Parampare : shri uttarAdi maTa, #27
Period: 1794-1797
GurugaLu: shri satyasandha tIrtharu
Shishyaru: shri satyadharma tIrtharu, mAdanUr vishNu tIrtharu
Aradhana: shrAvaNa shuddha sapthami,
BrindAvana: santEbidanUr
*श्रीसत्यसन्धसिन्धूत्थः श्रीसत्यवरचन्द्रमाः
प्रार्थितार्थप्रदो नित्यं भूयः स्यात् दृष्टिसिद्धये॥*
shrIsatyasandhasindhUtthaH shrIsatyavaracandramAH|
prArthitArthaprado nityaM bhUyaH syAt dR^iShTisiddhaye ||
Shri satyavara tItha srIpAdangaLavaru was a great Jnani and an unparalleled exponent of Dvaita Siddantha. shri sathyadharma tIrtharu, (shri satyavara tIrtha’s successor) who is well known for his treatises and tippanis quotes the following in one of his works: “This work’s credit is not mine rather the entire credit should be given to shri satyavara tIrtha whose abundant blessings has made me write the same as how a father would make his son write!”. This shows not only shri satyadharma tIrtha’s humbleness and his Gurubhakti but primarily it shows the greatness of shri satyavara tIrtha’s Siddhi and Tapas Shakti. We also can understand how important it is to gain the blessings of the Guru in any work we undertake and one can be assured of a successful outcome if the complete blessings of the Guru are bestowed upon us before conducting any holy tasks.
Although, his period in Vedantha Samrajya was just 3 years, His Holiness made a lasting impression in the line of spiritual masters who were the Peethadipathis of shri uttarAdi maTa, through His Jnana (Knowledge), Bhakthi (Devotion) and Vairagya. He was a great Jnani who was well known for His knowledge in the entire gamut of shAstrAs as well as known to have performed several miracles and toured the length and breadth of this country with the task of propounding the Dvaita philosophy. A surprising fact is that shri satyavara tIrtha, his Guru (who initiated him as his successor), shri satyasandha tIrtha as well his shishya, shri satyadharma tIrtha, all had a common vidyA guru in shri satyabOdha tIrtha. All these three great yativarEnyAs were immensely responsible in bringing laurels to shri uttarAdi maTa.
Shri satyavara tIrtha before his sanyAsa days was well known by the name of shri jhulpi krishNAchArya. As in those periods, Father used to be the first guru for any child and shri jhulpi krishNAchArya’s education was under the tutelage of his father, shri subaNNAchArya. Later he learnt the secrets of Vedanta as well as Nyaya Shastra under the able guidance of shri satybOdha tIrtha. During this period, shri Ramachandracharya and Gururayacharya were also the students of shri satybOdha tIrtha and later they became the Peethadipathis of shri uttarAdi maTa as shri satyasandha tIrtha and shri satyaparAyaNa tIrtha respectively. He did specialization of Vyakarana, Mimamsa and other Shastra under a very well known pundit, shri Tirupati Balacharya.
Shri satyavara tIrtha was also instrumental in initiating a very well known Vedanta Pundit known as aDavi AchArya as shri VishnutIrtha. shri vishNu tIrthara brindAvana is at mAdanUr. vidyA gurugaLu of shri vishNu tIrtharu was shri Vyasa tatvagna tIrtharu, biDi sanyAsigaLu in rAyara maTa.
Shri satyasandha tIrtha had visited Udupi and had the premonition that his time was almost coming to an end. He left uDupi towards Mahishi (on the banks of River Tunga) via tIrthahaLLi. On the way to Mahishi, He did Japa and Tapa at river sIta and informed his devotees that his time is coming to an end and instructed them to carry him to Mahishi in a Palanquin and also to inform shri krishNAchArya about this. shri krishNAchArya immediately rushed to Mahishi to visit His Guru. shri satyasandha tIrtha gave sanyAsa dIksha to shri krishNAchArya and named Him shri satyavara tIrtha.
Shri satyavara tIrtha stayed at Mahishi for almost six months and constructed His Guru’s Brindavana along with the PratishTApana of shri Hanuman and Srimad Ashwathnarayana Swamy. Mahishi has become a very holy place since then and one who visits shri satyasandha tIrtha never returns empty handed. shri satyavara tIrtha also visited His Vidya Guru shri satybOdha tIrtha at Savanur and dedicated a work called “Srimad Vishnusaharsranama Vivruthi” composed by shri satyasandha tIrtha along with performing a lakh japa on Pranava mantra and a lakh Tulasi arachane to shri Rama and shri Vedavyasa ending with annasantharpaNe to a lakh Brahmanas. This incident looked like “Na Bhuto Na Bhavishyathi” i.e. never in past as well as future such a holy activity will happen in this Kaliyuga.
Shri satyavara tIrtha left to Tirupati and took the blessings of Lord shri Srinivasa and nearby areas of today’s Andhra Pradesh. While at Tirupati, he got 4 replicas of Lord shri Srinivasa made and donated it to His near and dear Shishyas namely Dhiggavi Acharya, shri Karadeepa Acharya, shri Lakshmanacharya and shri Adya Ramacharya.
Shri satyavara tIrtha then left to Srirangapatna where the river cauvery flows. On the way he did pUja to the idols of shri Rama and shri Hanuman, which were made by Sri vidyAdhIsha tIrtha at Chandagaala. Diwan Poornaiah immediately left Srirangapatna along with shri tIrtha SrinivAsAchArya, shri sanjIva krishNAchArya, shri haridAsAchArya and shri tAmrapani AchArya and met His Holiness. They advised His Holiness not to enter Srirangapatna as the period was not in favor with respect to the political climate and instead advised that His Holiness stay at Ramanathapura along with His devotees. His Holiness listened to the advice of Diwan and the other pundits. Poornaiah also advised His Holiness to just take with him only little quantities of jewels and important idols and made arrangements for the other jewelry and idols, which are of unimaginable value to be guarded by his nephew Hiranyapppa at his house at santEbidanUr. He also requested his nephew to make arrangements for the stay of His Holiness at santEbidanUr.
Shri satyavara tIrtha left to penukonDa and visited the Brindavan of shri Vedavyasa tIrtha who was the immediate successor of shri raghUthama tIrtha. shri satyavara tIrtha then left to a place called Naamagondalu and stayed there for a few days and decided to travel to North India as part of His regular Sanchara. Poornaiah coming to know of this decision sent his most trusted friends and advised His Holiness against His decision citing the unfavorable political climate. His Holiness listened to the advice of Diwan Poornaiah again and stayed back at Naamagondalu.
Shri uttarAdi maTa had gained name and fame during the time of shri satybOdha tIrtha Sripadangalu. During the period of shri satybOdha tIrtha, the maTa had earned immense wealth as various donations from rich Zamindars and devotees. The maTa had in its possession innumerable jewels and priceless pearls and other valuable articles, which included Golden Bow of shri Rama’s idols, golden thrones for the idols and lots of Silver jewelry too. All this was in the possession of His Holiness and used to be carried during the sanchAra. These riches of shri uttarAdi maTa were always the cynosure in the eyes of dacoits and petty thieves for the wrong reasons and many had planned to somehow take this away.
On Ashada Shuddha Chaturdasi, when shri satyavara Tirtharu got up early in the morning and was preparing for His morning rituals, a thief sneaked into His Holiness’s room and took away the box containing the idols of shri rAma and shri sIta. His Holiness after the bath observed that the box was missing and informed all His Shishyas to search for the same. After futile efforts, His Holiness became very sad and felt that shri rAma was testing him for some reason. Immediately He decided (took a vow) to fast until the idols were found and He would be able to perform pUja for the same. On coming to know of this incident Diwan Poonaiah rushed to Naamgondalu and promised His Holiness that he would put his entire resources at his command to find the stolen items and persuaded His Holiness to give up the total fasting. shri satyavara tIrtha never accepted His giving up the fast, instead would perform daily pooja and take the tIrtha and would sit for performing deep meditation. Perhaps the powers of the meditation of His Holiness were so much that the thief decided to return the idols. On the 21st day, the thief returned the lost idols after taking away all the jewelry covered in a plantain leaf and His Holiness’s joy knew no bounds (Though the maTa had lost considerable jewelry, a sanyAsi would only bother about the idols which are of immense value). These were discovered by shri Navarathna Annacharya and handed over to His Holiness. His Holiness commemorated this incident in a grand manner after sanctifying the idols according to the Shastras and Diwan Poornaiah also participated in the same.
The twenty-one days of fast had taken its toll on His Holiness and He could never recover from it completely. Diwan Poornaiah observing the failing health of shri satyavara tIrtha, politely requested His Holiness to appoint the next successor. shri satyavara tIrtha readily agreed to the advice in the right spirit without any qualms. His Holiness felt that the one and only person who had the capability to take over shri uttarAdi maTa and perform the pUja of shri rAma and His Parivara as well as carry the torch of Vedanta knowledge forward was shri Navarathna Acharya who was also His Holiness’s batch mate when He was studying under shri satybOdha tIrtha and also had first discovered the stolen idols. Diwan Poornaiah and the other pundits took this as an order and on Shravana Shuddha Panchami, shri satyavara tIrtha named his successor as shri satyadharma tIrtha and exactly two days after this on Shravana Shuddha Sapthami left the mortal body at Naamgondalu and His Brindavana was constructed at santEbidanUr. Diwan Poornaiah himself oversaw the Brindavana construction at SantEbidanUr. The entire building can house about 250 – 300 people at a time. a Ashvatha Tree along with nAgapratimAs.
Next to shri satyavara tIrtha’s Brindavana is the Brindavana of another Saint, shri satyaparAyaNa tIrtha (1841-1863) who is known to have improved the finances of shri uttarAdi maTa.
The day one remembers shri satyavara tIrtha Sripandangalavaru is a holy day and just remembering him is said to destroy our sins and shri sItA rAma would definitely bestow their grace on the one who remembers and worships shri satyavara tIrtha.
| Category | Aradhana |
| month | Sravana |
| paksha | Shukla |
| tithi | Ashtami |
| Nakshatra | |
| yogha |
