Vidyadhisha Tirtha

Shri Vidyadhisha Tirtha (Śrī Vidyādhīśa Tīrtha) (died 1631), was an Indian philosopher, scholar, theologian, saint and dialectician. He served as the sixteenth pontiff of Uttaradi Math from 1619–1631.[1][2] He is considered to be one of the important stalwats in the history of Dvaita school of thought on account of his sound elucidations of the works of Madhvacharya, Jayatirtha and Vyasatirtha. He is also the most celebrated pontiff of Uttaradi Math after Raghuttama Tirtha.[3]

Sri

Vidyadhisha Tirtha
Personal
Born
Pandurangi Narasimhacharya

Puntamba, Maharashtra
Died1631
Ekachakranagaram
Resting placeTumminakatte
ReligionHinduism
OrderVedanta (Uttaradi Math)
PhilosophyDvaita,
Vaishnavism
Religious career
GuruVedavyasa Tirtha
SuccessorVedanidhi Tirtha
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Born into a Deshastha Brahmin family of scholars, Vidyadhisha started pursuing the knowledge of Mīmāṃsā, Vyakhyana and Vedanta at very early age. Before becoming the pontiff of Uttaradi Math, he was an accomplished scholar and logician. He composed 10 works, consisting of commentaries on the works of Madhva, Jayatirtha and Vyasatirtha and several independent treatises. His work Vakyartha Chandrika is an elaborate, complicated commentary known for its brilliance.[4][5]

Biography

Most of the information about Vidyadhisha Tirtha's life is derived from hagiographies - Gurucaryā and Vidyadhisha Vijaya. He was born as Narasimhacharya in a Pandurangi family of scholars to Anandacharya or Ananda Bhattaraka, who was an erudite scholar in Nyaya, Vedanta, Mimamsa, Vyakarana and a disciple of Raghuttama Tirtha of Uttaradi Math.[6] The family belongs to Vashista gotra.[7] Narasimha received all his instructions in Vyakarana, Nyaya and other branches under his own father, Ananda Bhattarka. He was married early and settled in Puntamba, to teaching. He is reported to have defeated many learned scholars of his village like Tama Bhatta, Golinga Shivabhatta, Vishva Pandita and others in Tarka and Vyakarana. After his father's death, he moved off to Nashik and Tryambak on account of fear of Muslim depradations on his town.[8] Narasimha lived for eight years at Sangamner and Paithan and thence moved down to Pandharpur and then to Bijapur where he defeated Narasa Pandita. His learning and achievements attracted Vedavyasa Tirtha of Uttaradi Math , who honoured him with presents and invited him to Mannur on the Bhima River, where he was persuaded to take orders and was ordained a monk under the name Vidyadhisha.[8] The main incidents in Vidyadhisha's pontifical career were his disputations with Rangoji Bhatta and his tour of south and north of India. He visited Dhanushkoti, Madurai, Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Kumbhakonam, Kanchi, Dharmapuri and Udupi in south. His northern tour included Benares and Gaya where he converted whole community of Gayawalas to the religion of Madha. This great historic event has given the school of Madhvacharya followers from among important section of Hindi-speaking Brahmins of the North India. The Gayawalas ever since remained staunch followers of Madhva, oving allegiance to Uttaradi Math. The Gurucharya place this event in 1630.[8] Later he visited Badri and on his way back from there, passed away, in 1631, at Ekachakranagaram, in the Ganga-Yamuna daob, where his tomb was consecrated by his succeessor.[4] The descendants of Vidyadhisha family have subsequently installed his image in Tuminakatte near Ranebennur where they celebrate his anniversary, every year, as the original Brindavana of Ekachakranagara could not be located.[4]

Works

The number of extant works ascribed to Vidyadhisha Tirtha are ten in number. There are five commentaries and five independent works ascribed to him.[9][4][10][11]

Commentaries
Name Description References
Vakyartha Chandrika Commentary on Nyaya Sudha of Jayatirtha [11]
Pramanalakshanaṭippani Gloss on Pramanalakshana of Madhva [4]
Viṣṇutattvanirṇayaṭippani Commentary on Viṣṇutattvanirṇaya of Madhva [4]
Kathālakṣaṇaṭippani Gloss on Kathālakṣaṇa of Madhva [4]
Talavakopanishadkhandartham Commentary on Talavakopanishad [4]

Independent works
Name Description References
Ēkādaśīnirṇaya Work on how to determine Ekadashi [4]
Janmāṣṭamīnirṇaya Work on how to determine Janmashtami [4]
Vishnupanchakavratanirnaya Work on how to determine days for Vishnu Panchaka Vrata [4]
Tithitrayanirnaya Work on how to determine Tithi [4]
Oṃkāravādartha An exposition on the word OM [4]
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References
  1. Sharma 2000, p. 433.
  2. Prabhupada 2012, p. 1229.
  3. Sharma 2000, p. 474.
  4. Sharma 2000, p. 477.
  5. Vrindāvan (India) Institute of Oriental Philosophy. Indian Philosophy & Culture, Volumes 5-6. Vaishnava Research Institute, Vrindāban, India. p. 6. Retrieved 20 April 2005.
  6. Sharma 2000, p. 387.
  7. Sharma, p. 476.
  8. Sharma 2000, p. 476.
  9. Bhatta & Samuel 1997, p. 368.
  10. Sharma 2000, p. 478.
  11. Potter 1995, p. 1504.

Bibliography

Further reading
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