(Initially,
a question had been raised about the relevance of Ashwa or the Horse standing
with two of its feet on the shoulders of Sri Vadirajaru and consuming the food
held by Sri Vadirajaru on his head. Yes, the Ashwa was the Hayagreeva form of
Lord Vishnu, who used to come and receive the Hayagreeva, a very popular sweet
dish, offered by Sri Vadirajaru. Further explanation of this instance will be
furnished later while dwelling on the life history of Sri Vadirajaru. There was
another suggestion to use a better phrase than ‘divine person’ for Sri
Vadirajaru and the word suggested for use was ‘celestial’. Celestial pertains
to all those beings who are believed to be living in the space at different and
appropriate levels. They include Apsaras, Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Kimpurushas and
so on. “Divine” is perhaps the nearest word to God and Godhood as Sri
Vadirajaru is believed to be the successor of the present Lord Vayu, who will
be succeed the present Brahma in the next Manvantara. Please read, comment and share. SDN)
The
words “Teertha Prabandha” means commentary on sacred places, though Teertha,
literally means a place where a holy river flows. Commentators are of the view
that the Dhyana Snana or a bath in meditation is more important than mere visit
to a holy place, a dip in a sacred river or a visit to a popular temple. The
heart and mind should be purified with the prayers offered to Lord Vishnu, who
manifests himself in all other deities and empowers them to grant the sane
desires of devotees. This is not to belittle the significance or merits of
pilgrimage. The Shloka:
Apavitraha
pavitrO vA sarvAvasThAngatOpi vA|
Yaha
smarEt PunDareekAkSham sa bAbhyABhyantaraha Shuchihi||
This
means: Whoever remembers or recalls the name Pundarekaksha, his corporal body
as well as the heart and mind, the interior of the body, will be cleansed,
irrespective of whether he is in a sane or insane state or in any other
position beyond words.
The
Teertha Prabandha of Sri Vadirajaru comprises of 235 stanzas. Scholars are of
the opinion that both Teertha Prabandha and RukmiNeeSha Vijaya of Sri
Vadirajaru are outstanding for the use of figures of speech that are out of
this world.
There
is an interesting incident related to the circumstances under which Sri
Vadirajaru penned Sri RukmiNeeSha Vijaya. During his pilgrimage, Sri Vadirajaru
was passing through Pune, where he saw a procession being taken of a work
titled “ShishupAla VaDha” by poet Magha as the scholars in and around that city
were of the common opinion that “Shishupala Vadha” was a work of highest value
and quality. Sri Vadirajaru told those people that he was possessing a better
work than Shishupala Vadha in all respects. He also committed that very soon he
would arrange to present that book. He composed the nineteen cantos of Rukmineesha
Vijaya at the rate of one canto a day and sent it to the scholars in Pune. They
found that Shishupala Vadha was no way near the quality, literary value and
content of Rukmineesha Vijaya. They conceded the superiority of Rukmineesha
Vijaya and organised a procession of this work, besides honouring Sri
Vadirajaru with grand donations and presentations. They also conferred a title “Kavikulatilaka”
on Sri Vadirajaru. He explained later that Shishupala Vadha was also in praise
of Lord Krishna but the title was highly questionable. Even in the dream of
dreams, Sri Vadirajaru does not deviate from his ideology of Hari
Sarvottamatva.
A
brief note on a majority of works by Sri Vadirajaru will be provided in the
coming editions. Please share any good pictures of Madhwa pilgrim centres for
use in this submission. SDN
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