Sri Jayateertharu

By Dr. B. Basker in Dwaita Parimalam Magazine

Pratamo Arjuna Naamah Dvitiyo Vrishabascha cha |

Jayaateertha triteeyostu Hanumat kaarya sadhaka ||

The great Mahabharatha war was ensuing and one day after considerable success Arjuna felt egoistic about His achievements and Hanumantha in the flag (Arjuna is called Kapidvaja since Sri Vayudevaru is present in His flag) said that since you had got this kind of instinct you have to born as an animal. Arjuna was shocked but Hanumantha said that he will get great fame because of this incident.

Sri Vaayu Jeevottamaru took the avatara of Sri Madaachaaryaru at the Pajakashetra and when he used to go about, a bull used to carry all His works. Once the shishyaas were very curious as to who is going to write commentaries for the sarvamoola of the saint. His Holiness smiled and said that this bull will perform the great feat.

The shishyaas were terribly upset and hence cursed that the bull should die of a serpent bite and that wish came true. Srimadaachaaryaru revived the bull and changed the curse according to which the serpent died. He did so by chanting the sixth sargaa of the dvadasha stotra.(Matsyaswarroopaka layoda vihaarin.....). Tradition avers that during naivedya daily that everyone should recite all the 12 sargas and in the modern world (thought not an excuse) we have to recite atleast this sarga during naivedya.

His direct shishya Sri Akshobya teertharu many years later was pondering on the banks of Bhimarathi river as to who would succeed Him to adorn the peetha. In a dream that night Sri Ramachandra and Srimadaachaaryaru appeared and said in the same place where he was doing japa the next day he would get the answer.

The next day as he was meditating a youth came on a horse back and went to the deepest part of the river riding the horse and drunk the water with out getting out of the horse. The boy was none other than the son of the local chieftain Raghunatha Rao Deshpande and Lakuma Bhai and his name was Dondu Rao Deshpande. The saint asked Him the question "kim pashu poorva dehe".(What type of animal were you in the previous birth?). This opened the eyes of the boy. He realised the nature of His previous two births and understood the intention and mission of this birth and was ordained into sanyaasa by the saint. The parents heard this and furiously ended up with a wordly duel with the parents and took the boy got married to two wives and they went to the room of their husband and were shock to see the form of a snake and one of them fainted and the other returned to tell the story. The parents of the saint really repented and fell at the feet of the master and beseeched pardon. This saint was none other than the great Jayateertharu. He is also known as teekakritpaadaru since he has written eighteen teekas for the sarvamoola granthhaas of Sri Madhvarayaru. He has also to His credit three independent works

Vaadaavali

Padyamaala

Pramaana Paddhathi

The magnum opus of Sri Teekaaraayaru is the Nyaaya Sudha which is a yardstick to measure the scholarliness of any scholar of the madhva tradition. It is a work on the Anuvyaakyana of Srimadhaachaaryaru. Sri Vijayadaasaru has written a lovely composition on this great saint in the thodi raagaa.

saari bhajisiro teekaachaaryarinkriwaaghora paadkaambudiya taaramalparo........

Chitrai padaischa gambeeryai vaakyair maanairakhandithai |

Gurubhaavam vyanjayanthi baathi Sri Jayateertha vaak ||

Brindavan of Teekarayaru is at Malakheda.

works of Sri Jayateertaru

1. TattvasamkhyânaTîkâ

2. TattvavivekaTîkâ

3. Tattvoddyota Tîkâ

4. Vishnu-tatva-vinîrNaya Tîkâ

5. Mâyâvâda Khandana Tîkâ

6. Prapancha Mithyatvânumana Khandana Tika

7. Commentary on Upâdhi Khandana

8. PramâNa LakshaNa Tîkâ

9. Kathâ Lakshana Tîkâ

10. Commentary on Karma NirNaya

11. Tattvaprakâshikâ

12. Nyâya-Sudhâ (Tîkâ on Anu Vyâkhyâna)

13. Nyâya VivaraNa Tîkâ

14. ShaTprashna Upanishad Bhâshya Tîkâ

15. Îshavâsya Upanishad Bhâshya Tîkâ

16. Rg Veda Bhâshya Tîkâ

17. Gita Bhâsya Prameyadîpîkâ

18. Gita Tâtparya Nyâyadîpikâ

19. VâdâvaLî (aka VedântavâdâvaLî)

20. PramâNapaddhati

21. Padyamâlâ

22. Shatâparâdha Stotra

23. Adhyâtma TarangiNî

Sri Teekaachaaryaantargata Sri Krishnaarpanamasthu.

- Sheshadri P.R. Rao

Aashaada, Krushna, Panchami, Wednesday, is the aaraadhane of Sri Jayateertharu (Sri Teekaaraayaru) at Malkhed/NavaBrundaavana.

ü The Vrushabha that carried the Sarvamoola GranthagaLu is believed to have incarnated as Sri Jayateertharu. This is clearly indicated in the Anu Jayateertha Vijaya written by Sri VyaasaTeertharu, the direct Shishyaru of Sri Jayateertharu. His moola vrundaavana is located just in front of Sri Teekaaraayara brundaavana in Malakheda.

ü The poorvaashrama house of Sri Jayaraayaru can still be seen very close (say, 3 km) to the Panduranga temple in Pandarapura.

ü His debate (Vaada) with Vidyaaranyaru and effortless win over him in the yaragOla guhe (cave) is a record in itself.

ü He did tapassu in the yaragOLa cave for 21 continuous years to write-up gems like Nyaayasudha and TathwaPrakaashika.

ü The fact that he entered Vrundaavana at a tender age indicates that he was here on earth just to propagate the VaayVamsha.

ü He is called as the Senaadhipathi of Madhwa Sainya (army) by Sri SatyaPriya Teertharu in his Jayateertha Stuthi.

ü He is also called as the ‘VijayaSthamba’ by Sri SatyaPriya Teertharu in his Jayateertha Stuthi.

ü Many great Yathigalu have written great teeka-tippani about the Sri NyaayaSudha grantha. Namely, VyaasaTrayagaLu, Vaagvajra by Sri Sreepaadaraajaru, and Parimala by Sri Raayaru.

ü His tour and Digvijaya of Delhi is unforgettable. The Sulatan of Delhi bowing at the feet of Sri Jayaraayaru is unimaginable.

I have scribbled some additional info about maLakheda and nearby places:

1. Gulbarga is around 600 km from Bangalore (either by bus/train).

2. maLakheda is 45 from Gulbarga (Sedam road). The river that flows next to the Vrundaavana is Kaagini.

3. Malakheda hosts Sri Jayaraayaru, Sri Raghunaatha Teertharu, Sri Akshyobhya teerthau, Sri Vyaasateertharu (not Vyaasaraajaru, but he is the direct shishyaru of Teekaaraayaru and wrote Anu Jyayateertha Vijaya), Sri Raghudaantha teertharu of Koodli Akshyobhya teertha mutt, and others.

4. The moola Vrundaavana of Sri Maadhava Teertharu (direct shishyaru of Srimadaachaaryaru) and Vedesha teertharu is in Maashaala Manooru, 100 km from Gulbarga bus stop (the roads are very bad). Manooru is the place where Vaasudeva roopi paramaathma appeared to Bhaktha Dhruva.

5. yaragoLa guhe (cave) is 45 km from maLakhed. You can reach this place by auto/your own vehicle. No public transport is available. But, while coming from Bangalore, if you get down in Waadi railway station, yaragoLa guhe is only 8 km from the station.

6. yaragoLa cave has the moola vrundavana of Sri Raamachandara Teertharu and Sri Vidhyaanidhi teertharu (the moola purusharu of Sri Uttaraadi mutt).

7. The auto route to yaragoLa cave from maLakhed is horrible with untarred roads. Shared auto will cost you 100 per person. Do not take auto if you have elderly people in your group. Teertha-prasaada will be arranged at yaragoLa on a short notice. It is a peaceful and must-visit place.

8. yaragoLa cave is the place where Sri Teekaraayaru did tapassu for 21 years and wrote 22 granthagaLu. As an evidence to his stay there, he has installed Saakshi Hanumappa, very next to the cave. 2 km from the cave is a place where your find a small gudi built to indicate the place where the pettige of Sri moola RaamaDevaru came out of the ground upon the stothra done by Sri Vidhyaanidi Teertharu.

9. History says that the moola Vrundaavana of Sri Raajendra teertharu (the moola purusharu of Vyaasaraaja Mutt) and Sri Vidhyaadhiraaja teertharu (the direct shishyaru of Sri Jayaraayaru) is located in yaragoLa. They are not to be seen today!!!!!!!

10. Get down in Gulbarga and board the Sedam bus, which stops just in front of maLakeda temple.