madhwacharya 11 ಮಧ್ವಾಚಾರ್ಯರು 11

                                                

madhwacharya 11 ಮಧ್ವಾಚಾರ್ಯರು 11

Madhwa Navami

Magha Shuddha Navami, a very special day for all Maadhwas; it is called Madhwa Navami, for it was on this day, in the year 1317 CE, that Shri Madhwacharya bid adieu to the world; he did not bid farewell in the sense the phrase normally conveys, but finally left for "Hire Badari" for further studies under his master, Bhagawan Vedavyasa. What makes the day very special is the extraordinary manner of the exit he staged.

Shri Madhwacharya devoted all his life, of nine and seventy years, propagating his philosophy, during the course of which he had, on two occasions, visited the hermitage of Bhagawan Vedavyasa at "Hire Badari" nestled in the unknown region of the Himalayas, beyond human reach. He had told his disciples of his final departure to "Hire Badari". He had also comforted them with the assurance of his “continued dwelling” at Udipi, but in invisible form. And on that fateful day, he gave discourse on the Aitareyopanishad in the evening at the Ananteshwara temple; the discourse reached its zenith when the audience was simply transported into an ecstatic trance, and they opened their eyes only to find that he had disappeared. According to the legend, he was showered with heavenly flowers, and he disappeared under the floral heap.

All Maadhwa peethas and gurukuls regard this truly extraordinary incident as an indication to the furtherance of Maadhwa philosophy, and begin Madhwa Navami with parayan of Vayustuti and Sumadhwijaya and discourses and discussions on the philosophy.

Maadhwa philosophy is very vast and deep, like the ocean; the more one studies, the more divine joy one gets.

Fortunately, we, Maadhwas, are aware of the basics of Maadhwa philosophy, and are born with an apparatus which is well suited for the exploration of the greater depths of the philosophical ocean. Let us, therefore, not be content with being on the shore, or in its shallow waters, but prepare ourselves for the plunge into deep waters. 

Let us begin this day, Madhwa Navami, with the reading of the Sumadhwijaya, which has been translated into Kannada; not only does it explain Maadhwa philosophy in simple terms, but also narrates the truly  extraordinary life of Shri Madhwacharya that is very interesting to read; it will ultimately lead us to Lord Narayana Himself.

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We, Madhwa Brahmins are followers of Jagadguru Sriman Madhwacharya. We originally hail from places in Karnataka and the neighboring states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Our main dialects are Kannada, Tulu, Marathi, Telugu and Konkani.

A brief background of Jagadguru Sri Madhwacharya:

prathamO hanumAn nAma dviteeyO bheemaEvacha |

pUrNaprajna tRuteeyastu bhagavatkAryasAdhakaH ||

As the above shloka from khila vAyustuti explains, Sri Madhwacharya (also known by the names Poornaprajna and Anandateertha) is the third incarnation of Lord MukhyaprAna Vaayu, after Lord Hanuman and Lord Bheemasena. He is the chief proponent of TattvavAda, popularly known as Dvaita. He was born on Vijayadashami day of 1238 CE at Paajaka Kshetra, a small village near Udupi. He is the 22nd commentator on the Brahma sutras of Lord Sri Veda Vyasa.

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