“Hari Sarvottama Vayu Jivottama” – The core principle of Madhva parampara which worships supreme being Lord Vishnu and the life giver wind/Vayu as Mukhya Prana.
Vayu or the Wind force is the supreme life-giving force (mukhya Prana) amongst all living beings and lord Hari is the supreme entity amongst all.
To understand this verse, let’s understand how living beings come to be. As we all understand, without food, water, and air, human beings cannot function. Some spiritually advanced people do function in the world without food (when they undertake fasting, which is seen as a way to purify oneself in every religion); a very few even can function for some days without water, but there is barely anyone who can function without air. Not to say that there are none. When we speak of those spiritual gurus who have attained their Mahasamadhi while living, we are referring to those who have gained the ability to stay intact in their physical body and leave the body at their own will instead of dying like a normal being who undergoes intense suffering during the process. That’s the meaning of Mahasamadhi and the way through which spiritually advanced people leave this world at their will. Today, I am going to share my encounter with one such guru who is popularly known as Rayaru in Southern India. Undoubtedly, he could attain that state of Mahasamadhi as he had come from the Vayu (mukhya prana) lineage. But as common people, you and I cannot live without air and oxygen even for a few moments. That’s why the Madhwa Tradition (a part of the Vaishnava sect, from which Rayaru comes) considers Vayu as Mukhya Prana.
Raghavendra Tirtha or simply Rayaru is a living guru who entered Mahasamadhi around 350 years ago. Before entering Mahasamadhi he promised his disciples and the public that he would guide and protect them for the next 500 years from his Mahasamadhi state. All those who have sought him for protection know that he is still living on this plane, though not visible to normal humans. That’s why the followers say “Rayariddare” – in Kannada meaning “Don’t worry, Raghavendra Tirtha Swamy is there” – a kind of assurance that we as normal humans need during the uphill moments in our lives.
I have been very fortunate to see and experience the boundless kindness and compassion of many spiritual gurus who have attained the Samadhi State. Many of them I knew, while a handful of them I actively worshipped, but interestingly, some of them I had never known before, yet they entered my life voluntarily and helped me according to the challenges and obstacles I was facing. One such guru is Raghavendra Tirtha Swamy/Rayaru. Even today, when I go to his mutt, I simply thank him and ask him, “Why did you help me?” for his voluntary showering of grace on me when I had never done any puja, nor any donation or charity, nor any service to him. He was that guru who showed me a way out of a karmic situation that was nothing short of a natural disaster. That’s why those who know him say “Rayariddare”. Imagine, in the day and age we live in, when we have dedicated media houses, influencers, and digital evangelists working for money to brand their clients as “Spiritual Gurus” who are looting the public in the name of yoga, meditation, and other spiritual tools (I remember paying nearly 22k to one of the reputed tantrics Kriya Yogi who has branded himself as a Spiritual Guru whose articles and quotes float across social media and TOI. The amount 22k was paid before towards the annual membership fee, and as part of the programme that they had announced to start in our place, but it never happened. Neither did I get my money back nor did they respond but they just simply vanished without any notice or message). So, given this context, when you are being deceived by the branded spiritual gurus living in the world, when you encounter real spiritual gurus who are coming from their Samadhi state and showering their grace and helping you! Do you think it is short of a miracle?
Birth and Life of Guru Raghavendra Tirtha.
As the supreme lord takes birth to restore balance whenever demonic forces dominate and the world becomes imbalanced, even the demi-gods and celestial beings do take birth now and then to restore Dharma on Earth. Guru Raghavendra Tirtha was one such incarnation. He came from the lineage of Vayu and possessed the energies of the celestial being Shanka Karna..
According to the Pancaratra, a prominent scripture of the Vaishnava tradition, Shanka Karna is one of the 8 guardians of Vaikuntha, the abode of Vishnu. He manifested in various avatars at different times. Before Rahavendra Tirtha, Shank Karna first manifested as Prahlada, in Dwapara Yuga as Bahlika, who fought on the Kauravas side against the Pandavas and attained salvation in the hands of Bhima (who belongs to the Vayu lineage) and Lord Krishna (Lord Hari). Later, Bhalika was reborn as Vyasa Tirtha – a prominent Raja Guru in the Vijayanagar kingdom of Krishna Devaraya. Also, he consecrated around 750 Hanuman (an incarnation of Mukhya Prana) idols throughout his lifetime. He also served lord Hari by creating hundreds of poetic verses and devotional songs on Lord Hari, which later became the great source for the Hari Dasa movement in the Karnataka region. The same Vyasa Tirthi came back as Venkatanatha or Guru Raghavednra Tirtha.
Family, Upbringing, Marriage and Life
ayaru was born as Venkatanatha in a Vedic Scholar lineage. For generations, his lineage and his forefathers stayed as the Rajguru in the Vijayanagar kingdom and, like any scholars in those days, depended soley on the King’s Patronage. They were also masters in playing the Veena instrument and they taught the same to the kings, and their kith and kin. Rayaru was born to the couple named -Thimmanna Bhatta and Gopikmaba. By the time he was born, the Vijayanagar Empire had fallen from its glory and so Thimmana Bhatta had to migrate to Kumbhakona, and they sought the patronage of the chief of Tanjore. The sources say that Rayaru was born due to the boon given by the very lord Triupathi Balaji (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu) to his dedicated devotees Thimmana Bhatta and Gopikamba.
Rayaru lost his father at a very young age. Later, his brother took over the family and sent Rayaru to receive Vedic education from Sri Lakshmi Narasimhacharya in Madurai. He was married to a virtuous lady named Saraswathi from whom he begot a son named Lakshminarayana. Like any Brahmin family or a Vedic Scholar who was completely dependent on royal patronage and others’ charity, Rayaru, being a master of the veena instrument and a Vedic scholar, never demanded any money for his services from the public or people and accepted as much as they offered to him. So, he almost lived in extreme poverty throughout his life. Despite such circumstances, like a true Brahmin, he remained in equanimity and single-mindedly stayed focused on his spiritual pursuits and learning. But the extreme poverty was not enough to endure; fate brought forth another incident in his life in the form of thieves who looted whatever little they had in their homes. Having nothing to live and feed his family, he was forced to move and take refuge under the elderly Vedic scholar and pontiff of Kumbakonam, Sri Sudhindra Tirtha who mentored him in Dvaitha Philosophy Grammer.
Moola Rama
Moola Rama is an iconic idol which was worshipped by Rayaru during his life time as it was inherited by the Mantralayam mutt. It is a set of idols of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita and lord Lakshmana. The scriptural evidence, as mentioned in Adhyatma Ramayana, Markandeya Purana, and Vashishta Ramayan besides being part of many devotional songs written at by the devotes belonging to different times and genres act as the evidences for its unbroken worship of idols in all yugas by different set of people. As per the scripture, the idol was made by the celestial architect Vishwakarma for lord Brahma. Later handed over to others and successively being worshipped by many well-known sages, kings and spiritual gurus in all the 4 yugas including lord Shiva and goddess Parvati, lord Narayana and goddess Lakshmi, Lord Hanuman and Suryavanshi kings like Harishchandra, Bhagiratha, and Dasharatha as their lineage deity. Today, we find this idol Moola Rama, being worshipped in Rayarus’ place Mantralayam. Until his last day, he worshipped these idols with utter devotion. It is believed that the mere darshan of these idols will purge away all the sins one has accumulated over lifetimes and grant them liberation.
IIt was this Moola Rama who had come in the dreams of Rayaru’s mentor Sudhindra Teertha and instructed him to make Rayaru as the next pontiff and peethadipati of Mutt. So, when Sudhindra Teertha acharya approaches Rayaru and discusses the dream and his intent of making him as the next pontiff, Rayaru faces a great dilemma. As a householder with a young wife and a small kid, he could not give up responsibilities to become a sanyasi and pontiff of the mutt. So, he initially rejects it citing the householder responsibilities. But later, upon the goddess Vidya Lakshmi appearing in Rayaru’s dream and convincing him to detach himself from material responsibility and take up sanyasa to become the beacon of the mutt as that was his very destiny to serve lord Hari and Lord Vayu (Hanuman), Rayaru decides to become the head of the mutt. But not all was well with that decision. Many times, people ignore the sacrifices the noble souls make to take on the mutt’s baton and work towards protecting the Dharma. If we see Rayaru’s personal and family life, they lived in utter poverty. At a young age, Rayaru had to leave his young family with no means to tend them and took up sannyasa to honour his divine call. That was too much of psychological and emotional hardship, but yet Rayaru did not lose his balance and kept on going with grace, equanimity, devotion and humility.
Mantrakshata
Guru’s mantrakshata miracles are well known to his followers. Even during his life time, Guru Raghavendra Tirtha swamy performed various miracles in others’ lives by just offering Mantrakshata to the needy ones. Such is the greatness of Rayaru’s grace that showers down in the form of Mantrakshata.
All was not well when Rayaru took up Sannyasa and became the head of the Kumbhakonam mutt. His dedicated young wife could not bear the separation from her husband, so she committed suicide and turned into a ghost. Even when she was a ghost, her only intention was to see her husband, so she arrived at the mutt. Rayaru senses the presence of his dead wife as a ghost, and with compassion, he sprinkles mantrakshata on her and releases her from the Karmic cycle.
Work
After being the pontiff of Kumbhakonam mutt for several years and discharging all his duties and responsibilities, he decides to move out of Kumbhakonam. Accordingly, he hands over the duties of the mutt to Kamakoti mutt and Ahobala Mutt and proceeds on his pilgrimage. He visits Udupi, Rameshwaram, Mathura, Srirangam, Pandrapura, Kolhapura, Bijapur , Mysore and finally settles down in Mantralayam which is situated on the Thunga Bhadra River banks at Adoni, in AP.
All of his work covers the commentaries on various Upanishads keeping the context of his Madhava Paramapara /Madhvacharya’s point of view.
Brindavan
Usually, Brindavan or Vrindavan in Vaishnava tradition refers to the place where Tulsi plants grow abundantly. In Vaishnava tradition, Tulsi holds great significance and is seen as the incarnation of goddess Lakshmi whom Vishnu sought to marry always. Whenever the great saints or swami in this tradition enter their mahasamadhi or leave their mortal body, they are laid to rest in a dedicated Brindavan built for them. Every Brindavan of a spiritual guru is built on the foundation of Kurma or Tortoise structure.
So, there is Brindavan of Rayaru in Mantralayam where he entered mahasamadhi. From there, even today, he works on his mission. Many visitors have claimed of hearing the sounds of Veena being played there. One of the British officers who went to demolish the mutt to build something else had got the darshan of Raghavendra Tirtha himself in Brindavan, received the mantrakhsata from him and was asked to leave the place and mutt as is. The British officer, after witnessing such spiritual encounters of Rayru, had later turned into his devotee. Such is the level of presence of Rayaru in this world. I have witnessed it in my life. I am indebted to him for ever. I wish everyone of you would get an opportunity to see his miracle in your lives.
Notes : Mukhya Prana – There are several dieites such as Hanuman, Saraswathi who are worsihpped as the manifestaion of mukhya prana in Sanathana Dharma.
Please note, their leaving the world at their will is completely independent and not the result of anyone or any situation. If not that’s not Maha Samadhi but can be termed as Trishanku Stithi.
Sources : Information : srsmatha.org
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