Shri Vidyakantha Teertharu

Tenure : 1812 – 1824
Ārādhana : Jyeṣṭha śukla navamī
Location : Sŏsale

Charama Shloka :

चतुःषष्टिकलायुक्तः सर्वज्ञांबुधिपारगः | विद्याकांतगुरुर्भूयादस्मदिष्टार्थसिद्धये ||

ಚತುಃಷಷ್ಟಿಕಲಾಯುಕ್ತಃ ಸರ್ವಜ್ಞಾಂಬುಧಿಪಾರಗಃ | ವಿದ್ಯಾಕಾಂತಗುರುರ್ಭೂಯಾದಸ್ಮದಿಷ್ಟಾರ್ಥಸಿದ್ಧಯೇ ||

catuḥṣaṣṭikalāyuktaḥ sarvajñāmbudhipāragaḥ | vidyākāntagururbhūyādasmadiṣṭārthasiddhaye ||

About Śrī Vidyākānta Tīrtha

Śrī Vidyākānta Tīrtha was ordained the 28th Pīṭadhipati by Śrī Vidyāvallabha Tīrtha. During a grand celebration organized by Śrī Vidyāvllabha Tīrtharu to mark the 360th Vardhanti of Vyasarajaru at Bannuru, he ordained Narasimhācārya of Śaunaka Gotra and a Śiṣya of Śrī Śrīnātha Tīrtha that had immense affection from the assemblage of pandits and commoners on the Vĕdānta Sāmrājya. The saint was Pūrvāśrama relative, stepbrother of Śrī Vidyāvallabha Tīrtha and was also known as Naccappācārya.

The saint was a great scholar and his Śiṣyaru, Śrī Vidyānidhi Tīrtha describes him as being proficient in all 64 vidyas, Catuśaṣṭikalāyukta:. Tradition records that the Saint was honored by Kings of Mysore, Travancore, Cochi and Pudukottai. Mummaḍi Kṛṣṇarāja Wodeyar donated a few villages to the Śrīmaṭha during the Saint’s period. Further, Śrīmaṭha’s main deity Śrī Mūla Gopālakṛṣṇa received the Vaijayantimāla jewel as a gift during his time.

The Saint undertook a Sancāra upto Narmada Tīra and participated in debates and came out with victorious commendations which were submitted to Śrī Vyāsarāyaru at Navavṛndāvana by his Guru Śrī Vidyāvallabharu. There is a belief that while Guru Śrī. Vidyāvallabha Tīrtha was referred to as abhinava Vyāsarājaru, the saint, his Śiṣya was referred to as abhinava Vijayīndraru.

The Saint had written a commentary on Tarka Tāṇḍava of Śrī Vyāsarājaru and an Aṣṭaka on Śrī Raghunātha Tīrtha. Further, after Śrī Vyāsarājaru, he composed several devaranamas in Kannada with the ankiktha Vidyākānta, out of which only one has remained to date.

After twelve years as Pīṭhadhipati, the saint anointed Śrī Vidyānidhi Tīrtha as the successor and attained Haripāda. The saint’s Vṛndāvana happens to be the first of several Vṛndavanas to have come-up in the Śrīmaṭha’s environs in the Sosalĕ village.

Source - vyasarajamatha.org

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