Pranam Mantra of Vyasa Tirtha
“Arthikalpita Kalpoyam Pratyartha Gajakesari
Vyasatirtha Gururbhuyad asmadishtartha Siddhaye”
Identity of Vyasa Tirtha:
Srila Vyasatirtha, a disciple of Brahmanya Tirtha, is also known as Vyasaraja Swami. He became the fourth Acharya in the lineage of Rajendra Tirtha. He was born around 1460 AD in Banur village of Mysore district, India. His father’s name was Vallana Sumati. He was the sixth child of Ramacharya who belonged to the Kashyapa Gotra. As Vallana’s first wife was childless for a long time, he married another woman and had three children. He was given the name Sumati as his nickname. “Vallana” was probably a native name of Lord Balarama. Vyasatirtha was born as the second son of Vallana with the blessings of Brahmanya Tirtha. In his childhood, Vyasatirtha was known as “Yatiraja” after the name of his father’s Guru Brahmanya Tirtha as a tribute to him. Yatiraja underwent the “Vidyarambha Samskara”, a ritual of learning the alphabet at the beginning of primary education. At the age of seven, he received Upanayana. For the next four years, he stayed in the Gurukula. He returned home at the age of eleven and continued to study poetry, drama, and grammar for five years.
Vyasatirtha meets his Guru and takes Sannyasa:
Before the birth of Vyasatirtha, his father Vallana took an oath that he would devote his second child to Brahmanya Tirtha. After the birth of the child, he named the boy “Yatiraja”. His name not only refers to his dedication to Brahmanya Tirtha but also indicates his future monkhood.
Despite the family’s deep attachment to the little boy, he fulfilled his promise by taking the boy himself to his Guru Brahmanya Tirtha in Chanapatna. There he offered the boy to his Guru and returned home. Brahmanya Tirtha was overjoyed at this. He wanted to award him sannyasa so that his advanced intelligence could be used in the service of Vaishnavism. Yatiraja did not understand the inner desire of Brahmanya Tirtha. He ran away and went towards his home. One night while he was sleeping under a forest tree, Lord Vishnu came into his dream and told him what to do. On the same day, young Yatiraja returned to the ashrama. After proving his devotion to his Guru, Yatiraja was formally initiated into sannyasa and given the name “Vyasatirtha”.
Attainment of erudition and fame:
During two years of famine in 1475 and 1476 AD, his Guru Brahmanya Tirtha passed away. He arrived at the Vedanta Peetha around 1478 at the end of his teenage years. He was very young and spent very little time with his Gurudeva. It was rumored that he did not know the Madhva philosophy well. So he went to Kanchipuram to study. Within a short time, he became a well-known scholar. During this time Vyasatirtha acquired deep knowledge of the scriptures. He mastered logic. Kanchipuram was the cradle of scriptural study in the whole of South India. Vyasatirtha stayed there for a long time. He studied Sad Darshana (six Vedic schools of philosophy) under the supervision of Pandit (name?). He acquired profound knowledge in all forms of philosophy; even in Shankara and Ramanuja philosophy as well as in Nyaya (logic). His outstanding works ‘Nyayamrita’, ‘Tatparya Chandrika’, and ‘Tarka Tandava’ bear testimony of this.
Arrival at Shripadaraja’s seat at Mulbagal and Vidyanagar:
From Kanchipuram, he came to Mulbagal, which was the seat of Sripadaraja. It was another place of learning like Kanchipuram. Sripadraja was also known as Lakshminarayana Tirtha (1420-1487). In Mulbagal,
He was the chief abbot of Padmanava Tirtha and the seventh descendant of Swarnavarna Tirtha. It is believed that Brahmanaya Tirtha’s mother and Sripadaraja’s mother were sisters by family relation and were about the same age. Sripadaraja’s father was a contemporary of Raghunatha Tirtha of Uttaradi Math. He was born in 1884 and passed away in 1502. On the advice of Sripadaraja, Vyasatirtha went to Vidyanagara and the royal court (1485-86). There he received recognition for his stance on Brahmanahood, Vaishnavahood, Varnashrama, and the eligibility of worshipping the Lord.
Arrival of Sripad Vyasatirtha at Chandragiri:
In the later part of Vyasatirtha’s biography, there is a wonderful account of his arrival at the royal court of Saluva Narasimha at Chandragiri and his royal reception. He was anointed by the king with precious pearls, gold, and silver and received all the opulence befitting an elite acharya. Thus Vyasatirtha spent a couple of years there in royal honor. There he met many scholars of that time. He debated with all of them and defeated them. He conducted a debate on the views and arguments of Gangesha Tattva Chintamani. At that time he was engaged in the service of Lord Vishnu in Tirupati. On the mountain in Tirumala
Vyasatirtha’s monastery still exists. After staying there for twelve years (1486-98) he entrusted his disciples with the worship of the Lord before leaving the place.
Ascending the throne:
Once Vyasatirtha saw through his mystic power that the ruler of Vijayanagara would be affected by the malefic energies of the planets called ‘Kuhaya Oga’. The effect of that malevolent power was like a fiery furnace, which could burn the entire palace including the throne. To save his disciples and the Vijayanagara Empire from this inauspicious effect, he himself ascended the throne. Vyasatirtha extinguished the fire with his outer garment and saved his disciples. Later he handed over the kingdom to his trusted disciple Krishnadeva Raya. This miracle was described in several hymns by Haridas (one of the Dasakutas). Commemorating this event the Swamis of Vyasatirtha line organise a royal court on this day even today.
Became the Rajaguru of Vijayanagar State:
Henceforth Vyasatirtha was enshrined as the seat of the benevolent guardian of Vijayanagara state. He was given this rank without any contest. At that time, all of the Brahmana scholars throughout India challenged him to a debate. A learned Brahmana, Vasava Bhatta from Kalinga, Orissa was their leader. After thirty days of fierce competition, Vyasatirtha won.
As a result of this fame, King Krishnadeva Ray accepted him as his guru in 1509. As a symbol of respect, Krishnadeva Raya presented a green flag with the image of a camel and a drum to Vyasatirtha in 1500. It is still preserved in Vyasarya Matha, Gosala. Once King Nrisimha attacked the Muslim Sultans. At that time he had this flag with him. These Muslim Sultans threatened and tortured the devotees and attacked the temples of South India. But during the rule of Krishnadeva Raya, Nrisimha, Shivaji, and other great Kshatriya kings, the Sultans could not proceed further.
Vyasaraya meets Shri Chaitanya Deva:
Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu discussed the “Sadhya Sadhana Tattva” with the chief Acharyas of the Madhva sect during His Udupi trip. It is described in Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita (Madhya, IX, 245) :
“madhvācārya-sthāne āilā yāṅhā ‘tattvavādī’
uḍupīte ‘kṛṣṇa’ dekhi, tāhāṅ haila premonmādī”
Translation: Caitanya Mahāprabhu next arrived at Uḍupī, the place of Madhvācārya, where the philosophers known as Tattvavādīs resided. There He saw the Deity of Lord Kṛṣṇa and became mad with ecstasy.
Raghuvarya Tirtha was the then Acharya of Udupi Matha. Vyasaraya or Vyastirtha became the next Acharya after him. He had great erudition in Nyaya. There is no doubt that he lived for a very long time, from about 1476 AD to 1569 AD. For the last 60 years of his life, he held the seat of Acharya in the Udupi Math. Although his date is quite disputed, it can be assumed that he met Sri Chaitanya. Because Sri Chaitanya Deva visited Udupi in about 1515 AD. At that time Vyasaraya or Vyasatirtha was the head of the Madhva Matha there. Even though Sri Chaitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He was famous for His mastery of Nyaya. Hearing His glory Raghuvaryatirtha, Vyasaraya and other Madhva sannyasis came to see his lotus feet.
“tāṅ-sabāra antare garva jāni gaurachandra
tāṅ-sabā-saṅge goṣṭhī karilā ārambha”
Translation: Considering them very proud, Chaitanya Mahāprabhu began His discussion.
Vyasaraya also had immense knowledge of Nyaya. He gained profound knowledge of Nyaya after meeting Mahaprabhu. Some scholars consider that his book “Nyayamrita” is the result of his meeting with Sriman Mahaprabhu. Vyasatirtha’s outstanding treatise on Vedanta, “Nyayamrita”, is often referred to as Lord Vishnu’s Sudarshana. This book wonderfully destroys the arguments of the Mayavada doctrine.
(Excerpt from “Mayavadera Jivani” by Om Vishnupada Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Goswami Maharaja). [It is not clear what exactly is quoted. All changes in the quote need undone]
Divine Disappearance:
Sripad Vyasatirtha disappeared on Saturday 8 March 1539, on the Chaturthi Tithi in the month of Phalguna. His samadhi temple is situated half a kilometer away from Engendi in Hampi, on the island of Nava Vrindavan along the river Tungabhadra. Vyasatirtha is considered to be the second founder of the Madhva school of Vedanta. He influenced many people. Many of his disciples traveled to Northern India and spread his glory in Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra, and even in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Kavi Karnapura mentions in Gaur Ganodesa Deepika that Sripad Vyastirtha composed the famous book ‘Sri Vishnu Samhita’. The followers of Madhvacarya refer to Vyasatirtha as the third moon of Madhva-darshana.
