Sri H. H. Sathyadhyana Thirtha

[Guest guest]

hari sarvOththamma, vAyu jIvOththamma

 

shrI gurubhyO namaha

 

Dear Krishnabhakthas:

 

We would like to share with you the lectures on Bhaghavat Gita &

TattvavAda to the list. This book contains questions asked by students,

audience to Sri H. H. Sathyadhyana Thirtha mainly on Sri Vyasaraja

Thirtha's premaya shloka quoting from Bhaghavat Gita . We thought we

could post this from His Aradhane day which was during Sri Rama Navami

but we got the permission to post this copyright book only now. We got

the permission from Uttaradhi Mutt, Basavangudi, Bangalore, & from Sri

H. H. Sri SathyAthma Thirtha of Sri Uttradhi Mutt very recently.

 

Lectures on Srimad Bhaghavat Geetha

by Sri Sathyadhyana Thirtha Sri padhangalavaru, Uttradhi Mutt

 

Translated into English by Sri Krishnamurthy.

 

Published by Sri M. R. Krishnamurthy & Sri M. N. Gururaja Rao.

 

All rights go to the Basavangudi Uttradhi Mutt, Bangalore 560004

 

madhwamathatha sidhdhantha paddhadhiya bidabEdi bidabEdi,

 

G. V. & Shobha Srinivasan

 

Introduction:

 

Brief sketch:

 

Sri Sathyadhyana Thirtha of Uttradhi Mutt (1872-1942) was born in an

ancient family of erudite scholors in the village called Chikkodi in

Belgaum District of Karnataka State. It is a prestige & honor to the

family that both his father & the Swamiji became peetadhipathies in

their time of the premier center for philosophy. His purvAsarma name

was Sethurama & His father's name was Jayacharya.

 

Sri Swamiji had his brahmOpadesha at the age of 8 & started his serious

studies in Sanskrit & Shastras under the guidence of his father who was

a great scholor himself.

 

He was married & lead a normal life of a learned Brahmin householder,

teaching Sastras to many students & scholors. At the age of 40 in 1912,

he became Sri Sathyadhyana Thirtha & peethadhipathi of Uttradhi Mutt.

 

The first outstanding event that took place after he became the

peethadhipathi was his visit to Gaya with his following scholors. From

Gaya, Swamiji proceeded to Kasi where he was holding dailly sessions of

discussions on Vedanta philosophy. He notified to all scholars that

they were welcome to the sessions & establish their individual opinion

in any branch of Indian philosophy, logic & Sanskrit grammer. Many

scholars came & tried their skill indebate in different subjects, but

they had to accept defeat. The outstanding good nature of the Swamiji

was that he never humiliated any scholar even when the scholar failed to

establish his point.

 

Though many great scholars camem the most outstanding Advaita Scholar of

the day Pandit Sivakumar Misra did not come. Swamiji sent special

invitation to him accepting all his conditions. Finally he came &

opened the debate by introducing the proposition " The world is Mithya " .

He gave all the possible evidence from Sruthies, Smurthies & logic from

the point of view of advaitha. Swamiji explained the correct position

using the evidence from Sruthies, Smruthies & logic in a convincing

manner that the " world is sathya " . Sri Mirsa was much impressed with

the erudition of Swamiji, & accepted the arguments of the Swamiji by

saying that he got correct answer for his question. Swamiji appreciated

his scholarship & suitably honored him. He is popularly known as

ABHINAVA ANANDA THIRTHA, the pontiff of the Uttradhi Mutt, the doyen of

saints & the monarch of metaphysicians.

 

Sri Sathyadhyana Thirtha was a prince among scholars & great lover of

his students. He was prepared to help any one who wished to learn true

philosophy to any extent. The great services he rendered to the

philosophy are writing of books & teaching of philosophy in Kannada so

that even the very ordinary person who is interested in philosophy

should access to all the high & profound ideas of philosophy which are

available only in great works on the subject in difficult Sanskrit.

 

Swamiji was author of the following books. In Kannada, sabhasara

Sangraha Part 1 (Civil Suit), Parts 2 & 3 (GeethOpanyasagalu) (the

present lectures on Srimad Baghavat Geetha in English.

 

Perhaps greater service than the one what is stated above is the fact

that he trained innumerablenumber of Sishyas in philosphy. Even today,

most of the outstanding scholars in Madhwa philosophy like Sri H. H. Sri

Vidhyamanya Thirtha Swamiji of Bhandarakeri Mutt, H. H. Sri Vishweshwara

Thirtha Swamiji of Pejawar Mutt, Prof (Dr.) B. N. K. Sharma are either

his direct sishyas or the sishyas of his shisyas.

 

Sri Sathyadhyana Thirtha Sripandagalavaru attained Sri Hari pAda in 1942

at Pandarapur in Maharashtra State.

 

Sri krishnARpanamasthu.