Shri Vidyaratnakara Teertharu was the 35th Pontiff of Shri Vyasaraja Math. His Moola Brindavan is located in Sosale.
Durvadimatta Nagendra Vidaranamrigadipaha |
Vidyaratnakara Guruh Sannidhattam Sada Hrudi ||🙏
He was a great scholar. He was called as "Shastra Pravachana Nidhi", "Sakalakala Bhaskara". Sripadaraja Matha's Hariyappachar was showing great regard to swamiji and used to call him as "heavenly relative". During his time only, ‘Srimad Dashapramathi Darshana Prakashini’ sabha was stared in Bangalore. In 1913 that sabha became very famous. He was well well versed in Sanskrit as well as Kannada. He wrote following works in Sanskrit:
1. Sri Madhwa Vijaya Sarasangraha
2. Sri Vedavyasa Stotra
3. Sri Hari Guru Mangalashtaka
4. Vyasaraja Yatishcharitre
5. Vyasaraja Mangalashtaka
6. Narasimha Suprabhata
7. Sheshachandrikacharya Stotra
He also wrote many devaranamas in Kannada like Shri Vyasaraja and Shri Vidyakaanta Theertharu.
Shri Vidyarathnakara Theertharu was an example of the perfect Peethadhipati - being the repository of Jnana, Bhakthi and Vairagya. He had a very difficult family life in his Poorvashrama days. He did not allow the family tribulations to affect his life as a scholar in the least. He had no fascination for worldly honours declining them politely, when they were offered by the King of Mysore state. He did not also accept the position of Dharmadhikari for Mysore palace along with perks like a house and regular income even in his Poorvashrama days. When his own Guru, offered him the position of his successor, he declined, preferring the life of the free lance scholar. He had to be persuaded repeatedly by his Guru along with the specific commitment by the Dewan of Mysore, that the state will look after all the assets and administration of the Matha, leaving him free to devote all his time to Svadhyaya, and his religious duties. To finally get his acceptance, even Lord Gopalakrishna had to tell him in a dream -"you must take over my worship". What a contrast to the present day! His attaining the Lotus feet of the Lord was also the unusual and difficult Yogic departure from the body, through the Brahma randhra - he never lost his asceticism till the very end by incapacity to perform his prescribed duties and to observe the purificatory rituals for eating etc. by taking medical treatment or staying in a hospital. On the other hand, he was listening to Brahma suthra shravana till the very end. It is not very surprising that his lone Poorvashrama son, who was Sri Vidyaprasanna Tirtha, emulated his example, by refusing to get himself admitted to a hospital, in spite of a Leg affected by Gangrene, and performed his duties as an ascetic till the very end. Such steadfastness of keeping the sacred vows, selflessness and nobility of character and total acceptance of what ever God chooses to bestow with complete equanimity are no doubt rare qualities these days - but they are expected to be present in those, who seek to sit in the seats occupied by the great sages of the past. We need the reincarnation of the divine personalities who gave our Matha the great image of the past, like Sri Vidyarathnakara tirtharu.
He attained haripada in rakshasa samvatsara vaishaka Bahula navami (1915) when Sri Lakshmi Narasimhaacharya was doing bhashya Parayana.
| Category | Aradhana |
| month | Vaisakha |
| paksha | Shukla |
| tithi | Navami |
| Nakshatra | |
| yogha |
