Sri Madhvacarya
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According to the Sri Kurma inscriptions of Narahari Tirtha, his direct disciple, Sripad Madhvacarya was born between 1238 and lived for 79 years, until 1317 A.D. This is confirmed in the Anu-Madhva-Carita. According to the authorized biographies compiled by his disciples shortly after his passing away, Sripad Madhva was born in the village of Tulunada, which is located about 8 miles to the southeast of the city of Udipi in Karnataka. He came from a family of sivalli-brahmanas and was the son of Madhyageha Bhatta and Mother Vedavati devi.
In his Caitanya Caritamrta commentary (CC
Madhya 9.245), Sripad Bhaktivendanta Swami Prabhupada Comments as follows: "Çrépäda
Madhväcärya took his birth near Uòupé, which is situated in the South Kanara
district of South India, just west of Sahyädri. This is the chief city of the
South Kanara province and is near the city of Mangalore, which is situated to
the south of Uòupé. Near the city of Uòupé is a place called Päjakä-kñetra,
where Madhväcärya took his birth in a Çivällé-brähmaëa dynasty as the son of
Madhyageha Bhaööa, in the year 1040 Çakäbda (A.D. 1118). According to some, he
was born in the year 1160 Çakäbda (A.D. 1238).
In
his childhood Madhväcärya was known as Väsudeva, and there are some wonderful
stories surrounding him. It is said that once when his father had piled up many
debts, Madhväcärya converted tamarind seeds into actual coins to pay them off.
When he was five years old, he was offered the sacred thread. A demon named
Maëimän lived near his abode in the form of a snake, and at the age of five
Madhväcärya killed that snake with the toe of his left foot. When his mother was
very much disturbed, he would appear before her in one jump. He was a great
scholar even in childhood, and although his father did not agree, he accepted
sannyäsa at the age of twelve. Upon receiving sannyäsa from Acyuta Prekña, he
received the name Pürëaprajïa Tértha. After traveling all over India, he finally
discussed scriptures with Vidyäçaìkara, the exalted leader of Çåìgeri-maöha.
Vidyäçaìkara was actually diminished in the presence of Madhväcärya. Accompanied
by Satya Tértha, Madhväcärya went to Badarikäçrama. It was there that he met
Vyäsadeva and explained his commentary on the Bhagavad-gétä before him. Thus he
became a great scholar by studying before Vyäsadeva.
By
the time he came to the Änanda-maöha from Badarikäçrama, Madhväcärya had
finished his commentary on the Bhagavad-gétä. His companion Satya Tértha wrote
down the entire commentary. When Madhväcärya returned from Badarikäçrama, he
went to Gaïjäma, which is on the bank of the river Godävaré. There he met with
two learned scholars named Çobhana Bhaööa and Svämé Çästré. Later these scholars
became known in the disciplic succession of Madhväcärya as Padmanäbha Tértha and
Narahari Tértha. When he returned to Uòupé, he would sometimes bathe in the
ocean. On such an occasion he composed a prayer in five chapters. Once, while
sitting beside the sea engrossed in meditation upon Lord Çré Kåñëa, he saw that
a large boat containing goods for Dvärakä was in danger. He gave some signs by
which the boat could approach the shore, and it was saved. The owners of the
boat wanted to give him a present, and at the time Madhväcärya agreed to take
some gopé-candana. He received a big lump of gopé-candana, and as it was being
brought to him, it broke apart and revealed a large Deity of Lord Kåñëa. The
Deity had a stick in one hand and a lump of food in the other. As soon as
Madhväcärya received the Deity of Kåñëa in this way, he composed a prayer. The
Deity was so heavy that not even thirty people could lift it. Yet Madhväcärya
personally brought this Deity to Uòupé. Eight of Madhväcärya’s sannyäsa
disciples became directors of his eight monasteries. Worship of the Lord Kåñëa
Deity is still going on at Uòupé according to the plans Madhväcärya established.
Madhväcärya
then for the second time visited Badarikäçrama. While he was passing through
Maharashtra, the local king was digging a big lake for the public benefit. As
Madhväcärya passed through that area with his disciples, he was also obliged to
help in the excavation. After some time, when Madhväcärya visited the king, he
engaged the king in that work and departed with his disciples.
Often
in the province of Gäìga-pradeça there were fights between Hindus and Muslims.
The Hindus were on one bank of the river, and the Muslims on the other. Due to
the community tension, no boat was available for crossing the river. The Muslim
soldiers were always stopping passengers on the other side, but Madhväcärya did
not care for these soldiers. He crossed the river anyway, and when he met the
soldiers on the other side, he was brought before the king. The Muslim king was
so pleased with him that he wanted to give him a kingdom and some money, but
Madhväcärya refused. While walking on the road, he was attacked by some dacoits,
but by his bodily strength he killed them all. When his companion Satya Tértha
was attacked by a tiger, Madhväcärya separated them by virtue of his great
strength. When he met Vyäsadeva, he received from him the çälagräma-çilä known
as Añöamürti. After this, he summarized the Mahäbhärata.
Madhväcärya’s
devotion to the Lord and his erudite scholarship became known throughout India.
Consequently the owners of the Çåìgeri-maöha, established by Çaìkaräcärya,
became a little perturbed. At that time the followers of Çaìkaräcärya were
afraid of Madhväcärya’s rising power, and they began to tease Madhväcärya’s
disciples in many ways. There was even an attempt to prove that the disciplic
succession of Madhväcärya was not in line with Vedic principles. A person named
Puëòaréka Puré, a follower of the Mäyäväda philosophy of Çaìkaräcärya, came
before Madhväcärya to discuss the çästras. It is said that all of Madhväcärya’s
books were taken away, but later they were found with the help of King Jayasiàha,
ruler of Kumla. In discussion, Puëòaréka Puré was defeated by Madhväcärya. A
great personality named Trivikramäcärya, who was a resident of Viñëumaìgala,
became Madhväcärya’s disciple, and his son later became Näräyaëäcärya, the
composer of Çré Madhva-vijaya. After the death of Trivikramäcärya, the younger
brother of Näräyaëäcärya took sannyäsa and later became known as Viñëu Tértha.
It
was reputed that there was no limit to the bodily strength of Pürëaprajïa,
Madhväcärya. There was a person named Kaòaïjari who was famed for possessing the
strength of thirty men. Madhväcärya placed the big toe of his foot upon the
ground and asked the man to separate it from the ground, but the great strong
man could not do so even after great effort. Çréla Madhväcärya passed from this
material world at the age of eighty while writing a commentary on the Aitareya
Upaniñad. For further information about Madhväcärya, one should read
Madhva-vijaya, by Näräyaëäcärya.
The
äcäryas of the Madhva-sampradäya established Uòupé as the chief center, and the
monastery there was known as Uttararäòhé-maöha. A list of the different centers
of the Madhväcärya-sampradäya can be found at Uòupé, and their maöha commanders
are (1) Viñëu Tértha (Çoda-maöha), (2) Janärdana Tértha (Kåñëapura-maöha), (3)
Vämana Tértha (Kanura-maöha), (4) Narasiàha Tértha (Adamara-maöha), (5) Upendra
Tértha (Puttugé-maöha), (6) Räma Tértha (Çirura-maöha), (7) Håñékeça Tértha (Palimara-maöha),
and (8) Akñobhya Tértha (Pejävara-maöha). The disciplic succession of the
Madhväcärya-sampradäya is as follows (the dates are those of birth in the
Çakäbda Era; for Christian era dates, add seventy-eight years.): (1) Haàsa
Paramätmä; (2) Caturmukha Brahmä; (3) Sanakädi; (4) Durväsä; (5) Jïänanidhi; (6)
Garuòa-vähana; (7) Kaivalya Tértha; (8) Jïäneça Tértha; (9) Para Tértha; (10)
Satyaprajïa Tértha; (11) Präjïa Tértha; (12) Acyuta Prekñäcärya Tértha; (13) Çré
Madhväcärya, 1040 Çaka; (14) Padmanäbha, 1120; Narahari, 1127; Mädhava, 1136;
and Akñobhya 1159; (15) Jaya Tértha, 1167; (16) Vidyädhiräja, 1190; (17)
Kavéndra, 1255; (18) Vägéça, 1261; (19) Rämacandra, 1269; (20) Vidyänidhi, 1298;
(21) Çré Raghunätha, 1366; (22) Rayuvarya (who spoke with Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu), 1424; (23) Raghüttama, 1471; (24) Vedavyäsa, 1517; (25) Vidyädhéça,
1541; (26) Vedanidhi, 1553; (27) Satyavrata, 1557; (28) Satyanidhi, 1560; (29)
Satyanätha, 1582; (30) Satyäbhinava, 1595; (31) Satyapürëa, 1628; (32)
Satyavijaya, 1648; (33) Satyapriya, 1659; (34) Satyabodha, 1666; (35)
Satyasandha, 1705; (36) Satyavara, 1716; (37) Satyadharma, 1719; (38)
Satyasaìkalpa, 1752; (39) Satyasantuñöa, 1763; (40) Satyaparäyaëa, 1763; (41)
Satyakäma, 1785; (42) Satyeñöa, 1793; (43) Satyaparäkrama, 1794; (44) Satyadhéra,
1801; (45) Satyadhéra Tértha, 1808.
After
the sixteenth äcärya (Vidyädhiräja Tértha), there was another disciplic
succession, including Räjendra Tértha, 1254; Vijayadhvaja; Puruñottama;
Subrahmaëya; and Vyäsa Räya, 1470–1520. The nineteenth äcärya, Rämacandra Tértha,
had another disciplic succession, including Vibudhendra, 1218; Jitämitra, 1348;
Raghunandana; Surendra; Vijendra; Sudhéndra; and Räghavendra Tértha, 1545.
To
date, in the Uòupé monastery there are another fourteen Madhva-tértha sannyäsés.
As stated, Uòupé is situated beside the sea in South Kanara, about thirty-six
miles north of Mangalore.
Most of the information in this purport is
available from the South Känäòä Manual and the Bombay Gazette."
From Bhaktivedanta Vedabase
Note:: Special thanks to Jaya Tirtha Caran prabhu from NZ for allowing us to use some of the content from his site to compile these pages - http://www.hknet.org.nz
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