Sri Sripadarajaru

ಶ್ರೀ ಶ್ರೀಪಾದರಾಜರು

Parents : Sheshagiriyappa & Giriyamma

Birth Place : Abboor

Birth Name : Lakshminarayana

Ashrama Nama : Sri Lakshminarayana Teertharu

Vidya Gurugalu : Sri Vibudendra Teertharu

Upasya Moorthi : Gopinatha Devaru

Ankitha : Rangavittala(swapna labda)

Grantha : “Vagvajra” (one & only grantha available)

Amsha : Dhruvarajaru

Daily Naivedya : 64 types bhakshya bhojya

Important Krutees : Narasimha Dandaka, Madhwanama, Venugeeta, Bhramarageeta, Ugaboga, Keertanaas, Suladi..

Contemporaries : Brahmanya Tirtharu, Vyasarajaru, Vibudendraru, Vadirajaru, Purandaradasaru, Salva Narasimha Bhoopala, Somanatha Kavi, etc

Period : 1412 – 1504

Aradhana : Jyesta Shuddha Chaturdhashee

Vrundavana : Mulbagal

Ashrama Gurugalu : Sri Svarnavarna Teertharu

Ashrama Shisyaru : Shri Hayagreeva Teertharu

ತಂ ವಂದೇ ನರಸಿಂಹತೀರ್ಥನಿಲಯಂ ಶ್ರೀವ್ಯಾಸರಾಟ್ ಪೂಜಿತಂ |
ಧ್ಯಾಯಂತಂ ಮನಸಾ ನೃಸಿಂಹಚರಣಂ ಶ್ರೀಪಾದರಾಜಂ ಗುರುಂ ||
ಪದವಾಕ್ಯಪ್ರಮಾಣಾಬ್ಧಿವಿಕ್ರೀಡನವಿಶಾರದಾನ್ |
ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮೀನಾರಾಯಣಮುನೀನ್ ವಂದೇ ವಿದ್ಯಾಗುರೂನ್ಮಮ ||

Sanskrit :
तं वंदे नरसिंहतीर्थनिलयं श्रीव्यासराट् पूजितं ।
ध्यायंतं मनसा नृसिंहचरणं श्रीपादराजं गुरुं ॥
पदवाक्यप्रमाणाब्धिविक्रीडनविशारदान् ।
लक्ष्मीनारायणमुनीन् वंदे विद्यागुरून्मम ॥

Telugu :
తం వందే నరసింహతీర్థనిలయం శ్రీవ్యాసరాట్ పూజితం |
ధ్యాయంతం మనసా నృసింహచరణం శ్రీపాదరాజం గురుం ||
పదవాక్యప్రమాణాబ్ధివిక్రీడనవిశారదాన్ |
లక్ష్మీనారాయణమునీన్ వందే విద్యాగురూన్మమ ||

Tamil :
தம் வம்தே நரஸிம்ஹதீர்தநிலயம் ஶ்ரீவ்யாஸராட் பூஜிதம் |
த்யாயம்தம் மநஸா ந்ருஸிம்ஹசரணம் ஶ்ரீபாதராஜம் குரும் ||
பதவாக்யப்ரமாணாப்திவிக்ரீடநவிஶாரதாந் |
லக்ஷ்மீநாராயணமுநீந் வம்தே வித்யாகுரூந்மம ||

taM vaMdE narasiMhatIrthanilayaM SrIvyAsarAT pUjitaM |
dhyAyaMtaM manasA nRusiMhacaraNaM SrIpAdarAjaM guruM ||
padavAkyapramANAbdhivikrIDanaviSAradAn |
lakShmInArAyaNamunIn vaMdE vidyAgurUnmama ||

Sri Sripadaraja (the saint of saints) is none other than the very incarnation of Shri Dhruva raja, the son of King Uttanapada.

Dhruva Raja also called as Sripadaraja doing prayer to Narayana

Prince Dhruva at the age of five aspired to sit on the lap of his father, king Uttanapada. But he was denied this privilege by his step mother, Suruchi, who exercised great influence on his father and was told that he could enjoy the privilege aspired for, only on being born as her son. Being vexed at this, he was advised by his own mother, sunithi, to pray God to accomplish his desire. Accordingly, Dhruva went to the dense forest to offer prayer to Lord Shriman Narayana.

On the way to the forests, Narada Maharishi blessed him with Dwadasaksara mantra for his prayers. Prince Dhruva faithfully and strictly followed the advice and started his penance standing on the toe of his right leg with folded hands and prayed the Lord.

During his prayers he preferred to pray merely eating fallen green leaves and water for some time and continued the penance with mere water for some more time.

Further his prayers were continued with no food or water but by mere breathing. When he could not see the Lord even at the cost of deep devotional prayers, he stopped breathing and prayed the Lord by holding his breath.

This was the height of penance anybody at any age (dhruva was only five then) could undertake. This resulted in the blocking of the breath of all the divine beings of the other world and having suffered suffocation, the Devas prayed the supreme to relieve their suffocation.

When the Supreme Lord could not test any further the boy’s sincere prayers, he immediately came down to the Dhruvaraja’s place without even informing his concert Shri Lakshmi and stood before the boy. However, Dhruvaraja did not open his eyes inspite of the Lord standing before him. Thus the Lord who was being seen by Shri Dhruva in his inner vision disappeared from his inner vision when Shri Dhruva opened his eyes to see the same form of the Lord as was seen in his inner vision.

At the sight of the Lord, Dhruva was dumb founded and could not speak anything because of over joy. By the grace of Mahalakshmi he was able to praise the Lord who bestowed him the kingship of the kingdom for 36000 years after which he was made the Emperor of Dhruva Mandala for a period of one Brahma Kalpa, which is 100 years of Brahma.

Dhruvaraja now being the king of Dhruva Mandala is in-charge of controlling the Navagrahas, the Kalachakra, etc. His Loka Dhruvaloka is situated 13 Lakh Yojana above Rushi Mandala from where he controls the movement of Sun, Moon & other planets. Dhruvaraja holds his office of the emperorship of the Dhruvaloka for that period.

Since this is an official post – Dhruvaraja thought that he would not be entitled to attain Moksha, the desired goal of every soul. He wanted to know the attributes of God in a disciplined manner during a lifetime in a place designated for the purpose in the universe i.e. Bharata. Accordingly, Dhruvaraja came down to the earth in an Amsha and assumed Sanyasa to complete his Sadana and goes by the name Shri Sripadaraja.

Sri Lakshmi Narayana Muni stayed in Sri Rangam and worshiped Sri Ranganatha. At that time, the Srivaishnavas wrote verses and poems praising lord Sri Ranga in Tamil. Impressed by this, Sri Lakshmi Narayana Muni decided to fulfil his desire of translating ‘harisarvothamatatwa’ advocated by Sri Madananda Theertha to Kannada, so that common people could experience the eternal bliss hidden inside these works.

Thus by translating them to Kannada he guided common people to experience the significance of Madhwa philosophy like the pole star. Sri Lakshmi Narayana Muni who is believed to be the incarnation of Dhruva became famous as Sri Sripadaraja.

Knowing about the significance of Mulbagal, the adobe of Lord Yoga Narasimha, he decided to settle there. Very much pleased by his knowledge the residents of Mulbagal and the scholars made him the head of their educational institution. Not only this but the Veerashaivas decisively handed over their Mutt to him.

Sri Sripadaraja then wrote ‘Vagvajra’, his only work in Sanskrit. He continued writing in Kannada while he asked his disciple Sri Vyasaraja to write in Sanskrit. In his writings he have more emphasis to Bhakthi. He was known as Dasa Pantha Pravarthaka and one who positioned Ganga in Narasimha Theertha.

After serving for more than six decades, in 1504, Sri Sripadaraja selected one of his disciples as his heir and named him Sri Hayagreeva Theertha. He entered the Brindavan on Jeshta shudha chaturdashi near Sri Narasimha Theertha near Mulbagal when he was alive. He is still placed there fulfilling the wishes of people who go to him.

ತಂ ವಂದೇ ನರಸಿಂಹತೀರ್ಥನಿಲಯಂ ಶ್ರೀವ್ಯಾಸರಾಟ್ ಪೂಜಿತಂ |
ಧ್ಯಾಯಂತಂ ಮನಸಾ ನೃಸಿಂಹಚರಣಂ ಶ್ರೀಪಾದರಾಜಂ ಗುರುಂ ||
ಪದವಾಕ್ಯಪ್ರಮಾಣಾಬ್ಧಿವಿಕ್ರೀಡನವಿಶಾರದಾನ್ |
ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮೀನಾರಾಯಣಮುನೀನ್ ವಂದೇ ವಿದ್ಯಾಗುರೂನ್ಮಮ ||

Sulaadi on Sri Sripadarajaru  – ಶ್ರೀಶ್ರಿಪಾದರಾಜರ ಸುಳಾದಿ – ಶ್ರ‍ೀವಿಜಯದಾಸಕೃತ

Source : www.sripadarajamutt.org

Narasimha Teertha