Bannanje Govindacharya

PadmaShri Shri Bannanje Govindacharya, is a Sanskrit scholar versed in Veda Bhashya, Upanishad Bhashya, Mahabharata, Puranas and Ramayana. He has written Bhashyas or commentaries on Veda Suktas, Upanishads, ShataRudriya, BrahmaSutra Bhashya, Gita Bhashya and is an orator. He has written new Vyakarana Sutras where Panini has left and also done vyakhyana for the words written before Panini. He synchronised all the philosophical texts to understand all the texts are composed by Vedavyasa. He is one of the greatest exponents of Bhaagavata chintana and has commented on the philosophical meaning of Bhagavata and other Puranas. Even though by birth he is the follower of Madhavacharya, he had studied Mayavada and other philosophies and then read Madhavacharya's Tattvavaada. He is a well known philosopher, speaker in Sanskrit and Kannada. He has around 4000 pages of Sanskrit Vyakhyana to his name with 50 odd books and around 150 books, including those in other languages. He has written screen play for the Sanskrit film "Bhagavadgita" and Shankaracharya. He hails from Bannanje locality of Udupi in Karnataka, India. He was born in 1936. He is in particular one of the greatest experts on the Madhvas Tattvavada or Madhva philosophy. He is best known for his pravachanas or discourses which are very popular among Tuluvas and Kannadigas all over the world. His Speeches have covered almost all the philosophical texts and amount to more than 10000 hours. His pravachanas (discourses) have made him a household name among Tuluvas and Kannadigas. He is very popular in Kannanda literary world and hailed by Jnaanapeetha awardee Da.Ra.Bendre. He has also written on this Naaku-Tanti. His literary achievements also include his translation and commentaries of the complete texts of Shri Madhwacharya. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009.

He started his study of the Vedic texts and scriptures under his father Tarkakesari S. Narayanacharya Padamannuru, Sri Vidyamanyatirtha Svamiji of Palimaru Matha. But Sri Vidyasamudratirtha Svamiji of Kaniyuru Matha shaped the personality of Acharya. Sri Vishwesha Tirtha of pejavara mutt also taught him scriptures in the initial stages.

Shri Bannanje Govindacharya has many contributions to Vedic scholarship to his name. He has authored numerous commentaries, translations and original works on the subject. He has also contributed hundreds of articles in magazines and journals. He also travels all over India and around the world giving discourses in Indian philosophy and Hindu scriptures.

Publications edited

Works of Madhwa : This monumental work is a painstakingly crafted reconstruction of the complete commentary on Madhwa's works by Shri Hrishikesha Tirtha, a direct disciple of Shri Madhwacharya of the 13th CE. It comprises 2000 pages in five volumes complete with footnotes and colophons. Two other works of Shri Madhwacharya, Tithinirnaya and Nyasa Paddhathi which were unknown were discovered and included in this great work.

Translation of major Sanskrit works into Kannada

Apart from the Vedic texts, Shri Bannanje has also translated several other Sanskrit works into Kannada. These include,

• Bana Bhattana kadambari - A translation of Bana Bhatta's novel
• Kalidasa's Shakuntala
• Shudraka's Mrichakatika as Aaveya Mannina Atada Bandi, won the Sahitya Akademi's award for translation in 2001
• Bhavabhuti's Uttaramacharita
• Mahashweta's Sanskrit stories
• Several Sanskrit poems.

Short commentaries in Sanskrit

• Anandamala of shri trivikramarya dasa
• Vayu Stuti of Shri Trivikrama Pandita
• Vishnu Stuti of Shri Trivikrama Pandita
• Chaturdashastotra – different stotras in Sanskrit
• Raghavendra stotra
• Jayathirtha stuti
• vada ratnavali of Shri Vishudasacharya
• A philosophical dialectic in Sanskrit
• Short commentaries for six upanishads with commentaries of Trivikramarya Dasa

Detailed commentaries in Sanskrit

Some of Bannanje's detailed commentaries in Sanskrit include,

• Nirnaya Bhava Chandrika Tippani on Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya by shri Madhwacharya
• Teeka(critique) on Mahabharata Tatparya (yamaka bharatha) by Shri Madhwacharya
• Teeka on Shri Madhwavijaya of Narayana Pandita
• Tippani on Bhagavata tatparya by shri Madhwacharya

Translation of Sanskrit to kannada

• Purusha sukta
• Shri sukta
• Shiva stuti, Narashimha stuti
• Talavakaropanishad (Kenopanishad)
• Krishnamritamaharnava of Shri Madhwacharya
• Tantra sara sangraha of Shri Madhwacharya
• Sangraha Ramayana of Shri Narayana Panditacharya
• Madhwa Ramayana
• Parashara kanda para tattva (Kannada rendering of Shri Vishu Purana)
• Prameya nava malika of Shri Narayana Panditacharya
• Anu Madhwa Charita & Sampradaya paddhati
• Mangalashtaka of Shri Rajarajeshwara yati
• Yajneeya mantropanishat (Ishavasya)
• Bhagavad Gita
• Ananda Thirthara Bhakti Geetegalu (Kannada rendering of Shri Madhwacharya's Sanskrit devotional songs)

Upcoming books

• Tatva pradeepika of Trivikrama Panditacharya with a detailed explanation in Sanskrit

Other contributions

Apart from his voluminous writing, Bannanje has also contributed more than 800 articles on various important issues which are published in different books, journals and magazines. He also served as the editor at Udayavani early in his life. He has written book on life of Shree Madhwa acharya called Acharya Madhva: Baduku-Bareha published by RastraKavi Govinda Pai Samshodhana Kendra,Udupi.

Bannanje Acharyaru has also done a lot of work to propagate and preserve the Chaturdasha Bhajans, 14 songs in Sanskrit penned by Acharya Madhwa's direct disciples and prominent followers of his philosophy. This is a great contribution to the Madhwa community.

Another notable contribution of his is to the Indian and Kannada film industries. He has written script in Sanskrit for G V Iyer's movies Bhagavadgeeta, Adi Shankaracharya, Shri Madhwacharya, Sri Ramanujacharya. He also wrote the scripts for the Adi Shankaracharya and Madhwacharya movies. Adi Shankaracharya incidentally was the first ever Sanskrit movie.

In 2005–2006, Professor P.R. Mukund (a disciple of Sri Bannanje) along with his colleague Dr. Roger Easton from the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and Dr. Keith Knox of the Boeing Corporation in Hawaii, undertook the painstaking process of imaging and preserving the original Sarvamoola Granthas authored by Madhvacharya himself. Knox and Easton had earlier imaged fragments of the Dead Sea scrolls and are on the imaging team for the Archimedes Palimpsest project. Bannanje suggested this task as a project of enormous importance and is using the images in his studies of the manuscript.

Bannanje has won numerous awards and various titles have been conferred on him by esteemed institutions. Some of these include

• Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour, 2009
• The state award conferred by the Government of Karnataka for his meritorious service and scholarship in Vedic literature and philosophy.
• The Sahitya Akademi's award for translation in 2001
• Vidya Vachaspati - by Shri Admar Mutt swamiji, Udupi
• Pratibhambudhi - conferred on him by Puttige Mutt and Palimar Mutt swamijis
• Shastra savyasachi - a title conferred by Akhila Bharata Madhwa Maha Mandala, Bengalooru
• Shri Krishanugraha Prashasthi - an award presented by Pejavara Mutt swamiji
• Sahitya sarvabhouma -saraswata maha vishwa vidyalaya, Bengalooru
• Samshodhana Vichakshana : by shri admar & shri palimar mutt
• Pandita Ratna : by palimar mutt swamiji
• Pandita shiromani- by Pratibha Ranga, Shivamogga
• Pandita Ratna : by H.H Shrimad Dwarakanath swamji of Gokarna Mutt, Partagali-Goa
• Vidya Ratnakara - title conferred by Shri Palimar Mutt swamiji
• The Academy of General Education, Manipal presented him a fellowship for the meritorious service and scholarship in Indian religion and philosophy.
• Veda Vyasya Sanman : by Sree Ramaseva Mandali, Chamarajapet, Bangalore

• Brand Ambassador of India in World Conference on Religion & Peace, Princeton, USA in 1979.
• Participated in World Sanskrit Conference in Delhi in the 1980s.
• Was president to Sanskrit Parishat of South Canara.
• Served as President of All India Madhwa Sammelanna in Chennai in 1995.
• Served as President of the Sahitya Sammelanna in Udupi in 2001.
• Participated in number of poetic symposiums and debates.