Great Acharyas

Shriman Madhvacharya

Srimad Ananda Teertha, also known as Poornaprajna and Madhvacharya, is the propagator of the doctrine of Tattvavada. He is the last of the great Acharyas of Vedanta, and is also the 22nd commentator on the Brahma-Stra of Veda Vyasa. Srimad Ananda Teertha is commonly identified with Madhva, the third avataara of Mukhya PraaNa, the god of life, as given in the BaLittha Sukta of the Rig Veda. The first two avatara-s are as Hanuman and Bheemasena, and the third is Madhva, who came down to Earth as a sanyasi. Sumadhvavijaya is a biographical account of Acharya Madhva composed by Sri Narayana Panditacharya, the son of Sri Trivikrama Panditacharya, who was a contemporary of Acharya Madhva. Read more...

Sri Sri Raghavendra Swamiji

Sri Raghavendra SwamigaLu was one of the great proponents of the Madhva philosophy. For nearly 50 years, he was the head of one of the great peeTha-s. His predecessors include such scholars like Vijayeendra teertha & Sudheendra teertha. He excelled in many fields such as logic, meemAmsA, music, yoga, dharmashAstra, & all 64 arts. As an avatara of Prahlada, he chose as his Brindavan Manchaale (Mantralaya)

on the bank of the Tungabadhra, where Prahlada had performed his yaj~na in kR^ita yuga. Read more...

Sri Sri Vadiraja Teertharu

Shri Vadiraja tIrtha occupies a very exalted place in the galaxy of saints in Madhva parampare. Some accord to him a lofty status along with Sri Jaya tIrtha, Sri VyAsa tIrtha and Sri Raghavendra tIrtha, whereas others consider him second only to AchArya Madhva. In any case, he is universally acknowledged as a great saint with immense spiritual powers in addition to being an outstanding poet, philosopher, social organizer, reformer, debater and prolific writer. There are many aspects about him that are truly outstanding. He lived for 120 years, (1480-1600 AD) out of which 112 years as a sanyAsi, and entered brindAvana alive ! No other saint, irrespective of doctrinal affiliations, can claim this distinction. He saw 5 paryAyas and entered his Brindavana alive in 1600. He went around India twice and captured his experience in a travelogue. Read more...

Sri Sri Vishvesha Theertha Swamiji

Sri Sri Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji was born on the 27th of April, 1931 as the second child of Sri Narayanacharya and Srimati Kamalamma, a devout couple from Ramakunja. The parents named the child as Venkataramana. Hugely impressed by the Satvik nature of the young Venkataramana, the then head of the Pejavara Matha, Sri Sri Vishva Manya Theertha Swamiji initiated him as a Sanyasi when he was in his 8th year of age! The initiation happened on the 3rd of December 1938 at Chakratheertha, near Hampi. Upon initiation, Venkataramana became Sri Sri Vishwesha Theertha. The early education of the young Sanyasi happened at Udupi itself. The head of the Bhandarakeri Matha, Sri Sri Vidyamanya Theertha Swamiji, taught all the Shastras to the young Yati for eight years and helped transform him into a knowledgeable and erudite scholar of Vedanta and Shastras. Sri Swamiji quickly became an extraordinary scholar in Nyaya, Vedanta and other branches of philosophy.