Ashrama Name: Shri Vidyatirthendra Sarasvati
Appellations: Vidyanatha Yogi, Vidyashankara
Birth Place: Bilvaranya (exact location uncertain)
Purvashrama Name: Sarvajna Vishnu
Purvashrama Father’s Name: Sharngapani
Years as Pithadhipati: 88 (last 15 years spent in Himalaya-s)
Siddhi: 4485 Raktakshi Magha Krishna Prathama (CE 1385-Feb-04)
Siddhi Place: Himalaya
Other:
This Acharya was the Vidya Guru of the brothers Sayana and Madhava, of whom the former is well-known to have composed the Veda Bhashya-s. This Acharya was Himself a great scholar of the Veda-s and Vedanta. It is hence perhaps not surprising that His shishya Sayana would be the composer of Veda Bhashya-s. Madhava, who was in fact the elder brother, was given sannyasa by Shri Vidyatirtha’s shishya Shri Shankarananda and became the famed Vidyaranya.
Together with eight other great sannyasi-s Shri Vidyaranya was sent by this Acharya to the Karnataka region. Their objective was to re-establish in that region Advaita and Sanatana Dharma, which had been suffering from the excesses of Veera Shaivism and the recently formulated Dvaita school.
For this Shri Vidyaranya served as the Guru to the Kings Hakka and Bukka and guided them to establish the famed Vijayanagara Kingdom. He established the Virupaksha Matha in Hampi for His own stay, and the other 8 sannyasi-s and their disciples established various other Shankaracharya Matha-s in the region.
While sending the eight sannyasi-s along with Shri Vidyaranya, Shri Vidyatirthendra also instructed them to take care of the administration of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham and then left for the Himalaya-s with Shri Shankarananda alone, after having spent 73 years at the Peetham. He spent 15 years in the Himalaya-s performing highly difficult penances for the welfare of the world, and attained Siddhi there only.Shlokas
श्रीसर्वज्ञसदाशिवबोधेन्द्रकृता पुण्यश्लोकमञ्जरी
बिल्वारण्यजशार्ङ्गपाणितनयः सर्वज्ञविष्णुः श्रयन्
सन्न्यासं गुरुचन्द्रशेखरमुनेरास्थाय पीठीं गुरोः
योगेशस्य च चक्रराजवसतेर्देव्याश्च सक्तोऽर्चने
श्रीमन्माधवबुक्कभारतियतिप्रष्ठैर्महिष्ठैर्वृतः॥९८॥
काञ्च्यामेव स सप्ततिं त्रिसहितां वर्षान् विभूष्यासनं
शिष्यानष्ट दिशागजायितयतीन् आदिश्य पीठावने।
यावत्पञ्चदशाब्दपूर्ति हिमवच्छृङ्गाश्रयः शङ्करा-
नन्दैकानुचरश्चचार परमं धीरस्तपो दुश्चरम्॥९९॥
तपस्यन्नेवासौ तरुणतरणेर्धाम्नि परमे
निलीनोऽन्तर्हित्या निमिषति च पार्श्वे परिचरे।
श्रितो रक्ताक्ष्यब्दे प्रतिपदि तपस्येष बहुले
श्वसन् शिष्योऽप्यार्त्या न्यवृतद् असदत् स्वं च स मठम्॥१००॥
अत्रान्तरेऽष्टापि यथानियोगम् आचार्यपीठीम् अविरोधमावुः।
तं शङ्करानन्दम् उदीक्ष्य हृष्टाः देष्टुर्मठं तं निरवीविशन्त॥१०१॥
॥ श्रीसदाशिवेन्द्रसरस्वतीश्रीचरणविरचिता जगद्गुरु-रत्न-माला ॥
हृदि सायण-माधवोपदेष्टॄन् मदिनां वाद-विधौ शम-प्रदेष्टॄन् ।
नमत श्रुति-शीलनाद् अतन्द्रान् यमि-विद्याधिकतीर्थ-देशिकेन्द्रान् ॥ ७६ ॥
॥ पञ्चषष्टितमैः पीठाधिपतिभिः श्रीमत्सुदर्शनमहादेवेन्द्रसरस्वतीश्रीचरणैः प्रणीतः श्री-काञ्ची-कामकोटि-पीठ-जगद्-गुरु-परम्परा-स्तवः ॥
(५१) विद्यातीर्थ-समाह्वानान् श्री-विद्यानाथ-योगिनः ।
विद्यया शङ्कर-प्रख्यान् विद्यारण्य-गुरून् भजे ॥ ४९ ॥