shrI pAdaraja Theertharu Life history/ MadhvanAma

June 25, 2007

shrI Hari vAyu gurubhyo namaha

Sri Padaraja Theertha Aradhane- Jyeshta Shukla Chaturdashi- 29th June, 2007

kAle phalati surudrumaH chintAmaNir api yAchane daataa |vararthi sakalam abhiiShTaM darshana mAtrAt shrIpAdarAjo muniH||tamvande nR^isimha thiirtha nilayam shrii vyAsarAt pujitam |dhyAyantam manasA nR^isimha charaNam shrI pAdarAjam gurum ||

I pray to guru shrIpAdaraja, the one who resides in Narasimha tIrtha, who was revered by vyAsaraja, & who always worships the feet of Narasimha.

shrI pUrNabodha gurupUjita gOpinATha

bAhyantarAna varatArchana tatparAya

shrI ranga viTTala hayAnana pUjakAya

shrIpAdarAja guruvEstu namaH shubhaya

Glory to guru shrIpAdarAja, the one who is forever immersed in the devotion of the Lord gOpinaTha who was worshipped by Sri MadhvAchArya, & in the worship of ranga viTTala & hayagrIva.

namaH sripAdArAjaya namastE vyAsa yogine

namaH purandararyAya vijayAryAya te namaha

This stothra is recited at the beginning of any traditional Harikatha discourse; it salutes 4 great individuals who contribute a lot to the haridAsa movement - sripAdarAja, vyAsaraja, purandara dAsa & vijaya dAsa.

Source: http://www.sripadarajamutt.org/

About Sripadaraja TheerthaSripadarajaru is revered by all madhvas. It is believed that he is the incarnation of Dhruva. His contributions to Dvaita, Haridasa Sahitya, and the then existing social and political circumstances were considerable. He was also the vidyaguru of Sri Vyasaraya. Sripadaraya or Sripadaraja is considered to be the originator of Dasakuta. That is why his name stands first in the following stotra which is sung at the beginning of any traditional Harikatha discourse . "namah sripadarajaya namaste vyasa yogine namah purandararyaya vijayaryaya te namaha" That is why he is also called as 'Dasa Pitamaha' (Grand Father of Dasas). He spread the message of Bhagawatha through his songs. Lakshminarayana becomes a sanyasi

Sripadaraja was born in Shivaganga on the banks of the river Kaveri. His parents named him Lakshminarayana. Swarnavarna thirtha was the 8th pontiff descended from Padmanabha Tirtha (a direct disciple of Madhvacharya). He was once travelling towards Abburu when he came across Lakshminarayana playing with this friends. When asked how far Abburu was, the little boy gave a very clever reply. He said, "Look at the setting sun, and look at us playing here. Now you guess how far Abburu is! " (the intended meaning was "we are playing here even though the sun is setting because we are confident of reaching home before it gets really dark; in other words, Abburu is close by ! "). The Swamiji was taken back by the boy's keen intellect and decided to make him disciple. Later, after obtaining his parent's consent, the boy was granted Sanyashrama and named Lakshminarayana yogi. The name Sripadaraja was given to him by Sri Raghunatha Tirtha of Uttaradi matha. There are 2 versions about why he did so; one version goes that he was impressed by young Lakshminarayana yogi's vidvat, whereas another goes that he personally witnessed the revival of a dead boy by Lakshminarayana yogi. In any case, from then on Lakshminarayana yogi became Sripadaraja. (In Kannada, a swamiji is called "Sripadangalu" or "Srigalu", so Sripadarajaru literally means the king of Sanyasis). Sripadarajaru had "Sukha Prarabdha" i.e., he was destined to live like a king even though he was a saint. Needless to add, he was at heart a total ascetic whose mind was pegged at the lotus feet of Gopalakrishna, but his Prarabdha forced him to enjoy Rajavaibhoga. It is said that he once gave up his regular ways when some misguided persons objected; then so many untoward things happened that the same persons begged him to go back to his regular ways. According to a tradition, recorded in the Brahmanya Tirtha Vijaya, Brahmanya and Sripadaraja were cousins and were roughly of the same age. It is remarkable that both renounced the World and devoted themselves to the cause of their faith and played a conspicuous part in the spiritual development of their gifted disciple Sri Vyaasa Theertha. Sripadaraja earned great fame by removing Vijayanagara King's Brahmahatya Dosha (the sin of killing Brahmins) which is considered to be the most heinous of all sins.

Birth :

Shri Svarnavarna Tirtha, the immediate predecessor of Sripadaraja, was a great saint. His name (which literally means 'golden color') was due to the fact that his bramha Tejas was so much that his body literally had a golden hue. He lived in Shrirangam in Tamilnadu and was looking for a suitable successor who would carry on the noble task of propagating dvaita. Sripadaraja, whose Purvashrama name was Lakshminarayana, was born to devout parents Sheshagiriyappa and Giriyamma in Abbur in the Chennapatna Taluk of Karnataka, on the banks of the river Kanva. This spot is also graced by the charisma of the venerable Shri Purushottama Tirtha of Purvadi Mata (now called Vyasaraja mata). Even today, Shri Purushottama Tirtha is said to be performing penance in a cave in this region.

Sanyasa :

The river Cauveri branches off in 3 places, in its course, which are all pilgrimage centers called Adiranga, Madhyaranga and Antyaranga. Shrirangapatna near Mysore is the Cauveri's Adiranga, Shivanasamudra the Madhyaranga, and Shrirangam near Trichi in Tamilnadu is the Antyaranga. It was in the pilgrim town of Shrirangapatna (Cauveri's Adiranga) that providence brought Shri Swarnaavaraa Tirtha and Lakshminarayana together when the latter was a mere 5 year old. Shri Swarnavarna Tirtha and his retinue were travelling from Shrirangam to abbur. On their way, they saw Laksminarayana and his friends playing in the forest. Shri Swarnavarna Tirtha called the boy near him and asked him how far abbur was. The radiant boy answered in a quaint way that the saint had never expected! He said, "Please see the cattle grazing and the boys playing. Also see the setting sun in the West". The import of this puzzling reply was "The sun is setting and it is going to be dark very soon. Yet you see the cattle still razing and us playing without a care. Obviously this means that Abbur must be very, very close by!" Shri Swarnavarna Tirtha immediately understood what the little boy was saying, but was taken aback by the brilliant mind that fashioned such a poetic reply. In a flash, he realized that this young boy was the successor that he was looking for. He immediately proceeded to Abburu and met with Shri Purushottama Tirtha. He requested the latter to speak to the boy's parents and convince them to hand over Lakshminarayana to Sri Swarnavarna Tirtha. When this was done, the parents duly handed over the boy, since they had the utmost reverence for Shri Purushottama's edict. Thus Swarnavarna Tirtha's prayer for a successor was answered in a miraculous manner. Coincidentally, Lakshminarayana's cousin also became a sanyAsin. He came under the tutelage of Purushottama Tirtha and later became his successor. He was Shri Brahmanya Tirtha, who was later succeeded by the great Shri Vyasa Tirtha. When Shri Lakshminarayana became a Sanyasin, he was named as Lakshminarayaa Yogi. He became the Matadhipathi at the age of 14 years, after the demise of his guru.

Studies:

The details of Sripadaraja's life are mainly culled out from the songs of Shri Vyasaraja, his illustrious disciple and his Sanskrit composition Pancharatnamala stutis. Other sources are the famous suladi by Shri Vijayadasa, and Shri Shrinidhi Tirtha's Sripadarajastakam and lastly Bhimacarya's Shri Purnabhoda Guruvamsha Kalpataru. After becoming a Sanyasin, Lakshminarayana Yogi continued his studies under Shri Vibhudendra Tirtha (another very great saint in what is today known as Rayara Matha). One day, Vibhudendra Tirtha took Lakshminarayana Yogi to Shri Raghunatha Tirtha (1444-1502) of Uttaradi Matha. The latter was so impressed by Shri Lakshminarayana Yogi's Scholarship that he said, "We are mere Shripadas (a popular term for Sanyasis), whereas you are Sripadaraja! (Sripadaraja literally means the King of Sanyasis)". From then on, Lakshminarayana Yogi became known as Sripadaraja. There is also another version as to how he got this name. According to this version, Shri Raghunatha Tirtha personally witnessed the revival of a dead boy by Lakshminarayana Yogi and in admiration gave him the title of Sripadaraja. The Sripadarajashtakam mentions their joint pilgrimage to Banaras. The Sripadarajashtakam talks about the considerable influence Shri Sripadaraja wielded over the King Saluva Narasimha at Chandragiri. The King, after his return from the Kalinga campaign (in 1476) honored Shri Sripadaraja. Shri VyAsa Tirtha also visited the court of Saluva Narasimha at Shri Sripadaraja's behest. Sripadaraja had "SUKHA PRARABDHA" i.e., he was destined to lead a regal lifestyle even though he was a saint. Needless to add, he was at heart a total ascetic whose mind was pegged at the lotus feet of Gopalakrishna, but his Prarabdha forced him to enjoy Rajavaibhoga. It is said that he once gave up his regular ways when some misguided persons objected; then, so many untoward things happened that the same persons begged him to go back to his regular ways. A haridAsa has humorously remarked that little dhruva's penance was so rigorous that the Lord ordained that he would not undergo any hardship in any of his next incarnations. Above all he was a devout bhakta of the Lord. Once he asked his disciple Vyasaraja to conduct the daily Puja in his absence. Shri Vyasaraja saw that one Sampusta (box containing divine Vigrahas) had had never been opened so far. Out of curiosity, he tried to open it, and succeeded immediately. He was astounded when a beautiful Vigraha of Lord Gopala Krishaa Vigraha came out of the box and began to dance in front of him. He was so engrossed that he used the Saligrama as Tala. When Sripadaraja entered the Puja hall, Krishna froze in the middle of the dance. Sripadaraja presented this icon to Vyasaraja and told him "I could not open the box, only you were destined to open it. So this Vigraha morally belongs to you". Even today, this miraculous Vigraha, with its unusual pose, is worshipped by saints of the Vyasaraja MaTha. The King of Vijayanagara was a pious ruler. Once, due to unavoidable circumstances, the king became indirectly responsible for the death of the Priests of the Tirupati Temple and got Bramha hatya Dosha (an extremely heinous sin). The King came to Sripadaraja and surrendered at his feet, asking for relief from the sin. Sripadaraja, who knew the inherent noble nature of the king, and also the circumstances that led to the killing, performed many Yagnas and Pujas on behalf of the king and wiped out his Bramha Hatya Dosha. The King was overcome with relief and gratitude. As a token of gratitude, the King requested Sripadaraja to sit on the throne so that he could perform Kanakabisheka. Sripadaraja told the king that as a Sanyasi he was least interested in such ceremonies. The King begged him repeatedly and finally Sripadaraja acceded to his request. The King performed Kanakabhisheka. The king of Vijayanagara continuously requested Sripadaraja to settle down in his kingdom, and become his Raja-Guru. Sripadaraja declined to do so due to old age, but agreed to send his beloved disciple Shri Vyasaraja instead. Thus Shri Vyasaraja became the Raja-Guru of the Vijayanagara empire.

Miracles :

Shri Sripadaraja performed many miracles and taught Vyasaraja, who described him as 'Bhakta Mandara', 'Haripadambhojabhrnga', 'Shri Krishna Divyapadabja Chintalola'. Even to this day, Miracles are happening at Mulabagal. Shri Sripadarajaru had "Sukha Prarabdha" i.e., he was destined to enjoy all comforts including good food though he was a saint. Some people who did not realize this viewed his eating habits as contrary to the lifestyle of Sanyasins. To silence his critics, he once regurgitated the food in its original form! Once, Shri Sripadaraja relieved a King of Brahma-Hatya Dosha. Some detractors did not believe that the Brahma-Hatya Dosha had been wiped out, and thought that Sripadaraja had decieved the king. When Sripadaraja heard this, he summoned them and asked them to take a white cloth and dip it in black linseed oil (called 'Geru Yenne' in Kannada). The cloth became totally black. Shri Sripadaraja sprinkled some water from his Kamandalu (a vessel carried by Saints), and the cloth became spotlessly white! The detractors realized the amazing powers of Shri Sripadaraja and were overcome with remorse for having suspected such a noble soul. He forgave their sin with a smile. Some of his devotees were depressed that they could not travel to Kashi and Bath in the holy River Ganga. Shri Sripadaraja told the devotees to come next morning near the Narasimha Theertha (a small pond in front of Lord Narasimha Temple). Shri Sripadaraja meditates on Lord Gopinatha and requests Mother Ganga to shower her blessings. Mother Ganga gets so pleased with Shri Sripadaraja's devotion and all of a sudden, the Sky becomes gray and starts raining for some time. The devotees get the holy bath of Ganga without going to Kashi and even now one can see the waters of Ganga near narasimha tIrtha in Mulbagal.

The Haridasa Movement and Literature :

This movement flourished in Karnataka between the 13th and the 18th centuries. Today the movement has now become synonymous with great Dasas like Purandara Dasa, Kanaka Dasa, Vijaya Dasa, Gopala Dasa and Jagannatha Dasa. However, one needs to remember that great saints like Shri Sripadaraja, Vyasaraja and Vadiraja have nourished this movement during its infancy and contributed a lot to its growth and success. In fact, Sripadaraja is considered as the founder of this tradition. 'DASA SAHITYA' is the term used to denote compositions of this genre. They are enormously popular, both with the masses and with scholars, because of two main reasons. First and foremost is the fact that they are in the local language - Kannada, putting them within the reach of the common man. Second, they are beautiful compositions with an appeal that is both universal and timeless. They would be popular irrespective of language, time or place. They form the core of literature in the vernacular Bhakti movement. They are also popular in the Bhajan tradition in which the songs are sung with raga and taLa (pitch and percussion) during group worship. Content-wise, compositions by haridAsas are usually devotional pieces, steeped in intense and passionate devotion which would melt anybody's heart. Sometimes, they incorporate a social or moral message, that is relevant even today. Or, they underscore a philosophical or metaphysical concept in simple terms.

Sripadaraja's Contribution :

Sripadaraja's contribution to Kannada 'DASA SAHITYA' is enormous and foundational. As stated before, he is considered as 'Haridasa Pitamaha' (The Grandfather of Haridasa movement). In fact, most traditional Harikatha exponents recite this stotra with a lot of reverence at the beginning of a discourse.

About (Dhruvaraja) Sripadaraja:

Miracles of Sripadaraja: Sri Sripadaraja (the saint of saints) is none other than the very incarnation of Shri Dhruva raja, the son of King UttanapAda. Dhruva Raja also called as Sripadaraja doing prayer to NarayanaPrince Dhruva at the age of five aspired to sit on the lap of his father, king Uttanapada. But he was denied this privilege by his step mother, Suruchi, who exercised great influence on his father and was told that he could enjoy the privilege aspired for, only on being born as her son. Being vexed at this, he was advised by his own mother, sunithi, to pray God to accomplish his desire. Accordingly, Dhruva went to the dense forest to offer prayer to Lord Shriman Narayana. On the way to the forests, Narada Maharishi blessed him with Dwadasaksara mantra for his prayers. Prince Dhruva faithfully and strictly followed the advice and started his penance standing on the toe of his right leg with folded hands and prayed the Lord. During his prayers he preferred to pray merely eating fallen green leaves and water for some time and continued the penance with mere water for some more time. Further his prayers were continued with no food or water but by mere breathing. When he could not see the Lord even at the cost of deep devotional prayers, he stopped breathing and prayed the Lord by holding his breath. This was the height of penance anybody at any age (dhruva was only five then) could undertake. This resulted in the blocking of the breath of all the divine beings of the other world and having suffered suffocation, the Devas prayed the supreme to relieve their suffocation. When the Supreme Lord could not test any further the boy's sincere prayers, he immediately came down to the Dhruvaraja's place without even informing his concert Shri Lakshmi and stood before the boy. However, Dhruvaraja did not open his eyes inspite of the Lord standing before him. Thus the Lord who was being seen by Shri Dhruva in his inner vision disappeared from his inner vision when Shri Dhruva opened his eyes to see the same form of the Lord as was seen in his inner vision. At the sight of the Lord, Dhruva was dumb founded and could not speak anything because of over joy. By the grace of Mahalakshmi he was able to praise the Lord who bestowed him the kingship of the kingdom for 36000 years after which he was made the Emperor of Dhruva Mandala for a period of one Brahma Kalpa, which is 100 years of Brahma. Dhruvaraja now being the king of Dhruva Mandala is in-charge of controlling the Navagrahas, the Kalachakra, etc. His Loka Dhruvaloka is situated 13 Lakh Yojana above Rushi Mandala from where he controls the movement of Sun, Moon & other planets. Dhruvaraja holds his office of the emperorship of the Dhruvaloka for that period. Since this is an official post - Dhruvaraja thought that he would not be entitled to attain Moksha, the desired goal of every soul. He wanted to know the attributes of God in a disciplined manner during a lifetime in a place designated for the purpose in the universe i.e. Bharata. Accordingly, Dhruvaraja came down to the earth in an Amsha and assumed Sanyasa to complete his Sadana and goes by the name Shri Sripadaraja Ganga comes to Narasimha Theertha

Sripadaraja has his brindavana at a place called Narasimha Theertha, about a mile from Mulabagilu, on the Bangalore and Madras national highway. There is an interesting anecdote about Narasimha Theertha which goes as follows: It is said that when he was at his old age, he wanted to have Ganga-snana, but could not travel all the way up north. Ganga then appeared before him and said that she herself would come to Narasimha Theertha and stay there for ever. From then on, a dip in Narasimha Theertha is considered to be equivalent to a dip in Ganga.

The following stotra in honor of Sripadaraja was composed by Vyasaraya

tamvande nR^isimha thiirtha nilayam shrii vyAsarAt pujitam |dhyAyantam manasA nR^isimha charaNam shrI pAdarAjam gurum ||

I pray to guru shrIpAdaraja, the one who resides in Narasimha tIrtha, who was revered by vyAsaraja, & who always worships the feet of Narasimha.

madhvanAma written by Sripadaraja Theertharu

English translation written by Hunsur Sriprasad

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