Raghuttama Tirtha | |
|---|---|
 Brindavana of Raghuttama Tirtha atManampoondi | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Ramachandra 1527 (1527) Malkheda (present-daySedam Taluk,Kalaburagi district,Karnataka,India) |
| Died | 1596 (aged 68–69) Manampoondi, (present-dayKandachipuram taluk ofVillupuram district,Tamil Nadu,India) |
| Honors | Bhāvabodhacārya |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Order | Vedanta (Uttaradi Math) |
| Philosophy | Dvaita,Vaishnavism |
| Religious career | |
| Guru | Raghuvarya Tirtha |
| Successor | Vedavyasa Tirtha |
Disciples
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| Dvaita |
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Raghuttama Tirtha (Sanskrit:रघूत्तम तीर्थ);IAST:Śrī Raghūttama Tīrtha) (c.1527 –c.1596)[a], was anIndianphilosopher,scholar,theologian and saint. He was also known asBhavabodhacharya (Bhāvabodhacārya). His oeuvre include commentaries on the works ofMadhvacharya andJayatirtha. He served as the fourteenth pontiff ofMadhvacharya Peetha -Uttaradi Math from 1535 to 1596.[2][b] He is considered to be one of the important seers in the history ofDvaita school of thought.[3] His shrine atManampoondi attracts thousands of visitors every year.[4]
Born in an piousBrahmin family, but was brought up inmatha under the direction ofRaghuvarya Tirtha. He composed 10 works, consisting of commentaries on the works ofMadhvacharya,Padmanabha Tirtha andJayatirtha elaborating upon the Dvaita thought.[5]
Most of the information about Raghuttama Tirtha's life is derived from varioushagiographies.[5] He was born as Ramachandra into a pious family inMalkheda in the present-dayKalaburagi district in the state ofKarnataka belonging toKannada-speakingDeshastha Brahmin family to Subba Bhatta (also known as "Vitthalacharya") and Gangabai. Gangabai is purvashrama sister ofRaghuvarya Tirtha ofUttaradi Math.[6][7]
According to traditional accounts,Madhvacharya appeared in Raghuvarya Tirtha's dream and instructed Raghuvarya Tirtha to visit Svarnavata and bless Ganga Bai and Subba Bhatta with a offspring. Madhvacharya assured Raghuvarya Tirtha that this child would grow up to spread the teachings of Madhva philosophy. Awaking from this sacred vision, Shri Raghuvarya Tirtha was deeply moved with gratitude. In due course, he visited the village. After that the childless couple approached saintRaghuvarya Tirtha, who granted them boon of children with the condition that their first child, would in turn be handed over to him. These words brought a mixture of happiness and sorrow to the childless couple but they accepted the decree of the divinity.[8] Soon after this incident, Gangabai conceived. Raghuvarya Tirtha was informed accordingly. He returned to the village expecting the birth of the child. A big gold plate was sent to Subba Bhatta's house from the Matha with a direction to receive the child on the golden plate without allowing the child to touch the earth.[9]
Accordingly, the child was received on a golden plate. The personality and the face of the child were beautiful. He was named after LordRama as Ramachandra by Raghuvarya Tirtha.[8] Raghuvarya Tirtha made arrangements to feed the child every day with the abhishekha milk of the Vyasa Kurma Saligram of the Matha. He had hisUpanayana at the age of five and immediately afterUpanayana was ordained as aSannyasa.[5] Raghuttama Tirtha is said to have studied for sometime after his ordinance, under a learned Pandit Adya Varadarajacharya of Manur under the direction ofRaghuvarya Tirtha.[4]
Raghuttama Tirtha was the nephew ofRaghuvarya Tirtha — the thirteenth pontiff and succeeded his uncle in the pontificate ofUttaradi Math in 1535.[2] Raghuttama Tirtha was also a contemporary ofVyasatirtha,Vijayindra Tirtha andVadiraja Tirtha.[5]
Having adorned the sacred pontifical seat of the revered Uttaradi Matha, the venerable Raghuttama Tirtha, as per the divine will, desired to enter the Brindavana. He then appeared in a dream to the Zamindar of Vettavalam (now in Tiruvannamalai District) and instructed him to construct a Brindavana atManampoondi, a village near Tirukoilur, on the bank of theSouth Pennar. Manampoondi is a holy place where Shri Galava Rishi once resided. The site is also described in the scriptures as the ‘Pancha Krishnaranya Kshetra’. Raghuttama Tirtha enteredBrindavana on 11 January 1596 on the auspicious day ofVaikuntha Ekadashi.[10] He was succeeded by his discipleVedavyasa Tirtha.[11][3][12][13]
There have been 10 works accredited to Raghuttama Tirtha, 9 of which are commentaries on the works ofMadhvacharya,Padmanabha Tirtha andJayatirtha, out of which five are published so far.Bhavabodha is the general title of a majority of his works and Raghuttama is usually called "Bhavabodhakara" or "Bhavabodhacharya". Raghuttama Tirtha composed these Bhavabhodas to reveal the essence and deeper meanings of Shri Madhvacharya's and Sri Jayatirtha's works.[4] His workBrihadaranyaka Bhavabodha is a commentary onMadhva'sBrihadaranyaka Upanishad Bhashya, is considered to be his magnum opus. Running up to 9,000 granthas, it discusses Khandana and Bhashyartha of the Upanishad.[14] His workTattvaprakasika Bhavabodha is a commentary onJayatirtha'sTattvaprakāśikā. It runs nearly 8100 granthas. It is quoted by Jagannatha Tirtha in hisBhashyadipika four times and byRaghavendra Tirtha once in hisTatparya Chandrika Prakasha.[4]
| Name | Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| Viṣṇutattvanirṇaya Bhavabodha | Gloss onViṣṇutattvanirṇayaṭikā ofJayatirtha | [15] |
| Tattvaprakasika Bhavabodha | Super-commentary onTattvaprakāśikā ofJayatirtha | [16] |
| Nyāyavivarana Bhavabodha | Direct commentary onNyāya Vivarana ofMadhvacharya, in continuation toJayatirtha work to Nyāyavivaranaṭikā | [17] |
| Nyāyaratna-Sambandhadipikā | Commentary onAnu Vyakhyana, showing at the same time the inter-connection between the words ofMadhva and Sutras ofBadarayana. | [18] |
| Brihadaranyaka Bhavabodha | Commentary onBrihadaranyaka Upanishad Bhashya ofMadhvacharya | [19] |
| Vivaraṇoddharā | Gloss on the passages ofNyāya Vivarana which was commented byJayatirtha in his Tattvaprakāśikā | [18] |
| Gītābhāṣya Bhavabodha(Prameyadīpikā Bhavabodha) | Gloss onJayatirtha'sGītābhāṣya Prameyadīpikā | [19] |
| Sanyayavivruthi | Commentary onSanyaya Ratnavali ofPadmanabha Tirtha | [19] |
| Tāratamya Stotram | Prayer explaining the hierarchy of gods | [19] |
| Taittirīyavinirṇaya | Commentary onTaittiriya Upanishad Bhashya ofMadhvacharya | [19] |
AfterJayatirtha, Raghuttama Tirtha became Tika-kara and is referred to asBhavabodhacharya.[4] Sharma writes "His language is simple and precise. He makes his points forcefully. He quotes often from certain unidentified sources not cited by any other commentator".[14] Raghuttama Tirtha is regarded as a saint known for preaching the worship of LordVishnu regardless of caste or creed. His shrine inTirukoilur at present has become a holy seat of pilgrimage and a vast number of devotees belonging to all castes and creeds perform seva even today. Guru Raghuttama Tirtha is known as a healer. Thousands of devotees who go to his Brindavana are a proof of his divine power and a kind heart to bless his devotees. He has made dumb to speak, mad to be intelligent, childless to beget progeny. None of his devotees have returned in disappointment.[4]
Raghuttama Tirtha, through his commentaries and preachings, carried the torch of the philosophy of Madhvacharya during his times. A band of commentators developed under his tutelage. He made each one of his disciples a repository of scholarship and academic excellence. They were successful not only in defending the Philosophy of Madhvacharya in scholarly debates but also in preparing others to become scholars and commentators. Raghupathi Tirtha (a sannyasi),Vedavyasa Tirtha,Vedesa Tirtha,[20] Vyasa Ramacharya,[3] Ananda Bhattaraka (father ofVidyadhisha Tirtha), Rotti Venkatabhatta who all made a name as commentators were directly trained by Raghuttama Tirtha. WhenMadhusūdana Sarasvatī composed Advaitasiddhi, a line-by-line refutation of Nyayamṛta ofVyasatirtha. In response to Advaitasiddhi, Vyasa Ramacharya and Ananda Bhattaraka, wrote Nyayamṛta Tarangini and Nyayamṛta Kantakoddhara and challenged Madhusūdana Sarasvatī.[21][22] They are intellectual gifts given by Raghuttama Tirtha to the followers of Madhvacharya.[23][24]
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