Sri Padmanabhateertharu

Sri Padmanabha Theertha (1317-1324 AD)

Sri Madhwacharya appointed Sri Padmanabha Theertha as his successor to the newly formed dwaitha Philosophical school after him. Sri Padmanabha theertha was one among the prominent scholars who followed the footsteps of Srimadacharya & accepted his Siddhanta after thoroughly evaluating it through a process of constructive debate. After Sri Madhwacharya left to badari, Sri Padmanabha theertha took on the responsibility to spread the tatva shastra preached by Srimadacharya as instructed by him.

Poorvashrama Name : Sri Shobana Bhatta
Period : 1317-1324 AD
Ashrama Guru : Sri Madhwacharya
Patta Sishya : Sri Narahari Theertha (Pattabhisheka sishya)
Ashrama Shishya : Sri Lakshmidhara Theertha (Sripadaraja Mutt)
Aradhana : 14^th day of Kartika Bahula corresponds to 1324 AD Raktakshi Samvatsara
Vrundavana Place : Navavrundavana (Anegondi / Gajagahvara)

Sri Shobana Bhatta was an eminent Adwaitha scholar in Warangal (Orugallu) kings court which was a famous learning center & scholars at Godavari river banks. He was respected widely in the state and also he has very close relations with Sri Vidyaranya & the kings of Vijayanagar kingdom.

Sri Madhwacharya visited the Godavari river state on course of his second Badari yatra & camped in the kingdom. Sri Shobana Bhatta being a scholar made contact with the young and varchasvi sanyasi who had started different thought process in Vedanta. He engaged in debate with Srimadacharya for several days and made himself convinced that the Siddhanta formed by Sri Madhwacharya was supreme in every aspect. He whole heartedly accepted Srimadacharya’s tatva shastra & converted himself to be a proud disciple of Srimadacharya.

Sri Shobana Bhatta left all his positions in king’s court, family, wealth & became the follower of Sri Madhwacharya & accepted Vaishnava deeksha. Seeing the high degree of vairagya Sri Madhavacharya gave him sanyasa deekshe and named him Sri Padmanabha theertha around 1263 AD. Sri Padmanabha theertha followed footsteps of his acharya rest of his life in learning & propagating philosophy formed my Srimadacharya.

During the last days of Sri Madhwacharya Sri Padmanabha theertha engaged heavily in his guru seva, Pleased with his extraordinary abilities Sri Madhwacharya selected Sri Padmanabha theertha as his successor among many of his disciples as the head of the newly formed school of Vedanta called tatva Vedanta (Later became known as Dwaitha Vedanta). He gave him all main deities that he worshipped including Sri Moola Rama, Seeta, Sri Digvijaya Rama etc. along with the recognitions that he earned & the libraries that he wrote and studied in his life time. He gave Sri Padmanabha theertha the responsibility to spread the tatva Vedanta all over the Bharata bhumi & to establish tatva Vedanta among already existing schools of other schools of Vedanta namely Mayavada & Vishishtadvaita schools.

After Sri Madhwacharya left to badari, Sri Padmanabha theertha took over the responsibility to spread his message; he cleverly selected the newly forming Vijayanagar as the main center for Sri Madhwacharya’s Tatva Siddhanta. Hence we can see a big link between growth of Vijayanagar kingdom & spread of Acharya’s Tatva Siddhanta. His contacts with Harihara, Bukka & Sri Vidyaranya made it possible to get the needed support.

Apart from taking the responsibility to spread the Tatva Siddhanta, Sri Padmanabha theertha wrote many books to explain Sri Madhwacharya’s works, hence he is referred as the Prachina Teekacharya (Oldest commentator) of Srimadacharya’s works. His contributions as follows

• Sattarka Ratnavali – A Commentary of Acharya’s Bramhasutra Bhasya

• Sannaya Ratnavali – A Commentary on Acharya’s Anuvakyana

• Ananda Mala ( Scripts not available)

• Vayuleela Vistarana ( Scripts not available)

• Maayavaada Khandana ( Scripts not available)

• Upadhi Khandana ( Scripts not available)

Sri Padmanabha Theertha served 8 years as the head of the institution, tried to establish the basic necessaries needed for taking next steps, unfortunately due to age he decided to handover the responsibility as the head of institution with tiltles & rights to Sri Narahari theertha an other great disciple of Sri Madhavacharya & lived in the place close to Anegondi.

During the course of time he gave sanyasa ashrama to an other desciple and named him Sri Lakshmidhara theertha and started a separate linage, which later became famous as Sripadaraja Mutt / Mulibagala Mutt. Sri Padmanabha Theertha gave him the Sri Satyabhama sahita Gopinatha idols worshipped by acharya madhwa & blessed.
He left his body at Anegondi. Entered the first ever madhwa parampare Vrundavana at a divine island in the middle of Tungabhadra River near Anegondi, presently called as Navavrundavana.

II पूर्णप्रज्ञकृतं भाष्यमादौ तद्भावपूर्वकम्।
यो व्याकरोन्नमस्तस्मै पद्मनाभाख्ययोगिने II

ಪೂರ್ಣಪ್ರಜ್ಞಕೃತಂ ಭಾಷ್ಯಮಾದೌ ತದ್ಭಾವಪೂರ್ವಕಂ
ಯೋ ವ್ಯಾಕರೋನ್ನಮಸ್ತಸ್ಮೈ ಪದ್ಮನಾಭಾಖ್ಯಯೋಗಿನೇ

పూర్ణప్రజ్ఞకృతం భాష్యమాదౌ తద్భావపూర్వకం
యో వ్యాకరోన్నమస్తస్మై పద్మనాభాఖ్యయోగినే

பூர்ணப்ரஜ்ஞக்றுதம் பாஷ்யமாதௌ தத்பாவபூர்வகம்
யோ வ்யாகரோன்னமச்தச்மை பத்மனாபாக்யயோகினே

pUrNapraj~jakRutaM bhAShyamAdau tadbhAvapUrvakaM
yO vyAkarOnnamastasmai padmanAbhAKyayOginE