Sri Sumateendra teertharu
By Dr B Basker on Dwaita Parimalam Pages
The arrival of the month of November every year brings glee to the hearts of the young and the old on the thought of the celebration of the festival of lights , deepaavali. The devout and the learned among the madhva community however also fondly and respectfully remember one more vali i.e. the taravali. Yes. the taravali is a series of works of one of the greatest saints of Sri Raghavendra Matha namely Sri Sumateeendra teertha whose aradhane usually falls on the previous day of naraka chaturdashi. (aradhane being asweejaaa krishna thrayodashi). His brindavan is situated at Srirangam besides the brindaavans of Sri Rayaru and His sucessor Sri Yogindra teertharu. After Sri Yogindra , Sri Surindra teertha took up the reins of the matha to be followed by Sri Sumateendra teertha. Sri Sumateendra teertha was a scholar par excellence and happened to be the grandson of the elder brother of Sri Raghavendraswami , Sri Gururajacharya.
His Holiness was fortunate to have been educated for some time by Mantralaya Prabhu Himself and no wonder was blessed by the latter so bountifully. His contribution was so significant that the matha after Him came to to called as Sri Sumateendra matha.
Besides the two taravalis (Yogindra taravali and Raama taravali) this great scholar saint has written Praanapooja paddhathi and Raama dandakaa. All the four works have been published in the devanagari by Mantralaya.
The saint also has a feast for the students of Alamkara. He has written an excellent gloss on the Alamkaramanjari of Sri Sudeendra teertha (the guru of Sri Raghavendraswami) . The scholars of alamkara who find the alamkaramanjari tough, can go through this work and clarify their doubts on the former work. Let us all do smarane of this great saint (usually on the neeru tumbuvo habba,water filling function before deepavali) and be blessed by Sri Harih Vaayuh Gurugalu.
- Contributed by Sheshadri P.R. Rao
Aashveeja, Krishna, Dwaadashi, is the aaraadhane of Sri SumateendraTeertharu, Srirangam, Tamil Nadu.
· Ascending the Sarvagna Peeta in the Mantraalaya Raayara Mutt (3rd after Sri Raayaru), he was a great Sanyaasi and Viraagi.
· Incidentally, his gurugalu Sri Yogeendra Teertharu (the direct shishyaru of Sri Raayaru), Sri Sooreendra Teertharu, he himeslf, and Sri Upendra
Teertharu (Sri Vaadeendrara Gurugalu) were all the sons of one mother (Ondhe Taayiya MakkaLu).
· Known as MudduVenaktaKrishnaachaarya in his poorvaashrama, he had direct teachings from none other than Sri Raayaru. It is told that he
was a pet of Sri Raayaru.
· After taking Sanyaasa, such was his Paanditya and Mihime that the Raayara Mutt in SriRangam became well-known as Sri Sumateendra
Teertha Mutt.
· Even today, the Mutt is known as Sri Sumateendra Teertha Mutt.
· As we all know, the idol of Sri-Bhoo-Durgaa-Sametha-VaikuntaVaasudevaru was got to the Raayara Mutt by Sri Sumateendra Teertharu.
· It is said that some ill-minded people does Vaamaachaara on Sri RangaNaatha Swaamy himself. Though it is nowhere possible that the
Swaamy gets affected by these, it is the wish of SriHari is disclose the mahime of Sri Sumateendraru.
· After the vaamaachaara was done, the Mantraavaadi hides himself in the GarghaGudi of Sri Ranganaatha (SriRangam T.N.), and starts doing
Kalaakakrshana. Because he was not visible to anybody and he continues to do the kaLaakarshana by staring at the Vigraha, the Vigraha
starts losing its Kaanthi and starts fading and becomes kaLaaheena.
· By looking at this strange phenomenon, the priests and ministers of SriRangama inform the then queen Raani Mangamma, who resided in
Madurai palace.
· She rushes to SriRangam and gets worried after looking the kaLaaheena vigraha. That is when Sri Sumateenraru comes to SriRangam for his
TeerthaYaathre.
· After being told by people, she bows to the feet of Sri Sumateendraru and requests him to rescue her kingdom out of this trouble.
· Sri Sumanteendraru, on entering the temple will, through his DivyaDrushti, know that the Vaamaachaari is hiding behind the GarbhaGrudi
preparing his next Naivedhya.
· The reason is, the Vaamaachaari survived on the Nivednya that was presented to the Swaami. He used to sip the energy with a stare of his
eye. Such was his strength!
· The cook uses twice the amount of Menasu and keeps it for Naivedhya. Without knowing this, the Vaamaachaari consumes it and as it was
extremely Khaara, the Anjana that he had applied to make himself Adrushya, melts down from his eyes and he appears to the crowd.
· The queen’s soldiers punish him and drag him out of the Garbhagudi to put him in the cell.
· Pleased with this, Raani Mangamma bows to SriSumateendraru and requests him to order for anything that he wants.
· Being a SarvaSangaParithyaagi himself, SrigaLu orders her to give the Sri-Bhu-Durga Sametha vVaikuntaVaasudevaru, which was sculptured by the DevaShilpi VishwaKarana, worshipped by Neelaadevi, one of lord Krishna’s Asthamahishiyaru.
· Event to-date, you can see this Virgraha, which is worshipped by Sri Suyateendra Teertharu. Nice and huge photos of this idol are also available now!
· He has written many Granthagalu of which Sri Yogeendra Taaraavali narrates the complete mahime, paandithya, and dinachari of Sri Yogeendra teertharu, the direct Shishyaru of Sri Raayaru.
· Sri Sumateendraru was in the peeta between 1692 and 1725.
· His successor was Sri Upendra Teertharu, the aashrama guguraLu of Sri Vaadeendra Teertharu, the composer of Sri GuruGunaSthavana, sitting in Mantraalaya next to Sri Raayaru.