[Advaita-l] shri vidyAraNya jayanti - a remembrance

[Venkata sriram P]

Namaste,
 
vaishAkha shuddha saptami is the birthday of Shri Vidyaranya who
was also the acharya of Sringeri.  
 
There are certain controversies around this noble soul and 
Some of the historical facts have been distorted by vaishnavas
and madhvas.  But the copper plate inscription which is preserved
In Andhra University portray the clear picture of who exactly 
was the Vidyaranya was.  
 
It cannot also be denied that there are 2 to 3 vidyaranyas by the same
name as there is a laghu shAkta tantra by the name *vidyAraNya tantra*.
Also, there are 2 versions of kali karpura stotra and the last line
Says that *iti shri vidyAraNya muni virachita kAli karpUra stotram
sampUrNaM* which details of certain vamachara rituals.  
So, going by the above lines, Shri Vidyaranya of Sringeri could 
have been different who advocated dakSiNAchAra / samayA 
mArga. 
 
Going by the historical facts inscribed on the coppers plates, 
the date of birth is vishAkha shuddha saptami and the place of
birth is a brAhmaNa agrahAra by name *mangakApuraM* 
which is near shrisailam and nandyala in the baDaganAdu 
mandalam.  
 
There lived a grihastha by name *mAyaNa* whose wife was
*shrImati*.  Their iSTa devata was Lord Virupaksa of Hampi.
With the blessings of Virupaksheshwara, 3 sons were born to
mAyaNa.  
 
They were: 1) mAdhava 2) sAyaNa 3) bhOganAtha
 
Among them, mAdhava and sAyaNa were also sahAdhyAyis 
And learnt shAstras under *shankarAnanda* at kAnchipuram.
*vidyAtIrtha* was the birudAvaLi of shri shankarAnanda.  
 
Now, some of the people cooked up some stories that Shri Vedanta
Desika was also a sahAdhyAyi of Shri Vidyaranya which according
to the copper plate is wrong.  
 
Also the vAda-prativAda between Akshobhya Tirtha and Vidyaranya 
Tirtha which the madhvAs claim is also a fabricated story.
 
Meanwhile, with the death of the king pratapa rudra of kakatiya 
dynasty, the king Prolaya Nayaka gets demoralized.  Shankarananda
teaches the kshatriya dharma to the king which acts as a morale 
booster. Meanwhile, Shankarananda also imbibes the dEsa-bhakti
into these young brahmacharis mAdhava & sAyaNa. 
 
Shankarananda make them aware of the mission of 
*vEda uddharaNa* and *sanAtana dharma rakSaNa*
which was wobbling with the mleccha rule.  
 
Both bid farewell to the shankarAnanda. mAdhava take en-route 
to Virupaksa of Hampi and performs Bhuvaneshwari Upasana.
He takes vidwat sanyAsa and proceeds to Sringeri and 
assumes the yOga paTTa *vidyAraNya* under Bharati Krishna. 
 
Subsequently, converts harihara & bukka raya brothers into hindu fold
and establishes *vijayanagara*.  Interestingly, the day on which
Vijayanagara Kingdom was established is also *vaishAkha mAsa
shukla pakSa saptami tithi ravivAsara makhA nakSatra*.
 
Family Details of Shri Vidyaranya:
 
Father = mAyaNa belonged to bhAradwAja gOtra & bOdhAyana sUtra
Mother = shrImati
 
Sons of mAyaNa  = mAdhava (eldest also called vidyAraNya), sAyaNa & bhOganAtha
 
sAyaNa = brother of mAdhava & commentator of 4 vedas and a work called *alankAra sudhAnidhi*
 
bhOganAtha = yonger brother of mAdhava and author of rAmOllAsa.
 
Sons of sAyaNa :
 
a) kaMpaNa = eldest son of sAyana ; a great scholar in sangita shAstra, 
b) mAyaNa = second son of sAyaNa ;a great poet
c) singaNa = third son of sAyana and a great vedic scholar 
 
ashtottara namAvaLi of shri vidyAraNya:
 
Om vidyAraNyamahAyoginE namah
Om mahAvidyAprakAshakAya namah
Om shrIvidyAnagaroddhartrE namah
Om vidyAratnamahodadhayE namah
Om ramAyaNamahAsaptakotimantraprakAshakAya namah
Om shrIdEvIkaruNApUrNAya namah
Om paripUrNamanorathAya namah
Om virUpAkShamahAkShEtrasvarNavriShTiprakalpAya namah
Om vEdatrayollasatbhAShyakartrE namah
Om tattvA(a)rthakovidAya namah
Om bhagavatpAdanirNItasiddhAntasthApanaprabhavE namah
Om varNA(a)(a)shramasAravidE namah
Om nigamA(a)gamavyavasthAtrE namah
Om shrImatkarNATakarAjashrIrAjyasimhAsanapradAya namah
Om shrImadbukkamahIpAlarAjyapaTTAbhiShEkakritE namah
Om achAryakritabhAShyA(a)(a)digranthavrittiprakalpAya namah
Om sakalopaniShadbhAshyadIpikA(a)(a)diprakAshakritE namah
Om sarvashAstrArthatattvajnAya namah
Om mantrashAstrA(a)bdhimantharAya namah
Om vidwanmaNishirahshlAghyabahugranthavidhyAyakAya namah
Om sAraswatasamuddhartrE namah
Om sArA(a)sAravichakShaNAya namah
Om shroutasmArtasadA(a)(a)chArasaMsthApanadhuraMdharAya namah
Om vEdashAstrabahirbhUtadurmatAM(a)hodhishoShakAya namah
Om durvAdigarvadAvA(a)gnayE namah
Om pratipakShEbhakEsariNE namah
Om yashojaivAtrkajotsnAprakAshitadigantarAya namah
Om aShTA(a)MgayoganiShnAtAya namah
Om sAmkhyayogavishAradAya namah
Om rAjA(a)dhirAjasaMdohapUjyamAnapadA(a)MbujAya namah
Om mahAvaibhavasaMpannAya namah
Om audAryashrInivAsabhuvE namah
Om tiryagA(a)(a)MdoLikAmukhyasamastabirudA(a)(a)rjakAya namah
Om mahAbhoginE namah
Om mahAyoginE namah
Om vairAgyaprathamA(a)(a)shrayAya namah
Om shrImatE namah
Om paramahaMsA(a)(a)disadguravE namah
Om karuNAnidhayE namah
Om tapah prabhAvanirdhUtadurvArakalivaibhavAya namah
Om niraMtarashivadhyAnashoShitA(a)khilakalmaShAya namah
Om nirjitA(a)rAtiShaDvargAya namah
Om dAridryonmUlanakShamAya namah
Om jitEndriyAya namah
Om satyavAdinE namah
Om satyasaMdhAya namah
Om driDhavratAya namah
Om shAntA(a)(a)tmanE namah
Om sucharitrA(a)(a)DhyAya namah
Om sarvabhUtahitotsukAya namah
Om kritakrityAya namah
Om dharmashIlAya namah
Om dAMtAya namah
Om lobhavivarjitAya namah
Om mahAbuddhayE namah
Om mahAvIryAya namah
Om mahAtEjasE namah
Om mahAmanasE namah
Om taporAshayE namah
Om jnAnarAsayE namah
Om kalyANaguNavAridhayE namah
Om nItishAstrasamuddhartrE namah
Om prAjnamouLishiromaNayE namah
Om shuddhasattvamayAya namah
Om dhIrAya namah
Om dEsakAlavibhAgavidE namah
Om atIMdriyajnAna nidhayE namah
Om bhUtabhAvyarthakovidAya namah
Om guNatrayavibhAgajnAya namah
Om sanyAsA(a)(a)shramadIkShitAya namah
Om jnAnA(a)(a)tmakaikadanDA(a)(a)DhyAya namah
Om kausuMbhavasanojjwalAya namah
Om rudrA(a)kShamAlikAdhAriNE namah
Om bhasmoddhULitadEhavatE namah
Om akShamAlAlasaddhastAya namah
Om tripunDrA(a)MkitamastakAya namah
Om dharAsuratapassaMpatphalAya namah
Om shubhamahodayAya namah
Om chandramouLIshwarashrImatpAdapadmA(a)rchanotsukAya namah
Om shrImacchaMkarayogIndracharaNA(a)(a)saktamAnasAya namah
Om ratnagarbhagaNEshAnaprapUjanaparAyaNAya namah
Om shAradA(a)MbAdivyapIThasaparyAtatparA(a)(a)shayAya namah
Om avyAjakaruNAmUrtayE namah
Om prajnAnirjitagIShpatayE namah
Om AjnAvashIkritagIShpatayE namah
Om lokA(a)(a)naMdavidhAyakAya namah
Om vANIvilAsabhavanAya namah
Om brahmA(a)(a)naMdaikalolupAya namah
Om nirmamAya namah
Om nirahaMkArAya namah
Om nirA(a)(a)lasyAya namah
Om nirA(a)(a)kulAya namah
Om nishchiMtAya namah
Om nityasaMtuShTAya namah
Om niyatA(a)(a)tmanE namah
Om nirA(a)(a)mayAya namah
Om gurubhUmanDalA(a)(a)chAryAya namah
Om gurupIThapratiShThitAya namah
Om sarvatantramantrasvatantrAya namah
Om yantramantravichakShaNAya namah
Om shiShTEShTaphaladAtrE namah
Om duShTanigrahadIkShitAya namah
Om pratijnAtA(a)rthanirvoDhrE namah
Om nigrahA(a)nugrahaprabhavE namah
Om jagatpUjyAya namah
Om sadA(a)(a)nandAya namah
Om sAkShAcchaMkararUpabhritE namah
Om mahAlakShmImahAyantrapurascharyAparAyaNAya namah

// shrI vidyAraNyA(a)ShTottarashatanAmAvaLi sampUrNaM //

Just my 2 cents on the occasion of vidyAraNya jayanti.
 
with regards,
sriram