Hi!!! Today, I am continuing yesterday's story about the great sage Madhvacharya. He was the saint who created Dvaita philosophy and spread it throughout India. Let's get to the story, then…
The other boys questioned Vasudeva, "Why should we fight when the world is illusory? That's what the scriptures say!!" Vasudeva was shocked!!! He never knew that the scriptures meant that!!! "I know what I'll do!! I'll become an ascetic and find out the scriptures' true meaning!!"
Vasudeva returned home with a happy heart. He hadn't seen his parents in ages!!!! They greeted him with great delight.
In the days that followed, Vasudeva would disappear from home for hours at a time. His parents would be anxious. They never knew if he would return or not. One day, Vasudeva hadn't returned for the whole afternoon and his parents became worried sick!!! They were pacing around their house until late in the evening. Vasudeva returned home to see his parents running out and hugging him. "Where were you?!" asked Vasudeva's parents. "I was at Achyuta Prajna's ashram." Narayana Bhatt wasn't surprised. He knew that Vasudeva wasn't an ordinary person. He had an inclining pleasure towards the scriptures. Narayana Bhatt predicted what Vasudeva wanted. "O Son, you may go to Achyuta Prajna's ashram and become a sanyasi. But, do not utter a word of this to your mom. She will roar with grief." Vasudeva embraced his dad and ran from his house, never to hear from them again. He settled in Achyuta Prajna's ashram.
Many days passed, Vasudeva turned out to be an amazing student and an ardent devotee of God.
After a long, long time, Vasudeva was at last ordained a sanyasi by Achyuta Prajna. He was renamed as Poorna Prajna. Many other sanyasis stared in awe as Poorna Prajna was well taken care of by Achyuta Prajna. They all dreamed to be in Poorna Prajna's position. Achyuta Prajna would always entertain Poorna's inquisitive mind. His questions were not always met with answers by Achyuta Prajna. To his amazement, Achyuta Prajna received many serious and valid queries. Many a scholar came to try and defeat Poorna Prajna in a debate. But, many a scholar left without a win. All were defeated by Poorna Prajna. Because of his extreme debating skills, Purna Prajna earned the named Anandhatheertha!!
Anandatheertha now began to expound the scriptures to larger audiences. Many people started to follow him. He soon became an accomplished swami!!! He opened many of his own ashrams and became a favourite in the Hindu society.
It was around this time that Madhvacharya, as he came to be known, began writing his famous commentary on the Bhagavad Gita - GITA BHASHYA. He went on a whole pilgrimage of South India, holding discussions with the scholars at various centres of learning, like Srirangam and Kanyakumari. Though many of them were initially sceptical about his theories, and didn't think that they were religious, they ultimately became his followers and admirers. Everybody used to praise him for his practical and logical take on the Hindu religion.
As soon as he finished his commentary on the Gita, Madhvacharya decided, "I shall go to Badri and dedicate this work to Lord Badri Narayana and then seek the blessings of Lord Vedavyasa."
After a long, precarious journey, Madhva reached the Temple of Badri with his disciples. He offered his commentary to the Lord and prayed to him, "O Lord, accept my humble offering." He laid the many palm leaves, on which he wrote, in the temple. He stayed in Badri for many months, praying and composing many different bhajans.
After many days, Madhva took a vow of silence and fasted and prayed to Lord Vedavyasa. He sat. And sat. And sat!! He remained absolutely still for forty-eight days!!!! On the forty-eighth day, Madhva heard Vedavyasa call out to him, "Come to me at my ashram at Uttara Badri!!" Upon hearing this, Madhva set off immediately. Leaving a mere message for his disciples, he started out alone on the arduous and perilous journey.
A few hours later, the disciples found the message inscribed on a rock. One of them read it out, "I am going to meet Shri Vedavyasa. Whether I return or not is left to him. May the Lord bless you and keep you safe. Farewell, dear disciples." Many broke down and cried. The feeling of leaving their teacher was too much to handle. Many grieved for their mentor, who had disappeared so suddenly. They never knew if he would come back or not. As Madhva said, it was all left to Him.
After many days of treacherous travel, Madhvacharya finally reached the famed ashram of Lord Vedavyasa, the same person who composed the Mahabharata. He was greeted with great pomp (Well, the amount of pomp for a sage would've been a nice meal and rest!!) and pizzazz. He settled down into the ashram with ease and mingled well with the other swamis. He spent his time studying and reading the scriptures, or going for a swim in the nearby river.
Days passed. Then weeks. Months passed. Madhvacharya, who received instructions from Vedavyasa, didn't want to go back to the world he had left behind. He enjoyed living in serenity in Vedavyasa's ashram. He thought that the world had his teachings and now had to improvise. But, Vedavyasa instructed him. " Your works there awaits you, no, needs you. You must go back." Madhva had no choice but to follow Vedavyasa's orders, "As you wish, my Lord."
Madhva returned to Badri and his disciples on the bank of the holy river Alaknanda. His Disciples were overjoyed. They danced and frolicked with joy, as their mentor was back.
When he settled back in Badri, he wrote his commentary on the Brahma Sutras (Verses composed by Vedavyasa). While writing, Madhva soon realised that his task was complete. He wanted to go back to the place that he grew up - Udupi. He wanted to go to the Anateshwar Temple, where he grew up praying to the Lord.
So, Madhva set out on his return journey, with his disciples, to Udupi. On the way, he held philosophical debates and disputes with learned scholars. At Puri (Now in Odisha), he went to dispute the famous Swami Shastri. They had a long, long, long debate!!! It was sooooo long, that it took 14 days to finally come to an end!!! After a VERY prolonged debate, Madhva finally won over Swami Shastri and accepted him as his disciple. Madhva gave him a new name- Narahari Theertha.
At Pratishthana (Now in Maharashtra), Madhva met Shobana Bhatt, a renowned scholar. They debated like lions, countering each others' questions with more. The debate lasted for several days, with Madhva's and Shobana's disciples helping them each. After many days, Shobana Bhatt decided to accept Madhva as his spiritual guide. He was renamed as Padmanabha Theertha.
But, Madhva's greatest conquest was of his own teacher's - Achyuta Prajna at Udupi!!!!! Their debate didn't even last longer than a few hours!! Madhva stumped Achyuta Prajna, who couldn't answer at all. He too accepted Madhva as his teacher.
At Udupi, Madhva used to go to the seashore every morning to meditate. One day, the sea wasn't as calm and tranquil as before. Madhva noticed this and peered out on the horizon. He saw a cargo boat which was sent from Dwaraka was being mercilessly tossed around in the turbulent sea!!! "The ship seems to be in trouble!! I must save them!!!" The ship was jostling about the water like a feather in the air!! Suddenly, a crack appeared in the boat. Water started flowing into the ship!!!!! It began to sink!!! The crew of the ship were running about, helpless. Madhva closed his eyes and waved his saffron robe like a fan. Suddenly, the sinking ship stop sinking. It stopped moving, too. The crew were shocked!! They thought that this was the work of a magician!! Slowly, the vessel started drifting towards the shore!! They danced with joy!! They and their ship were saved!!
When they got off, the captain of the ship called Madhvacharya, "Revered Sir, we are from Dwaraka. You have saved our lives. Accept these gifts and bless us," Madhva remained calm and cool, "We are ascetics. Of what use are these gifts to us?" The sailors agreed, but the captain pleaded, "You must accept something. Don't refuse," Madhva thought for some while, then said, " All right. I shall accept some gopichandan, which is dear to our Lord." All of the sailors agreed. The captain went and brought a huge block of gopichandan, which had been loaded in the ship as ballast. He heaved it into Madhva's hands. Madhva blessed him and his crew, "You may proceed with your journey. May God be with you."
From the shore to the Ananteshwar Temple, Madhvacharya carried the gopichandan, singing the glory of God all the while. He walked on, and on, and on, and on, until he reached the temple. Madhva strode in and went right to the temple tank. With a splash, Madhva immersed the gopichandan in the clear blue water.
Suddenly, a beautiful idol of Krishna rose to the surface!! Madhvacharya was astonished!! He carefully lifted the idol and lovingly carried it into his ashram. His disciples ran to see the lovely idol in his hands.
Later, Madhvacharya had a majestic shrine built for the Lord in a portion of his ashram, where the idol was consecrated with due ceremony.
Thus, Madhvacharya created one of the most famous philosophical mutts. Even today, many people follow Madhva's philosophy.
Fun Fact Nº 1: The idol still stands at Udupi Mutt
Thanks for reading Madhvacharya - part 2!!! Please type your email above the followers and click the blue button to receive emails about my posts!!!!!
The other boys questioned Vasudeva, "Why should we fight when the world is illusory? That's what the scriptures say!!" Vasudeva was shocked!!! He never knew that the scriptures meant that!!! "I know what I'll do!! I'll become an ascetic and find out the scriptures' true meaning!!"
Vasudeva returned home with a happy heart. He hadn't seen his parents in ages!!!! They greeted him with great delight.
In the days that followed, Vasudeva would disappear from home for hours at a time. His parents would be anxious. They never knew if he would return or not. One day, Vasudeva hadn't returned for the whole afternoon and his parents became worried sick!!! They were pacing around their house until late in the evening. Vasudeva returned home to see his parents running out and hugging him. "Where were you?!" asked Vasudeva's parents. "I was at Achyuta Prajna's ashram." Narayana Bhatt wasn't surprised. He knew that Vasudeva wasn't an ordinary person. He had an inclining pleasure towards the scriptures. Narayana Bhatt predicted what Vasudeva wanted. "O Son, you may go to Achyuta Prajna's ashram and become a sanyasi. But, do not utter a word of this to your mom. She will roar with grief." Vasudeva embraced his dad and ran from his house, never to hear from them again. He settled in Achyuta Prajna's ashram.
Many days passed, Vasudeva turned out to be an amazing student and an ardent devotee of God.
After a long, long time, Vasudeva was at last ordained a sanyasi by Achyuta Prajna. He was renamed as Poorna Prajna. Many other sanyasis stared in awe as Poorna Prajna was well taken care of by Achyuta Prajna. They all dreamed to be in Poorna Prajna's position. Achyuta Prajna would always entertain Poorna's inquisitive mind. His questions were not always met with answers by Achyuta Prajna. To his amazement, Achyuta Prajna received many serious and valid queries. Many a scholar came to try and defeat Poorna Prajna in a debate. But, many a scholar left without a win. All were defeated by Poorna Prajna. Because of his extreme debating skills, Purna Prajna earned the named Anandhatheertha!!
Anandatheertha now began to expound the scriptures to larger audiences. Many people started to follow him. He soon became an accomplished swami!!! He opened many of his own ashrams and became a favourite in the Hindu society.
It was around this time that Madhvacharya, as he came to be known, began writing his famous commentary on the Bhagavad Gita - GITA BHASHYA. He went on a whole pilgrimage of South India, holding discussions with the scholars at various centres of learning, like Srirangam and Kanyakumari. Though many of them were initially sceptical about his theories, and didn't think that they were religious, they ultimately became his followers and admirers. Everybody used to praise him for his practical and logical take on the Hindu religion.
As soon as he finished his commentary on the Gita, Madhvacharya decided, "I shall go to Badri and dedicate this work to Lord Badri Narayana and then seek the blessings of Lord Vedavyasa."
After a long, precarious journey, Madhva reached the Temple of Badri with his disciples. He offered his commentary to the Lord and prayed to him, "O Lord, accept my humble offering." He laid the many palm leaves, on which he wrote, in the temple. He stayed in Badri for many months, praying and composing many different bhajans.
After many days, Madhva took a vow of silence and fasted and prayed to Lord Vedavyasa. He sat. And sat. And sat!! He remained absolutely still for forty-eight days!!!! On the forty-eighth day, Madhva heard Vedavyasa call out to him, "Come to me at my ashram at Uttara Badri!!" Upon hearing this, Madhva set off immediately. Leaving a mere message for his disciples, he started out alone on the arduous and perilous journey.
A few hours later, the disciples found the message inscribed on a rock. One of them read it out, "I am going to meet Shri Vedavyasa. Whether I return or not is left to him. May the Lord bless you and keep you safe. Farewell, dear disciples." Many broke down and cried. The feeling of leaving their teacher was too much to handle. Many grieved for their mentor, who had disappeared so suddenly. They never knew if he would come back or not. As Madhva said, it was all left to Him.
After many days of treacherous travel, Madhvacharya finally reached the famed ashram of Lord Vedavyasa, the same person who composed the Mahabharata. He was greeted with great pomp (Well, the amount of pomp for a sage would've been a nice meal and rest!!) and pizzazz. He settled down into the ashram with ease and mingled well with the other swamis. He spent his time studying and reading the scriptures, or going for a swim in the nearby river.
Days passed. Then weeks. Months passed. Madhvacharya, who received instructions from Vedavyasa, didn't want to go back to the world he had left behind. He enjoyed living in serenity in Vedavyasa's ashram. He thought that the world had his teachings and now had to improvise. But, Vedavyasa instructed him. " Your works there awaits you, no, needs you. You must go back." Madhva had no choice but to follow Vedavyasa's orders, "As you wish, my Lord."
Madhva returned to Badri and his disciples on the bank of the holy river Alaknanda. His Disciples were overjoyed. They danced and frolicked with joy, as their mentor was back.
When he settled back in Badri, he wrote his commentary on the Brahma Sutras (Verses composed by Vedavyasa). While writing, Madhva soon realised that his task was complete. He wanted to go back to the place that he grew up - Udupi. He wanted to go to the Anateshwar Temple, where he grew up praying to the Lord.
So, Madhva set out on his return journey, with his disciples, to Udupi. On the way, he held philosophical debates and disputes with learned scholars. At Puri (Now in Odisha), he went to dispute the famous Swami Shastri. They had a long, long, long debate!!! It was sooooo long, that it took 14 days to finally come to an end!!! After a VERY prolonged debate, Madhva finally won over Swami Shastri and accepted him as his disciple. Madhva gave him a new name- Narahari Theertha.
At Pratishthana (Now in Maharashtra), Madhva met Shobana Bhatt, a renowned scholar. They debated like lions, countering each others' questions with more. The debate lasted for several days, with Madhva's and Shobana's disciples helping them each. After many days, Shobana Bhatt decided to accept Madhva as his spiritual guide. He was renamed as Padmanabha Theertha.
But, Madhva's greatest conquest was of his own teacher's - Achyuta Prajna at Udupi!!!!! Their debate didn't even last longer than a few hours!! Madhva stumped Achyuta Prajna, who couldn't answer at all. He too accepted Madhva as his teacher.
At Udupi, Madhva used to go to the seashore every morning to meditate. One day, the sea wasn't as calm and tranquil as before. Madhva noticed this and peered out on the horizon. He saw a cargo boat which was sent from Dwaraka was being mercilessly tossed around in the turbulent sea!!! "The ship seems to be in trouble!! I must save them!!!" The ship was jostling about the water like a feather in the air!! Suddenly, a crack appeared in the boat. Water started flowing into the ship!!!!! It began to sink!!! The crew of the ship were running about, helpless. Madhva closed his eyes and waved his saffron robe like a fan. Suddenly, the sinking ship stop sinking. It stopped moving, too. The crew were shocked!! They thought that this was the work of a magician!! Slowly, the vessel started drifting towards the shore!! They danced with joy!! They and their ship were saved!!
When they got off, the captain of the ship called Madhvacharya, "Revered Sir, we are from Dwaraka. You have saved our lives. Accept these gifts and bless us," Madhva remained calm and cool, "We are ascetics. Of what use are these gifts to us?" The sailors agreed, but the captain pleaded, "You must accept something. Don't refuse," Madhva thought for some while, then said, " All right. I shall accept some gopichandan, which is dear to our Lord." All of the sailors agreed. The captain went and brought a huge block of gopichandan, which had been loaded in the ship as ballast. He heaved it into Madhva's hands. Madhva blessed him and his crew, "You may proceed with your journey. May God be with you."
From the shore to the Ananteshwar Temple, Madhvacharya carried the gopichandan, singing the glory of God all the while. He walked on, and on, and on, and on, until he reached the temple. Madhva strode in and went right to the temple tank. With a splash, Madhva immersed the gopichandan in the clear blue water.
Suddenly, a beautiful idol of Krishna rose to the surface!! Madhvacharya was astonished!! He carefully lifted the idol and lovingly carried it into his ashram. His disciples ran to see the lovely idol in his hands.
Later, Madhvacharya had a majestic shrine built for the Lord in a portion of his ashram, where the idol was consecrated with due ceremony.
Thus, Madhvacharya created one of the most famous philosophical mutts. Even today, many people follow Madhva's philosophy.
Fun Fact Nº 1: The idol still stands at Udupi Mutt
Thanks for reading Madhvacharya - part 2!!! Please type your email above the followers and click the blue button to receive emails about my posts!!!!!
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