Vijayendra Tirtha

Vijayendra Tirtha
Born	Vittlacharya 1514
Died	1595 Kumbhakonam, India
Other names	Vishnu Tirtha

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Vijayendra Tīrtha (also known as Vijayīndra Tīrtha) (1514-1593) was a Madhwa Vaishnava saint of 16th century India. Literary sources like 'Vijayeendra vijaya', document his life and literary works on Madhva Siddhanta. He is also revered for his triumphs in theological debates, significantly over Appayya Deekshita and Lingarajendra. He is famously known as 'chathushashti kalaakovida' [knower of 64 vidyas] and has written over 104 Granthas on Madhwa siddantha.

Birth and early life

He was born in 1514 as Vittalacharya. There is no information about his family history. After renouncing the worldly life for the life of a saint, he was given the name “Vishnu tirtha” at the age of eight, ” by Sri Vyasa Raya or Vyasa Tirtha, a scholar noted for his works Nyayamruta, Tarkatandava and Tatparyachandrika. Under the tutelage of Vyasa tirtha, he is supposed to have learnt 64 arts^[1] and “tarka-meemansa-vedanta” shastras. Later, he was named “Vijayendra tirtha” by his second guru Shri Surendra tirtha, the pontiff of the Sri Kaveendra Teertha Parampara.^[2]

Literary works

Vijayendra tirtha is credited with as many as 104 literary works. He became an active proponent of Dvaita Madhva school of thought in South India during the Nayak rule in Tamil Nadu. At that time,Dvaita school was threatened by a combined onslaught of Advaita, Vishishtadvaita and Shaiva schools,and Vijayendra Tirtha triumphantly established Dualistic realism (Dvaita). Many of his books are refutations or “khandanam” of other schools of thought.

Later life

Vijayendra Tirtha remained the pontiff of Vibhudendra Tirtha math. He tutored and appointed Shri Sudhindra tirtha as his successor. He died in 1593 (Manmatha Samvatsara) and his brindavana in in Kumbhakonam, India.

References