From Dhondu Pant to Sri Jaya theertha

Sri Jaya theertha (1365-1388)

• Prince Dhondu Pant was born to the King Raghunath who was the chief of Mangalved (near Pandharpur) through the blessings of a Madhwa saint.
• Dhondu Pant, at very young age excelled in all the skills needed for a prince. Soon Upanayanam and Marriage was done early in his boyhood. Since it was boyhood, Dhondu pant and his wife were staying separately with their parents.
• Dhondu Pant who has excelled in many skills was an outstanding horse rider too. Once when he was riding the horse, he felt very thirsty. He went into the Bhima river and without getting down from the horse he started drinking the water just by bending.
• Just then Sri Akshobhya theertha (the direct disciple of Sri Madhwa) who was on the opposite bank asked him “Were you an animal in your previous birth?” . Just on hearing these words Dhondu Pant recollected all the happenings of his earlier birth. He at once approached Sri Akshobhya theertha and expressed his felling and asked him to initiate into sanyashrama immediately as he was not willing to waste anymore time with his wife and family.
• Sri Akshobhya theertha then initiated him and gave him the holy name Sri Jaya theertha.

Sri Jaya theertha taken back home…

After the holy initiation to Jaya theertha, Raghunath Pant his father, rushed to Sri Akshobya theertha and tells him that he has mesmerized his son and made him accept the sainthood. Sri Akshobya theertha then explains, “It was not my decision. Sri Madhwa and Sri Rama had ordered me to grant him sainthood. In my daily prayers, I was asking my guru Sri Madhwa for a good disciple for the Sri Mutt and as a result I was enlightened in my dream with Sri Madhwa telling that I will find a person drinking water at the Bhima river like an animal. He also told me that, that person will come and ask me to grant him sainthood the moment I ask him that whether he was an animal in his previous birth and that has only happened now.”

       Raghunath pant even after hearing this, was not convinced and took his son to his place forcefully with his men and kept Sri Jaya theertha locked in a room. He made arrangements for the nuptial ceremony (Shanthi muhurtham) by bringing his daughter-in-law back.

      After Janaki (Wife of Dhondu Pant) went inside the room, within a short time she came out screaming loudly and fell down losing her conscious, but Jaya theertharu was sitting innocently in the room. Few moments later Janaki opened her eyes and told “He’s not a normal human being, he’s a cobra, he’s looking like a big reptile to my eyes. I cannot live with him because he looks like some divine soul” and leaves back to her mother’s place.

        Raghunath Pant then realizes that his son should be taken back to Sri Akshobya theertha. Sri Akshobya theertha then blessed Raghunath Pant and told him that he’ll have another son to rule his kingdom.

The soul of Sri Jayatheertharu

After Raghunath Pant leaves his son to Sri Akshobhya theertha, he starts teaching his disciple the ‘Sarvamoola Grantha’. But Sri Jaya theertha tells that he’s already familiar with that. Sri Akshobhya theertha replies him that even he knows that and he further tells that Sri Madhwacharya has told him to teach as he’s Sri Jaya theertha’s guru now.

How is this possible???

Yes, it is possible because Sri Jaya theertha was blessed by Sri Anjaneya in his previous 2 birth’s.

• Arjuna, the Pandava prince, after he victory at kurukshetra started shouting “I have won the battle, I have achieved it”.
• Sri Anjaneya who positioned himself on the flag of Arjuna’s chariot stabilising and protecting it adviced Arjuna, “Arjuna, you have won the battle only because the almighty had blessed you to this position. Being so you should not forget the reality and truth by getting into the ego of the victory. Therefore you should get to know the facts, glories of the almighty through a guru.”
• Arjuna requested Sri Anjaneya the he should only bless him for that to happen. Sri Anjaneya then tells, “After my incarnation as Bhima, I will be born as Madhwa in the Kali yuga. At that time you’ll be born as a bull and you will hear all my teachings. In the birth following that of a bull, you’ll be enlightened of your previous births and will write commentaries on my grantha’s.”

Thus Sri Jaya theertha is none but Arjuna, the amsha of Indra. I would also like to mention that only because of Sri Anjaneya’s presence, Arjuna had won the kurukshetra. Where ever Sri Vaayu is present, Sriman Narayana is also present there. And Sri Hari will grant anything to a devotee who is sincerely devoted to Sri Anjaneya. I will also post a separate post on which I will discuss about why Sri Hari tells that Sri Vaayu is the supreme among the jeevas.

Sri Jaya Theertharu – Malkeda

Shobhana Bhatta who became Sri Padmanabha Theertha

Sri Padmanabha Theertha (1317-1324)

• Shobhana bhatta used to live in Rajamahendravam and was a minister in the Kakathiya kingdom.
• Shobhana bhatta used to triumph in all his debates with his knowledge in logic and grammer though being the administrator of his state.
• Shobha bhatta first met Sri Madhwacharya on the banks of Godavari and invited him to participate in a debate which he had arranged.
• Though Shobana bhatta was individually and collectively defeated with other 18 different vedic scholars by Sri Madhwacharya, was stunned and inspired with his knowledge and aruguments. Later Sri Madhwa left to Udupi.
• Shobhana bhatta who wanted to learn more from Sri Madhwa, decided with a conclusion of reaching Udupi to approach Sri Madhwa to accept him as his disciple. Sri Madhwa then initiated Shobhana bhatta with the holy name “Sri Padmanabha theertha” and became the first among the four direct disciples of Sriman Madhwacharya.

Udupi Krishna guides Padmanabha theertha to Kishkindha

Udupi Krishna - The Idol which Lord Krishna himself gave to Rukmini Devi

• After the holy initiation, Padmanabha theertharu was helping his guru Sri Madhwa in his daily pooja and travelled with him on religious tours.
• A marvellous incident took place when Sri Madhwacharya was explaining the Aitareya Upanishad to his disciples at Ananteshwara temple. The moment Sri Madhwa finished his discourse, loads and loads of fragrant flowers from the skies were heaping Sri Madhwa leaving his disciples and other devotees to great excitment. At one stage Sri Madhwa was fully submerged inside the loads of flowers.
• Time passed but Sri Madhwa didnt come out of the huge mass so Sri Padmanabha theertha and other disciples started to remove the huge piles of flowers. Everyone were left shocked to see Sri Madhwa missing inside the heaps of flowers.
• Everyone just heard the ethereal voice of Sri Madhwa telling, “From now I shall not be visible in this Udupi and will be living with Sri Vedavyasa in Upper Badari” , leaving everyone in great sorrow. Sri Padmanabha theertha who was with his guru all the time started feeling the absence of his guru.
• Sri Padmanabha theertha then started his mission of spreading Madhwacharya’s teachings everywhere as told by his guru.
• Sri Padmanabha theertha submitted to Udupi Krishna his prayers and also his wish to be near his guru. Lord Krishna directed him to go to Kishkindha where he can feel the presence of his guru Sri Madhwa in the form of Sri Anjaneya who is ever present and roving in those environs.
• Sri Padmanabha theertha was very much satisfied and started his journey to Kishkindha. Accoringly he realised the presence of Sri Anjaneya and started worshipping him there. Later he made Sri Narahari theertha as the head of the mutt and initiated a disciple to the saintly order giving the hold name Sri Lakshmidhara theertha with a feeling that his mundane exixtence was coming close.
• Sri Padmanabha theertha lived in the island in tungabhadra river and at Anegondi during his last days and entered his brindhavana there at 1324. Thus Sri Padmanabha theertha becomes the first saint to enter his brindhvana at Nava Brindhavanam.

Sri Padmanabha theertha Slokha

Sri Padmanabha theertha dhyana slokham

poorNapragnya krutham Bhashyamaadhow thadhBhaavapoorvakam !

yo vyaakaronnamasthasmai padManaaBhaaKYayogine !!

• Years in Peeta: 6 Years , 9 Months , 20 Days

• Brindavana At: Banks of Tungabhadra River at Navabrindavana, Koppal,    Karnataka

• Aradhane: Kartika Bahula Chaturdashi

Why is Sri Vyasaraja’s brindhavana in the centre of Nava Brindhavana???

The first brindhavana in Nava Brindhavana (Anegondi) is of Sri Padmanabha theertharu in the year 1324. But Sri Vyasaraaja’s brindhavana was the fifth to come there in the year 1539. But why is Sri Vyasaraaja’s brindhavana in the center and not Sri Padmanadha theertharu or the other 3 saints who came before Sri Vyasaraaja?

Sri Vyasarajaru - Nava brindhavana (Anegondi)

Shanku karna, the celestial being who was serving Lord Brahma had taken births as Sri Prahaladha, Bhalika Maharaaja, Sri Vyasaraaja and Sri Raghavendra swami respectively.

• Shanku Karna used to forget himself with the beauty of nature in the place near Tungabhadra (which is now known as Nava Brindhavana),
• That same spot was selected by Sri Prahaladha for his severe tapas in the Kritha yugam by the advice of Lord Narasimha,
• The spot where Sri Vyasaraaja’s brindhavana is situated is the place where Sri Prahaladha indulged himself in severe penance,
• Sri Padmanabha theertharu, Sri Jaya theertharu, Sri Vageesha theertharu and Sri Kavindra theertharu, through their mental prowess, were fully aware about the happenings and also knew that Sri Vyasaraja will be entering his brindhavana at that spot.