Birth of the Samsthanam

The story of two Brahman brahmachari brothers from Warangal narrated in the Guruvamsakavya follows the account in the Vidyaranyakalajnanam. Sri Bharati Tirtha, Though younger in age, became Sri Vidyaranya’s senior as sanyasin. He was designated the senior Sripada and Sri Vidyaranya, the junior. Sri Bharati Tirtha remained in Sringeri and, after Sri Vidya Tirhta entered into Samadhi, became the presiding Acharya of the Pitha.

Sri Vidyaranya went on a piligrimage. In the depths of the Vidndhya forests he met a Brahmaraksas, Sringin by name, who guided him to Varanasi. Sri Vyasa appeared to him in a vision, and directed him to go the Badari, where the great sage initated him in the cult of Sri Vidya. Returning to the south Sri Vidyaranya spent several days in meditation in the Matanga hill near the tmple of Virupaksha at Hampi, where the two brothers Madhava and Sayana, sons of Mayana, of Anehunti, and formerly ministers of Prataparudra (1295-1336) sought his blessings. The sage, who had commenced the commentaries on the Vedas, gave them this work and some other works with his gracious permission to edit and complete them and propogate them under their names as Madhaviya and Sayaniya.

At this time, Devagiri, Warangal and other Hindu states in the Deccan fell before the advancing hosts of the Delhi Sultanate. Even Hoysala Ballala lll accepted the position of a zimmi (feudatory). When Kampili fell, the two warriors. Harihara and Bukka, sons of Sangama, who had previously served under Prataparudra, and later taken service in Kampili, were captured and led as prisoners to Delhi where they were under compulsion to embrace Islam. Their valor was recognised and the Sultan sent them at the head of a cavalry to the Deccan to subjugate the rebellion that was brewing there. The Nayaks had freed the Andhra coast by 1331; then Tondaimandalam was freed, and Ballala joined the Hindu rebel movement. Harihara and Bukka also threw off the Delhi yoke, but met with defeat in an encounter with Ballala. Frustrated, they wandered in the jungles, and one day Ravana Siddha appeared to Harihara in a dream and directed the brothers to seek the guidance of Sri Vidyaranya, which they lost no time in doing. This was the prelude to a career of glory both in war and peace. The next encounter with Ballala gave them victory which they followed up by recapturing Kampili and establishing a seat of government at Anegunti. Again following the sage’s counsel, they founded a city on a site on the right bank of the Tungabhadra opposite to Aneguniti. The limits of the city were so demarcated as to be in the form of a Srichakra with the Virupaksha temple in the middle and provided with nine gates. The city was named Vidyanagara popularly known as Vijayanagara, ‘the city of victory’. Its foundation is dated S. 1258 (April 18, 1336).

A copper plate grant dated 1336 bearing the sign manual Sri Virupaksha says :”Harihara was seated on the throne as directed by Vidyaranya, the yeti in the temple of Virupaksha .Harihara made the sixteen great gifts, resplendent in the nagara (or city) called Vidya (or Vidyanagara) of vast dimensions-and he gave it the name of Vidyaranyapura. And for the worship of Lord Mahesvara of Sri Sailam he granted Chiravarapalli. By order of the king the sasana was engraved by the sasanacharya Nagadeva.” The emperor placed at his master’s feet all his imperial insignia; inreturn Vidyaranya bestowed on him the titles of Srimad Rajadhiraja Paramesvara, Apratima Pratapavira and Narapaatin, Henceforth theSringeri Jagadgurus came to be addressed as Karanataka Simhasana satpanacharya (the Establisher of the Karanataka throne.)

In Sringeri, Sri Bharati Tirtha raised the mystic temple over the tomb into which Sri Vidya Tirtha had entered. Bukka, awo was actively sharing with his brother Harihara the responsibilities of the State, sent contributions to the new temple through Madhava mantrin. Harihara and Bukka,who had marched from victory to victory and extended their conquests from sea to sea, went to Sringeri in `1346 to celebrate their victories with the blessings of Sri Bharati Tirtha in the vicinity of the Vidya Samkara temple. All the brothers, their brothers-in-law and top ranking generals and administrators were present. Harihara commemorated the occasion by making a grant of land to the senior Sripada-Sri Bharati Tirtha. All these events, Bukka communicated to Sri Vidyaranya at Varanasi and forwarded a srimukha from the senior pontiff. Sri Bharati Tirtha, desiring his return. Sri Vidyaranya returned to Hampi, and from there accompanied by Bukka went to Sringeri. To mark the event Bukka granted an agrahara as a homage to the two gurus. At Hampi Sri Vidyaranya had a math near the Virupaksha temple exclusively for his use.

In 1375, after leavaing the pitha in charge of Sri Vidyaranya, Sri Bharati Tirtha attained Videhamukti. Two years later, in 1377, Bukka died and was succeeded by his son Harihara ll. On the occasion of his coronation Harihara received the Acharya with all royal honors and laid at his feet various insignia including umbrellas, conch, disc, flywhisk, drums, bells, torches, banner and festoons of silk, palanquins, a golden throne and sandals inlaid with gems, all of which the latter dedicated to the sacred memory of Vidya Samkara. The Acharya initiated the emperor into the mysteries of Advaita meditation.

In 1386, Vidyaranya attained Videmukti at Hampi. Shortly after this event Harihara visited Sringeri and founded the agraharam of Vidyaranyapura in memory of his guru. The vrittis granted on the occasion included one each to the temples of Bharati Ramanatha raised over the samdhi of Sri Bharathi Tirtha and Vidyavisvesvara built in Sringeri in memory of Sri Vidyaranya.

(Source: The Age of Vidyaranaya by K.R.Venkataraman, M.K.Venkatarama Iyer and K.R. Srinivasan; The Throne of Transcendental wisdom by K.R.venkataraman)