Narayana Panditacharya

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Sri Narayana Panditacharya is the author of Sri MadhwaVijaya, a biography of the rejuvenator of the Dvaita school of philosophy, Sri Madhvacharya. Sri Narayana Panditacharya was the son of Trivikrama Panditacharya, one of the direct disciples of Sri Madhva.^[2]

Narayana Pandita's home is still is still there in Karsargod district of Kerala and is called "Kavu Mutt". His descendants still live there. The icon of Srivasta Narayana handed over by Sri Madhvacharya to Sri Trivikrama Panditacharya is still worshipped there. There also is a vrindavana there, where he was entombed. This also gives rise to a doubt that he might have been ordained as a sanyasi in his old age.

Works

Narayana Panditacharya has written numerous works such as the Madhwavijaya, Shiva Stuti, Sangraha Ramayana and Prameya Nava Malika.

His epic work Madhwavijaya consists of 16 sargas or cantos, and gives extensive insights into the life and philosophy of Madhvacharya.^[3] It is the only authentic work available on Sri Madhva, as Narayana Panditacharya was a contemporary of Sri Madhva. He has also written his own commentary on Sumadhvavijaya, in which he explains the real names of the Sanskritised Kannada and Tulu names of persons and places in Sumadhvavijaya. This is called "Bhavaprakashika". Without this commentary it would be difficult to understand the poem itself.^[4]

Sangraha Ramayana is a condensed form of Valmiki Ramayana, with more than 3,000 slokas, written in accordance with the Sri Rama's story as told by Sri Madhvacharya in his "Sriman Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya". Sangraha Ramayana was printed in 1890 AD, has been reprinted (in November 2008) with Kannada translation by Dr. Vyasanakere Prabhanjanacharya. "Prameya Nava Malika" also known as "Anu Madhva Vijaya" is a condensed form of Sri Madhvacharya's Biography told in just 32 Slokas. Sri Raghavendra Swami has written a commentary on it in his Purvashrma days.

Manimanjari and Shubodaya are his other kavyas. Manimanjari gives account of the history of Vaishnava Acharyas before the advent of Sri Madhvacharya. It has eight cantos or sargas written in simple Sanskrit poetry. It is, in fact, one of the first Sanskrit poems taught in the traditional Madhva learning circles. In the first two sargas Ramavatara story is narrated briefly, Third and Fourth sargas deal with the Krishnavatara story. The last four sargas deal with the history of Vaishnava Acharyas prior to Sri Madhvacarya and the eighth sarga ends with the advent of Sri Madhvacarya. Sumadhvavijaya is a continuation of this. There are about half a dozen Sanskrit commentaries on this and a couple of them are in print. Shubodaya is an adhyatma kavya where the poet experiments with different meters.

To Sri Narayanapanditacharya's credit is also a commentary on Sri Vishnutatvavinirnaya, the best of Dasha Prakaranas by Sri Madhvacharya. This tika is called "Tattvamanjari". Hence he can also be regarded as "Prachina Tikakara".

See also

• Works of Madhvacharya
• Dvaita Literature

References

Bibliography

• Bryant, Edwin Francis (2007), Krishna: A Sourcebook, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-803400-1
• Siraj, S.Anees (2012), Karnataka State: Udupi District, Government of Karnataka, Karnataka Gazetteer Department

Sources

• Sri Madhvacharya
• Introduction to Bannanje Govindacharya