Shri Vijayeendra Tirtharu
(1575c-1614c)
·
The 16th
century is considered as Suvarna yuga. Shri
Madhwacharya’s period was vajra yuga. In
16th century we come across great scholars (maha jNanigalu) like
RaghOtama tirtharu, Vyasarajaru, Vaadirajaru,
Purandaradasaru, Kanakadasaru. Vedanta
and the way of life were inseparable in
those days.
·
When Vyasarajaru
was about 50 years old and while traveling places, an old childless couple with
over 70 years prostrated to him. He blessed them saying “putravatibava” and
told them that the child should be handed over to him. Surprisingly within a year couple were
blessed with a child. This is the
indication to believe in God. The child was
named as Vitthalacharya. The child was
handed over to Sri Vyasarajaru. At the
age of 5 years his upanayana was done.
At the age of 8 years he became SanyAsi and he was named as Vishnu tirtha. Vyasarajaru made him a VidvAmsa. As Vishnu tirtha, he learnt “Sarvamoola grantha”
six times and “Nyaya Sudha” 9 times from Shri VyAsarAjaru. VyAsarAjaru made him a great Tapasvi. VyAsarAjaru made him proficient in 64 Arts.
·
Surendra tirtharu
came to Vijayanagar during his sanchAra.
He saw a Tulasi vana and said “KrishNArpanamastu”which means that all
the tulasi in the vana were offered
to Bhagavanta.. He had travelled around Bharat 3 times with
fasting. At that time VyAsarAjara Shishya took Tulasi
from the vana and gave it VyAsarAjaru for offering to Bhagavanta. VyAsarAjaru
told that the tulasi brought from him is “nirmalya” tulasi (meaning already
offered to Bhagavanta). What a gereat
jNani was vyAsarAjaru. Shishya was
surprised and said that he had brought the tulasi straight from the vana. VyAsarAjaru then invited Surendra tirtha to
his place.
·
Seeing VishNu
tirtha there Surendra tirtharu decided to take him to his Mutt. VyAsarAjaru was
happy to give VishNu thirtharu to Surendra thirtharu. (In Hampi during the excavation “Surendra
Mutt” Board has been found it seems) . Surendra tirtharu renamed VishNu tirtha
as Vijayeendra tirtha.
·
At that time
M.A. Basavarajendra (Lingarajendra) was a very popular Shaiva Sanyasi in KumbakOnam
(Tamilnadu). He was good in vAmachAra
also. He was converting people to Shaiva
community with compulsion. KumbakOnam was a great Kshetra. SArangapAni as VishNu temple and Kumbeshwara
as Shiva temple.
·
A meeting was
arranged for Vijayeendra tirtharu and Basavarajendra. To show his greatness Basavarajendra sat on
a small wall and the wall started flying over the place and came down. Seeing this Vijayeendra tirtharu smiled and
made his Mene (pallakki) to fly over the wall where Basavarajendra was
sitting. A debate was arranged between
them with a betting that whoever lose in the debate must surrender to the
winner and become his Shishya. In the
debate Basavarajrndra was defeated by Vijayeendra tirtharu and he had to
surrender all the property and left the place.
·
Once when a Dombara showed his skill of
walking on a rope, Vijayeendra tirtharu by his yoga shakti walked on bALenaru
(thread of plantain stem) and surprised
the dombara. That is the spiritual spirit he had.
·
Once when a prostitute was shown to him, he made his
Shishya to hit her with a flower bunch which made her to leave her profession. He was creating this type of parivartana (change)
by his skill. This was the saatvika
mahime of Vijayeendra tirtharu.
·
Another one who was making sculptors wanted to test
Vijayeendra tirtha. But making so many
Pratimes he showed his skill and surprised him.
·
A hAvADiga
(snake charmer) wanted to test Vijayeendra tirtha. Vijayendra tirtharu showed him that he can
play with snakes by playing on flute through Adyatma vidye. He left one special sarpa (serpent). A line
was drawn by Vijayeendra tirtharu. It
could not cross that line and went towards hAvADiga. Then hAvADiga surrendered to Vijayeendra
tirtharu. Vijayeendra tirtharu through
his yOga shakti made a Garuda to come
there and to take the sarpa away from there.. That place is called garuDa tirtha which can be seen
even now in KumbakOnam.
·
A weaver from Kashmir challenged Vijaya tirtha to make
a similar shawl that he had done. To his
surprise Vijaya tirtha weaved a shawl which was superior than the shawl shown
by the Kashmiri.
·
Another fellow
challenged Vijayeendra tirtha to take abyanjana by tripura sundari Vijayeendra
tirtharu concentrated on Narayana stOtra. Hw was not disturbed in any way.
·
During the discussion
when Appayya Dixita a prominent Shaivite
said that nArAyaNi is the wife of nArAyaNa ,Vijayeendra tirtha answered
him that then mahishi (princes) will be
the wife of mahisha (kONa).
·
Vijayeendra tirtha has written 104 granthas. 102 granthas are available out of which 35
granthas are printed.
·
When poison was
mixed in milk, he drank it as devara Prasad and composed powerful “NarasimhAshtaka”
stOtra. This is practical siddanta.
·
He also foresaw
the Vijayanagar patana.
·
Once an examination was arranged between a prominent JyOtishya
(Astrologist) and Vijayeendra tirtha about prediction. jyotishya had written that raja gets children
and he get jahagirs as reward from raja.
Vijayeendra tirtharu had
written in detail about how many children raja will have
and how many jahagirs will be given as reward to him. Further he had predicted that JyOtishya’s
wife will jave delivered a child that
day. j wife
will deliver a baby that day. This is divine jyotishya. After handing over
reigns to Shri Sudhindra Swamy, Shri Vijayeendra tirtharu entered Vrindavan on Krishna
Jyeshta Thrayodashi in KumbakONam.
· Source: Based on the lecture of Dr. V. Prabhanjanacharya