Vyasatirtha - Influence

Influence

Vyasatirtha was extremely influential in the Vijayanagar Empire. He initially came to limelight in the court of Saluva Narasimha in Chandragiri where he defeated many scholars with his masterly debates. He headed the Tirupati Temple during the time 1486-1498. At the pressing and repeated invitations of ministers of Saluva Narasimha, he moved to Vijayanagara and spent the rest of his life there. The accession of Shri Krishnadevaraya in 1509 opened up a new chapter of the glory in the life of Vyasatirtha. It was during the time of Krishnadevaraya that Vyasatirtha saw the peak of his influence over the empire. The king had the greatest regard and respect for Vyasatirtha and regarded him as nothing less than his kuladevata. This is very beautifully narrated by Somanatha in his biography on Vyasatirtha. The evidence of a clear statement to the effect that King regarded Vyasatirtha as his Guru is still saved as a palm leaf fragment (preserved in G.O. Mss. Library), Madras. The two foreign travellers Paes and Nuniz who travelled along the Vijayanagara empire give accounts of how the King Krishnadevaraya regarded his Guru. Nuniz in his catalog says that King of Bisnaga (vijayanagar) listened everyday to the preachings of "a learned Brahmin who never married nor touched a woman". The description points unmistakably to Vyasatirtha. Nuniz's remarks are fully corroborated by Somanatha's biography. Somanatha writes that, before starting on his Raichur expedition, Krishnadevaraya performed a ritual ceremony "ratnabhisheka" to his Guru Vyasatirtha in year 1520 and gifted him with many villages. Somanatha goes on to say that after the death of Krishnadevaraya in year 1530, Achutaraya continued to honor Vyasatirtha for some years. It was in Achutaraya's reign that the image of Yogavarada Narasimha was set up by Vyasatirtha in the courtyard of the Vittalaswami temple at Hampi (Vijayanagara) in 1532. Seven years later, Vyasatirtha died at Vijayanagara on the fourth day of the dark fortnight of Phalguna, in Vilambi, corresponding to Saturday, 8 March 1539. The data is given by Shri Puranadadasa in one of his songs. His mortal remains are entomed at Nava Brundavana, an island on Tungabhadra river, about half a mile east of Anegondi. Vyasatirtha was almost the second Founder of the system of Madhva. The learned Appayya Diksita is reported to have observed that the great Vyasatirtha "saved the melon of Madhvaism from bursting, by securing it with three bands" in the form of his three great works - the Nyayamrutha, Chandrika and Tarka-Tandava. There is a tradition that when the North Indian Logician Pakshadhara Mishra visited Mulbhagal, he had spoken most appreciatively of Vyasatirtha. Shri Vyasatirtha was a thinker of high order. He was essentially warm-hearted and felt himself as at home on the naked peaks of intellect and in the unfathomed depths of mystic consciousness and devotion to God. The biography of Vyasatirtha gives several accounts of his kind-heartedness. He was also honoured by Delhi Sultan Bahlul Khan Lodi and Adil Shah of Bijapur with green umbrellas and other symbols of their respective kingdom.He treated Basavabhatta whom he vanquished in debate with exemplary kindness and regards. He allowed his preachings to take their gentle course of persuasion and disliked proselytization for the sake of numbers. He did not misuse his influence with Kings to make his faith the state religion. This attitude deserves to be contrasted with that of the Shrivaishnava's, reported in the prappannamruta. Vyasathirta installed 732 Hanuman(Anjaneya or Mukhya Prana Devaru) idols all over India. Few of them to be named are:

• Yantrodharaka Hanuman of Hampi
• Kasapur Nettikal Hanuman,
• Sri Gali Anjaneya Temple, Bengaluru