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Friday, July 14, 2017

Gurucharitra - Srimad Varadendra Thirtha Swamiji of Sri Kashimath Samsthan

श्रीमद वरदेन्द्र तीर्थ स्वामीजी,
श्री काशिमठ संस्थान वाराणसी

ब्रह्मांता गुरवः साक्षादिष्टम् दैवं श्रियःपतिः।
आचार्या श्रीमदाचार्या संतु में जन्मजन्मनि ।।


18th Mathadhipathi of Sri Kashimath Samsthan

Birth:                           Aswija Amavasya (Diwali), Kshaya Nama Samvatsara Sh.Sh. 1788 (1866 AD)
Birth Place:                 Andikadavu in Kochi (Present Ernakulam District)
Purvashram Name:    Giri Mallya
Sanyasa Deeksha:     Jyestha Pournami, Dhaatu Nama Samvatsara Sh.Sh. 1796 (1876 AD) at Manjeshwar, Kerala
Peetarohana:              Vyaya Nama Samvatsara, Sh.Sh 1808, (1886 AD)
Samadhi:                     Ashada Shudha Dvitiya, Ananda Nama Samvatsara Sh.Sh 1836 (1914 AD) at Walkeshwar, Mumbai


Little known mahima of Varadendra Tirtha

Once Sri Narasimha Puranik with his son Ramakrishna had gone to meet Sri Varadendra teertha swamiji. After paada pUja Swamiji looked at Ramakrishna and said 'this vatu will be a great yati. ' The bhavishyavani turned out to be true as Ramakrishna Puranik went on to become the peethadhipati of Gokarna partagali jeevottama math..Srimad Indirakanta teertha.

ನಿಯ್ಯಳ್ನು ರಾಮಕೃಷ್ನಾಕ | ಗುರು ಮ್ಹಣೆ ಪುರಾಣಿಕಾಕ |
ಯೆತ್ಲೋ ಪುಢೆ ಪ್ರಕಾಶಾಕ | ಬಾಳು ಹೊ ಕೀರ್ತಿವಂತು ||
ತ್ಯಾಗಿ ಯೋಗಿ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧು |‍ವಾಗ್ಮಿ ಚತುರು ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧು |
ಜ್ಞಾನ ಭಕ್ತೀನ ಸಮೃದ್ಧು | ಹೋ ವೈಷ್ಣವಾಗ್ರಣಿ ||
..
ತೇಚಿ ಗಾ ಇಂದಿರಾಕಾಂತ | ಲೋಕವಿಖ್ಯಾತ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಾಂತ |
ಜೀವೊತ್ತಮ ಮಠ ಪೀಠಾಂತ್ | ವಿರಾಜಿಲೆ ಆಯ್ಕ ||
ಮಧ್ವಮತಾಚೊ ಪ್ರಚಾರು |‍ವೈಷ್ಣವಾಲೋ ಸದಾಚಾರು |
ಕೆಲ್ಲೊ ಸರ್ವತ್ರ ಗಾ ಪ್ರಚುರು |‍ಇಂದಿರಾಕಾಂತಾನಿ ||
...
ತಾಂಚೆ ಶಿಷ್ಯಾಂತು ಅನೇಕ | ಪಾವ್ಲೆ ಪಾಂಡಿತ್ಯ ವಿವೇಕ್ |
ಇಂದಿರಾಕಾಂತಾಲ್ಯಾ ಚರಣಾಕ | ವಂದೂಯಾ ಭಕ್ತೀನೆ |


Swamiji's musical capabilities are little known. Varadendra Tirtha knew many musical instruments and was an expert in playing Veena. At many places, Swamiji had corrected many great musicians of the era, when they had missed in laya/taaLa. It was a very rare mixture of Vedajnana and Naada-jnaana.

ಸ್ವಾಮೆಲೆ ಸಂಗೀತ ಜ್ಞಾನ | ಅನನ್ಯ ಸಾಧಾರಣ | ವೀಣಾದಿ ತಂತುವಾದನ | ಜಾಣ್ತಲೆ ಗುರುರಾಯ ||
ವೇದಜ್ಞಾನ ನಾದಜ್ಞಾನ | ಗಾಣೇಚಿ ಲಕ್ಷ ಲಕ್ಷಣ | ಸ್ವಾಮೆ ಒಳಖತಾತಿ ಪೂರ್ಣ | ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟ ರೂಪೇ ||
स्वामॆलॆ संगीत ज्ञान | अनन्य साधारण | वीणादि तंतुवादन | जाण्तलॆ गुरुराय ||
वेदज्ञान नादज्ञान | गाणेचि लक्ष लक्षण | स्वामॆ ऒळखताति पूर्ण | स्पष्ट रूपे ||

Not only this, Varadendra Tirtha had created many new raagas and taught various svaras and their rhythmic patterns (svara prasthara) to others. Unfortunately, they seem to be lost to us now.

ನಾ ಆತಾ ಉಪಲಬ್ಧ | ಸ್ವಾಮ್ಯಾಲೆ ಸಂಗೀತ ಬಂಧ | ಸ್ವರಯುಕ್ತ ರಚಿಲೆಲೇ ಛಂದ |
ತಂತುವಾದನಾಂತು ಪಟು |‍ಗಿರಿನಾಮಕು ಉದ್ಧಟು | ಸ್ವರ ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾರ ತಾಕ್ಕಾ ನೀಟು | ಶಿಕವಿಲಾ ಗುರೂನೆ ||
ना आता उपलब्ध | स्वाम्यालॆ संगीत बंध | स्वरयुक्त रचिलॆले छंद |
तंतुवादनांतु पटु |‍गिरिनामकु उद्धटु | स्वर प्रस्तार ताक्का नीटु | शिकविला गुरूनॆ ||

Apart from Swamiji's elegance in fixing electro-mechanical instruments, swamiji used to do 'typesetting' all by own hands for the 'letterpress' printing. The whole of Brihan-mantra samhita was printed by Swamiji and using all the typesetting and composing done by self.
(The manuscript of the second part of this brihan-mantra samhita was found recently; it has been published a few months ago by Nigamagama pathashala)

Being a multi-language expert (including German, Japanese and Latin), Swamiji after reading through the books from different languages, used to take down notes in the same language. Swamiji used to prepare bhasma and other rasoushadhis based on ayurveda.
Apart from being a photography enthusiast, Swamiji was a painter too and used to do different kinds of oil-painting of Gods and Gurus; some of which are available at mutt.  

ಚಿತ್ರಕಲೇಂತು ನಿಪುಣ |‍ಚಿತ್ರಾಂತು ನಾನಾ ವರ್ಣ | ಸಮ್ಮಿಶ್ರ ಕೋರ್ನು ಪೂರ್ಣ | ಜೀವಂತ ಕರಿತೀ ಚಿತ್ರ |
ವರ್ಣ ಆಣೀ ತೈಲ ಚಿತ್ರ | ಗುರು ಆಣಿ ದೇವಾಲೆ ಮಾತ್ರ |
चित्रकलेंतु निपुण |‍चित्रांतु नाना वर्ण | सम्मिश्र कोर्नु पूर्ण | जीवंत करिती चित्र |
वर्ण आणी तैल चित्र | गुरु आणि देवालॆ मात्र |

Swamiji used to say that the knowledge of Vedas and techonology should go hand-in-hand in this era.

ವೇದಾಂತಹೀನ ವಿಜ್ಞಾನ | ಆಂಧೇಳೇರೇ ಖರೆ ಪಣ | ವಿಜ್ಞಾನ ರಹಿತ ವೇದಜ್ಞಾನ | ಪಾಂಗುಳೆರೆ ಬಾ |
वेदांतहीन विज्ञान | आंधेळेरे खरॆ पण | विज्ञान रहित वेदज्ञान | पांगुळॆरॆ बा |

"Vijnana without vedanta is blind; Vedaanta without vijnana is lame"

Sarvamoola works of Madhvacharya, different smruti works like Smrutimuktaavali - Swamiji knew all these like the back of the hand. Varadendra Tirtha was a eka-sandhi graahi -- used to remember everything upon hearing/reading just once!

ತಂತ್ರಸಾರ ಕೃಷ್ಣಾಮೃತ | ಸ್ವಾಮ್ಯಾಂಕ ಮುಖೋದ್ಗೀತ | ಸ್ಮೃತಿ ಮುಕ್ತಾವಳೀ ಸಮಸ್ತ | ಯೆತ್ಲಿ ತೊಂಡಾ ತಂಕಾ |
ಏಕ ಸಂಧೀ ಗ್ರಾಹಿ | ಸದಾ ತೆ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಸ್ನೇಹಿ | ಪರತ ಚೋಯ್ನಾತಿ ಏಕಹಿ | ಸಂಗ್ರಹೀ ಸ್ಮರಣೇಂತ |
तंत्रसार कृष्णामृत | स्वाम्यांक मुखोद्गीत | स्मृति मुक्तावळी समस्त | यॆत्लि तॊंडा तंका |
एक संधी ग्राहि | सदा तॆ पुस्तक स्नेहि | परत चोय्नाति एकहि | संग्रही स्मरणेंत |

Be it the works in Sanskrit in varying chandas/vruttas, or the fixing of telegraph machine or the robots installed by Swamiji, or winning over other scholars through debates and firming the conviction on Maadhva siddhanta - each instance records a different facet of Varadendra Tirtha; what can a dumb like me write!

ಲೀಲಾ ಸಂಗೂನು ಸರ್ನಾ | ಸಾಂಗೇ ಸ್ಮರಣೇಂತು ಊರ್ನಾ | ಜಾಣ್ತಾಲಾಂಕಾಯಿ ಕಳೆನಾ | ಹಾವ ತರಿ ಮೂಢು |
लीला संगूनु सर्ना | सांगे स्मरणेंतु ऊर्ना | जाण्तालांकायि कळॆना | हाव तरि मूढु |

There is no end to the mahima of the great seer Varadendra Swamji, who was popular as abhinava-vijayindra tirtha, who knew 64 vidyas, the founder of kashimath samsthan.

ವ್ಯಾಸಂ ರಾಮಂ ತಥಾ ಕೃಷ್ಣಂ ನೃಸಿಂಹಂ ಮಧ್ವ ಸದ್ಗುರುಮ್ /
ಮೋದಯಂತಂ ಮುನೀಂದ್ರಂ ತಂ ವರದೇಂದ್ರಂ ನಮಾಮ್ಯಹಮ್ //
व्यासं रामं तथा कृष्णं नृसिंहं मध्व सद्गुरुम् /
मोदयंतं मुनींद्रं तं वरदेंद्रं नमाम्यहम् //

 (Compilation of writings by Sri Girish Prabhu K, Bangalore) 


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