disputes began about these monuments, of whom many are lost for ever, like the celebrated Sri Vidyadheesha Tirtharu. 

While Samadhi places of Sripadaraja, Vyasaraja, Vadiraja, Vijayeendra Swamijis are popular places of visit, some even go to farway Malkheda, on the banks of a cranky annual river Kagini/Kagina to have darshan of Sri Jayatirtha Guru. Several overzealous Shishyas, pestered the Swamijs to prove their either original/ supreme place among Madhva institutions, which our great saints never had! 

Even Courts of law were approached, and judgements were passed not to hurt either of the parties. The Swamiji of Sripadaraja Matha, after trying to compromise other Mathas, finally consecrated Sri Padmanabha Tirtha's Brindavan, near Sripadaraja's Vrundavan to avoid the never-ending dispute. 

Finally, all swamijis are learned and enlightened to take a stand which is right, but disciples seem not to allow them to settle disputes without annual or occasional fight with words as swords!!! each one of them argue on their social media post about arguments of other Matha, and try to prove their point in a dialectic manner. 

Story of Yavakrita

 The Pandava brothers were on exile after getting defeated in the wrongful game of dice. They left their palace and roamed about forest places where they met great sages, spiritual masters and demons also. They arrived at the Ashrama of Raibhya Muni, on the banks of the sacred Ganga.

Rishi Lomasha narrated the Pandava brothers about what happened at that place, during the age of Rama. He showed them the place where Rama’s brother, Bharata had a holy dip to get cleansed of sins if any committed by him. Earlier also, Indra, lord of Angels had taken a holy dip here, to get rid of sin of killing Vrutra, a Brahmana. Aditi, wife of sage Kashyapa performed tapas and bathed here to beget Bhagavan Vishun, born as Vamana.

Yudhistira was advised by Rishis to have bath here, after climbing the mountain to get rid of anger and frustration, after his defeat in the game of dice, which he followed. Great men of those ages believed that taking a  holy dip in running waer would wash off any sins committed by them knowingly or otherwise.

Lomasha narrated the story of Yavakrita, son of sage Bharadwaja, a great friend of Raibhya Muni. Raibhya had two sons, Paravasu and Aravasu. Both had learnt Vedas at a very young age, and were respected as scholars. However, Bharadwaj was not respected like his friend as he was not very competent in Vedas.

Yavakrita, son of Bharadwaja was hurt since his father was not respected like his friend Raibhya either by common people or Kings of those times. He was very upset by this  and decided to learn Vedas than being a wise sage like his father. He practiced hard penance to pleae Indra Deva, head of Gods.

Indra was surprised to see this young boy engaged in deep penance, torturing his slender body. He manifested before him as asked: ‘ My dear boy! Why are you so much obsessed of Vedic learning?” innocent  Yavakrita replied: ‘ Oh Deva! I wish to become a great scholar, learning the veda Samhitas. I am doing this penance only to get hold of Vedic lore, please bless me’.

Indra Deva smiled at him and said: ‘ My dear young boy, go home and request a Guru to teach Vedas to you, instead of this hard penance here’ you should not torture yourself for this’. Yavakrita did not heed to even Indra’s sane advice. He further tortured  his body by cutting his limbs to offer to Gods. He continued tapas o the banks of Ganga.

One early morning, Yavakrita saw an old man doing a strange thing. He was throwing handful of sand to water! When he asked the old man he replied: ‘ You are too small to understand this. I am building a dam across river Ganga by doing this, so that people can easily cross this large river’. Is it not useful? He asked the boy.

Yavakrita laughed at his foolishness. ‘Can you build a dam by throwing handful of water? It looks very silly to me. Instead of doing this stupid task of throwing sand into this mighty river, take some more useful work to help people.’ He said.  

The old man smiled at him and said: ‘ Oh foolish boy! My work is better than doing just rituals and tapas instead of mastering Vedas studying  under a Master! Yavakrita failed to know it was Indra deva himself, who looked like the foolish old man throwing sands into Ganga! He begged him to grant him a boon to learn Vedas. ‘ well, I grant you the boon you seek: go back to your hermitage and study Vedas, by which you will become lerned and respected by people around you’.

Yavakrita returned to his Ashrama and became a scholar, after studying Vedas. He was so proud that by boon of Indra, he has mastered Vedas. It was not due to his Guru’s teaching Vedas to him’. His father Bharadwaja did not like his son’s pride. He thought, by arrogance, the foolish boy might insult senior Rishis like Raibhya and others’. He warned his so: ‘ Look God,s grant boons to fool them, like merchants sell intoxicants for money, by consuming them people ruin themselves finally’. He have several earlier examples of fools getting mislead by Gods.

Yavakrita did not take his father seriously, due to his blind arrogance. Once, he had to run in fear after practicing a certain Mantra by practicing it, he turned mad. His evil eyes fell on his friend’s beautiful wife. Raibhya after knowing his sinful behaviour,  plucked a hair from head and threw on Yavakrita, which made him blind. Meanwhile, his friend killed him after learning his sinful attitude to his dear wife, even Bharadwaja failed to save his foolish and arrogant son.

Sage Bharadwaja said: Oh my son, you died of your own pride and vanity. He knew his friend Raibhya had killed him. So saying he killed him, and sighed: ‘Alas! People with no sons are blessed indeed, I lost my arrogant son, and killed my friend also. Saying so, he cremated his son’s body and burnt himself by throwing into funeral pyre.

Mere learning is not enough: it is very essential to control one’s anger and pride, better than just learning texts and feeling arrogant’; Mere learning might turnout dangerous. 

***

Bahishkara - Religious Boycott

I was too young to understand the situation clearly  as to what was going on in my home- town of Mulabagilu,  in  my father's mind. He was a sincere teacher, a role model human being for many. Amidst this respect, I was unable to withstand the punishment ordered on him by a senior swamiji of our Matha. A letter was sent through local representative of Matha, conveying his Bahiskara for a couple of reasons..

People of my community of Madhva brahmanas, though small in number, were made to boycott our house for any religious event or functions. we had to bring another purohit from a nearby town if we need any get done, including the regular and important Shraadhas. If my memory is correct, it must be 1960 or even earlier when I was too small to understand certain happenings.     
Some neighbors looked at me and sisters rather with strange looks as if we are out-casted! Since such things were not legal even those days, we could experience the pain of it. Bahishkara or religious boycott  for my family, ostracizing us from conducting religious rituals at home. it was ridiculous to me and sounded a serious punishment by elders. I hardly understood the reasons for such a costly punishment on my hard working and religious father with reputation in my town. but it was not too public as people never understood this and were normal with us. Only a few Madhva boys and girls, men and women giggled at us. 
Later, I understood slowly why and what  of this. My father had gone to Udupi, to have darshan of Sri Krishna. He had fasted on Ekadashi as per Udupi rules, as Sri Madhvacharya himself says in his work on rituals. Another reason was getting my sisters educated even after 15, without getting them married. This rather sounded cruel to me, but a Swamiji's orders have to be followed. We has to face the ordeal for about 6 years, when one day a messenger from  Swamiji brought a letter asking us to arrange for a couple days of Puja and related  work. 
The Swamy arrived after a week, only with a demand that my father has to bear expenses of the Sri Matha,  of about Rs. 25,000/ which might go beyond few lakhs as of now. This was announced by him , just before partaking prasadam at my home. My father agreed to send his pension amount to Hosapet  Head Office of the Matha, till he completed the assured or demanded Rs. 25,000/ maybe 5 years. My father  was regularly sending it, soon after he got his meagre pension,  and we received some prasada by post. Things look very strange but true!

Sri Vishnu Tirtha Sri

Sri Vishnu teertharu is a free sanyasi, who was Adavi Jayatirthacharya (1756-1806) took sanyasa from Satyavara tirtha of Uttaradi Matha, and is a great writer. who has given great books.. also. His Aradhana is at Madinuru, near Koppal. ( He didn't occupy the seat of Uttaradi Matha due to reasons best known to them ).there is a very interesting incident when Jayatirthacharya heard someone singing ' Govinda Namo Govinda...' which describes ' just be praying Govinda for your betterment and spiritual progrees, nothing else will help you, neither this wife, family or wealth.. instantaneously, he decided to take Sanyasa and live life of a Virakta.

for reasons best known to people who lived then, he was not given Pithadhipatya to rule Uttaradi Mutt, remained as a scholarly writer, saint and philosopher. Stotras composed by him, l authentic interpretations of the great Purana! Bhagavathta Saroddhara, Shodasahi, Chaturdashi and Atmasukha Bodhini, Nyayasudha & Tatvaprakashika glosses. ( tippanis).

rimad Bhagavata Saroddhara of Sri Sri Vishnu Tirtha ( 1756-1816)

Sri Vishnu Tirtha ( Adavi Acharya/ Jayatirthacharya) is known for his Tapas, Sanyasa and utmost dedication to Madhvacharya’s thought. He was a renowned scholar of his times. Born to humble couple, of Shiddapur, near Savanuru, he was reluctant to material world since boyhood. However, his parents got him married, he lead a householder’s life for some time, took care of wife and children.

Later, he took Sanyasa Deeksha from Sri Satyavara Tirtha of Uttaradi Matha under the name of Sri Vishnu Tirtha and did not ascend pItha to keep himself away from Matha Politics of those days. He began writing commentaries in Sanskrit and Kannada.

he had excellent Shastra learning under scholars of repute of his times and turned out as a great scholar himself.

He made an indepth study of Srimad Bhagavatam, contemplated on this great Epic for quite some time, gained insight and selected about 160 verses from it out of 18,000 shlokas, wrote a scholarly, yet simple commentary and named it ‘ Saroddhara’. His Sanskrit commentary is translated by Davanagere Bhima Rao, a committed Madhva, who built a Madhva Sangha- Madhvacharya Seva Samiti, Davanagere and translated some classics like Yukti Mallika, Vishnu Rahasyam, Sattatva ratnamala, a couple of Upanishad Bhashyas into Kannada. He lived up to 1979, and has rendered commendable service to Madhva community.

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Sri Raghuttama Tirtha ( Bhavabodhakara)

प्रणमत् कामधेनुं च भजत्सुरतरुत्तमं

श्री भवबोध कृत्पाद चिन्तामणिमुपास्महे।।

  Sri Raghuttama Tirtha is one among noted commentators of Madhva texts who was pontiff of Madhva Matha, now called Uttaradi Matha, by virtue of the pontiffs were all from either Mumbai-Karnataka, or Hyderabad Karnataka areas with exception of Sri Vedanidhi Tirtha from Tamil Nadu. Sri Raghuttama succeeded his maternal uncle Sri Raghuvaryaru, after is initial learning at Mannur near Indi. He was initiated as a brahma Chari soon after his Shastra learning and toured extensively in Southern India under whose pontificate the number of followers swelled up to Uttaradi Matha, even in Tamil region.

He is respectfully called Bhavabodhakara, after his noted commentaries of this name on Madhva, Jayatirtha works. Since he could get maximum number of disciples to his Matha, when other Madhva Mathas had stuck to their particular centers , except Uttaradi Matha.

Sri Raghuttama lived after Vyasateertha, as a contemporary of Vijayindra Tirtha of Vibudhendra Matha. He spent a large part of life in Tamil Nadu around Kaveri-Pennar belt, touring for most of his time with disciples, composing excellent commentaries on works of earlier Gurus. Numbering 9, his Bhavabodhas, are on Gita Bhashyam, Vishnutatvanirnaya, Tatva Prakashika, ( Jayatirtha), Nyaya Vivaranam (partly continued from Jayatirtha's Tika), Nyayartna Sambhandhadipika on Anuvyakhyanam,. Ishavasyopanishad.

He is the first commentator to mention names of Madhva disciples including Madhava Tirtha.

सुगुण नरहरि श्रीमाधव -अक्षोभ्य तीर्थान

हरिभजन नियुक्तान शुद्ध धर्मार्थकमान्

सुजन नियमनार्थं यः प्रसाद्यापरोक्षं

स भवतु मम भूत्यै पद्मनाभख्ययोगी

Sri Raghuttama Tirtha ruled as Uttaradi Mutt Swamiji and stayed at Tiukkoyilur on banks of Pinakini, near the famous Trivikrama temple. he has a large following in nearby places in Tamil Nadu, who gather for his Aradhana.

Appayya Dikshitar ( 1520-1593)

 अमरी कबरी भार भ्रमरी मुखरीकृतं |

दूरीकरोतु दुरितं गौरी चरणपङ्कजं ||

- Appayya Dikshita- Kuvalayanadam. 

Appayya Dikshita is one among greatest thinkers of Southern India, when there was an intellectual fight of debates between Dvaita, Advaita, Vishistadvaita and Shivadvaita schools of philosophical thought. He lived between  1520-1593, most part of his life spent in and out of Tiruvannamalai, Chidambaram, and adjacent parts of Tamil Nadu, and visited Andhra Pradesh on tour also. Born as Vinayka Subrahmanya to his pious parents, he rose to the height of a celebrity soon with little support from local Telugu nayaka ruler Chinnabomma Nayak of Vellore Nayaks, of the province. His father Rangaraja Adhvari was a noted Yajnika who performed full time yagas for kings and public. Appayya is probably a pet name at home, which became popular later.

Deekshitar or Deekshitendra, as he is usually addressed by his followers, was a poet of high order and a logician of fame also. He generally picked up fights with local greats like Vijayindra Tirtharu, Doddacharya, and Tathacharya. His debates with Vijayindra Swamiji find reference in works of both stalwarts. He took risk of fame as grihasta, arguing with a great Yati like Vijayindra, student of the great Vyasatirtha. He shook roots of Shankara’s Advaita, by forming his own school of thought, ‘ Shivadvaita’, based on Kashmir Shaivism to some extent and his own theory of knowledge.

He composed great poetry on Shiva, Devi and Vishnu also. His ‘ Durga Chandrakala Stuti’ is well known. Appayya composed treatises like Chaturmatasara, a digest of Dvaita, Advaita, Ramanuja and his own school of thought. ‘ Sidhantalesha Sangraha’ is a primer on Indian Philosophy. His Kuvalayanandam is a treatise on poetics. ‘Shivarka Manidipa’ is a book on his own school of thought trying to compromise philosophical thoughts and theories.Deekshitar had a large family of priests and disciples. Some say he gave a unique form of Shiva worship at Nataraja temple,   Chidambaram, and Tiruvannamalai. The priests here sport a tuft near their forehead similar to Nambudiris  of Kerala. 

Some belonging  to his direct  family line are noted scholar- writer Nilakanta Dikshita of Kalividambanam,a Sanskrit satire, his grandson, and Venkatadhwari of Vishvagunadarsha fame as a travelogue writer, more recently  (Dr) Swami Sivananda ( Divine life Society)  of Himalayas, C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer, noted writer. 

Appayya Deekshitar  passed away in 1593, after assuming Sanyasa by himself. Some say his Samadhi  is at Chidambaram, others  at Adayapalam, near Arani which is very curious unlike those of other Sannyasins.