Sri Vadiraja Teertharu (1480 – 1600) was a
Dvaita
Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST:Tattvavāda), is a sub-school in the Vedanta tradition of Hindu philosophy. The term Tattvavada literally means "arguments from a realist viewpoint". The Tattvavada (Dvaita) Vedanta su ...
philosopher, poet, traveller and mystic. A polymath of his time, he authored many works, often polemical, on
Madhva
Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the '' Dvaita'' (dualism) sch ...
theology and metaphysics. Additionally, he composed numerous poems and as the pontiff of
Sodhe
Sode is a village near Sirsi in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka in India.
Location
Sodhe is a village in the Malenadu region, surrounded by thick forests. It is 22 km from Sirsi and 13 km from Hulekal.
Prehistoric rock art
Prehist ...
Mutt, renovated the temple complex at
Udupi
Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road.
...
and established the ''Paryaya'' system of worship. He is also credited with enriching the
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
literature of the time by translating
Madhvacharya's works to Kannada, giving impetus and contributing to the
Haridasa
The Haridasa Bhakti Sahitya devotional movement (sampradaya) originated in Karnataka, India, after Madhvacharya, and spread to eastern states such as Bengal and Assam of medieval India. Over a span of nearly six centuries, several saints and ...
movement. He has influenced both
Carnatic and
Hindustani music through his compositions. His compositions are mainly in
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
and
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
. His mudra is 'Hayavadana'. His works are characterised by their poetic flourishes, incisive wit and humour.
Life
Vadirajaru was born as Bhuvaraha in Huvinakere, a village in the
Kundapura
Kundapur, also called Kundapura, is a coastal town situated in the Udupi district of the state of Karnataka, India. This town was known as Coondapoor while it was part of the erstwhile South Canara district (1862–1947) of the Madras Pres ...
taluk. He was ordained as a monk at the age of 8 and placed into the care of Vidyanidhi Tirtharu and later Vagisha Tirtharu , who oversaw his education. Works of contemporary
Haridasa
The Haridasa Bhakti Sahitya devotional movement (sampradaya) originated in Karnataka, India, after Madhvacharya, and spread to eastern states such as Bengal and Assam of medieval India. Over a span of nearly six centuries, several saints and ...
s and oral traditions point to Vadirajaru being a student of
Vyasatirtha
Vyāsatīrtha (. 1460 – 1539), also called ''Vyasaraja'' or ''Chandrikacharya'', was a Hindu philosopher, scholar, polemicist, commentator and poet belonging to the Madhwacharya's Dvaita order of Vedanta. As the patron saint of the Vijay ...
ru along with
Vijayendra Tirtha
Vijayīndra Tīrtha ''(also known as Vijayendra Tīrtha)'' (1514 - 1595) was a Dvaita philosopher and dialectician. A prolific writer and an unrelenting polemicist, he is said to have authored 104 treatises expounding the principles of Dvaita a ...
ru though he never acknowledged
Vyasatirtha
Vyāsatīrtha (. 1460 – 1539), also called ''Vyasaraja'' or ''Chandrikacharya'', was a Hindu philosopher, scholar, polemicist, commentator and poet belonging to the Madhwacharya's Dvaita order of Vedanta. As the patron saint of the Vijay ...
as his mentor in his works. He eventually assumed the pontifical seat of the ''mutt'' at
Sodhe
Sode is a village near Sirsi in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka in India.
Location
Sodhe is a village in the Malenadu region, surrounded by thick forests. It is 22 km from Sirsi and 13 km from Hulekal.
Prehistoric rock art
Prehist ...
, succeeding Vagisha Tirtha. Vadiraja seems to have wielded some influence in the court of the
Nayakas of Keladi
Nayakas of Keladi (1499–1763), also known as Nayakas of Bednore and Ikkeri Nayakas, were an Indian dynasty based in Keladi in present-day Shimoga district of Karnataka, India. They were an important ruling dynasty in post-medieval Karnata ...
as Vadiraja's successor, Vedavedya Tirtha, received grants of villages from Keladi Venkatappa Nayak. In 1512, Vadiraja began his grand tour of the pilgrimages in India lasting for two decades, the details of which he recorded in his travelogue entitled ''Tirtha Prabanda''. A number of miracles have been ascribed to him during these journeys such as resurrection of the dead and exorcism of demons. Traditional accounts also speak of his expertise in occult and especially of an incident involving the taming of a forest spirit called ''Annappa'' or ''Bhutaraja''. Vadiraja is known to have debated the
Jain
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
scholars at
Moodabidri
Moodabidri ( kn, ಮೂಡುಬಿದಿರೆ ''Mūḍubidire''; also called Mudbidri, Moodbidre and Bedra), is a town and taluk in Dakshina Kannada district. It lies 34 km northeast of the district headquarters, Mangalore, in Karnat ...
and
Karkala
''Karkala'' also known as Karla in Tulu language, is a town and the headquarters of Karkala taluk in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India. Located about 60 km from Mangalore in the Tulu Nadu region of the state,it lies near the foothill ...
and converted a sect of Brahmins of the goldsmith community to the Dvaita fold.They are identified as Daivajnya Brahmins. It was around the same time that he restructured the organisation of the temple at Udupi, established the
Ashta Mathas around the temple and renovated the temple itself. The ecclesiastical and liturgical reforms initiated by him survive to this day.
A life of 120 years is traditionally ascribed to him. Though the veracity of this claim may be questioned, Sharma notes "there is no doubt he (Vadiraja) enjoyed a long life presiding over the mutt at Sodhe, established by him, for a number of years". His mortal remains (''Brindavana'') are enshrined at Sodhe.
Legacy
Vadiraja gave impetus and contributed to
Dasa Sahitya, writing several poems under the
ankita naama Ankita is a Sanskrit word meaning "Marked". As with any adjective in the language, it can take on a nominal form. The word is often used as a female name in Asian countries, typically because of its extended meaning as "one with auspicious signs "en ...
''Hayavadana''. ''Yuktimalika'' is widely considered to be his magnum opus. Sharma notes "The work is brimming with freshness and originality of approach and ideas". He also composed several poems, notable of which is an epic poem of 19 cantos titled ''
Rukminisha Vijaya
Rukminisha Vijaya (, ), is a Vaishnava work composed by the 16th-century Hindu, Madhava saint, Vadiraja Tirtha. It is an important work of Sanskrit literature, containing 19 chapters and 1,241 verses in various metres. The text is written in the ...
''.
Notable Works
A prolific writer, Vadiraja is credited with more than sixty works. His oeuvre is diverse, ranging from short hymns and epic poems to abstract scholarly works on the metaphysical intricacies of Dvaita. Many of his independent works are polemical barbs directed not only at
Advaita
''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (lit ...
but heterodox schools like
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
and especially
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current ...
which flourished in the
South Canara
South Canara was a district of the Madras Presidency of British India, located at . It comprised the towns of Kassergode and Udipi and adjacent villages, with the capital in Mangalore city. South Canara was one of the most heterogeneous areas o ...
region in the 16th century.
List of scholarly works
List of literary works
Notes
References
Bibliography
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External links
Vadiraja Tirtha
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16th-century Hindu religious leaders
Hindu revivalists
Dvaitin philosophers
History of Karnataka
Kannada literature
Madhva religious leaders
People from Udupi district
Dvaita Vedanta
Tulu people
16th-century Indian scholars
Madhva Brahmins
Vijayanagara poets
Scholars of Vijayanagara Empire
15th-century Indian philosophers