surottama teertharu bandarakeri matha bhandarakeri mutt yati 15 vaishakha shukla triteeya ಸುರೋತ್ತಮ ತೀರ್ಥರು

vaishAka shudda trithIya is the ArAdhane of shri sUrothama tIrtharu of bhanDarakere maTa.

shri sUrothama tIrtharu:

parampare: bhamdArakere maTa, #15

gurugaLu: shri raghuvallabha tIrtharu

shishyaru: shri vishwOthama tIrtharu

brindAvana: barkUr

He was the pUrvAshrama younger brother of shri bhAvisamIra vAdirAjara tIrtharu. 

vAdirAja tIrtha was already a Sanyasi when his brother was born. He came back from one of his tours, met his aged parents -Ramachandra and Gowri Devi - and conducted the Upanayana of his younger brother.

Thereafter, vAdirAja tIrtha left on his Sanchara and his brother continued to live with his parents at their ancestral house in Hoovinakere. Meanwhile, vAdirAja tIrtha's brother learnt all the vedas and Shastras in the course of time he mastered all the religious texts.

A few years later, Gowri Devi passed away and then shri Ramachandra. After this incident vAdirAja tIrtha's brother lost interest in the materialistic world and gave up all the properties to Sode mata. He then began staying in the maTa itself and began to led a monastic life. He then sought out vAdirAja tIrtha  and urged him to give Sanyasa deeksha.

He was then given Sanyasa deeksha and was named sUrOthama tIrtha in bhanDarakere maTa parampare. sUrOthama tIrtha ascended the bhanDArakEri maTa seat after his guru, shri raghuvallabha tIrtharu. 

Interestingly, sUrOthama tIrtha was in Udupi when the Kanakana Kindi incident is supposed to have taken place in the Sri Krishna Temple.

He has written commentaries on vAdirAjA's Yukti Mallika and Vishnu tIrthA's Sanyasa paddhati. sUrOthama tIrtha handed over the reigns of the Bandarkeri matha to Viswottama Theertha.

By the way, there is a lot of similarity between the brothers of Madhwacharya and Vadiraja tIrtha. Madhwacharya’s brother-Vishnu Theertha-was born after the Acharya decided to take Sanyasa. Similarly, sUrOthama tIrtha was born after Vadiraja was born for an ascetic life. Both Vishnu tIrtha and sUrOthama tIrtha lived a life of a householder for several years and took care of their parents. Both decided to take the plunge into Sanyasa only after the death of their parents. Both were head of different mathas and both were given sanyasa by their illustrious brothers. 

Both Vishnu tIrtharu and sUrOthama tIrtharu have written commentaries on some of the works of their brothers. Both were excellent scholars and they have their own standing in the Dwaitha order. The similarities, however, end here. While Vishnu tIrtharu disappeared from view at Kumara Parvata, sUrOthama tIrtha entered Brindavana.

shri sUrothama tIrtha guruvAntargata, maharudradeva guruvAntargata, bhArathiramaNa mukhyaprANantargata sItApate shri kOdanDa rAmA dEvara pAdAravindakke gOvindA gOvindA....

shri krishnArpaNamastu...

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Moola brindavana of Bhandarakeri mathiya Surottama teertharu at Bhandarakeri.He is poorvashrama brother of Vadirajaru...His Aradhane will be celebrated on the day of Akshaya Truteeya.

In vruttaratna sangaraha-

"surottamaaryastasyaaseet sOdaryO vidvadagraNee|

yateendrO viShNuteerthaaryo yathaa madhvasya vai puraa||

He has writtten commentaries on Yuktimallika ,Pashandamata khandana ..etc...There is mention of a commentary by Surottama teertharu for sanyasa paddhati by Vishnu teertharu.

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ಸುರೋತ್ತಮತೀರ್ಥರು ಸುರೋತ್ತಮತೀರ್ಥರು ವಾದಿರಾಜ ಯತಿಗಳ ಪೂರ್ವಾಶ್ರಮದ ತಮ್ಮಂದಿರು ಹಾಗೂ ಭಂಡಾರಕೇರಿ ಮಠದ ಗುರುಪರಂಪರೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹನ್ನೆರಡನೇ ತಲೆಮಾರಿನವರು. ಇವರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ವಾದಿರಾಜಗುರುವರಚರಿತಾಮೃತದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣಬಹುದು. ಕುಂಭಾಸಿಯ ಹತ್ತಿರದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಹೂವಿನಕೆರೆ ಗ್ರಾಮ ವಾದಿರಾಜ ಯತಿಗಳ ಹುಟ್ಟೂರು ಕೂಡ ಸುರೋತ್ತಮತೀರ್ಥರ ಹುಟ್ಟೂರು. ಇವರು ಮಧ್ವಾಚಾರ್ಯರ ಪೂರ್ವಾಶ್ರಮದ ತಮ್ಮಂದಿರಾದ ಸೋದೆ ಮತ್ತು ಸುಬ್ರಹ್ಮಣ್ಯ ಮಠಗಳ ಮೂಲ ಯತಿಗಳಾದ ವಿಷ್ಣುತೀರ್ಥರ ಸನ್ಯಾಸಪದ್ಧತಿಗೆ, ವಾದಿರಾಜ ಯತಿಗಳ ಯುಕ್ತಿಮಲ್ಲಿಕಾದಿ ಗ್ರಂಥಗಳಿಗೆ ವ್ಯಾಖ್ಯಾನಗಳನ್ನು ಬರೆದಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಇವರ ನಂತರ ಪೀಠಕ್ಕೇರಿದವರು ವಿಶ್ವೋತ್ತಮತೀರ್ಥರು. ಇವರ ಮೂಲ ವೃಂದಾವನ ಬಾರ್ಕೂರಿನ ಭಂಡಾರಕೇರಿ ಮಠದಲ್ಲಿದೆ.

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