Madhwa Vijaya - 12

Sarga 6 Part 2

Like the light of the full moon, the glory of Achaarya, illuminated even places he had never been to, and illuminated the minds of the noble ones.

After visiting various temples and paying obeisance to the beloved of Indira, the Achaarya retraced his steps to Udupi, to be in the presence of Mukunda.

Achaarya, the ocean of compassion, made a firm resolve to vanquish the deceitful theories propagated by the scholars of the day, thus coming to the rescue of the Vedas (which were being misinterpreted), like Bheemasena coming to the rescue of a distressed Droupadi; *…

*The following para describes the attributes of the Vedas and the abhimani devathe of the Vedas, Bharathi Devi (incarnated as Droupadi).

…the one which took form by the prayers of the pious ( one who emerged from the sacrificial fire), the one which had six divisions (well- formed limbs), enhanced by the gems called Bramhasutras (adorned with pretty pearls), being attractive to the devout (the most attractive among humans), one which can be learned through various steps (one who walked with graceful steps), enriched by clarity of letters and words (endowed with clear and lustrous skin), the one which offers support to Itihasa and Puranas like the Mahabharatha (the one who was supported by the Pandavas, the foremost in the kingdom of Bharatha), veiled in layers of mystique (draped in a saree), one which is suitable for chanting (one with a pleasant voice), the one which is chanted in sacrifices such as the Rajasuya yaga (the one who presided in (Yudishtira’s) Rajasuya yaga), that which is filled with description of the glory of Vaasudeva (the one whose heart was filled with love for Vaasudeva), the one which is capable of protecting dharma (the one who was proficient in protecting the subjects of the land), revered by people as the progenitor (hailed by people as a mother), that which was sullied when misinterpreted by maayavaadis, who thought of themselves as God, in assemblies of scholars (the one who was defiled by the touch of Dushasana, when he pulled her by her hair, who along with his brothers thought of themselves as the true rulers of the land), the one which was not defended by the few scholars who disbelieved the misinterpretation but were swamped by the aggressive arguments and were rendered helpless by the influence of Kali (the one who was undefended by even the likes of the righteous Bheeshma, rendered as mute spectators by the influence of Kali , when pulled unceremoniously into the court), that which, when misinterpreted, was watched helplessly by scholars (the helplessness of people like Vidura, and the Goddess of Dharma who were witness to the violation), the one which has firmly pronounced the names of the lord as Vaasudeva, Dharanidhara and so on (the one who piteously cried out, “o Vaasudeva, O Dharanidhara…), that which represents the unique, faultless, virtuous lord (the one whose heart housed such a lord), that which might have proclaimed, “this is not dharma, stop this misinterpretation” (the one who beseeched the elders to intervene and put a stop to that which was not dharma), that which was beloved to Vedavyaasa (the one who was a friend of Krishna’s), the Vedas which are devoid of defects (Droupadi, the blemishless).

The Achaarya, with his mind made up to go to Badri, handed over his commentary on the Gita to his preceptor Achyuthapragnya, for him to mull over its rich and infinite content, like a person hands over a generous sum for spending in order to not miss him during his period of travel.

When Poornapragnya was insistent on seeking permission for travel, Achyuthapragnya (referred to here as Purushottama Tirtha), reluctantly gave him permission but whole-heartedly wished him the protection of ‘Purushottama’.

Like pure, cool breeze that blows to delight travellers and whose scent attracts bees which follow the direction of the wind, the Wind-God in the form of Madhwa, blew north-ward, enabling the noble ones to Follow the path which he cleared of falsehoods and misinterpretations.

Poornapragnya purified the two types of “Tirtha” (holy water and scriptures) by delving deep into both.

Poornapragnya who forever sought refuge at the feet of Naarayana, who was head and shoulders above Maheshwara, whose very name washed away sins of people, crossed the Ganga, who sprung from the toe of Naarayana, who dwelt on the head of Maheshwara, who is renowned for her ability to wash away sins, leaving her far behind, literally and figuratively.

Thus Madhwaachaarya, the mere memory of whose superhuman exploits thrills the three worlds, finally arrived at Badarikashrama...

To be continued…