Vidyadhiraja Tirtha
{{short description|Indian philosopher and Scholar}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox Hindu leader
| name = Vidyādhiraja Tīrtha
| religion = Hinduism
| birth_name = Krishna Bhatt
| birth_place =
| honors =
| order = Vedanta
| guru = Jayatirtha
| successor = Kavindra Tirtha {{small|([Vidya Mutt
)}}
Rajendra Tirtha {{small|(Vyasaraja Math)}}{{cite book|title=Religion in Vijayanagara Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7qnXAAAAMAAJ|author=Konduri Sarojini Devi|publisher=Sterling Publishers|year=1990|page=133|isbn = 9788120711679|quote=This selection of Kavindra as the successor of Vidyadhiraja, leaving Rajendra Tirtha resulted in the bifurcation of the Madhva Mathas, namely Vyasaraya Matha at Sosale headed by Rajendra Tirtha and Vidya mutt presided by Kavindra Tirtha.}}{{cite book|title=Tirumalai-Tirupati Dēvasthānam Epigraphical Series: pt. 1. Inscriptions of Venkatapatiraya's time|author1=Sadhu Subrahmanya Sastry|author2=V. Vijayaraghavacharya|publisher=Sri Mahant's Dévasthānam Press|page=72|quote=Vidyādhirāja Tirtha ( the sixth Pontiff) or sixth successor of Vidya mutt) and founder of Vyāsarāya Matha), and appointed Rajendra Tirtha, as first Pontiff of this Vyāsaraya Matha}}
| disciples = Kavindra Tirtha, Rajendra Tirtha
| philosophy = Dvaita Vedanta,
Vaishnavism
| birth_date = 1269
}}
{{Vaishnavism}}
{{DvaitaInfobox}}
Vidyadhiraja Tirtha was a Hindu philosopher, dialectician and the seventh pontiff of Madhvacharya Peetha and served as peetadhipathi from (c. 1388 – c. 1392).{{Sfn|Sharma|2000|p=451}}{{cite book|title=A Thousand Laurels--Dr. Sadiq Naqvi: Studies on Medieval India with Special Reference to Deccan, Volume 2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DV9uAAAAMAAJ|page=777|author1=Ṣādiq Naqvī|author2=V. Kishan Rao|author3=A. Satyanarayana|publisher=Osmania University|year=2005|quote=Sri Vidyadhiraja Tirtha, the disciple and a worthy successor of Jaya Tirtha who occupied the throne of Vedanta Samrajya of the Vidya mutt.}}
Bifurcation of Mathas
It was during the time of Vidyadhiraja Tirtha that the first bifurcation of the Madhva Mathas took place. According to tradition Vidyadhiraja want to ordain Rajendra Tirtha, one of his disciples, to succeed him on the pontifical throne. But when Vidyadhiraja fell ill and the time came for formally handing over Matha to Rajendra Tirtha, the latter, who was on tour at the critical juncture. So Vidyadhiraja ordained his disciple Kavindra to succeed him on the pontifical throne. This selection of Kavindra Tirtha as the successor of Vidyadhiraja, leaving Rajendra Tirtha resulted in the bifurcation of the Madhva Mathas, namely Vidya mutt presided by Kavindra Tirtha and Vyasaraya Matha at Sosale headed by Rajendra Tirtha. Kavindra Tirtha was formally crowned as "Vedanta Samrat" by his Guru Vidyadhiraja Tirtha in the traditional way. The entire samsthana and all the properties of Vidya mutt were publicly handed over to Shri Kavindra Tirtha in a grand ceremony. Sri [ Vidya mutt]] is the original lineage of the Shri Madhvacharya.{{cite book|title=Religion in Vijayanagara Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7qnXAAAAMAAJ|author=Konduri Sarojini Devi|publisher=Sterling Publishers|year=1990|page=133|isbn = 9788120711679|quote=This selection of Kavindra as the successor of Vidyadhiraja, leaving Rajendra Tirtha resulted in the bifurcation of the Madhva Mathas, namely Vyasaraya Matha at Sosale headed by Rajendra Tirtha and Uttaradi Matha presided by Kavindra Tirtha.}}
Works
Vidyadhiraja composed five major works they are:{{Sfn|Devi|1990|p=133}}{{Sfn|Sharma|2000|p=452}}
- Chāndogyābhāṣyaṭikā
- Gītā Vivruthi, a complete translation and meaning to Gita Bhashya and Gita Tatparya of Madhva.
- Viṣṇusahasranāmavivruthi, a commentary on Vishnu Sahasranama.
- Vakyārtha-candrika, a commentary on Jayatirtha's Nyāya-sudha.{{Sfn|Glasenapp|1992|p=236}}
- Visvapadi (also known as Visvapati), a commentary on Narayana Panditacharya's Sri Madhva Vijaya.{{Sfn|Glasenapp|1992|p=236}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book|title = A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature, Vol 1. 3rd Edition|first = B. N. Krishnamurti| last = Sharma| publisher=Motilal Banarsidass (2008 Reprint) |isbn = 978-8120815759| year= 2000 }}
- {{cite book|title=Religion in Vijayanagara Empire|url=https://archive.org/details/religioninvijaya0000saro|url-access=registration|first=K. Sarojini|last=Devi|publisher=Sterling Publishers|year=1990}}
- {{Cite book|title=Madhva's Philosophy of the Viṣṇu Faith|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GITXAAAAMAAJ|first=Helmuth Von|last=Glasenapp|publisher=Dvaita Vedanta Studies and Research Foundation|year=1992}}