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Bannanje Govindacharya | |
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| Born | 3 August 1936 |
| Died | 13 December 2020(2020-12-13) (aged 84) |
| Awards | Padma Shri (2009) |
| Philosophical work | |
| Region | India |
| School | Dvaita Vedanta |
| Website | https://bannanjegovindacharya-pratishtana.org/pravachana/ |
Bannanje Govindacharya (3 August 1936 – 13 December 2020) was anIndian philosopher andSanskrit scholar versed in Veda Bhashya, Upanishad Bhashya, Mahabharata, Puranas and Ramayana. He wrote Bhashyas (commentaries) on Veda Suktas,Upanishads, Shata Rudriya, Brahma Sutra Bhashya, Gita Bhashya and was an orator. He was awarded thePadma Shri by the Government of India in 2009.[1]
Govindacharya was born on 3 August 1936, in the Bannanje neighborhood ofUdupi toTulu speaking ShivalliMadhva Brahmin parents, in present-day southern Indian state ofKarnataka.[2] He started his Vedic studies under his father, Tarkakesari S. Narayanacharya, and went on to study under Vidyamanya Tirtha Swamiji of thePalimaruMatha and Vidyasamudra Tirtha Swamiji of theKaneyurMatha, both in Udupi. He later studied underVishwesha Tirtha of thePejawara Matha.[citation needed]
Govindacharya was a Sanskrit scholar well-versed in Veda Bhashya, Upanishad Bhashya,Mahabharata,Puranas andRamayana. He wrote Bhashyas, or commentaries, onVeda Suktas,Upanishads, ShataRudriya, BrahmaSutra Bhashya, and Gita Bhashya. He was also an orator. He wrote new Vyakarana Sutras, extending the work of Panini, and also did vyakhyana for the words written beforePāṇini. He sought to integrate ideas from philosophical texts to understand the texts composed by Vedavyasa.[3] An exponent of Bhagavata chintana, he offered insights into the philosophical significance of Bhagavata and other Puranas.
While born into the Madhvacharya tradition, he had studied the previous works of both Shankara and Ramanuja and other philosophies before reading Madhvacharya's Tattvavaada. Proficient in both Sanskrit and Kannada, he authored approximately 4000 pages of Sanskrit Vyakhyana across roughly 150 books, including works in other languages. He wrote a screenplay for the Sanskrit film "Bhagavadgita" and "Shankaracharya," drawing from his experience inMadhvas Tattvavada or Madhva philosophy.
Best known for his pravachanas (discourses), Govindacharya's talks are widely appreciated amongTuluvas andKannadigas worldwide, earning him widespread recognition. He also wrote on this Naaku-Tanti. His literary achievements also include his translation and commentaries of the complete texts ofShri Madhwacharya. He was awarded thePadma Shri by the Government of India in 2009.[1]
In 2005–2006, Professor P.R. Mukund (a disciple of Sri Bannanje) along with his colleague Dr. Roger Easton from theRochester Institute of Technology in New York and Dr. Keith Knox of the Boeing Corporation in Hawaii, undertook the imaging and preserving of the originalSarvamoola Granthas authored byMadhvacharya. Knox and Easton had earlier imaged fragments of theDead Sea Scrolls and are on the imaging team for theArchimedes Palimpsest project. Bannanje regarded this task as a project of enormous importance and was using the images in his studies of the manuscript.[4][5]
Govindcharya also served as the editor atUdayavani early in his life. He wrote a book on the life of Shree Madhwa acharya calledAcharya Madhva: Baduku-Bareha. It was published by RastraKavi Govinda Pai Samshodhana Kendra, Udupi.
Shri Acharya also propagated and preserved the Chaturdasha Bhajans, 14 songs in Sanskrit penned by Acharya Madhwa's direct disciples and prominent followers of his philosophy.
He also made contributions to the Indian and Kannada film industries. He wrote script in Sanskrit forG V Iyer's moviesBhagavadgeeta,Adi Shankaracharya,Shri Madhwacharya, andSri Ramanujacharya. He also wrote the scripts for theAdi Shankaracharya andMadhwacharya movies.Adi Shankaracharya incidentally was the first movie made in Sanskrit.
Shri Bannanje Govindacharya made many contributions to Vedic scholarship. He authored numerous commentaries, translations and original works on the subject. He also contributed hundreds of articles in magazines and journals.[citation needed]
Works of Madhwa: This work is a reconstruction of the complete commentary onMadhwa's works byShri Hrishikesha Tirtha, a direct disciple of Shri Madhwacharya of the 13th CE. It comprises 2000 pages in five volumes complete with footnotes and colophons. Two other works of Shri Madhwacharya,Tithinirnaya andNyasa Paddhathi which were unknown were discovered and included in this great work.[citation needed]
Apart from the Vedic texts, Shri Bannanje also translated several other Sanskrit works intoKannada. These include,
Some of Bannanje's detailed commentaries in Sanskrit include,
Govindacharya died on 13 December 2020, at his home inAmbalpadi inUdupi. He was aged 85. His death was caused by aheart attack.[2]
Bannanje won numerous awards and various titles were conferred on him by esteemed institutions. Some of these include
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