Mantralaya-2070
(The towering spiritual personality of Sri SumatheendraTeertharu part 2)
Date : Nov 27, 2025
Dear Devotees : Namaskara.
| Sri MannMoolaRamastu Mannmathe Moolamahasamsthhaana Mantralaya Sri Rayaramathe||
|| OM SRI RAGHAVENDRAAYA NAMAHA||
Background
The towering spiritual personality of Sri SumatheendraTeertharu part 2, is described in Mantralaya (2070).
Meaning
In
this series, we continue the divine journey of Sri
SumatheendraTeertharu, a saint whose very presence carried the
fragrance of Sri Raghavendra Swamy’s blessings.
After many
victories, miracles and sacred encounters, Sri Sumatheendra Teertharu
arrived in the holy land of Srirangam in 1696. The air of this ancient
kshetra(holy area) itself seemed to welcome him. Srirangam had long
been a home where devotion, learning and dharma flourished under the
grace of Sri Ranganatha Swamy.
At that time, Queen Mangamma, the
daughter-in-law of King Vishwanatha of the Madurai Empire ruled the
region. She was admired for her wisdom, her devotion and her deep
respect for scholars. Under her patronage, a grand scholarly assembly
(sabha) was convened at Srirangam. This gathering brought together
great scholars from all three philosophical traditions. The three
leading pontiffs present were Sathyapoornateertharu of Uttaradi Mutt,
the pontiff of Vyasaraja Mutt. At the centre of this divine meeting
stood Sri SumatheendraTeertharu, glowing with humility and profound
knowledge.
When the Advaitin scholar opened the debate, the
responsibility of responding fell upon the Madhwa saints. Elderly
Sathyapoornateertharu of Uttaradi Mutt and the pontiff of Vyasaraja
Mutt chose silent dignity. Sri SumatheendraTeertharu bowed to both of
them with deep respect, seeking their blessings before stepping forward.
What
followed became a memory etched forever in the history of that
assembly(sabha). With serene authority, Sri SumatheendraTeertharu
responded to every argument raised by the Advaitin. His words were
calm, precise, compassionate and rooted deeply in the teachings of Sri
Madhvacharyaru. Each of his explanations flowed like a sacred river,
gentle yet unstoppable.
The entire assembly watched with
admiration. Sri Sathyapoornateertharu repeatedly nodded with joy,
witnessing the brilliance of the young saint. When Sri
SumatheendraTeertharu concluded, the hall fell into a respectful
silence. It was not silence for lack of arguments but silence that
arises when truth reveals itself clearly.
In this charged
atmosphere, Sathyapoornateertharu rose from his seat and before all the
assembled scholars offered his own seat to Sri SumatheendraTeertharu.
With heartfelt feeling he declared that Sri Sumatheendra’s scholarship
had brought renewed glory to the Dvaita tradition. From that day
onward, the two seats became a symbol of this sacred moment. Thus began
the divine tradition of the Sri SumatheendraMutt, where the pontiff
even today sits on two seats, preserving that historic blessing.
Queen
Mangamma soon became an ardent devotee of Sri SumatheendraTeertharu.
His serene radiance, his knowledge and the effortless glow of tapasya
moved her deeply. On Magha Shuddha Pournima of the Eshwara Samvatsara
in 1697, she offered the village of Aayirdhama in Srivilliputtur to Sri
SumatheendraTeertharu. It was not merely a land grant but a heartfelt
expression of her devotion.
Along with the village, she
presented an exquisite idol of Vaikunthavasudeva, studded with nine
precious gems and preserved in the royal treasury for generations. She
also offered a divine Kalpavriksha, an auspicious treasure symbolizing
abundance and blessings. When Sri SumatheendraTeertharu received these
sacred gifts, they seemed to regain their original brilliance, as
though they had finally reached the hands meant to worship them.
From
that day to the present, the worship of Vaikunthavasudeva continues
without interruption. The present pontiff of the Sri Raghavendra Swamy
Mutt, Sri SubudhendraTeertharu, continues this tradition with devotion.
During the sacred Moola Rama Pooja he reveals the radiant idol to
devotees, allowing all to receive the grace first entrusted to Sri
SumatheendraTeertharu.
After his southern tour, Sri
SumatheendraTeertharu turned his steps toward the northern regions.
Everywhere he went, the land itself seemed to awaken spiritually. In
1699 he reached Gingee, where the administrator Uttamarangappa welcomed
him with honour and devotion. Filled with reverence, Uttamarangappa
offered generous land grants to the Mutt, not as mere property but as
expressions of gratitude for the saint’s presence.
As he
travelled through Mysore, Sri SumatheendraTeertharu installed sacred
idols of Pranadevaru, creating centres of spiritual strength that
continue to bless devotees even today.
During his sacred
journey, he visited Helavanakatte near Harihar, a village blessed by
the shrine of Sri Ranganatha. In this village lived Giriyamma, the
daughter-in-law of the Shanubhog, a saintly woman who had the rare
spiritual gift of seeing the Lord in the form of a divine child. Sri
SumatheendraTeertharu immediately recognized her spiritual elevation
and honoured her by giving her teertha and mantrakshata first and
performing Mudradharana. The villagers watched with awe as the great
pontiff honoured this blessed devotee. A cherished moment from this
encounter is remembered even today. Sri SumatheendraTeertharu and
Giriyamma worshipped the Lord together in His child form, lost in the
sweetness of divine love. Their devotion flowed like two streams
merging into the ocean of Sri Hari’s grace. Giriyamma’s life is full of
divine experiences and miracles, and her story will be narrated
separately in another Mantralaya series.
After completing his
northern pilgrimage, Sri SumatheendraTeertharu reached Mantralaya, the
sacred home of Sri Raghavendra Swamy. Standing before Rayaru’s
Brindavana, he bowed with deep devotion and reverence. With great
humility, he performed the holy Moola Rama Pooja. Everyone present felt
the atmosphere fill with the quiet harmony of Rayaru’s enduring grace
and the radiant spiritual strength of Sri SumatheendraTeertharu.
Receiving Rayaru’s blessings, Sri SumatheendraTeertharu then continued
his journey back to Srirangam.
When he returned to Srirangam, a
grave spiritual disturbance was unfolding in the Ranganathaswamy
Temple. The divine face of the Lord appeared dull and devotees felt an
unsettling stillness. A cunning magician had used a powerful ointment
to become invisible and had entered the sanctum. Hidden there, he
consumed the naivedya and through forbidden rituals absorbed the divine
radiance of the idols.
Through his divine insight, Sri
SumatheendraTeertharu understood the cause immediately. He instructed
the cooks to prepare the naivedya with a large amount of black pepper.
The invisible magician consumed it and the intense heat forced him to
rub his eyes, removing the magic ointment and revealing himself. He was
captured, and the divine glow of Lord Ranganatha returned to the idol.
To
ensure such a desecration would never happen again, Sri
SumatheendraTeertharu installed a sacred Hanuman idol within the temple
as the eternal guardian of the sanctum. This miracle is preserved
lovingly in the records of the Madhva tradition. The fading of the
idol’s radiance was not due to the magician’s power but part of the
Lord’s own divine play to reveal the greatness of His devotee.
During
this period, Sri SumatheendraTeertharu was also honoured by Shahaji,
the illustrious grandson of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Shahaji
welcomed him with deep devotion and offered vast estates and honours,
recognizing the saint’s spiritual greatness.
Sri
SumatheendraTeertharu’s scholarship was extraordinary. Even before
sanyasa he had composed many works. After sanyasa his literary
brilliance expanded further. His works include Ramadandaka,
Ramataravali, Yogeendra Vijaya, Yogeendra Taravali and Abhinava
Kadambari. His commentaries on the works of earlier saints displayed
clarity, depth and mastery of Vedanta. His Bhavarathnakosha remains a
jewel among philosophical writings, illuminating the teachings of Sri
Madhvacharya for generations. His Mantrarathnakosha is a treasure of
devotional and tantric wisdom still used in the Madhwa tradition today.
Sri
SumatheendraTeertharu also reformed many customs of the Mutt and
established systems that continue to guide the Samsthana. In Tamil
Nadu, the lineage is still lovingly called the Sri Sumatheendra Mutt.
Devotees saw in him the radiance of Sri VijayeendraTeertharu, the
brilliance of Sri YogeendraTeertharu and the divine grace of Sri
Raghavendra Swamy.
In the final phase of his earthly journey,
Sri Sumatheendra Teertharu chose to remain in Srirangam. He stayed in
the sanctifying presence of Sri Ranganatha Swamy. He spent his last
sacred moments near the Brindavana of his revered paramaguru Sri
Yogeendra Teertharu. There, with complete serenity, he entered the
supreme and eternal abode. His life was a lamp of devotion and a
treasure of divine knowledge. It was strengthened by miracles and
guided by unwavering service to dharma. Even today, his sacred legacy
continues to bless and uplift every sincere seeker.
To write of
his greatness is itself a blessing, given only through the grace of Sri
Raghavendra Swamy and Sri Sumatheendra Teertharu. May Sri Rayaru and
Sri Sumatheendra Teertharu bless us with devotion, humility, knowledge,
and the strength to walk the sacred path of dharma. May their
compassion guide our hearts to the lotus feet of Sri Ranganatha Swamy.
|| Purna prajna samudrambhodi
Purnendu makalankinam
Sujanambudhi bhasvantam
Sumateendra gurum bhaje ||
Meaning
: I offer my worship to Sri Sumatheendra Guru, who is an ocean of
perfect wisdom, who is pure and radiant like the full moon, and who
shines as the light of goodness in the hearts of noble souls.
The devotion towards
Sri Raghavendrateertharu is the ultimate truth and is the most simple
and effective way to reach Sri Hari - "NAMBI KETTAVARILLAVO EE
GURUGALA"! “Those who have complete faith in this Guru will never be
disappointed.”
|| BICHALI JAPADAKATTI SRI APPANACHARYA PRIYA MANTRALAYA
SRI RAGHAVENDRATEERTHA GURUBHYO NAMAHA||