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- Illustration : Chomini Prakash
The young Sanyasi defeated many scholars in philosophical debates at the very beginning of his ascetic life which heralded the beginning of new era in the history of Indian Philosophy. Once Achyutaprajna started to teach a prakarana grantha of the Advaita school to Poornaprajna. The title of that work was Istasiddhi authored by Vimuktatma Yathi. Prodigious Poornaprajna could point out 32 flaws in the very opening verse of that work. Later, when the Bhagavatha recitals were taking place, Poornaprajna amended the readings of the passages. On scrutinizing several texts, Achyutaprajna could find out that the observations made by Poornaprajna were correct. Achyutaprajna was astonished and asked Poornaprajna how he knew the whole of Bhagavata so thoroughly. Poornaprajna replied that he had known all that in his previous births. He had also studied other works and scriptures too.
The scholarship of his pupil provided a solution for the question that was bothering Achyutaprajna a lot. It was the problem of finding a successor for the pontificate. Poornaprajna’s mastery over the Vedic Scriptures, dialectical skills, commitment to doctrines, renunciation, matchless eloquence, penance, self control, generosity, compassion for all the living beings and on the top of all these qualities devotion to Lord Hari relieved Achyutaprajna from that problem. On the earliest auspicious occasion Achyutaprajna made Poornaprajna to be seated on the Vedantha Peeta and called him by the name Ananda Theertha. By defeating many scholars in the scholarly debates on inference, Poornaprajna was also praised as Anumana Theertha.
Ananda Theertha spent his time in confronting scholars of different beliefs who came to challenge him. Many Buddhistic, Jain and Advaitic Scholars like Buddhisagara, Vadisimha and others were defeated by this young Sanyasi. Some of the scholars could not have intellectual interaction with this born prodigy and had to bolt away at night unknown to any. In all these debates with scholars, Ananda Theertha was criticizing and refuting the Brahma Sutra Bhashyas of Shankaracharya and others. All the Bhashyas written prior to him, Ananda Theertha proved with substantial evidence were full of inconsistencies and contradictions. The scholars were amazed by the profound scholarship of this young sanyasi in refuting the most popular and prevalent Bhashya of Shankaracharya. They also asked Poornaprajna to produce a commentary that could excel Shankara’s. Honoring their prayer, Ananda Theertha began to expound the interpretation of Brahma Sutras which was acceptable to Lord Vedavyasa
The astounding scholarship of Ananda Theertha had brought him recognition and reverence in the neighborhoods of Udupi. Ananda Theertha wanted to propagate the Vedic Philosophy to a wider world and he had also thought of eliminating the tradition of wrong interpretations to Vedic Philosophy. He first undertook a tour up to Kanyakumari. He was accompanied by his Guru Achyutaprajna. At the first place of halt, Vishnumangala, the people who were intolerant to his popularity wanted him to test him and gave him heaps of banana fruits as bhiksha. Without the least difficulty, Ananda Theetha consumed an inconceivable number of bananas. On being asked by his guru about this miraculous act, Ananda Theertha replied that the fire shining in his stomach was of the thickness of a thumb and was capable of digesting anything.
At Thiruvananthapuram, he was challenged by an ascetic known as Kudipustura who was heading the host of opponents. Many discordant debates took place between Sri Ananda Theertha and Kudipustur. The antagonist of Ananda Theertha even threatened him that he would break the danda, the emblem of Sanyasa but could not do any such mischief to this courageous saint. Sri Ananda Theertha visited Rameshwaram, Srirangam and many other places in South India and used to mesmerize the populace and the scholars by his prepossessing appearance and profound scholarship. He showed many miracles during these visits and all such miracles were not aimed at the glorification of his personality, instead, the wonders were revealing the glory of the Lord and his ardent devotee.
Sri Ananda Theertha demonstrated that each Vedic Sukta had three meanings, the Mahabharata ten meanings and each word of the Vishnu Sahasranama a hundred meanings. In his first South Indian pilgrimage he defeated many scholars of various schools.
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