Śrī Vadiraja Tirtha | |
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| Personal life | |
| Born | Bhūvarāha 1480 (1480) |
| Died | 1600 (aged 119–120) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Philosophy | Dvaita |
| Religious career | |
| Guru | Vagisha Tirtha |
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Sri Vadiraja Tirtha ((IAST:Śrī Vādirāja Tīrtha;c.1480 –c.1600[1]) was aDvaita philosopher, poet, traveller and mystic. He authored many works, often critical, onMadhva theology and metaphysics. Additionally, he composed numerous poems and as the pontiff ofSodhe Mutt, renovated the temple complex atUdupi and established theParyaya system of worship.[2] He also enriched theKannada literature of the time by translatingMadhvacharya's works to Kannada,[3] giving impetus and contributing to theHaridasa movement. He has influenced bothCarnatic andHindustani music through his compositions. His compositions are mainly inKannada andSanskrit. His mudra is 'Hayavadana'. His works are characterised by their poetic flourishes, wit and humour.[4][note 1]
Vadirajaru was born as Bhuvaraha in Huvinakere, a village in theKundapura taluk. He was ordained as a monk at the age of 8 and placed into the care of Vidyanidhi Tirtha and later Vagisha Tirtha, who oversaw his education.[5] Works of contemporaryHaridasas and oral traditions point to Vadirajaru being a student ofVyasatirtha along withVijayendra Tirtha though he never acknowledgedVyasatirtha as his mentor in his works. He eventually assumed the pontifical seat of themutt atSodhe, succeeding Vagisha Tirtha. Vadiraja seems to have wielded some influence in the court of theNayakas of Keladi as Vadiraja's successor, Vedavedya Tirtha, received grants of villages from Keladi Venkatappa Nayak.[1] In 1512, Vadiraja began his tour of the pilgrimages in India lasting for two decades, the details of which he recorded in his travelogue entitledTirtha Prabanda. A number of miracles have been ascribed to him during these journeys such as resurrection of the dead and exorcism of demons.[6] Traditional accounts also speak of his expertise in occult and of an incident involving the taming of a forest spirit calledAnnappa orBhutaraja.[7] Vadiraja is known to have debated theJain scholars atMoodabidri andKarkala and converted a sect of goldsmith community to the Dvaita fold. They are identified as Daivajnyas.[8] It was around the same time that he restructured the organisation of the temple at Udupi, established theAshta Mathas around the temple and renovated the temple itself. The religious reforms initiated by him survive to this day. A life of 120 years is ascribed to him.[3] 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".[4] His mortal remains (Brindavana) are enshrined at Sodhe.
Vadiraja contributed toDasa Sahitya, writing several poems under theankita naamaHayavadana.Yuktimalika is considered to be his work of importance. Sharma notes "The work is brimming with freshness and originality of approach and ideas".[9] He also composed several poems, notable of which is an epic poem of 19 cantos titledRukminisha Vijaya.
Vadiraja is credited with more than sixty works.[10] His body of work is diverse, ranging from short hymns and epic poems to scholarly works on the metaphysical intricacies of Dvaita. Many of his independent works are critical directed not only atAdvaita but heterodox schools likeBuddhism and especiallyJainism which flourished in theSouth Canara region in the 16th century.[11]
| Name | Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| Upanyasaratnamala | Collective title given to the commentary on the trilogy of refutations byMadhva (Upadhi Khandana,Mayavada Khandana,Mithyatva Anumana Khandana) | [10] |
| Tattva Prakasika Guruvartha Dipika | Commentary on theTattva Prakasika ofJayatirtha | [12] |
| Nyaya Sudha Guruvartha Dipika | Commentary on theNyaya Sudha ofJayatirtha | [12] |
| Ekona-Panchapadika | A non-extant polemical treatise criticising thePanchapadika ofPadmapadacharya | [13] |
| Vivaranavranam | A polemical treatise criticising theVivarana by Prakashatman of theVivarana school ofAdvaita | [13] |
| Pasandakhandanam | A polemical treatise directed against the tenets ofBuddhism andJainism | [14] |
| Yuktimalika | An independent treatise arguing for the logical supremacy ofDvaita over other schools of thought | [15] |
| Nyayaratnavali | An epigrammatical critique of theAdvaita doctrines | [16] |
| Madhvavagvajravali | A non-extant work possibly containing arguments againstAdvaita | [17] |
| Kalpalata | A work dealing with the epistemology ofDvaita | [18] |
| Lakshalankara | Commentary on theMahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya of Madhva | [19] |
| Name | Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| Rukminisha Vijaya | A poetic rendition of the | [19] |
| Tirtha Prabanda | A travelogue detailing the pilgrimages undertaken by Vadiraja | [20] |
| Bhugola Varnanam | An interpretation ofHindu cosmology according to Dvaita | [21] |
| Lakshmi Shobhana | A poem about the marriage ofLakshmi andNarayana |
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