Shri Rama Teertharu

Tenure : 1564 – 1584
Ārādhana : Āśvayuja śukla caturdaśī
Location : Navabṛndavana, Ānegundi

Charama Shloka :

रामतीर्थमुनिं वंदे रामपादाब्जभासकम् |

सम्यज्यासु धरेशानां रामपारम्यसाधकम् ||

ರಾಮತೀರ್ಥ ಗುರುವಂದೇ ರಾಮಪಾದಾಬ್ಜಭಾಜಕಂ |
ಸಮ್ಯಜ್ಞಾತಧರೇಶಾನಂ ರಾಮಪಾರಮ್ಯಸಾಧಕಂ |

rāmatīrthamuniṃ vande rāmapādābjabhāsakam | 

samyajyāsu dhareśānāṃ rāmapāramyasādhakam ||

About Śrī Rāma Tīrtha

Śrī Rāma Tīrtha was ordained the 14th Pīṭhādhipati by Śrī Śrīnivāsa Tīrtha and was a contemporary of Śrī Vijayīndra Tīrtha. We understand from tradition that demolition of the Vijayanagara empire was foretold and happened shortly after his ascension to the holy Pīṭha. As advised by his guru, Śrī Rāma Tīrtha, he continued to remain at Hampi by establishing a Maṭha at Ānegŏndi and taking care of thousands of people displaced during the post-war period but that is not to be found now.

The original Vyāsaraja Maṭha bifurcated during this time. Śrī Rāma Tīrtha anointed another of his disciples to the fourth order and named him Śrī Śrīdhara Tīrtha and entrusted him as the guru to shishyas of the Śrīmaṭha in Karāval̤i region. Śrī Śrīdhara Tīrtha stayed in old – Hal̤ĕ Sode and took care of Śrī Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa temple established in Hulekal by Śrī Vyāsarāja Tīrtha and attained Vṛndāvana in old Sode. The temple exists to date and has the Mūla Vṛndāvana of Śrī Lakṣmīnivāsa Tīrtha – a later saint in the tradition as well as the Mṛtthika Vṛndāvana of Śrī Vyāsarāja Tīrtha, apart from the Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa vigraha consecrated by Śrī Vyāsarāja.

The original Vyāsaraja Maṭha bifurcated during this time. Śrī Rāma Tīrtha anointed another of his disciples to the fourth order and named him Śrī Śrīdhara Tīrtha and entrusted him as the guru to shishyas of the Śrīmaṭha in Karāval̤i region. Śrī Śrīdhara Tīrtha stayed in old – Hal̤ĕ Sode and took care of Śrī Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa temple established in Hulekal by Śrī Vyāsarāja Tīrtha and attained Vṛndāvana in old Sode. The temple exists to date and has the Mūla Vṛndāvana of Śrī Lakṣmīnivāsa Tīrtha – a later saint in the tradition as well as the Mṛtthika Vṛndāvana of Śrī Vyāsarāja Tīrtha, apart from the Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa vigraha consecrated by Śrī Vyāsarāja.

The disciplinistic succession sustained by Śrī Lakśmīkānta Tirtha goes by the name of Sosale Vyāsarāja Maṭha while the disciplinistic succession of Śrī Śrīdhara Tīrtha came to be called as the Kundāpura Vyāsarāja Maṭha. It is to be noted here Sosale became the headquarters of activities of the lineage sustained by Śrī Lakśmīkānta Tīrtha, while Abbūru that houses the Vṛndavana of the Śrī Brahmaṇya Tṟrtha became the headquarters of activities of the lineage sustained by Śrī Śrīdhara Tīrtha later – somewhere in the 18th century.

Śrī Rāma Tīrtharu attained Haripāda later and his Vṛndāvana was consecrated in the Ānegŏndi Navavṛndāvana complex along with the other eight saints.

PS: The saint has composed a captivating Aṣṭaka extolling His Guru’s qualities.

Source - vyasarajamatha.org

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