Jayatirtha
By Swami Harshananda
Jayatirtha (A. D. 1340-1388) is a chief proponent of Dvaita Vedānta which was a philosophical stance founded by Madhva (A. D. 1238-1317).
He was born as Dhoṇḍupant in the small town Maṅgalaveḍe, situated on the border of Karnataka and Maharashtra. His father was Raghunātha Rāya of the Deśapāṇḍe lineage. Dhoṇḍupant grew up as a carefree young man since the family was rich and had political patronage. However, one encounter with Akṣobhyatīrtha, a sanyāsin disciple of Madhvācārya, changed his life completely. Following that encounter, he renounced the world and took to monastic life with the new name Jayatirtha.
After a course of training under this teacher, Jayatirtha gradually excelled him. His works on the Dvaita Vedānta philosophy are:
- Nyāyasudhā - a commentary on the Anuvyākhyāna of Madhva[1]
- Tattvaprakāśikā - a commentary on the Brahmasutrabhāsya of Madhva
- Nyāyadipikā - a commentary on the Gitātātparyanirnaya of Madhva
- Prameyadipikā - a commentary on the Gitābhāsya of Madhva
Jayatirtha was a contemporary of Vidyāraṇya[2] He passed away on the bank of the river Kāgiṇī, in Malakheḍa (or Mānyakheṭa). A cave where he used to compose his works is located near the Yaragola village of Yādgiri taluka.[3]
References[edit]
- ↑ Anuvyākhyāna of Madhva is a commentary on the Brahmasutras.
- ↑ A well-known teacher and writer on the Advaita philosophy and one of the founders of the Vijayanagara empire.
- ↑ It is situated at Gulbarga district of Karnataka.
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore