Raghuttama Tirtha (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

:रघूत्तम तीर्थ); IAST:Śrī Raghūttama Tīrtha) ( 1548 - 1596), was an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

philosopher,

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researc ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and saint. He was also known as Bhavabodhacharya (). His diverse oeuvre include commentaries on the works of

Madhva Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' (dualism) schoo ...

and

Jayatirtha Sri Jayatirtha (), ''also known as'' Teekacharya () (1345 - 1388), was a Hindu philosopher, dialectician, polemicist and the sixth pontiff of Madhvacharya Peetha from (1365 – 1388). He is considered to be one of the most important seers in ...

. He served as the fourteenth pontiff of

Madhvacharya Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the '' Dvaita'' (dualism) sch ...

Peetha -

Uttaradi Math Shri Uttaradi Math (IAST:''Śrī Uttarādi Maṭha'') (also known as Uttaradi Peetha), is one of the main monasteries (matha) founded by Madhvacharya with Padmanabha Tirtha as its head to preserve and propagate Dvaita Vedanta (Tattvavada) outs ...

from 1557 to 1595, which he occupied, with remarkable distinction for thirty-nine years. He is considered to be one of the most important seers in the history of Dvaita school of thought. His shrine at

Tirukoilur Tirukoilur also spelt as ''Tirukkoyilur'' or ''Tirukovilur'' is a city and the headquarters of Tirukoilur taluk in Kallakurichi District, Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located on the southern bank of Thenpennai River and famous for Ulagala ...

attracts thousands of visitors every year. Born in an aristocratic

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...

family, but was brought up in mutt under the direction of

Raghuvarya Tirtha Raghuvarya Tirtha (1462 - 1557) was a Hindu philosopher, scholar, theologian and saint. He served as the pontiff of Shri Uttaradi Math from 1502-1557. He was the thirteenth in succession from Madhvacharya. According to tradition Sri Raghuvar ...

. He composed 11 works, consisting of commentaries on the works of

and

Vyasatirtha Vyāsatīrtha (. 1460 – 1539), also called ''Vyasaraja'' or ''Chandrikacharya'', was a Hindu philosopher, scholar, polemicist, commentator and poet belonging to the Madhwacharya's Dvaita order of Vedanta. As the patron saint of the Vija ...

in the form of ''Bhāvabodhas'' elaborating upon the Dvaita thought.

Life

Most of the information about Raghuttama Tirtha's life is derived from hagiography - Gurucaryā. He was born as Ramachandra Bhatta into

Deshastha Madhva Brahmin Deshastha Brahmin is a Hindu Brahmin subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and northern area of the state of Karnataka. Other than these states, according to authors K. S. Singh, Gregory Naik and Pran Nath Chopra, Deshastha B ...

family to Subba Bhatta and Gangabai in 1548. According to the hagiographies, his father was a

Zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...

. The place of his birth is Mannur, Indi taluk,

Bijapur district, Karnataka Bijapur district, officially known as Vijayapura district, is a district in the state of Karnataka in India. The city of Bijapur is the headquarters of the district, and is located 530 km northwest of Bangalore. Bijapur is well known for the ...

. According to the Gurucaryā, He had his

Upanayana ''Upanayana'' ( sa, उपनयनम्, lit=initiation, translit=Upanāyanam) is a Hindu educational sacrament, one of the traditional saṃskāras or rites of passage that marked the acceptance of a student by a preceptor, such as a ''guru'' ...

at the age of seven and immediately after

was ordained as a

Sannyasa ''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' A ...

. Raghuttama Tirtha is said to have studied for some years after his ordinance, under a learned Pandit Adya Varadarajacharya of Manur under the direction of

. According to the hagiographies, he was the nephew of

- the thirteenth pontiff and succeeded his uncle in the pontificate of

Uttaradi Matha Shri Uttaradi Math (IAST:''Śrī Uttarādi Maṭha'') (also known as Uttaradi Peetha), is one of the main monasteries (matha) founded by Madhvacharya with Padmanabha Tirtha as its head to preserve and propagate Dvaita Vedanta (Tattvavada) outs ...

and was also a close contemporary of Vijayindra Tirtha and

Vadiraja Tirtha Sri Vadiraja Teertharu (1480 – 1600) was a Dvaita philosopher, poet, traveller and mystic. A polymath of his time, he authored many works, often polemical, on Madhva theology and metaphysics. Additionally, he composed numerous poems and as ...

. Raghuttama Tirtha occupied the pontificate with remarkable distinction for thirty-nine years until he took

Brindavana Pravesha ''Brindavana'' is a 2013 Indian Kannada romantic comedy film starring Darshan, Karthika Nair (in her first and only Kannada film to date) and Milana Nagaraj and also featuring Saikumar and Sampath Raj. A remake of the 2010 Telugu film '' Br ...

in 1596. Raghuttama Swami took Brindavana on the bank of the river South Pennar in Mannampoondi near

. He was succeeded by his disciple Vedavyasa Tirtha.

Works

There have been 10 works accredited to Raghuttama Tirtha, 9 of which are commentaries on the works of

Padmanabha Tirtha Padmanabha Tirtha (attained Siddhi 1324) was a Dvaita philosopher, scholar and the disciple of Madhvacharya. Ascending the pontifical seat after Madhva, he served as the primary commentator of his works and in doing so, significantly elucidat ...

and

, out of which only five are published so far. ''Bhavabodha'' is the general title of a majority of his works and Raghuttama is usually called "Bhavabodhakara" or "Bhavabodhacharya". His work ''Brihadaranyaka Bhavabodha'' is a commentary on

's ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Bhashya'', is considered to be his magnum opus. Running up to 9,000 granthas, it discusses both Khandana and Bhashyartha of the Upanishad. His work ''Tattvaprakasika Bhavabodha'' is a super commentary on

's ''Tattvaprakāśikā''. It is a voluminous gloss running to nearly 8100 granthas. It is quoted and criticized by Jagannatha Tirtha in his ''Bhashyadipika'' three to four times and by

Raghavendra Tirtha Raghavendra Tirtha () (1595 – 1671) was a Hindu scholar, theologian and saint. He was also known as Sudha Parimalacharya (). His diverse oeuvre include commentaries on the works of Madhva, Jayatirtha and Vyasatirtha, interpretation of the ...

once in his ''Tatparya Chandrika Prakasha''.

Legacy

After

, Raghuttama Tirtha became Tika-kara and is usually referred to as ''Bhavabodhacharya''. Sharma writes "His language is simple and precise. He makes his points forcefully. He quotes often from certain unidentified sources not cited by any other commentator". Raghuttama Tirtha is regarded as a saint known for preaching the worship of Lord

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

regardless of caste or creed. His shrine in

attracts thousands of visitors every year.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Works of Raghuttama Tirtha
at

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