Vidyanidhi Tirtharu
यद्भक्त्या मूलरामस्य पेटिका त्यक्तभूमिका ।
विद्यानिधिर्धियं दद्यात् अष्ठषष्ठब्दपूजक : ।
ಯದ್ಭಕ್ತ್ಯಾ ಮೂಲರಾಮಸ್ಯ ಪೇಟಿಕಾ ತ್ಯಕ್ತಭೂಮಿಕಾ |
ವಿದ್ಯಾನಿಧಿರ್ಧಿಯಂ ದದ್ಯಾತ್ ಅಷ್ಠಷಷ್ಠಬ್ದಪೂಜಕ : |
yadbhaktyaa moolaraamasya pETikaa tyaktabhUmikaa |
vidyaanidhirdhiyam dadyaat aShThaShaShThabdapUjaka : |
Sri Vidyanidhi Tirthara Punyadina
Vrundavana @ Yaragola
(Uttaradi Mutt parampare)
Aradhana Day - Karthika Bahula Chaturthi
Ashrama Gurugalu – Sri Ramachandra Tirtharu (yaragola)
Ashrama Shishyaru – Sri Raghunatha Tirtharu (malakheda)
He has done the pooja of Sri Moola Ramachandra devaru for nearly 60 years
Uttaradimutt parampare goes like this :-
Madhwacharyaru – Padmanabha Tirtharu – Narahari Tirtharu – Madhava Tirtharu – Akshobhya Tirtharu – Sri Jayatirtharu – Sri Vidyadhiraja Tirtharu – Sri Kavindra Tirtharu – Sri Vageesha Tirtharu – Sri Ramachandra Tirtharu ——— Sri Ramachandra Tirtharu gave ashrama as – next uttaradikari – Sri Vidyanidhi Tirtharu - Uttaradi Mutt Parampare – parampare continues (Even though he had initially given ashrama to Vibudendra Tirtharu, initially, since he could not be traced during his last stages, he had ashrama to Sri Vidyanidhi Tirtharu, but did not handed over the moola prathime to Vidyanidhi Tirtharu).
Rayara Mutt parampare goes like this : –
Madhwacharyaru – Padmanabha Tirtharu – Narahari Tirtharu – Madhava Tirtharu – Akshobhya Tirtharu – Sri Jayatirtharu – Sri Vidyadhiraja Tirtharu – Sri Kavindra Tirtharu – Sri Vageesha Tirtharu – Sri Ramachandra Tirtharu
Sri Ramachandra Tirtharu – initially gave ashrama to Sri Vibudendra Tirtharu – Rayara Mutt Parampare continues…
(Note : There is a difference of opinion about the Vidyanidhi Tirtharu by Rayara Mutt, which I have mentioned herebelow as per their Guru Charite. )
Successor to Ramachandra Tirtharu issue :
Initially Sri Ramachandra Tirtharu gave sanyasashrama to Sri Vibudendra Tirtharu (1435-1490) (Belong to Rayara Mutt Parampare, who is the Vidyagurugalu of Sreepadarajaru). And Sri Ramachandra Tirtharu gave only a few saligramaas and vigrahaas for his daily pooja, but not the main pooja box from Uttaradi Mutt moola samstana. After some time, Sri Ramachandra Tirtharu decided to handover the entire samsthana to Vibudendra Tirtharu, but Vibudendra Tirtharu who was on tour could not be traced. So, he decided to give ashrama to Sri Krishnachar, and renamed him as Sri Vidyaanidhi Tirtharu. But he did not want Sri Vibudendra Tirtharu to be deprived of the Moola Samsthana Adhikara. So, he asked some of the Villager leaders to dig a deep pit in Yeragola with a clear instructions, that if sri Vibudendra Tirtharu returned within another six months, the Moola Devara Box to be handed over to him, if not, to be given to Sri Vidyanidhi Tirtharu.Even after six months Vibudendra Tirtharu did not turn up. So, the village pramukhs decided to handover the deities to Vidyanidhi Tirtharu, and they started digging the deep pit to remove the deities from the pit. Incidentally Sri Vibudendra Tirtharu came here in Yeragola when they had prepared for digging and claimed for the pooja box to be delivered to him.
The two swamijees happily agreed to the suggestions made by Village pramukhs that the two saints should offer the prayers one after the other . The Pooja Box would be handed over to him at whose prayers the earth where the pooja box was kept sunders.
Shri Vibhudendra Tirtha being the senior swamiji first offered the prayers for three days and nothing happened. On the fourth day the turn of Shri Vidyanidhi Tirtha came, he prayed Lord Rama with utmost devotion. After a few minutes suddenly the soil where the pooja box was kept sundered and came up a few inches above the surface of the ground.
Then the villagers of the Yaragola asked Sri Vidyanidhi Tirtharu to take over the pooja box and the samsthana of the Uttaradi Math. Thus the Uttaradi Mutt was presided by the Shri Vidyanidhi Tirtha, who became the rightful successor of Shri Ramachandra Tirtha.
(source – Uttaradimutt)
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Note : As per Rayara Mutt there is a different version about Sri Vidyanidhi Tirtharu (As per Guru Charite) :-
Rayara Mutt says (Guru Charite) that - Sri Vidyanidhi Tirtharu aquired the idols through wrong means, leaving Sri Vibhudendra Tirtharu to go empty handed. The Same idol was acquired by Pontiff of Rayara Mutt, Sri Raghunandana Tirtharu when the above said idols were stolen from the Uttaradi Mutt by a thief and Rayara Mutt claims that the Idols are with Rayara Mutt not with Uttaradi Mutt. Whereas Uttaradimutt says that the idols were never stolen and even if they were stolen the entire nation would be notified and absence such notification means that there is no theft. (Ofcourse there was an occasion when the Uttaradi mutt idols were missing than returned back was during Sri Satyavara Tirtharu’s time not any time before.)
Rayara Mutt sources say that Vidyanidhi Tirtharu is from Udupi Shiroor Mutt, who had come to Yeragola on his tour. Having learnt that idols of Moola Seetha Ramachandra devaru belonging to Mahasamsthana were there and with a desire to worship them for sometime, he requested those prominent villagers through some people. Ramachandra Tirtharu before his demise had entrusted the Mahasamsthana to those prominent villagers of Yaragola to manage it till his disciple returned. There is absolutely no proof of a Tuluva sanyasi being his disciple at the time when Ramachandra Thirtharu breathed his last. That is why Vidyanidhi who came later on his tour, revealing his eagerness to some villagers got those prominent villagers persuaded with their help and took possession of the idols of Moola Seetha Rama under the pretext of worshipping them for sometime. Therefore, Vidyanidhi Thirtharu conspired with sixty three employees who were part of the entourage of Ramachandra Thirtharu about the time of his demise. Vidyanidhi Tirtharu got the vigraha through conspiracy as per rayara mutt records. Vidyanidhi Vidyanidhi had established a separate Mutt himself with the idols belonging to Mahasamsthana in his possession, in order to pay homage to his gurupeetha, conferred certain honours on Shirooru Mutt in addition to observing some rituals including the method of preparation of Mantrakshata quite in keeping with the tradition of that Mutt.
(There may be difference of opinion between different Mutt sources, but I have just provided the information from both the sources. This is not for any issue between any Mutt). For more details about Rayara Mutt claim please see Guru Charite in the link provided.
