Sri Vidyaranya
http://www.kamakotimandali.com/sringeri/vidyaranya.html
Sri Vidyaranya was the Jagadguru of Sri Dakshinamnaya
Sringeri Sarada Peetham and is a famous saint who is known as the
founder of Karnataka. When people had lost all hope, he provided
inspiration to Hakka and Bukka who tilled the people with hope and
courage. He strove to strong then, the foundations of the Empire of
Vijayanagar. After Adi Sankaracharya, he was an important person who did
immense service for the preservation of Hinduism and the spread of the
Vedas and the Vedanta.
This happened about six hundred and fifty years ago.
One morning, Sri Vidya Tirtha, the immortal Guru of Sringeri Sarada
Peetham (who is present till the current day, absorbed in Lambika Yoga
Samadhi, under the Vidya Shankara Temple in Sringeri) was seated among
his disciples. The ruler of the kingdom was also seated among them,
close to Mahaswamigal. The Acharya had decided to test the ability of
these disciples. He put the same question to every one: "What is the
ambition of your life?" Each student answered the question differently.
One said: I wish to seek the patronage of a king at his court."
It was now the turn of Venkatanatha: "I have decided
to popularize the teachings of Sri Ramanujacharya. I want to write
commentaries on his works. I have also decided to become a teacher of
the Vedas and Upanishads."
"What is your view, Sudarshana Bhatta?"
"I wish to go to Srirangam and devote the rest of my days in the worship of Sri Ranganatha."
"Bhoganatha, tell us about your plans."
"I wish to become the king among scholars."
"Sayana, what is your desire?"
"When I grow up I wish to write commentaries on the
four Vedas. The aim of my life is to collect the essence of all the
systems of philosophy."
The master asked finally: "Madhava, tell me what your ambition is."
Madhava said: "Gurudeva, it is difficult to give an answer to your question."
"Why is it difficult, child?"
"As long as the insolence of ego survives in man, it
is difficult to achieve anything. But God willing, I would like to spend
my days in the service of mankind, the visible expression of God. I
wish to utilize my life to awaken the power of the nation, which is now
put to sleep as a result of ignorance. I wish to devote my life for the
protection of my country and my religion and the freedom of my country,"
said Madhava.
When Vidya Tirtha heard these words, he felt proud of
Madhava. He embraced his disciple, blessed him profusely and said,
"Child it is sacred to devote one's life for the good of others, for
one's own country and religion, and for protection of the freedom of the
country. Be successful in your ideal. May the world be better on
account of your service!"
Madhavacharya who was thus blessed by his Guru became famous as Jagadguru Sri Vidyaranya later.
Madhavacharya's father was Mayanacharya. He was a
pious man of a quiet nature. He had settled down in Pampa Kshetra
(modern Hampi in Karnataka) and lived peacefully and happily teaching
his disciples. He had an equally good wife, Srimati Devi. She too was of
a quiet and pious nature. For a long time they had no children. They
went on pilgrimage to many holy places. They performed many rituals and
religious ceremonies with devotion. At last they had a son, about the
year 1268. After observing the necessary rituals he was named Madhava.
After the birth of Madhava, they had two more sons and a daughter. The
boys were named Sayana and Bhoganatha and the daughter was named
Simhala.
The parents decided to get Madhava educated by good
teachers. There was a saint called Shankarananda living on the banks of
the river Tungabhadra. He was a learned man. Mayanacharya took all his
sons to Shankarananda and begged him to accept his children as his
disciples. Shankarananda accepted students very selectively. But if he
were convinced that a particular aspirant was interested in real
knowledge, he would agree to teach him. Madhava, Sayana and Bhoganatha
prostrated at his feet. Shankarananda was pleased with them and he
accepted them as disciples. These children studied under him for many
years. They were intelligent. They were devoted to learning. The teacher
taught them very willingly. After a few years Shankarananda felt that
he had taught them all that he could. He called them one day and said,
"Children, you have learned all that I taught all these years with
devotion. Now you must go to my teacher, the revered sage Sri Vidya
Tirtha. He lives in Kanchi. I shall request him to accept you as his
disciples."
The boys agreed to do as they were told. They took
Shankarananda's letter and went to see Vidyateertha at Kanchi. In the
meantime Mayanacharya had passed away. Srimati Devi, not wanting to
interrupt the children's education, willingly saw them off to Kanchi. At
that time Kanchi was famous as a great centre of learning in Dvaita,
Advaita and Vishishtadvaita systems of philosophy. There were competent
teaches in different centers of learning who taught all the six systems
of philosophy. Having heard of the fame of the teachers there, students
from far-off places came to learn at their feet. Besides being the
center of learning and culture, Kanchi was the capital of the Pallava
kingdom. By Madhava's good fortune, he had the guidance of a great
teacher, Sri Vidya Tirtha. Along with his brothers Madhava studied the
six systems of philosophy, literature and art. He became an expert in
the vedas and Upanishads.
Sri Vidya Tirtha, was also called Sarvajna Vishnu,
Vidyesha, Vidyananda and Vidyashankara. He was a mine of worldly and
spiritual knowledge. People believed that he was the incarnation of
Dakshinamurthy. It was the good fortune of Madhava to have had him as
his teacher, and he earned his good will. There was another piece of
good luck awaiting him at Kanchi. That was the friendship of
Venkatanatharya, Sudarshana Bhatta and Akshobhya Tirtha, stalwarts in
the Dwaita system. Even during his childhood, Madhava felt that he was
born to achieve great things. He felt that he was not born just to get
educated, to marry, beget children and to meet his end as usual like
others. His life had been shaped by teachers like Bharatikrishna,
Shankarananda and Srikanthanatha. His ability had been greatly perfected
by his teachers. He had patriotism, firmness, and service mindedness,
practical sense, tolerance towards other religions, righteousness,
political awareness and the desire to work for the good of the world.
Madhava was troubled by one particular idea on the day
he was blessed by his teacher: `I must try to remove the dangers which
Hinduism and its culture are facing in South India. I must establish a
kingdom in the Kannada soil by the grace of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, I
must establish a kingdom in the South and drive out all invaders. There
is nothing greater than tapas to fulfill my ambition. Therefore I must
worship Bhuvaneshwari and receive her blessings,' he thought. When he
shared his desire with his teacher he said: "Child, you are not an
ordinary man. You are born to perform a great deed. You will serve and
save the land and the language." He then bade him farewell. In this way
Madhavacharya and his brothers spent the days at Kanchi and returned to
Pampa Kshetra. They had taken the responsibility of looking after their
mother and sister. Madhava was able to marry off his sister Singala, who
had come of age, to a suitable young man. He married Vaitihotri, the
daughter of Veetihotri. He had been working as a priest to earn a
living. Besides, he earned a little by teaching. But there was no peace
of mind for him in this kind of living. He was discontented. Again and
again the ideal which he had declared before his teacher Vidya Tirtha
beckoned to him.
Srirangam was an ancient place of pilgrimage for the
Hindus. It is regarded as the Vaikuntha on earth. One fine day, the
pilgrims who had come to the temple heard that Mallik Kafur, the general
of the Delhi Sultan Allauddin Khilji, was advancing with a large army
to plunder the riches of the temple of Srirangam. There was no sign of
joy on the faces of devotees who had assembled at the temple of Sri
Ranganatha Swamy at Srirangam. Every one feared the worst and did not
know how to avert the impending danger. The temple had three or four
enclosures and was surrounded by a strong fort. But there was neither
the necessary army nor the weapons to protect it. The citizens had
assembled in the temple to plan for the defense of the town and its
sacred temple. One of them suggested that the valuables should be
transported to a safer place. Some one suggested that they should fight
till the end to protect the town, the temple and its valuable jewels.
The discussion made Venkatanatharya who was present
there very unhappy. He was at that moment thinking of how to save the
invaluable treasure: the idol of Sri Ranganatha Swamy. After a great
deal of discussion, at the suggestion of Venkatanatharya, they decided
to cover the sacred place of worship and build a new place of worship
resembling the old one in all respects in order to save the original
idol of Ranganatha Swamy from destruction. They also decided to remove
the valuable Jewelry and the other idols used in the processions to
Tirupati and conceal them there and thus save the wealth of the temple.
When they were thus engaged in self-protection and defense of the town
and the temple, the army of Mallik Kafur invaded the town like a
whirlwind. Hundreds of residents were killed in battle and thousands
were wounded.
At this critical moment Venkatanatharya, along with
his friend Sudarshana Bhatta, was engaged in saving the valuable
library. Venkatanatharya is also famously called Vedanta Deshika. He
hailed from a place called Satyamangala. He had come to Srirangam on a
visit to his friend, Sudarshana Bhatta. It was at that moment that the
invasion took place most unexpectedly. He came to the help of other
residents in the sacred duty of defending the town and its temple. The
invaders plundered the temple, they mutilated the imitation idol of God
Sri Ranganatha, looted all the available valuables and returned
satisfied. Venkatanatharya was not the same person after he saw the
razing of Srirangam. He had seen the vandalism of enemies. What
surprised him was that people were not roused to any kind of activity
even after this threat to their religion and culture. They were still
inactive and full of apathy. The rulers who were supposed to protect the
honor and lives of their subjects were selfish, lustful and miserly.
Mallik Kafur had erected a pillar of victory at Rameshwaram as a symbol
of his Victory. He had appointed his Governors at all places he had
conquered and returned to Delhi with great wealth. Sudarshana Bhatta at
Srirangam, Venkatanatharya at Satyamangala and Madhavacharya at Pampa
Kshetra were helpless. They did not know what to do.
Madhavacharya heard all about how the invading army
had plundered Srirangam. His blood boiled when he heard the details of
their inhuman and uncivilized conduct during the invasion. He came to
Srirangam and made enquiries about Sudarshana Bhatta. He could not find
him. Then he went to Satyamangala to see Venkatanatharya. Madhavacharya
asked him about the whereabouts of Sudarshana Bhatta. He replied: "There
is no news of him lately. It is said that he died of shock. It is not
surprising also. Only people like me who have not died are sinners. I do
not know what worse things are in store for us to see." Madhavacharya
said: "Deshika, what a source of courage and hope you were when you were
young! Why are you crying now like a coward? Where are your
fearlessness and courage? Where is your self-confidence?" Deshika
replied: "You would have understood my condition if you had witnessed
what I witnessed at Srirangam. It is a nightmare for me. I can never
forget it." "What do you want to do now?" "I am resolved to rouse the
common man from his sleep and inactivity. I am also firm in my decision
to devote my life to the cause of our nation and its reconstruction.
With this object in view I have composed a war song called `The Song of
Fearlessness' (Abheeti Stava).
He then produced the manuscript of that poem before
Madhavacharya. It was a composition of verses (in Sanskrit) which aimed
at rousing the people to activity and courage from state cowardice and
hopelessness into which they had fallen after the invasion of Mallik
Kafur. Madhavacharya read it, read it again and again. His eyes
brightened. A firmness appeared on his face. He addressed
Venkatanatharya and said, "My good friend, the holy purpose for which I
had come is fulfilled today. I understood the goal of my life. By
composing the Poem on fearlessness, you have taught me the goal of my
life. I am indebted to you." He saluted him, with his eyes full of tears
of joy. Both friends reminisced about happy days of their childhood. In
particular they enjoyed recalling their student days under Sri Vidya
Tirtha Bhagavan. They felt sorry for the unhappy condition of the
country. They discussed about their duty to the country in those days of
hardship and indecision. They also discussed ways and means of removing
ignorance and fear that were prevalent and to begin an era of hope and
courage in the country. It was a decisive stage in the history of
Karnataka.
The political conditions in the South were very bad
then. The people had become spineless. The Hindus were so fear- stricken
that they were afraid of protesting against injustice. The rulers were
conducting themselves in me most unbecoming way. They were plundering
the temples. But there was no united protest anywhere. There was need
for a leader who could inspire the people to fight for ideals like love
for the country, their religion and culture. The country was waiting for
the appearance of a leader who could unite the people for the sake of
those ideals. An architect of divine stature was needed who could infuse
courage and hope into the hearts of the people by his admirable
character. People of Karnataka had shown their courage by conquering the
whole of South India and ruling over it in the past. Dynasties like
Gangas, Rashtrakutas, Chalukyas, Kadambas and Hoysalas had shone in the
history of Karnataka like jewels in the crown of Bhuvaneshwari; they had
taken literature, music, art and architecture great heights. Times had
changed. There were many changes among the ruling class at the Delhi
Court. The Khilji dynasty had made room for the Tughlaqs. Mohammad Bin
Tughlaq had occupied the throne after causing the murder of his father.
The kingdoms in the South owed allegiance to him only nominally. But
everywhere there was misrule.
It was at this juncture that Madhavacharya wished to
lay a firm foundation for a stable empire. He wanted the empire to be
founded on the principles of loyalty to religion and welfare of the
people so that the citizens could live in peace. He wanted to infuse a
spirit of self-respect and fearlessness into the hearts of people who
had lost their self-respect and were unable to protest against
injustice. He did not get help and co-operation for this task from any
king or administrator. Every one who heard of his dream of such a state
ignored it, as it was difficult to make it a reality. Madhavacharya
waited eagerly. He had no wealth and no support of the people. But he
had confidence that this task would be performed. He knew that by the
grace of God and the blessing of his teacher this task would be
accomplished. He thought that a task like this could not be achieved
without the accumulation of the merit earned by tapas. Therefore he bade
good-bye to his worldly ties of family and decided to undertake
austerities.
Having decided to perform tapas, Madhavacharya went in
search of a suitable place. He traveled in many parts of the country
and came back to Pampa Kshetra. By this time his mother had passed away.
His wife also had died prematurely. Fate had freed him from the family
ties. There was nothing left in the family to tie him to the world. He
devoted his life to the service of his motherland. One day, after
worshipping at the temple of Virupaksha of Pampakshetra, Madhavacharya
came to the banks of Tungabhadra and rested under the shade of a tree
for sometime. He dozed off for a while. There was an indefinable feeling
of joy in him. The anxiety and sorrow which were present in his mind so
far had disappeared. He opened his eyes for a moment and looked around.
Nature was pleasant here. Tungabhadra appeared to be dancing as she
flowed in the midst of mountains and forests. The golden rays of the sun
glowed on the waves in the river. The trees in the forest stood tall
concealing the sky above them. As he sat there his sorrow disappeared
and light seemed to fill his mind. He bathed in the river and sat under
the tree in `Padmasana' (the `lotus' posture) and began to meditate.
Pampa Kshetra was famous as a holy place. During the
Puranic days Goddess Pampambika sat in tapas at Hemakoota in order to
earn the grace of Parameshwara and had succeeded in her effort.
Anjanadevi bore her son Anjaneya to Vayu at Anjanadri here. It was here
that Rama and Sugreeva became friends, Rama killed Vali and the
Kishkindha kingdom was given to Sugreeva. Thus Pampa Kshetra had become
famous as a place where spiritually ambitious people could attain what
they wished. Besides, the place was famous as the land of heroes. It is
said that once a hunter came there hunting and his dogs were chased away
by the deer. It was also famous as a land of warriors. It was supposed
to be the land where heroism and fighting spirit had been embodied in
men and women born there. It was at this place hallowed by the sacred
river Tungabhadra and made holy by the temple dedicated to Virupaksha
that Madhavacharya decided to sit in tapas.
Gradually his tapas became severe. At first he ate
only roots and fruits, and then he gave up even that and lived on water.
In the final stage be lived only by air. These tapas went on for twelve
years. But the Goddess on whom he meditated did not appear before him.
His body had become thin on account of his austere tapas. But there was
the effulgence and strength derived from tapas on his face and in his
limbs. He did not feel the pangs of hunger and thirst nor did he feel
tired. His mind was concentrated on Bhuvaneshwari. He was supremely
satisfied.
In order to test Madhavacharya, Bhuvaneshwari came in
the form of terrible heat, storm, rain, lightning, fire and huge floods.
But Madhavacharya's firmness was least affected by any of these forces
and his mind was firm. In the end Bhuvaneshwari appeared before him as a
mother hearkening to the cry of her infant. Mother Bhuvaneshwari
addressed Madhavacharya and said, "Child, I am pleased with your austere
tapas. Get up from your tapas. Ask what you want." Her voice was sweet
and full of love. Madhavacharya opened his eyes and saw the auspicious
face of his Goddess. His eyes were brimming with tears of joy. With
folded hands he prayed, "Mother, what is there which you do not know?
After seeing you, I do not feel the need to ask for anything worldly.
Give me faith, wisdom and renunciation. Grant that your auspicious
figure will always reside in my heart."
Bhuvaneshwari said, "Child, I know what you are
longing for. From today you will be a master of all knowledge and its
branches and you will be called Vidyaranya in future. You will remedy
the deplorable condition of Karnataka. You will do well to the world.
But..."
"Why mother? Do you doubt it?"
"Child, you cannot achieve it during this lifetime".
"Mother, I cannot wait till my next birth," pleaded Madhavacharya with the Goddess.
"In that case, you must renounce this world and become a monk," the Goddess said.
"Yes, I shall take the vow of a Sanyasi right now," said Madhavacharya.
Bhuvaneshwari smiled and said, "So be it. Your wish will be fulfilled" and disappeared.
Madhavacharya, took the vow of a saint and saffron
robes from Bharati Krishna Tirtha of Sringeri and was named Vidyaranya.
He was now middle-aged. He used to wake up early in the morning. He
bathed in Tungabhadra, came to the temple of Virupaksha and after
worshipping at the temple, he came to his hermitage and engaged himself
in studies and religious discourses. All his time was spent in this way
and he was regular like a clock. He waited for the coming of the Man of
Destiny who would establish the empire. Years rolled by. There was no
sign of his ambition getting fulfilled. Every night before going to bed
he wept like a child and prayed with eyes full of tears, "Mother, one
more day is wasted. How many more days are you going to test?"
At last one day, like sunrise in the sky, two handsome
youths appeared before him. They rode on horses. Tired from the
journey, they entered the hermitage of Vidyaranya. They saw the saint
and prostrated at his feet. They were both about thirty or thirty-five
years of age. They appeared to be brothers. There was the stamp of
royalty and dignity in their bearing. Since Vidyaranya was waiting for
the arrival of the Man of Destiny, he felt that the man had arrived at
last. He welcomed them with affection. The youths said, `Gurudeva, we
are blessed by meeting you. The clouds of darkness which hung over our
life have cleared with this blessed meeting. Bless us and save us."
Vidyaranya asked them, "Who are you? What are your
names? Tell me without hesitation why you have come here." The elder of
the youths said, "Gurudeva, we are brothers. My name is Harihara
(Hakka). My brother's name is Bukkaraya (Bukka). We were once the rulers
of this land. We have lost all and are now wandering without a place to
claim as our own." These youths were the sons of Sangama Deva. He was
the son-in-law of Kampila Raya, King of Kummatadurga. Sangama Deva was
the treasurer of the State. Enemies laid siege to Kummatadurga. They
killed most of the residents mercilessly. Out of the surviving relatives
of the King, eleven were taken prisoners by the soldiers of Mohammad
Bin Tughlaq's army and were taken to Delhi. Hakka and Bukka were among
the eleven prisoners taken to Delhi.
On account of the bad administration of Tughlaq, there
was lawlessness in the southern states. In order to suppress it,
Tughlaq freed able young prisoners and sent them to the South with his
army. It was then that these two young men made use of the opportunity
and escaped. They were now at the hermitage of Vidyaranya. Having heard
their story, Vidyaranya gave them shelter. He had come to the decision
to build the new empire through these youths.
Mohammad Bin Tughlaq, Sultan of Delhi, had defeated
Jambukeshwara Raya, King of Anegondi, and had him imprisoned in his own
palace. He had appointed Mallik Nayab as his representative to rule over
the State. Hakka and Bukka organised a band of patriotic youths
according to the advice of Vidyaranya. They entered the fort of Anegondi
very cleverly and took Mallik Nayab prisoner when he was fully drunk.
They had freed Anegondi without bloodshed from the enemies. They set
free the King and his family. The flag bearing the symbol of Lord Vishnu
in his incarnation as Varaha (Boar) was hoisted on the fort of
Anegondi. By making use of the celebration of this victory, Vidyaranya
selected a suitable place in Pampa Kshetra and laid the foundation for a
new city named Vidyanagara. At this time he found a hidden treasure.
This helped him to build the new State. It is believed that Vidyaranya
prayed to Bhuvaneshwari and made her rain goId for a few hours.
As a fulfillment of the long cherished desire of the
people, Vidyaranya laid the foundation for this new city on Thursday,
the seventh day of the first half of the month of Vaishakha, during the
year Dhatu (1336 A.D.). Hakka and Bukka wanted to name it Vidyanagara'
(the city of education). But Vidyaranya named it `Vijayanagara' (the
city of victory). By the grace of Bhuvaneshwari, the city grew to
enormous size and was able to attract travelers from all parts of the
world. The city grew to the size of 64 square miles and was the capital
of Karnataka for three and a half centuries. As desired by Vidyaranya,
Harihara (Hakka) became the king of the new State. Bukkaraya ruled over
it after the death of Hakka. Vidyaranya guided the Kings as Prime
Minister and Preceptor. Vidyaranya was called the Founder-Preceptor of
Karnataka by the people.
Revered Vidyaranya became the architect who shaped an
empire. Though he was the Prime Minister of the State, he remained a
saint primarily. He wrote with the help of his brother Sayana a treatise
called `Sarvadarshana Sangraha' which is of great help to scholars.
Vidyaranya became the head of Sharada Peetham in 1331 A. D. at Sringeri
after the passing away of Bharati Krishna Teertha. He was the head of
the Advaita Peetham for fifty-five years.
Vidyaranya wrote commentaries on the four Vedas and
the Upanishads. He enriched the world of learning by writing works like
Panchadashi, Jeevanmukti Viveka, Anubhuti Prakashika, Parashara
Madhaveeya, Devi Aparadha Kshamapana Stotra and others. These are
celebrated works on Advaita philosophy. He dealt with the essentials of
fifteen Ragas in his `Sangeeta Sara' and thus became the founder of the
Karnataka style of music.
Vidyaranya laid the firm foundation of Vijayanagar
empire with piety and righteousness as its cornerstones. He guided the
kings properly by imparting correct knowledge regarding religion and
faith, during the reign of Bukkaraya. After the death of Harihara, there
was a conflict between the Jains and Srivaishnavas of Vijayanagar on
account of some difference of opinion. Vidyaranya solved their problem
at that time. He advised Bukkaraya to call the leaders of both religions
and tell them that there was perfect freedom to all people to follow
the tenets of their religion as prescribed in their religious books; he
had a royal proclamation issued which became the law of the land. It
fostered a feeling of tolerance among different religions in Vijayanagar
Empire.
Vidyaranya was a great saint who hard renounced
everything. There was a proper blending of both militancy and other
worldly approach. After the founding of the Vijayanagar Empire he felt
that the mission of his life had been fulfilled. He rid the internal and
external enemies, returned to Sringeri and adorned the Sharada Peetham
by becoming its chief.
When Vidyaranya was seen last, he was probably 118
years old. He dedicated his entire life for welfare of the people. And
it was his main aim. What he hated was injustice and tyranny; and what
he achieved was fearlessness and willingness on the part of people to
respect other religions. Those that wish to serve people must first earn
the merit to serve. To achieve anything worthy it is not enough to have
strength of muscle only. Along with it we must have purity and loyalty
to the cause. Such people should always have before their eyes the ideal
of large-heartedness.
Vidyaranya meditated long. He did not ask for personal
happiness or power from Bhuvaneshwari. He begged for wisdom and the
power to renounce the world. He became a monk. It was not to draw away
from human suffering that he became a saint, but so that he might reach
the highest point of enlightenment. It was to warn the people who had
lost the sense of dignity and self-respect so that they might together
build a mighty empire. By the time the empire of Vijayanagar was firmly
established, he had already adorned the Sringeri Sharada Peetham as its
head. He made over the merit of his tapas to the newly founded empire
and guided the Kings in the proper administration of the empire. He made
the Kings understand that they should administer the State with the
sole object of the welfare of the citizens at heart. He guided the
people also to give up hatred and jealousy. He gave a very good support
for all the learned people. Through this work he also learnt many
things. He became the true devotee of Sharada. In reality he was a saint
only so far as his personal life was concerned and practiced
renunciation, clean life, loyalty and fidelity to his religion. But in
public life he joined hands with kings and Common men to work for the
welfare of the People.
There are many incidents that reveal the divinity of
Sri Vidyaranya. Once Vidyaranya was living in a cave in the Vindhya
Mountains. One morning a Brahmarakshasa came there and said: "Holy one! I
am suffering from hunger and thirst. Won't you give me something to
eat?" A Brahmarakshasa is a spirit. When a very learned person fails in
his duty to impart knowledge to others and also lives an irreligious
life, he is said to become Brahmarakshasa after death and suffer pangs
of hunger and thirst. The name of this spirit was Sringi. The saint
said, "I am a sanyasi; how can I provide enough food for you?" Sringi
said: "Sir, I shall take you to Sage Vyasa at Varanasi. You can learn
from him all the shastras and the mystic lore. In return you can feed
me. "Vidyaranya agreed and the two went to Varanasi. On the way, Sringi
pointed out Vyasa who was proceeding to Varanasi. Vyasa was disguised as
a hunter leading four dogs. The dogs were the four Vedas. Vidyaranya
made his obeisance to Vyasa and requested him to impart holy knowledge
to him. Vyasa blessed and took Vidyaranya to Badarikashrama and there
taught him all the great truths. He also initiated him into Srividya
worship of the Mother Goddess. After teaching all this knowledge, Vyasa
disappeared. Sri Vidyaranya has written a treatise on Srividya called
Srividyarnava Tantra, which is an encyclopedia on Srividya.
It is said that Sringi, the Brahmarakshasa, is fed
even today at Sringeri. In his last days, Vidyaranya entered a cave at
the Vindhya hills and merged into the Supreme Mother. People of
Karnataka have shown their respect for this great saint and founder of
Vijayanagar by installing his idol in the temple of Virupaksha in
Pampakshetra (modern Hampi). Even today we can see this statue of
Vidyaranya in the temple of Virupaksha at Hampi.
[Note] Vijayanagara empire, established by Sri
Vidyaranya is actually known as Srividya Nagara. Sri Vidyaranya
established the empire with a divine Srichakra as the foundation. The
entire empire was conceived as a Yoga Pitha where various deities were
established internally in the Shatchakras and externally in the
Srichakra. Sri Mahatripurasundari was established in the Muladhara, Guru
Mandala in Swadhishthana, Ashta Ganapati-s in Manipuraka, the
Dashavatara-s of Sri Narayana in Anahata, Dwadasha Aditya-s in
Vishuddhi, Matrika-s in Ajna and Sri Chandramoulishwara in Sahasrara.
This Sripeetha forms the basis of Hindu Samrajya established by Sri
Vidyaranya. The Jagadgurus of Sringeri Sharada Peetham bear the title -
karNATaka simhAsana sthApanAchArya in rememberance of this great deed of
Sri Vidyaranya, indicative of their ascension of both bhAShya simhAsana
and mantra simhAsana.
[By Sri K P Ramachandran]
