Sri Jayatirtha | |
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| Personal life | |
| Born | 1345 CE |
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| Honors | Ṭīkācārya |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Order | Vedanta |
| Philosophy | Dvaita, Vaishnavism |
| Religious career | |
| Guru | Akshobhya Tirtha |
| Successor | Vidyadhiraja Tirtha |
Disciples
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Jayatirtha (Jaya-tīrtha),also known asTeekacharya (Ṭīkācārya) (c.1345 –c.1388[5][6][7]), was aHindu philosopher, dialectician, polemicist and the sixth pontiff ofMadhvacharya Peetha from (1365 – 1388). He is considered to be one of the important seers in the history ofDvaita school of thought on account of his sound elucidations of the works ofMadhvacharya. He structured the philosophical aspects ofDvaita and through his polemical works, elevating it to an equal footing with the contemporary schools of thought.[8] Along withMadhva andVyasatirtha, he is venerated as one of the three great spiritual sages, ormunitraya ofDvaita. Jayatirtha is considered an incarnation ofIndra (lord of gods) with avesha ofAdi Sesha in the MadhvaParampara.[9][10]
Born into an aristocraticDeshastha Brahmin family,[11] he later adopted the cause ofDvaita after an encounter with the Madhva saint,Akshobhya Tirtha (d. 1365[12]). He composed 21 works, consisting of commentaries on the works ofMadhva and several independent treatises criticizing the tenets of contemporary schools, especiallyAdvaita, while simultaneously elaborating upon the Dvaita thought. His dialectical skill and logical acumen earned him the title ofṬīkacārya orcommentator par excellence.[13]
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Historical sources on Jayatirtha's life are scant.[1] Most of the information about his life is derived from twohagiographies:Aṇu Jayatīrtha Vijaya andBṛhad Jayatīrtha Vijaya from his disciple, Vyāsatirtha (not to be confused withVyasatirtha) and a compilation by Chalāri Saṁkarṣaṇacārya (c. 1700).[14] According to legendary accounts and the hagiographies, Jayatirtha is an incarnation ofIndra, the lord of gods with avesha ofAdi Sesha and have been miraculously favoured by the GoddessDurga (Mahalakshmi). In the previous birth, Indra incarnated asArjuna. In his next life, he incarnated as a Bull. He carried the load of the library ofMadhvacharya throughout the Madhva's wanderings betweenUdupi andBadrinath.[9][10][15]
Jayatirtha was born Dhondopant (or Dhondorao) Raghunath into aDeshpande family of nobles belonging toDeshastha Brahmin community ofVishvamitra Gotra inMangalwedha nearPandarpur present-day inSolapur district,Maharashtra.[16][14] His father's name is Raghunath Pant Deshpande and his mother's name is Sakubai. His father was a nobleman of military rank. Dhoṇḍo Pant grew up in affluence, with preference towards sports, particularly horse riding.[11]At the age of twenty, after a chance encounter with the ascetic Akshobhya Tīrtha on the bank ofriver Bhima, he underwent a transformation which led him to renounce his former life, but not without resistance from his family. After much deliberation, his family relented and he was subsequently initiated into theDvaita fold byAkshobhya Tirtha, who named himJayatīrtha.[17] Jayatirtha succeeded Akshobhya as the pontiff in 1365. He composed several commentaries and treatises in the brief span of 23 years between his initiation and death in 1388.
There have been 21 works accredited to Jayatirtha, 18 of which are commentaries on the works of Madhvacharya.[18]Nyaya Sudha, which is a commentary onMadhva'sAnu Vyakhyana, is considered to be his magnum opus. Running up to 24,000 verses, it discusses and critiques a variety of philosophers and their philosophies, ranging from the orthodox schools of Hinduism likeMimamsa andNyaya to heterodox schools likeBuddhism andJainism, arguing in favour of Dvaita.[19] Apart from commentaries, he has authored 4 original treatises of whichPramana Paddhati andVadavali stand apart.Pramana Paddhati is a short monograph on the epistemology ofDvaita dealing with thepramanas in question, the theory of truth and error and validity of knowledge whileVadavali deals with the nature of reality and illusion.[20]
Jayatirtha occupies a special place in the history ofDvaita Literature. The lucidity and measured style of his writing coupled with his keen dialectical ability has allowed his works to percolate through time, reinforced by the commentaries of later philosophers likeVyasatirtha,Vijayindra Tirtha,Raghuttama Tirtha,Raghavendra Tirtha, andVadiraja Tirtha.[21] His masterpiece,Nyaya Sudha orNectar of Logic, deals with refuting an encyclopaedic range of philosophies that were in vogue at the time.Pereira notes "His monumentalNectar of Logic is one of the pinnacles of Indic theological achievement".[22]Dasgupta remarks "Jayatirtha andVyasatirtha present the highest dialectical skill in Indian thought".[8]
Shri Jayatirtha entered Vrindavana alive in the 14th Century on the bank of theholy river Kagini in Malakhed.[23][24] Shri Jayatirtha's Vrindavana (tomb) lies between the vrindavanas ofAkshobhya Tirtha, andRaghunatha Tirtha. Every year thousands of people attend the Aradhana festival from different states ofIndia.[25][26][27]
Among the authors who wrote on the other schools of Vedānta à mention must first of all be made of Jayatirtha (1365–1388 A. D.). His original name was Dhondo Raghunath Deshpande, and he belonged to Mangalwedha near Pandharpur.
Jayatirtha, whose original name was Dhondo Raghunātha , was a native of Mangalvedhā near Pandharpur.
Jaya Tirtha was first named 'Dhondo', and he was the son of Raghunatha, who was a survivor of Bukka's war with the Bahmani Sultanate. Tradition says Raghunatha was from Mangalavede village near Pandharpur. An ancestral house still exists there, and the Deshpandes of Mangalavede claim to be descendents of his family.
Jayatirtha is the incarnation of Indra as Arjuna. They cannot have given us anything except the correct interpretation of the Gita. Jayatirtha is a great interpreter and his exposition is unique, his style is profound.
Sripad Jaya Tirtha's previous name was Dhondopantraya Raghunatha (Raghunatha was his father's name) of Vishvamitra Gotra.
He took sanyas and came to be known as Jayatirtha. He wrote several commentaries on Madhvacharya and came to be known as Tikacharya. He took samadhi at Malakhed.
Jayatirtha is credited with twenty-one works, the most important being Nyaya-sudha, a commentary on Madhva's commentary on the Brahma Sutra, known as Anuvyakhyana. His samadhi is located at Malakhed.
It is said that Jayatīrtha was the head of the Madhvas for 21 years; Shri Jayatheerta entered Vrindavana at the very young age at Malakhed; even today the pilgrims visit his Vrindavan.
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