Raghuttama Tirtha (also known as Raghuttama Yati) (Śrī Raghūttama Tīrtha) (c. 1548 – c. 1596) was an Indian philosopher, scholar, theologian and saint. He was also known as Bhavabodhacharya (Bhāvabodhacārya). His diverse oeuvre include commentaries on the works of Madhva and Jayatirtha. He served as the fourteenth pontiff of Madhvacharya Peetha – Uttaradi Math from 1557-1595, which he occupied, with remarkable distinction for thirty-nine years. He is considered to be one of the most important seers in the history of Dvaita school of thought. His shrine at Tirukoilur attracts thousands of visitors every year.
Born in a aristocratic Brahmin family, but was brought up in mutt under the direction of Raghuvarya Tirtha. He composed 11 works, consisting of commentaries on the works of Madhva, Jayatirtha and Vyasatirtha in the form of Bhāvabodhas elaborating upon the Dvaita thought.
Life
Most of the information about Raghuttama Tirtha’s life is derived from hagiography – Gurucaryā. He was born as Ramachandra Bhatta into Deshastha Brahmin family to Subba Bhatta and Gangabai in 1548. According to the hagiographies, his father was a Zamindar. The place of his birth is Mannur, Bijapur district, Karnataka. According to the Gurucaryā, He had his Upanayana at the age of seven and immediately after Upanayana was ordained as a Sannyasa. Raghuttama Tirtha is said to have studied for some years after his ordinance, under a learned Pandit Adya Varadarajacharya of Manur under the direction of Raghuvarya Tirtha. According to the hagiographies, he was the nephew of Raghuvarya Tirtha- the thirteenth pontiff and succeeded his uncle in pontificate of Uttaradi Matha and was also a close contemporary of Vijayindra Tirtha and Vadiraja Tirtha. Raghuttama Tirtha occupied the pontificate with remarkable distinction for thirty-nine years till his demise in 1596. After his death in 1596, his mortal remains were enshrined in the mutt at Tirukoilur. Traditional accounts report that Raghuttama asked his tomb (Brindavana) to be built around him as he entered into a state of samadhi. He was succeeded by his disciple Vedavyasa Tirtha.
Works
There have been 10 works accredited to Raghuttama Tirtha, 9 of which are commentaries on the works of Madhvacharya, Padmanabha Tirtha and Jayatirtha, out of which only five are published so far. Bhavabodha is the general title of a majority of his works and Raghuttama is usually called “Bhavabodhakara” or “Bhavabodhacharya”. His work Brihadaranyaka Bhavabodha is a commentary on Madhva’s Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Bhashya, is considered to be his magnum opus. Running up to 9,000 granthas, it discusses both Khandana and Bhashyartha of the Upanishad. His work Tattvaprakasika Bhavabodha is a super commentary on Jayatirtha’s Tattvaprakāśikā. It is a voluminous gloss running to nearly 8100 granthas. It is quoted and criticized by Jagannatha Tirtha in his Bhashyadipika three to four times and by Raghavendra Tirtha once in his Tatparya Chandrika Prakasha.
| Name | Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| Viṣṇutattvanirṇaya Bhavabodha | Gloss on Viṣṇutattvanirṇayaṭikā of Jayatirtha | |
| Tattvaprakasika Bhavabodha | Super-commentary on Tattvaprakāśikā of Jayatirtha | |
| Nyāyavivarana Bhavabodha | Direct commentary on Nyāya Vivarana of Madhvacharya, in continuation to Jayatirtha work to Nyāyavivaranaṭikā | |
| Nyāyaratna-Sambandhadipikā |