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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Why Sumadhwa Vijaya
This is a frequently asked question by our own people.
I have made a humble attempt to answer this question and place before this august group.
Among the several activities, literary pursuits takes men and women a notch higher. More so if one were to read about inspiring personalities. If a person has one or two good qualities, he deserves to be read or studied or followed.
What if the work is a Mahakavya and the person happens to be an erudite scholar, a vedantin, an orator, a researcher, a leader of men and a logician par excellence all rolled into one.
We Madhwas are fortunate to have a biography of our Acharya written by his contemporary.
The biographer himself is a person worthy of emulation and a veritable storehouse of knowledge.
Sri Narayana Panditacharya is a Sanskrit poet of exceptional qualities.
His biography on the revered Acharya is not merely a summary of events but a Mahakavya with overflowing of the Nine rasas.
The portrait of Nature specially the rising sun, the full moon, the rain bearing clouds, the vast sea/ocean, the woods in the Himalayan range, description of the sacred rivers Ganges & Godavari, the Sahyadri hills takes the readers' mind a thousand years back.
The setting is a simple village perfectly in tune with nature. The surroundings is full of greenery, men and women hardworking and their lives uncomplicated unlike now.
The hero's parents are pious and austere people, well read in the Puranas and the Bharatha. They are a contended lot. Harmony among the people was of a high order, agriculture was the predominant activity of the majority of the people. They depended on animals of labour.
However, a thick black smoke of uncertainty had enveloped the minds of the people as far as their perception of the Brahman was concerned.
The almighty Brahman being pure and all pervading was misinterpreted as Nirguna, Niraakara, shunya etc etc. The beautiful world was made out to be Mithya Jagat.
In this scenario, dawned a new beginning. As they say, there is light at the end of the tunnel, the hero of our epic was born as Vaasudeva, the same name as Lord Krishna.
The description of the various vratas undertaken by the parents to beget a good son is soul stirring. The benevolence of Lord Ananteshwara and the status of Udupi as rajathapeethapura makes us revisit the place with a sense of devotion and opens up our eyes and mind.
While describing the childhood of Vasudeva, the Panditacharya narrates many interesting incidents which gives us an insight into the lives of the people then. The boyhood of Vasudeva, his upanayanam, his gurukula days at the house of his Guru Totantillayyaru, his physical prowess, his radiant charm are extolled very vividly.
The author steps up the tempo, then describes the more serious aspects of life. This also shows that a man is made in his teens. The thoughts that goes into a teen is the one which makes a man. Vasudeva approaches Sri Achutaprekshacharya and is transformed into Poornaprajna and then to Ananda teertha.
He takes on the mighty rivals like taking on a bull by its horns. He subjugates his rivals swiftly and tersely.
The knowledgeable public, keenly watching the Acharya are struck with surprise and wonder and acclaim him as their leader.
He tours north and south of the country by foot with his large entourage. At every place, people gather in large numbers to have a glimpse of the magnetic personality of the Acharya, hear him speak with unheard oratorial skill and have his blessings.
Panditacharya intersperse serious Vedantic debates with superhuman feats of the Acharya like eating hundreds of bananas, drinking of milk, shifting of boulder, mesmerising the Muslim ruler in his own language, crossing the Ganga without boats, scaling the Himalayan peaks, bathing in the chill Alakananda before dawn etc etc. The Mahakavya's pinnacle is reached when Ananda teertha reaches the hermirage of Narayana Rishi with Bhagavan Vedavyasa in the forefront.
The full potential of the epic's hero is unleashed in his writing the Bhashya for the Brahmasutras, his debates in the vidwat assemblies, defeating the rivals and pleasing his followers.
The poet deftly uses the Moksha varnane to delineate the Sringara Rasa.
It is in the description of Moksha that every vedantin before the Acharya failed miserably.
Some say moksha is becoming one with God, Moksha is becoming Nirguna, having no dukha and no sukha, becoming nothing etc etc.
It was left to Ananda teertha to describe that Moksha is nothing but realisation of our innate potential to the fullest i.e., Swaroopa Ananda aavirbhava while still being sub serviant to the Almighty.
The author also describes that the road to the peak was not a bed of roses. The Acharya met with several obstacles, but could overcome with grit and determination. It was then that the Mayavadins lamented the fate that befell their Advaita shastra and unknowingly acknowledged that the Tatvavada of Sri Madhwacharya was profound, backed by pramanas. He was called Vedapravachanacharya by his followers and also by his rivals.
The poets genius reaches a crescendo when he describes the birth and growth of his father Sri Trivikrama Panditacharya, the author of the powerful Vaayustuti, revered by all Madhwas.
The description of Padmanabha teertharu & Sri Vishnuteertharu, the younger brother of the Acharya is spell binding.
The intellectual heights of the Mahakavya is reached in describing the logic used by the Acharya in vanquishing the rival disputants. Lenghty arguements are concised into a few words like the sootras of Badarayana.
Although 700 years have passed, Acharya's logic stands undisputed and unchallenged.
The poetic acumen of Panditacharya can be seen in the adjectives used to describe each and every literary work of the Acharya. The names of the shisyas of the Acharya is also skilfully conveyed and makes a lasting impression. The words “Madhwa prashishya bahavaha shishya yeshaam muhusthathaa, alam chakrur alam pruthveem sarve sadguna bhooshanaaha” sums up their noble qualities.
The poet says that the Acharya was not merely an intellect but one who had concern for the poor and the needy. Various charitable and humanitarian acts of the Acharya for the needy and the deserving are well documented. The composing of “Krishnamrutha maharnava” for the welfare of a poor devotee can be recalled here.
The poet uses 108 different words to connote Acharya's name of Poornaprajnacharya.
This is about Acharya as a human being.
If one takes into account his being an avatara of Vaayu, and Vaayu being capable of granting Moksha after Vishnu, the readers bounty knows no boundaries.
"Vishnurhi daata Mokshasya, Vaayuscha tad anujnaya".
Therefore, a study of Sumadwavijaya is a win win situation from every angle.
It releases us from melancholy, depression, makes our mind fresh, "manonairmalya" , paapahaani, punyarashi, Jnana, Sadhana, aparoksha Jnana and finally Moksha. Ananda Ananda Ananda all the way.
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