RajYoga - The story of Narahari teertha

By Sri Chiraan 2009/06/24

|| sasItAmUlarAmArchA koshe gajapateH sthitA |

||yenAnItA namastasmai shrImannR^iharibhixave||

Narahari teertha - 3rd Pontiff in the Shree Madhacharya - Raghavendra Mutt (1324-1333-Hampi-Thungabhadra).

PooRvashram name SHyam shaastri.

When Jupiter is in Lagna and Sun in the tenth house at the time of travel one will acquire a Kingdom in his travel.

Shyam Shastri was the minister of Kalinga State. His father was Narasimha Bhatta. who was also an officer in that state. They were powerful in many respects. Many temples were erected during their time. The inscriptions at Srikurmam says he had donated a village to Bramhins for the welfare of King Bhanudev II. He was expert swordsman and able statesman. He was a scholar. Lead a life like rajaRshi, working as an minister in the court of King Gajapathi of Orissa(Kalinga) State.

Sriman Madhwacharya camped at Orissa after returning from Badarikashram. A Vidwat sabha was arranged. The father and the son took part in the debate. Both father and son duo were traditionally ADVAITI Bramhins, thus they were debating against the Dvaita philosophy of Sriman Madhvacharya. They could not succeed. They accepted the defeat.

Impressed by the discourses of Sri Madhvacharya, Shyama Shastri accepted the Vaishnava-dvaitha Math and became his disciple. He was ordained the name NARHARI Teertha.

Stayed for some time with his guru. Sriman Madhwacharya asked him to go to Kalinga State and spread the Dvaitha Philosophy.

At that time the king died leaving a infant heir to the throne. A caretaker was necessary till the infant prince grew Young and capable. The subjects were in dilemma. They decided and made arrangements for the Royal elephant to go round the State with a garland at its trunk, and to put to the neck of a person to whom it chooses as the best. That person would rule the kingdom. The Royal elephant saw a Sanyasi coming out of Lord Jagannatha temple, after performing pooja. It garlanded the Sanyasi and prostrated before him. The subjects felt that Lord Jagannatha had come in the form of Swamiji, and entrusted the State to the control of the Swamiji. He was none other than Sri Narahari Theertha. The subjects were more than happy to see erstwhile minister now back to look after them.

Sri Narahari theertha also thought that it was the will of God to protect the kingdom till the prospective ruler would grow, and was able to take charge of the kingdom. Thus he looked after the Kingdom for 12 years.

The history of Orissa well records this fact in the following extract

http://www.orissadiary.com/orissa_profile/orissahistory.asp

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Narasimhadeva I was successful in his campaigns against the Muslims, and humbled the pride of his enemy. Like his father he was a devotee of Lord Purushottama. He is remembered in history as the builder of the world famous temple at Konarka.

In 1264 A.D. Narasimhadeva I was succeeded by his son Bhanudeva I born of queen Sitadevi. During his time Narahari Tirtha the disciple of Ananda Tirtha (Madhvacharya) had great influence in Orissa. He was even appointed as a Governor of Kalinga. During the rule of Bhanudeva, Chandrikadevi, the daughter of Anangabhimadeva I, constructed the Ananta Basudev temple at Bhubaneswar in 1278 A.D. That year Bhanudeva died and his son Narasimhadeva II was an infant. Narahari Tirtha worked as regent for long twelve years. Narasimhadeva II is known to have fought against the Muslims of Bengal the results of which were decisive. His long reign from 1278 to 1306 was peaceful.
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During his rule, he remained a sanyasi and converted many adjacent princes and kings to Vaishnav Dvaita fold and renamed them. The Matsya rulers of Oddavadi became independent of the Gangas, and were converted to Vaisnavism by Narahari Tiirtha. Arjuna became Narasimha Vardhana, Annamaraja Gopalavardhana and Munjaditya Srirangavardhana. Sri Narahari Tiirtha was also responsible for the conversion of many princely and aristocratic families of Kalinga, and Andhra regions to Madhva fold. The descendants of these families still flourish in the coastal Andhra and adjoining states.

When the successor had attained maturity to take charge of the kingdom, he handed over the State and left for the UDUPI. The Young Raja wanted to give presents to the outgoing Sanyasi. But Sri Narahari theertha did not accept anything. When the young Rajakumar persisted him to have something as a memento, he took the MoolaRama idols from the Raja Bhanadara and arrived at the Udipi Kshetra on Kartheeka shudhdha Dwadashi evening. He submitted these idols to SriMan Madhwacharya. The morning Pooja were over due to Dwadashi. Yet Sriman Madhwacharya again went to Sri Madhwa sarovara and took bath and completed the Ahneeka. Taking these Bramha KaraaRchitha [one adorned and prayed by Bramha] idols and kept by the side of Lord Kadagol Krishna and performed the Pooja.

Sri Narahari theertha was performing Sanchara in all the directions like Sri PadmanaBha theertha spreading the Dwaitha doctrine. He came to a village called GollarahaLLI. That early morning, Lord Sriman Narayana appeared in his dream informing the saint that he was in the form of an idol in the nearby tank. Accordingly, the saint with his parivara went to the spot indicated by the lord and brought a beautiful idol of Sri Lakshminarayana, and installed in a temple specially constructed for it. The Tank was improved. It started yielding good crops for the nearby fields. People called the tank as Narayana Kere. Tipu sulthan on horse back, on his way to a war, happened to see this Lakshminarayana idol and went on to conquer KoppaLa, on his return, Tippu saw the idol again. He was pleased. As a mark of his victory he made arrangements for a diamond studded crown for this idol.

The saint came to a village called Chikkera haLLi near MoLakalmanoor. The saint dreamt that Anjaneya was inside a big anthill in that village. The mud was extracted and the saint found Anjaneya Vigraha Pratishtapana was done as per the wishes of Anjaneya and people believe that it belonged to Janamejayaraya’s period. A separate temple was constructed.

Sri Narahari teertha was Acharya’s pet student. He wrote commentary for Geetha Bhashya. He also wrote commentaries for Yamaka Bharatha. Also wrote Keerthana’s in Kannada language. He lived for 80 years in Kalinga, Andhra, and Karanataka States He gave ashram to Sri Maadhawa Theertha. Behind the Vijaya vitala temple of Hampi near Chakratheertha, he entered Brindavana.

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What was the necessity for Madhvacharya to send Narhari teerth to Kalinga?

The story ends with Narhari teertha bringing the MOOLRAMA vigraha. This gold idol still in Mantralayam and has interesting background which warrants a narration.

God Narayana is omnipotent. Lord has all his roopa intact and imperishable. So Lord MoolRama was / is present even before Lord Ram actually appeared as son of Dasharath.

Bramha was praying this idol Moolrama in Satyaloka. He had appointed a deity by name “ShankhaKarna” to bring everyday Tulasi and flowers without fail, and punctually at the time of pooja of Bramha .

Shankhakarna was prompt in his duty for yugas. However one day, as he gazed the idol, a desire to do the pooja himself to the idol of MoolRama and hold it in the his hands , crisscrossed the mind of the deity. Engrossed in his desires and such thoughts and dreams, he forgot to hand over the Tulasi and flowers to Bramha in time.

Bramha in anger cursed him to be born on earth as rakshas. When prayed ardently by the ShanhaKarna, Bramha smiled and said this was not a curse but a anugraha shapa [a boon in disguise]. He had grasped his desire and in his one of the births he would pray the idol with his own hands. And all his births he will be specially devoted to VISHNU.

ShankhaKarna was born as Prahlad. [Chief inspiration behind the advent of lord as NARSIMHA]. Then he was born as BALHIKA [elder brother of SHANTANU and uncle of BHEESHMA fought war and died in the hands of BHEEMA, he was the elder most [elder to Bheeshma] warriors in Mahabharata war]. Then he took birth as Shri RAGHAVENDRA Swamy.

Bramha gave the idol to Ikshvaku of Solar dynasty. From there it came to Dasharath and the Lord RAM gave it to Lakshman, subsequently to Hanuman.

Hanuman gave this to Bheemasen. Bheemasen after the war handed it over Kalinga King. In this Kalinga lineage, this remained in Orrissa, but the pooja had long ago stopped, and hence it was kept in the Royal storage.

It was through Narahari teertha it came back to Bheemsen [Madhvacharya] and in the mutt was continuously prayed daily by the Mutt POntiffs. Thus in this tradition Shri Raghavendra was appointed Pontiff by Sudhindra teerth. and Shri Raghavendra [ShankhaKarna] fulfilled his long cherished dream of praying MOOLRAMCHANDRA

||Sriman moolramo Vijayate|| ||Sri Gururajo Vijayate||

Krishnarpanamastu