Lakshminatha Tirtha - life history summarized

August 15, 2009

Lakshminatha Tirtha was pontiff of the Vyasaraja mutt after Lakshmivallabha Tirtha. He was the seventh in succession from Vyasaraja. He was the recipient of two grants, one in 1643 AD from Tirumala Nayaka of madura and another from Srirangaraya III (1642-1667), the last of the Emperors of Vijayanagar, who had his capital at penuokonda in 1663 .

He seems to have been a pontiff of great influence and remained on the peetha of the Vyasarja mutt for about 25 years. The exact dates of his succession and demise are not known. We may however place his pontifical rule roughly between 1640 -1655. He mentions Yadavendra as his vidyaguru. This Yadavendra is probably the same as the senior disciple of Sudhindra (1596-1623).

Lakshminatha Tirtha passed away at Srirangam. His only work is a learned commentary on the Nyayamruta of which we have a couple of manuscripts at the Madras Oriental Library. It is said to be intended for the benefit of average students. One of the manuscripts terminates at the end of section " agnanasya vachaspatyuktajeevaasrithatvabhamgaha " and runs to 8000 granthas. A fascinating feature of this commentary is the lucid and elaborate exposition of several Mimamsa Nyayas pressed into service in the Nyayamruta .

Dr .A R panduranga Rao of Triplicane, Madras has taken pains to identify and copy the manuscripts of Sri Lakshminatha Tirtha from Madras Oriental Library. He conducted a Sabha in 1997 at the brindavana sannidhana at Srirangam with eminent scholars like Mysore Seshagiri Rao and Dwaita Prahaladachar and Vamana Haridas Bhat .

More details about Sri Lakshminatha Tirtha are available in Dr. BNK Sharma's works .

The grant received for Vyasaraja mutt from the Penukonda emperor mentioned above is in respect of a piece of land at Yelahanka in present day North Bangalore .

Respectful obesiance to the great guru. - B. Sarvothaman