Sripadarajaru

Cattle herder to conqueror of Kashi’s pandits

Lakshminarayana (the poorvashrama name of Sripadarajaru) was born to poor parents in Abbur, near Channapatna, in 1404/1406. He spent time herding the few cattle his father owned, shining among the unlettered cowherd boys who were his company.

One Swarnavarna Tirtha, on his way to meet Purushothama Tirtha, chanced upon this bunch of boys. The smart answer of Lakshminarayana to a question posed by Swarnavarna Tirtha as to the location of Abbur impressed him so much that he offered to ferry the boy in his palanquin.

Lakshminarayana’s father could not afford to perform the upanayana* of his son and this was a sore point between him and his wife. At such a time, the two saints made an offer the parents could not refuse. Purushothama Tirtha took over the responsibility of educating the boy and allowed the parents be with him in his hermitage.

*Ritual initiation to studies by donning a sacred thread

When he became a little older he was ordained a sanyaasi* and came to be called Lakshminarayana Tirtha (also called Lakshminarayana Yogi).

*Renunciate

In Kashi, the ancient city and seat of learning, Lakshminarayana Tirtha engaged in debate with the insolent pandits who tried devious ways of hurting him in the face of defeat. But Lakshminarayana Yogi remained well protected by the chanting of Hayagreeva mantra.

Kashi, Kanakabhisheka and Kannada

Before he finally settled down in Mulubagilu, a little town in Karnataka,Lakshminarayana Tirtha toured the length of Bharatha. The King of Kashi presided over the debate between the pandits, (who considered themselves as unconquerable) and Lakshminarayana Tirtha, laying down the condition that the vanquished would accept the aashrama of the winner. The pandits finally conceded defeat and accepted sanyaasa.

Once, when Raghunatha Tirtha of Uttaradi Matha, in order to test the spiritual prowess of Lakshminarayana Tirtha, began a discussion of a particularly difficult line from the scripture, “Nyaya Sudha”. Lakshminarayana Tirtha used the opportunity to interpret the entire Nyaya Sudha by way of explanation. When Raghunatha Tirtha sang his praises, Lakshminarayana Tirtha is believed to have said, “I am but a baala sanyaasi, you are Sri Padangalu.” Sri Padangalu is an honorific title for saints/ pontiffs. Raghunatha Tirtha's reply to this was, “I am but a mere Sri Padangalu, you are Sri Padaraja”, meaning the king among all Sri Pandangalu. Lakshminarayana Tirtha thus became Sripadaraja!

In Chandragiri, ruled a king Cheluva Narasimha Raju. The then priest of Tirupati held the king of the Vijayanagara empire Virupaksha under his evil spell. Cheluva Narasimha Raju in order to release Virupaksha from the clutches of the priest, ended the life of the priest. Killing a Brahmin, was called “Brahma hatya” and considered a heinous act (even if it was justified). In order to release the king from the sin of Brahma hatya, Sripadarajaru sat on the throne of Chandragiri. The king was overcome with happiness and showered the saint with pearls, gems and gold, and thus performed a grand “Kanakabhisheka”.

In the days of Sripadaraja, Kannada, like all other Prakrit languages was considered inferior to Sanskrit. Speaking Kannada after having a bath was considered to render one ritually impure. In such times, Sripadaraja revolutionised the use of Kannada by introducing the singing of Kannada devotional songs during worship. A group of singers called “Bhaagwathars” sang the songs. On nights when Sripadaraja himself performed pooje, the Bhaagwathars would dance as well as sing. This vibrant spectacle attracted large crowds.

Thus, Sripadarja along with Narahari Tirtha ushered in the Hari Daasa culture in Karnataka. He was solely responsible for enhancing the status of the language and introducing new Kannada (hosa kannada as opposed to hale kannada). This also resulted in a spurt of poetry composition in Kannada.

Sripadaraja has composed songs called “Bramhara Geethe”, “Venu Geethe” and so on, and introduced a genre of musical composition called “Vrittanaama”. He also set to music the all important chapter of the Bhaagavatha, the Dashama Skanda (tenth chapter).

Sripadaraja’s “Madhwa Naama” (mentioned in Adhyatmachutuke_Vayu Devaru) remains evergreen. The song ends with the ankitha of Jagannatha Vittala, as Jagannatha Dasaru has added the phalasthuthi to the song.

Sripadaraja’s ankitha was Ranga Vittala, probably because of his salvaging of the idol of Ranga Vittala which lay submerged in a box on the bed of the river Bheemarathi.

Some of Sripadaraja’s compositions presented as songs:

Kanngalidyaatako Kaveri Rangana Nodada https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbkHXSa9eQQ&list=PL50DCACCFA275BECD&index=8

Popu hogona baaro Ranga

Iko node Ranganathana putta paadava

Jaya jaya jagathraana jagadolage suthraana….Madhwa naama

The extraordinariness of Sripadaraja

Sri Padaraja was renowned for offering “naivedya” of 64 dishes to the Lord every day. It is believed even today that a “Mrushtaanna Bhojana” (sumptuous meal) awaits the person who merely thinks of Sri Padarajaru upon waking up. When the people of Mulubagilu wanted a dip in the holy Ganga, Sri Padarajaru meditated upon the Goddess and had the white waters of Ganga spring forth in the North-east corner of Narahariteertha, the Kalyani at Mulubagilu. Vyaasaraya was Sripadaraja’s disciple. As a boy, he was caught in the coils of a python while meditating in a cave. Sripadaraja is said have spoken to the python in snake language/ parseltongue(!) and coaxed it to release Vyaasaraya.

Brindavana at Mulabagilu

Upon passing away at 98, in 1502/1504, he was entombed in a brindavana at Mulubagilu. That he’s considered an amsha (partial incarnation) of the child devotee, Dhruva, is represented by the various murals at the Sripadaraja Matha at Mulubagilu that houses his brindavana and the shrine of Narasimha Devaru.