Raghuttama Tirtha

Shri Raghuttama Tirtha (also known as Raghuttama Yati)(Śrī Raghūttama Tīrtha, (c. 1537 - c. 1596) was an Indian Hindu philosopher, dialectician, 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 for about 39 years from 1557-1595. 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 Deshastha Brahmin family, he 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. His dialectical skill and logical acumen earned him the distinction of Bhāvabodhacārya.

Most of the information about Raghuttama Tirtha's life is derived from hagiography - Gurucaryā. He was born as Ramachandra Bhatta into Kannada-speaking aristocratic Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin family to Subba Bhatta and Gangabai in 1537. According to the hagiographies, his father was a Zamindar of village. 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 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. He was succeeded by Vedavyasa Tirtha.

There have been 11 works accredited to Raghuttama Tirtha, 10 of which are commentaries on the works of Madhvacharya, Padmanabha Tirtha and Jayatirtha, out of which only five are published so far. Bhava-bodha is the general title of a majority of his works and Raghuttama is usually called "Bhavabodhakara" or "Bhavabodhacharya". His work Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣad Bhasya Bhavabodha, which 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 Tattvaprakāśikā 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.

After Jayatirtha, Raghuttama Tirtha became Tika-kara and is usually referred to as Bhavabodhacharya. Sharma writes "His language is simple and precise. He makes his points forcefully. He quotes often from certain unipentified sources not cited by any other commentator". Raghuttama Tirtha is regarded as a saint known for preaching the worship of Vishnu regardless of caste or creed. His shrine in Tirukoilur attracts thousands of visitors every year.