sri-krishna-brahma-devarshi-badarayana-saàjïakan |
sri-madhva-sri-padmanabha-sriman-narahari-madhavan ||akshobhya-jayatirtha-jïanasindhu-dayanidhin |
sri-vidyanidhi-rajendra-jayadharman kramad vayam ||purushottama-brahmanya-vyasatirthaàs ca saàstumaù |
tato lakshmipatià madhavendraà ca bhaktitaù ||tac-chishyan srisvaradvaita-nityanandan jagad-gurun |
devam isvara-sishyaà sri-caitanyaà ca bhajamahe |
sri-krishna-prema-danena yena nistaritaà jagat ||
“We praise in succession Sri Krsna, Brahma, Devarsi (Narada), Badarayana (Vyasa), Madhva, Padmanabha, Nrhari, Madhava, Aksobhya, Jayatirtha, Jnanasindhu, Dayanidhi, Vidyanidhi, Rajendra, Jayadharman, and also Purusottama, Brahmanya, and Vyasatirtha. Then we worship with devotion Laksmipati, Madhavendra, his disciples — Isvara (Puri), Advaita, and Nityananda, world teachers all — and the deity (himself), the disciple of Isvara, Sri Caitanya, by whom, through the gift of love for Krsna, the world has been saved.” From Sripada Baladeva Vidyabhusana – Prameya Ratnavali, 1,7.
“Not much has been recorded of his life history. Some facts are available from his “Vijaya” composed by Sri Srinivasa Tirtha, who is a descendant of the order. His father was Ramacharya with the nickname of Poogavana (areca farm). Possibly he owned one. Sri Brahmanya was born in Nrihari kshethra on the banks of the Cauvery and was named Narasimha. The boy was sent to Sri Purushotthama Tirtha at the young age of 7 after his Upanayana samskara. Sri Purushotthama was next in line to Sri Jayadhwaja whose name is preserved for posterity for his founding of the Dvaita School in the north, especially in Navadvipa (modern Bengal). ISKCON followers call his name as Jayadharma”.
“Narasimha was a precocious pupil with great intelligence, devotion to God and disinterest in the affairs of the world. Sri Purushotthama had already received some indications in dreams about his pupil. The education of Narasimha was completed in a short while and he was also given the oaths of Asceticism and the name Brahmanya Tirtha by his Guru. Very soon the latter entered a cave near Abbur and disappeared from human view. A Miracle attributed to Sri Brahmanya Tirtha was that when he sprinkled some consecrated water on cold cooked food after puja, it became fresh and hot”.
Brahmanya Tirtha blesses a widow
Her husband is revived from death
“There was a rich and pious Brahmin who had started on a pilgrimage to Banaras. His location is not clearly specified, but it is said that he also lived on the Shore of Cauvery River (called Marudvrudha in the Rgveda). Unfortunately, he died suddenly after getting fever. His wife who wanted to commit Sati along with her husband (they were childless at the time) came to beg permission of Sri Brahmanya Tirtha, the worshipper of Nrusimha deity given to him by his Guru. Sri Brahmanya blessed the widow – Dheergha sumangalee bhava” – Be happy as a wife in wedded
bliss for a long time. When she told him that she was no longer having a husband, Sri Brahmanya Tirtha told her – do not worry. Your husband is not dead, but is still alive.
He gave her holy water with incantations, which when applied to the dead body of the husband brought him back to life, as if nothing had happened. As per the Swamijis desire, the first born of this couple was given even as a young baby, to him. This baby was received on a golden plate and fed with the milk used for Abhisheka of the Lord.
Brahmanya Titha sends young Vyasa Tirtha to Sripadaraja in Mulbagal, Karnataka
The baby who grew up into the great Vyasaraja, was given his Upanayana Samskara at the age of 5 and took the oath of asceticism at the age of 7. Though Sri Brahmanya himself was greatly learned as described by his own disciple and successor Sri Vyasaraja, he was sent for his studies to Sri Sripadaraja at Mulbagal. He was famous for his erudition and great qualities of complete disinterestedness in personal affairs and became the fountain head of learning for Tatvavada in his time.”
Brahmanya Tirtha solves the drought
“In the mean while Sri Brahmanya Tirtha received the idol of Vitthala as a result of a dream indication, from where it was buried in the ground. He went to the capital of Karnataka (possibly Sri rangapattana) and on being requested by the king and people of the state, which was suffering from drought, brought about copious rains. The grateful kingdom gave the ascetic a village called Brahmanyapuri. After handing over his reign to the worthy successor, he entered in to Samadhi in Abbur”
Brindaban [samadhi] of Vyasa Tirtha
“Abbur, a remote village of Chennapatna taluk of Bangalore District, is a place of abundance in Nature’s gift and a sacred place too. In the midst of a dense forest close to Kanva River, where devotees throng to bathe and get the blessings of the saint Sri Brahmanyateertha. The brindavan stands gloriously. He was a great ascetic and a brahmarishi, who had siddhi in tapas and chastity in speech. He is a depository of mantras and had control over senses, pure in practices and earned the love of lord Krishna. Five centuries ago Abbur, a village with a picturesque surrounding was a part of a natural forest, very rich in greens, full of colors and fragrance. Pious Brahmins who led a simple life lived in those small villages dotting the forest place. The river Kanva, the crown of Vanadevi, with all serenity has made this place great! In the midst of a natural beauty there runs white waters of Kanva river appearing as a bisecting mark in the lush green forest.”
Family history- Connection with the future Vyasa Tirtha
His father Ballanna Sumati, of kashyapa gotra, was the youngest of the six sons of Ramacharya. By the blessings of Brahmanya Theertha of Channapatna, Ballanna Sumati had three children – a girl and two boys. The youngest was Yatiraja the future Vyasaraja swami.
Young Vyasatirtha presented to Brahmanya Tirtha
Brahmanya Tirtha departs
As per the promise made by Ballanna, he himself took his son to Channapatna and presented him to Brahmanya Theertha and returned home. Very much impressed with the superior attainment of his ward, Brahmanya Theertha ordained his ward Yatiraja a monk and gave him the name Vyasaraja. Assuming that he was sixteen years old at the time of demise of his Guru (sometime after the great famine of 1475-76), we may easily fix the date of birth of Vyasaraja in or about 1460 Vyasaraja did not have any time studying much under his Guru Brahmanya Theertha. He was obliged, soon after his succession to the head of the Math (or Pitha), to go to Kanchipuram for further studies.
Due to the blessings of Brahmanya Tirtha that the parents of Vyasa Tirtha, (Brahmanya Tirtha’s disciples), owed the birth of their children notably Sripad Vyasa Tirtha
He was the third descendant from Sripad Rajendra Tirtha in the line senior of disciples coming from Sripad Vidyadhiraja Tirtha. I could find very little on his life, save and except where it says that it was due to the blessings of Brahmanya Tirtha that the parents of Vyasa Tirtha, (Brahmanya Tirtha’s disciples), owed the birth of their children notably Sripad Vyasa Tirtha(B.N.K. Sharma. 1961. History of the Dvaita School of Vedanta. page 460.).
Sri Vyasatirtha studied under Sri Brahmanya Tirtha for twelve years
Sri Vyasatirtha studied under Sri Brahmanya Tirtha for twelve years. Before presenting the peethadapati to Sri Vyasaraju, he undertook a digvijaya yatra. Sri Vyasaraja reached, Kanchi a renowned learning centre at that time. Sri Vyasaraja defeated all the scholars there at that time. The opponents decided to take revenge and poisoned Sri Vyasaraja’s food. Sri Vyasarajaru invoked Sri Dhanvantri namaka Sri Hari. Sri Dhanvantri provided Sri Vyasaraju with some herbs to nullify the effect of poison. Thus, Sri Vyasaraju came out victorous every way. Sri Vyasaraju then returned to Sri Brahmanya Tirtharu. Sri Brahmanya Tirtha had entered Brindavana by that time, Sri Vyasaraja ascended the peethadapati. Sri Vyasaraja went to Sri Padraja in mulbagalu for higher studies. It is important to note two points
a) Mulbaglu was the most renowned learning centre in Karnataka until the turn of the ninteenth century.
b) Sri Vyasaraju was already a great scholar, defeated many scholars in Kanchi, but still he spent twelve years studying under Sri Padarajaru. This shows the depth of knowledge of Sri Padrajau and the passion for knowledge of Sri Vysarajaru.
Miracles by Brahmanya Thirtharu –
- Birth of Sri Vysarajaru – Once when Brahmanya Tirtharu was on tour in Bannur, Raamacharya, an aged brahmin died on his way to Gangasnaana. Ramacharya’s wife wanted to do “Sahagamana” with her husband and came to Swamiji for seeking Brahmanya Tirtha Seer’s permission for doing so. But Brahmanya Thirtharu, even before her seeking permission told her “Dheerga sumangalee bhava”., “suputravatee bhava”. On seeing all the pandits were surprised that a widow is being blessed with the boon of dheerga sumangalitva. Then they appraised him of the situation. But Swamiji told “It is told by Gopalakrishna Devaru, and he will survive and he will be shataayushi and would have two children”. Saying this, Swamiji gave her “mantrodaka”. As soon as she came near the dead body of her husband she did the “prokshana” of Mantrodaka given by the seer and Ramachar got up as if he is getting up from sleep. Afterwards, Sri Vyasarajaru was born to the aged parents and he was handed over to the Mutt.
- Malur – Once there lived a king named Thimmarasa. He had a son named Sarangadhara. When Sarangadhara’s mother died, Thimmarasa, even though he was aged, he married another Rajakumari. But Rajakumari as she was young, she was not happy with the marriage. She wanted to have Sarangadhara (her husband’s first wife’s son) for her sexual satisfaction. When Sarangadhara rejected her request, she told her husband that Sarangadhara tried to rape her. Then the king ordered his servants to cut his son into pieces and throw him in the Kanva River. The servants obeyed the king’s orders. Sri Brahmanya Tirtharu happened to visit the Kanva river for his “ahneeka” and he saw the Prince cut into pieces. Realizing the facts, Swamiji did the “abhimantrana” of Mruthike on the body of the prince and he gradually developed his legs and arms and he was a normal boy after wards. It is the same place which is called as Malur named after the incident. He did the “Bara Parihara” (Famine relief) in Vijaya nagar kingdom by chanting Parjanya Japa He did the “Nrusimha Dwajastamba” stapane in Brahmanyapura. He did the pratistapane of Mukyaprana in Brahmanyapura alongwith Sreepadarajaru and Sri Vyasarajaru.
Brahmanya Tirtha Tirobhava
The Mutt lists give his demise as 1467 AD., this is accepted by the Vy-carita(B. Venkobarao, Vy-carita, introduction.). “It is however open to many objections. In the first plce, it gives his disciple Vyasa Tirtha a pontificial sway of over 70 years, which is too long. It also bestows on the latter a life of over 90 years which is not corroborated by other evidences. Venkoborao himself refers (pp. cxiv-cxv) to a tradion according to which Brahmanya died soon after a famine. On page 100 of his Forgotten Empire, Sewell says that ‘about the 1475., the was a terrible famine in the Deccan and in the country of the Telugus, which lasted for two years (Also Ferishta, C. Scott edn. i, 162., S.I. I., page 227.). Venkobarao himself refers to two such famines which broke out in the years 1423-1425 and 1472-1474., (Dharwar Gazetter, pp. 404-406.). The second one, it will be seen, syncronises with the date mentioned by Sewell. It is manifestly impossible that Brahmanya Tirtha could have died in the first famine. The date is too early for him. We have therefore to assume that it was after the famine of 1475-1476., that he died. The event, thus, cannot be placed earlier than 1476.”(B.N.K. Sharma. 1961. History of the Dvaita School of Vedanta. page 460.).
“Not much has been recorded of his life history. Some facts are available from his “Vijaya” composed by Sri Srinivasa Tirtha
(by Yasodanandana dasa)
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