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{{Short description|Hindu philosopher and theologian (c.1595–1671)}}
{{Short description|Hindu philosopher and theologian (c.1595–1671)}}
{{redirect|Raghavendra}}
{{Redirect|Raghavendra}}
 
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox Hindu leader
{{Infobox Hindu leader
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|religion      = [[Hinduism]]
|religion      = [[Hinduism]]
|birth_date    = 1595 or 1598
|birth_date    = 1595 or 1598
|birth_place    = [[Bhuvanagiri, Tamil Nadu|Bhuvanagiri]] (now in [[Tamil Nadu]])
|birth_place    = [[Bhuvanagiri, Tamil Nadu|Bhuvanagiri]] ({{Small|present-day in [[Cuddalore district]] [[Tamil Nadu]]}})
|birth_name    = Venkatanatha Bhatta
|birth_name    = Venkatanatha Bhatta
|spouse        = Sarasvati Bai
|death_date    = 1671
|death_place    = [[Mantralayam]] ({{Small|present-day in [[Kurnool district]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[India]]}})
|children      = Lakshminarayanacharya
|children      = Lakshminarayanacharya
|guru          = [[Sudhindra Tirtha|Sudheendra Tirtha]]
|guru          = [[Sudhindra Tirtha|Sudheendra Tirtha]]
|philosophy    = [[Dvaita Vedanta]]
|philosophy    = [[Dvaita Vedanta]]
|order          = [[Vedantha]]
|order          = [[Vedanta]]
|honors        = ''Parimalacharya''
|honors        = ''Parimalacharya''
|footnotes      =
|successor      = Sri Yogendra Tirtha
|successor      = Sri Yogendra Tirtha
|literary_works = ''Bhatta Sangraha'', ''Nyaya Sudha Parimala'', ''Tantradipika''
|literary_works = ''Bhatta Sangraha'', ''Nyaya Sudha Parimala'', ''Tantradipika''
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{{Vaishnavism}}
{{Vaishnavism}}
{{DvaitaInfobox}}
{{DvaitaInfobox}}
'''Raghavendra Tirtha''' ({{IAST|Śrī Rāghavēndra Tīrtha}}) ({{circa}}1595 – {{circa}}1671) was a [[Hindu]] scholar, theologian and [[saint]]. He was also known as '''Sudha Parimalacharya''' ({{IAST|Sudhā Parimaḷācārya}}). His diverse oeuvre include commentaries on the works of [[Madhva]], [[Jayatirtha]] and [[Vyasatirtha]], interpretation of the [[Principal Upanishads]] from the standpoint of [[Dvaita]] and a treatise on [[Purva Mimamsa]]. He served as the pontiff of [[matha]] at [[Kumbakonam]] from 1621 to 1671.{{Sfn|Sharma|1961|p=278}} Sri Raghavendra Swamy was also an accomplished player of the [[Veena]] and he composed several songs under the name of ''Venu Gopala''.{{Sfn|Rao|1966|p=85}} His shrine at [[Mantralayam]] attracts [[lakh]]s (hundreds of thousands) of visitors every year.
 
'''Raghavendra Tirtha''' ({{IAST|Rāghavēndra Tīrtha}}), also referred as '''Raghavendra Swami''', ({{Circa}}1595 – {{circa}}1671) was a [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnava]] scholar, theologian, and [[saint]]. He was also known as '''Sudha Parimalacharya''' ({{IAST|Sudhā Parimaḷācārya}}). His diverse oeuvre include commentaries on the works of [[Madhva]], [[Jayatirtha]], and [[Vyasatirtha]], interpretation of the [[Principal Upanishads]] from the standpoint of [[Dvaita]] and a treatise on [[Purva Mimamsa]]. He served as the pontiff of the [[matha]] at [[Kumbakonam]] from 1621 to 1671.{{Sfn|Sharma|1961|p=278}} Raghavendra Tirtha was also an accomplished player of the [[veena]] and he composed several songs under the name of ''Venu Gopala''.{{Sfn|Rao|1966|p=85}} His memorial at [[Mantralayam]] attracts [[lakh]]s (hundreds of thousands) of visitors every year.


==Biography==
==Biography==
Sri Raghavendra Swami was born as Venkatanatha in the town of [[Bhuvanagiri, Tamil Nadu]] into a [[Deshastha Brahmin|Deshastha Madhva Brahmin]] family of Gautama Gotra of musicians and scholars {{Sfn|Hebbar|2005|p=229}}{{Sfn|Callewaert|1994|p=187}} after blessings from Lord Venkateshwara. His great-grandfather Krishna Bhatta was a tutor to the [[Vijayanagara]] king [[Krishnadeva Raya]], his grandfather was Kanakachala Bhatta{{Sfn|Sharma|2000|p=482}} and his father Thimmanna Bhatta (also known as Thimmannacharya) was an accomplished scholar and musician.{{Sfn|Aiyangar|1919|p=252}} After the fall of the Vijayanagara empire, Thimmanacharya migrated to [[Kanchi]] with his wife Gopikamba. Venkatanatha had two siblings—Gururaja and Venkatamba. Venkatanatha's education was taken care of by his brother-in-law Lakshmi Narasimhacharya at [[Madurai]] after the early demise of his father, and he subsequently got married.{{Sfn|Sharma|1961|p=279}}
Raghavendra Tirtha was born as Venkatanatha in the town of [[Bhuvanagiri, Tamil Nadu|Bhuvanagiri]], present day in [[Tamil Nadu]] into a [[Kannada people|Kannada]] [[Madhva Brahmin]] family of Gautama Gotra of musicians and scholars.{{Sfn|Hebbar|2005|p=229}}{{Sfn|Callewaert|1994|p=187}} His great-grandfather Krishna Bhatta was a tutor to the [[Vijayanagara Empire|Vijayanagara]] emperor [[Krishnadeva Raya|Krishnadevaraya]]. His grandfather was Kanakachala Bhatta,{{Sfn|Sharma|2000|p=482}} and his father Thimmanna Bhatta (also known as Thimmannacharya) was an accomplished scholar and musician.{{Sfn|Aiyangar|1919|p=252}} After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, Thimmanacharya migrated to [[Kanchi]] with his wife Gopikamba. Venkatanatha had two siblings—Gururaja and Venkatamba. Venkatanatha's education was taken care of by his brother-in-law Lakshmi Narasimhacharya at [[Madurai]] after the early demise of his father, and he subsequently got married.{{Sfn|Sharma|1961|p=279}}
 
In 1624, Raghavendra Tirtha became the pontiff of the ''Kumbhakonam Matha'', which was earlier known as ''Vijayeendra Matha'' or ''Dakshinadi Matha'', now known by the name of [[Raghavendra Math (Mantralayam)|Mantralaya Sri Raghavendra Swamy Matha]]. [[Uttaradi Math]] along with [[Vyasaraja Math (Sosale)|Vyasaraja Math]] and [[Raghavendra Math (Mantralayam)|Raghavendra Math]] are considered to be the three premier apostolic institutions of [[Dvaita Vedanta]] and are jointly referred as ''Mathatraya''.{{Sfn|Sharma|2000|p=199}}<ref name="Rosen-p132">{{cite book |author=Steven Rosen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4IrQkw5x2o4C&pg=PA132 |title=Vaisnavism |date=30 November 1994 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |isbn=9788120812352 |page=132}}</ref>{{Sfn|Sharma|2000|p=193}}


In 1624, Raghavendra Tirtha became peetadhipathi of ''Kumbhakonam Matha'', which was earlier known as ''Vijayeendra Matha'' or ''Dakshinadi Matha'', which is now known by the name of '''Mantralaya Sri Raghavendra Swamy Matha'''. After a short stay at [[Kumbakonam]], he went on a pilgrimage to [[Rameshwaram]], [[Ramnad]], [[Srirangam]], and [[Mathura]]. Later, he moved westwards to [[Udupi]] and Subramanya, and then to [[Pandharpur]], [[Kolhapur]] and [[Bijapur]]. At [[Kolhapur]], he is said to have stayed for a long time and at [[Bijapur]], he supposedly defeated many [[Advaitin]]s and converted them to [[Dvaita]] fold.{{Sfn|Sharma|2000|p=483}} After that, he returned  to [[Kumbakonam]]. By 1663 he left for [[Mysore]]  where he got a grant from Dodda Devaraya Odeyar. Finally, he chose to settle down in [[Mantralayam]]{{Sfn|Sharma|2000|p=484}}
After a short stay at [[Kumbakonam]], he went on a pilgrimage to [[Rameswaram]], [[Ramnad]], [[Srirangam]], and [[Mathura]]. Later, he moved westwards to [[Udupi]] and Subramanya, and then to [[Pandharpur]], [[Kolhapur]] and [[Bijapur]]. At [[Kolhapur]], he is said to have stayed for a long time and at [[Bijapur]], he supposedly defeated many [[Advaitin]]s and converted them to [[Dvaita]] fold.{{Sfn|Sharma|2000|p=483}} After that, he returned  to [[Kumbakonam]]. By 1663 he left for [[Mysore]]  where he got a grant from Dodda Devaraya Odeyar. Finally, he chose to settle down in [[Mantralayam]].{{Sfn|Sharma|2000|p=484}}


Raghavendra Swami entered Brindavana alive in 1671 in [[Mantralayam]], a village on the bank of river Tungabhadra in [[Adoni]] taluk in [[Andhra Pradesh]].{{Sfn|Sharma|2000|p=484}}
Raghavendra Tirtha entered brindavana in 1671 in [[Mantralayam]], a village on the bank of river Tungabhadra in [[Adoni]] taluk in [[Andhra Pradesh]].{{Sfn|Sharma|2000|p=484}}


==Works==
==Works==
Forty works have been attributed to Sri Raghavendra swamy.{{Sfn|Rao|1966|p=85}}{{Sfn|Rao|2015|p=325}} Sharma notes that his works are characterised by their compactness, simplicity and their ability to explain the abstruse metaphysical concepts of [[Dvaita]] in understandable terms.{{Sfn|Sharma|1961|p=282}}{{Sfn|Rao|1966|p=85}}{{Sfn|Rao|2015|p=325}} His ''Tantradipika'' is an interpretation of the [[Brahma Sutra]] from the standpoint of [[Dvaita]] incorporating elements from [[Jayatirtha|Jayatirtha's]] ''Nyaya Sudha'', [[Vyasatirtha|Vyasatirtha's]] ''Tatparya Chandrika'' and the glosses by [[Vijayendra Tirtha]]. {{Sfn|Sharma|1961|p=282}} ''Bhavadipa'' is a commentary on Jayatirtha's ''Tattva Prakasika'' which, apart from elucidating the concepts of the source text, criticises the allegations against [[Madhva]] raised by [[Appaya Dikshita]] and grammarian [[Bhattoji Dikshita]]. Sri Raghavendra swamy's expertise in [[Purva Mimamsa]] and [[Vyakarana]] is evident from his works on Vyasatirtha's ''Tatparya Chandrika'', which runs up to 18,000 stanzas. He wrote a commentary on ''Nyaya Sudha'' titled ''Nyaya Sudha Parimala''.{{Sfn|Sharma|1961|p=285}} Apart from these works, he has authored commentaries on the [[Upanishads]], first three chapters of [[Rig Veda]] (called ''Mantramanjari'') and [[Bhagvad Gita]]. As an independent treatise, he has authored a commentary on [[Jaimini Sutras]] called ''Bhatta Sangraha'' which seeks to interpret the Purva Mimamsa doctrines from a Dvaita perspective.{{Sfn|Pandurangi|2004}}
About 45 works written in Sanskrit are attributed to Raghavendra Tirtha.{{Sfn|Rao|1966|p=85}}{{Sfn|Rao|2015|p=325}} Sharma notes that his works are characterised by their compactness, simplicity and their ability to explain the abstruse metaphysical concepts of [[Dvaita]] in understandable terms.{{Sfn|Rao|1966|p=85}}{{Sfn|Rao|2015|p=325}}{{Sfn|Sharma|1961|p=282}}
 
His ''Tantradipika'' is an interpretation of the [[Brahma Sutra]] from the standpoint of [[Dvaita]], incorporating elements from [[Jayatirtha|Jayatirtha's]] ''Nyaya Sudha'', [[Vyasatirtha|Vyasatirtha's]] ''Tatparya Chandrika'' and the glosses by [[Vijayendra Tirtha]].{{Sfn|Sharma|1961|p=282}} ''Bhavadipa'' is a commentary on Jayatirtha's ''Tattva Prakasika'' which, apart from elucidating the concepts of the source text, criticises the allegations against [[Madhva]] raised by [[Appaya Dikshita]] and grammarian [[Bhattoji Dikshita]]. Raghavendra Tirtha's expertise in [[Purva Mimamsa]] and [[Vyakarana]] is evident from his works on Vyasatirtha's ''Tatparya Chandrika'', which runs up to 18,000 stanzas, and his lucid commentary on the [[Purva Mimamsa Sutras]] called Bhatta Sangraha, explaining the Purva Paksha and Siddhanta.{{Sfn|Pandurangi|2004}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dvaita Vedanta Studies and research Foundation |url=http://archive.org/details/pramana-paddhati-of-sri-jayatirtha-with-commentaries-of-vijayindra-tirthavedesha |title=Pramana Paddhati of Sri Jayatirtha with commentaries of Vijayindra tirtha,Vedesha tirtha,Raghavendra tirtha(pramāṇa paddhati bhāvadīpa),Satyanatha tirtha(abhinava amṛtam),Srinivasa tirtha(vākyārtha mañjarī),Janardhana Bhatta(jayatīrtha vijaya),Vitthalabhatta,vyāsapurī Narasimha(ādarśa) |date=2004 |pages=4}}</ref> His most celebrated work is his commentary on ''Nyaya Sudha'' titled ''Nyaya Sudha Parimala, earning him the title Sudha Parimalacharya (Sudhā Parimaḷācārya)''.{{Sfn|Sharma|1961|p=285}} Apart from these works, he wrote commentaries on the [[Upanishads]], first three chapters of [[Rig Veda|Rigveda]] (called ''Mantramanjari'') and [[Bhagvad Gita|Bhagavad Gita]].
{| class="wikitable"
|+Sruti Prasthana
!Work
!Description
|-
|Mantrartha Manjari
|Commentary on the same 40 hymns of Rig Veda as per Madhwa
|-
|[[Aitareya Upanishad|Aitreya Upanishad]] Mantartha Sangraha
|A gloss on the mantra portion of Mahaitareya Upanishad
|-
|''[[Isha Upanishad]]'' ''Khandartha''
|Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
|-
|''[[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]'' ''Khandartha''
|Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
|-
|[[Katha Upanishad|Katha ''Upanishad'']] ''Khandartha''
|Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
|-
|[[Taittiriya Upanishad]] Khandhartha
|Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
|-
|[[Kena Upanishad|Talavakara Upanishad]] Khandhartha
|Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
|-
|[[Chandogya Upanishad]] Khandhartha
|Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
|-
|[[Prashna Upanishad|Satprashna Upanishad]] Khandhartha
|Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
|-
|[[Mundaka Upanishad|Manduka Upanishad]] Khandhartha
|Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
|-
|[[Mandukya Upanishad]] Khandhartha
|Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
|}


==Conversation with Sir Thomas Munroe in 19th century==
== The Legend of Raghavendra Tirtha and Sir Thomas Munro ==
While Rayaru had his Brindavana Pravesha around 1:30 pm in the 17th century, it is recorded in the Gazette of then Madras Presidency that he gave darshan and spoke to [[Sir Thomas Munro, 1st Baronet|Sir Thomas Munroe]], a civil servant of British Government and discussed with him the restitution of the Inam Lands to the government which was being proposed then, meaning that Mantralaya would have become part of the restituted lands. After such a conversation, which Sir Thomas Munroe dutifully transcribed, the restitution was withdrawn.<ref>{{cite book|title=March of Karnataka, Volume 20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4zBOLQLy_cwC|publisher=Director of Information and Publicity, Government of Karnataka|year=1982|page=17}}</ref>
A legend about Raghavendra Tirtha and [[Sir Thomas Munro, 1st Baronet|Sir Thomas Munro]] was recorded by W. Francis, an Indian civil servant to British India, in 1916, more than 100 years after it happened.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Francis W. |url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.1430 |title=Madras District Gazetteers Bellary Vol-i (1916) |date=1916 |publisher=The Superintendent, Madras |pages=213}}</ref> The legend as follows: After Sir Thomas Munro was appointed as principal collector for the district of Bellary in 1800,<ref>{{Cite book |last=K. Abhishankar |url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.07360 |title=Bellary District Gazetteer |date=1972 |publisher=State Government of Karnataka |pages=87}}</ref> he went to collect the taxes on Mantralaya (Mantsala). It was said that Raghavendra Tirtha appeared from the tomb and spoke with Thomas Munroe while the saint was invisible and inaudible to others. Munroe was convinced and went back to his camp and instructed to keep the endowment of Mantralaya Mutt. Direct documentations of this incident are missing. {{Citation needed|date=July 2025}}


==In popular culture==
==In popular culture==
Raghavendra Tirtha has been eulogised by Narayanacharya in his contemporaneous biography ''Raghavendra Vijaya'' and a hymn ''Raghavendra Stotra'' by Appannacharya. Outside the confines of [[Dvaita]], he is regarded as a saint known for preaching the worship of [[Vishnu]] regardless of caste or creed.{{Sfn|Rao|2015|p=85}} Hebbar notes "By virtue of his spiritual charisma, coupled with the innumerable miracles associated with him, the pontiff saint may very well be said to possess an independent and cosmopolitan cult of his own with his devotees hailing not only from all walks of life but from all castes, sects and even creeds as well".{{sfn|Hebbar|2004|p=230}} His humanitarianism is evident in the devotional poems composed in his honour by [[Vijaya Dasa]], [[Gopala Dasa]] and [[Jagannatha Dasa (Kannada poet)|Jagannatha Dasa]].{{Sfn|Sharma|1961|p=281}} Raghavendra has also seen representation in the popular culture through [[Indian Cinema]].
Raghavendra Tirtha has been eulogised by Narayanacharya in his contemporaneous biography ''Raghavendra Vijaya'' and a hymn ''Raghavendra Stotra'' by Appannacharya. Outside the confines of [[Dvaita]], he is regarded as a saint known for preaching the worship of [[Vishnu]] regardless of caste or creed.{{Sfn|Rao|2015|p=85}}  
 
Hebbar notes "By virtue of his spiritual charisma, coupled with the innumerable miracles associated with him, the pontiff saint may very well be said to possess an independent and cosmopolitan cult of his own with his devotees hailing not only from all walks of life but from all castes, sects and even creeds as well".{{sfn|Hebbar|2004|p=230}} His humanitarianism is evident in the devotional poems composed in his honour by [[Vijaya Dasa]], [[Gopala Dasa]] and [[Jagannatha Dasa (Kannada poet)|Jagannatha Dasa]].{{Sfn|Sharma|1961|p=281}}
 
Raghavendra has also seen representation in the popular culture through [[Indian Cinema]]:


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-  style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! Year !! Film !! Title role !! Director !! Language !! Notes
! Year !! Film !! Title role !! Director !! Language !! Notes
|-
|-
| 1966 || ''[[Mantralaya Mahatme]]'' || [[Dr. Rajkumar]] || T. V. Singh Thakur || [[Kannada]] || The song from the film titled "Indu Enage Govinda" was written by Raghavendra himself
| 1966 || ''[[Mantralaya Mahatme]]'' || [[Dr. Rajkumar]] || T. V. Singh Thakur || [[Kannada]] || The song from the film titled "Indu Enage Govinda" was written by Raghavendra himself
|-
|-
| 1980 || ''Sri Raghavendra Vaibhava'' || [[Srinath]] || Babu Krishnamurthy || [[Kannada]] || Srinath won [[Karnataka State Film Award]] for Best Actor for the film
| 1980 || ''Sri Raghavendra Vaibhava'' || [[Srinath (Kannada actor)|Srinath]] || Babu Krishnamurthy || [[Kannada]] || Srinath won [[Karnataka State Film Award]] for Best Actor for the film
|-
|-
| 1981 || ''Mantralaya Sri Raghavendra Vaibhavam'' || [[Ramakrishna (Telugu actor)|Rama Krishna]] || M. R. Nag || [[Telugu language|Telugu]] || Ramakrishna's last film as a Hero in Telugu
| 1981 || ''Mantralaya Sri Raghavendra Vaibhavam'' || [[Ramakrishna (Telugu actor)|Rama Krishna]] || M. R. Nag || [[Telugu language|Telugu]] || Ramakrishna's last film as a Hero in Telugu
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===Bibliography===
===Bibliography===
*{{cite book |last= Sharma|first= B.N.K|title =History of Dvaita school of Vedanta and its Literature, Vol 2. |year=1961|publisher= Motilal Banarasidass|edition=3rd|location= Bombay|isbn= 81-208-1575-0}}
*{{cite book |last= Aiyangar|first=Krishnaswami |title =Sources of Vijayanagar History |url= https://archive.org/details/cu31924024120150|year=1919|publisher= University of Madras|edition=|location= Chennai|isbn= }}
* {{cite book|title = A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature, 3rd Edition|first = B. N. Krishnamurti| last = Sharma| publisher=Motilal Banarsidass (2008 Reprint) |isbn = 978-8120815759| year= 2000 }}
*{{cite book|title=According to Tradition: Hagiographical Writing in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GrMwdEqHLzEC|first=Winand M.|last=Callewaert|publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag|year=1994|isbn=978-3447035248}}
* {{cite book|title = The Sri Krsna Temple at Udupi|first = B.N| last = Hebbar| publisher=Nataraj Books |isbn = 978-1881338505 | year=2004 | url=https://archive.org/details/SriKrsnaTempleAtUdupi?q=vijayindra+tirtha}}
*{{cite book|title= The Sri-Krsna Temple at Udupi: The History and Spiritual Center of the Madhvite Sect of Hinduism|url=https://archive.org/details/SriKrsnaTempleAtUdupi|first=B.N|last=Hebbar|publisher=Bharatiya Granth Nikethan|year=2005|isbn=81-89211-04-8}}
*{{cite book|title= The Sri-Krsna Temple at Udupi: The History and Spiritual Center of the Madhvite Sect of Hinduism|url=https://archive.org/details/SriKrsnaTempleAtUdupi|first=B.N|last=Hebbar|publisher=Bharatiya Granth Nikethan|year=2005|isbn=81-89211-04-8}}
*{{cite book|title=According to Tradition: Hagiographical Writing in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GrMwdEqHLzEC|first=Winand M.|last=Callewaert|publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag|year=1994|isbn=978-3447035248}}
*{{cite book |last= Pandurangi|first= K.T|title =Bhatta Sangraha |year=2004|publisher= Dvaita Vedanta Studies and Research Foundation|edition=|location= Bengaluru|isbn= }}
*{{cite book |last= Rao|first= Krishna, M.V |title =Purandara and the Haridasa Movement |year=1966|publisher= Karnatak University|edition=|location= Dharwad|isbn= }}
*{{cite book |last= Rao|first= Krishna, M.V |title =Purandara and the Haridasa Movement |year=1966|publisher= Karnatak University|edition=|location= Dharwad|isbn= }}
*{{cite book |last= Pandurangi|first= K.T|title =Bhatta Sangraha |year=2004|publisher= Dvaita Vedanta Studies and Research Foundation|edition=|location= Bengaluru|isbn= }}
*{{cite book |last= Aiyangar|first=Krishnaswami |title =Sources of Vijayanagar History |url= https://archive.org/details/cu31924024120150|year=1919|publisher= University of Madras|edition=|location= Chennai|isbn= }}
*{{cite book|title=Saints, gurus and mystics of India|volume=2|page=473|first=Giriraj|last=Shah|publisher=Cosmo Publications|year=1999|isbn=978-81-7020-856-3}}
*{{cite book|title=The Proceedings Of The Indian History Congress 8th Session|page=|first=Raghavendra|last=Rao|publisher=The General Secretary Indian History Congress Allahabad|year=2015|isbn=}}
*{{cite book|title=The Proceedings Of The Indian History Congress 8th Session|page=|first=Raghavendra|last=Rao|publisher=The General Secretary Indian History Congress Allahabad|year=2015|isbn=}}
* {{cite book|title = The Sri Krsna Temple at Udupi|first = B.N| last = Hebbar| publisher=Nataraj Books |isbn = 978-1881338505 | year=2004 | url=https://archive.org/details/SriKrsnaTempleAtUdupi?q=vijayindra+tirtha}}
*{{cite book |last= Sharma|first= B.N.K|title =History of Dvaita school of Vedanta and its Literature, Vol 2. |year=1961|publisher= Motilal Banarasidass|edition=3rd|location= Bombay|isbn= 81-208-1575-0}}
 
* {{cite book|title = A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature, 3rd Edition|first = B. N. Krishnamurti| last = Sharma| publisher=Motilal Banarsidass (2008 Reprint) |isbn = 978-8120815759| year= 2000 }}
*{{cite book|title=Saints, gurus and mystics of India|volume=2|page=473|first=Giriraj|last=Shah|publisher=Cosmo Publications|year=1999|ref=none|isbn=978-81-7020-856-3}}
==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.srsmatha.org/ Official website of Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt Mantralayam]
*[http://www.srsmatha.org/ Official website of Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt Mantralayam]

Latest revision as of 14:01, 2 March 2026


"Raghavendra" redirects here. For other uses, see Raghavendra (disambiguation).

Raghavendra Tirtha
Personal
Born
Venkatanatha Bhatta

1595 or 1598
Bhuvanagiri (present-day in Cuddalore district Tamil Nadu)
Died1671
Mantralayam (present-day in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India)
ReligionHinduism
ChildrenLakshminarayanacharya
OrderVedanta
PhilosophyDvaita Vedanta
Religious career
GuruSudheendra Tirtha
SuccessorSri Yogendra Tirtha
Literary worksBhatta Sangraha, Nyaya Sudha Parimala, Tantradipika
HonorsParimalacharya
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Raghavendra Tirtha (Rāghavēndra Tīrtha), also referred as Raghavendra Swami, (c.1595 – c.1671) was a Vaishnava scholar, theologian, and saint. He was also known as Sudha Parimalacharya (Sudhā Parimaḷācārya). His diverse oeuvre include commentaries on the works of Madhva, Jayatirtha, and Vyasatirtha, interpretation of the Principal Upanishads from the standpoint of Dvaita and a treatise on Purva Mimamsa. He served as the pontiff of the matha at Kumbakonam from 1621 to 1671.[1] Raghavendra Tirtha was also an accomplished player of the veena and he composed several songs under the name of Venu Gopala.[2] His memorial at Mantralayam attracts lakhs (hundreds of thousands) of visitors every year.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Raghavendra Tirtha was born as Venkatanatha in the town of Bhuvanagiri, present day in Tamil Nadu into a Kannada Madhva Brahmin family of Gautama Gotra of musicians and scholars.[3][4] His great-grandfather Krishna Bhatta was a tutor to the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya. His grandfather was Kanakachala Bhatta,[5] and his father Thimmanna Bhatta (also known as Thimmannacharya) was an accomplished scholar and musician.[6] After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, Thimmanacharya migrated to Kanchi with his wife Gopikamba. Venkatanatha had two siblings—Gururaja and Venkatamba. Venkatanatha's education was taken care of by his brother-in-law Lakshmi Narasimhacharya at Madurai after the early demise of his father, and he subsequently got married.[7]

In 1624, Raghavendra Tirtha became the pontiff of the Kumbhakonam Matha, which was earlier known as Vijayeendra Matha or Dakshinadi Matha, now known by the name of Mantralaya Sri Raghavendra Swamy Matha. Uttaradi Math along with Vyasaraja Math and Raghavendra Math are considered to be the three premier apostolic institutions of Dvaita Vedanta and are jointly referred as Mathatraya.[8][9][10]

After a short stay at Kumbakonam, he went on a pilgrimage to Rameswaram, Ramnad, Srirangam, and Mathura. Later, he moved westwards to Udupi and Subramanya, and then to Pandharpur, Kolhapur and Bijapur. At Kolhapur, he is said to have stayed for a long time and at Bijapur, he supposedly defeated many Advaitins and converted them to Dvaita fold.[11] After that, he returned to Kumbakonam. By 1663 he left for Mysore where he got a grant from Dodda Devaraya Odeyar. Finally, he chose to settle down in Mantralayam.[12]

Raghavendra Tirtha entered brindavana in 1671 in Mantralayam, a village on the bank of river Tungabhadra in Adoni taluk in Andhra Pradesh.[12]

Works[edit | edit source]

About 45 works written in Sanskrit are attributed to Raghavendra Tirtha.[2][13] Sharma notes that his works are characterised by their compactness, simplicity and their ability to explain the abstruse metaphysical concepts of Dvaita in understandable terms.[2][13][14]

His Tantradipika is an interpretation of the Brahma Sutra from the standpoint of Dvaita, incorporating elements from Jayatirtha's Nyaya Sudha, Vyasatirtha's Tatparya Chandrika and the glosses by Vijayendra Tirtha.[14] Bhavadipa is a commentary on Jayatirtha's Tattva Prakasika which, apart from elucidating the concepts of the source text, criticises the allegations against Madhva raised by Appaya Dikshita and grammarian Bhattoji Dikshita. Raghavendra Tirtha's expertise in Purva Mimamsa and Vyakarana is evident from his works on Vyasatirtha's Tatparya Chandrika, which runs up to 18,000 stanzas, and his lucid commentary on the Purva Mimamsa Sutras called Bhatta Sangraha, explaining the Purva Paksha and Siddhanta.[15][16] His most celebrated work is his commentary on Nyaya Sudha titled Nyaya Sudha Parimala, earning him the title Sudha Parimalacharya (Sudhā Parimaḷācārya).[17] Apart from these works, he wrote commentaries on the Upanishads, first three chapters of Rigveda (called Mantramanjari) and Bhagavad Gita.

Sruti Prasthana
Work Description
Mantrartha Manjari Commentary on the same 40 hymns of Rig Veda as per Madhwa
Aitreya Upanishad Mantartha Sangraha A gloss on the mantra portion of Mahaitareya Upanishad
Isha Upanishad Khandartha Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Khandartha Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
Katha Upanishad Khandartha Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
Taittiriya Upanishad Khandhartha Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
Talavakara Upanishad Khandhartha Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
Chandogya Upanishad Khandhartha Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
Satprashna Upanishad Khandhartha Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
Manduka Upanishad Khandhartha Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.
Mandukya Upanishad Khandhartha Word by word explanation based on Madhwacharya's Upanishad Bhashya and various Upanishad Teeka Karas.

The Legend of Raghavendra Tirtha and Sir Thomas Munro[edit | edit source]

A legend about Raghavendra Tirtha and Sir Thomas Munro was recorded by W. Francis, an Indian civil servant to British India, in 1916, more than 100 years after it happened.[18] The legend as follows: After Sir Thomas Munro was appointed as principal collector for the district of Bellary in 1800,[19] he went to collect the taxes on Mantralaya (Mantsala). It was said that Raghavendra Tirtha appeared from the tomb and spoke with Thomas Munroe while the saint was invisible and inaudible to others. Munroe was convinced and went back to his camp and instructed to keep the endowment of Mantralaya Mutt. Direct documentations of this incident are missing. [citation needed]

In popular culture[edit | edit source]

Raghavendra Tirtha has been eulogised by Narayanacharya in his contemporaneous biography Raghavendra Vijaya and a hymn Raghavendra Stotra by Appannacharya. Outside the confines of Dvaita, he is regarded as a saint known for preaching the worship of Vishnu regardless of caste or creed.[20]

Hebbar notes "By virtue of his spiritual charisma, coupled with the innumerable miracles associated with him, the pontiff saint may very well be said to possess an independent and cosmopolitan cult of his own with his devotees hailing not only from all walks of life but from all castes, sects and even creeds as well".[21] His humanitarianism is evident in the devotional poems composed in his honour by Vijaya Dasa, Gopala Dasa and Jagannatha Dasa.[22]

Raghavendra has also seen representation in the popular culture through Indian Cinema:

Year Film Title role Director Language Notes
1966 Mantralaya Mahatme Dr. Rajkumar T. V. Singh Thakur Kannada The song from the film titled "Indu Enage Govinda" was written by Raghavendra himself
1980 Sri Raghavendra Vaibhava Srinath Babu Krishnamurthy Kannada Srinath won Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor for the film
1981 Mantralaya Sri Raghavendra Vaibhavam Rama Krishna M. R. Nag Telugu Ramakrishna's last film as a Hero in Telugu
1985 Sri Raghavendrar Rajnikanth SP. Muthuraman Tamil The film was Rajnikanth's 100th

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Sharma 1961, p. 278.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Rao 1966, p. 85.
  3. ↑ Hebbar 2005, p. 229.
  4. ↑ Callewaert 1994, p. 187.
  5. ↑ Sharma 2000, p. 482.
  6. ↑ Aiyangar 1919, p. 252.
  7. ↑ Sharma 1961, p. 279.
  8. ↑ Sharma 2000, p. 199.
  9. ↑ Steven Rosen (30 November 1994). Vaisnavism. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. p. 132. ISBN 9788120812352.
  10. ↑ Sharma 2000, p. 193.
  11. ↑ Sharma 2000, p. 483.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Sharma 2000, p. 484.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Rao 2015, p. 325.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Sharma 1961, p. 282.
  15. ↑ Pandurangi 2004.
  16. ↑ Dvaita Vedanta Studies and research Foundation (2004). Pramana Paddhati of Sri Jayatirtha with commentaries of Vijayindra tirtha,Vedesha tirtha,Raghavendra tirtha(pramāṇa paddhati bhāvadīpa),Satyanatha tirtha(abhinava amṛtam),Srinivasa tirtha(vākyārtha mañjarī),Janardhana Bhatta(jayatīrtha vijaya),Vitthalabhatta,vyāsapurī Narasimha(ādarśa). p. 4.
  17. ↑ Sharma 1961, p. 285.
  18. ↑ Francis W. (1916). Madras District Gazetteers Bellary Vol-i (1916). The Superintendent, Madras. p. 213.
  19. ↑ K. Abhishankar (1972). Bellary District Gazetteer. State Government of Karnataka. p. 87.
  20. ↑ Rao 2015, p. 85.
  21. ↑ Hebbar 2004, p. 230.
  22. ↑ Sharma 1961, p. 281.

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

Further reading[edit | edit source]

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