SODHE

SODHE MUTT

Sravanam keerthanam vishnoho Smaranam Paadasevanam

Archanam vandanam Dasyam Sakyam Atma Nivedanam

The place is the headquarters of the Sodhe Matha, one of the eight Ashta mathas established by Sri Madhvacharya the famous Dvaita philosopher. The matha at Sodhe village was set up by Swami Sri Vadhiraja.

The Brindavana of Swami Vadiraja Thirtha can be found at Sodhe. The main deities worshiped at the Sodhe matha are Lord Bhuvaraha and Lord Hayagriva. Sri Bhutha Raja is also worshiped there. 

Brief Description of Sri Vadiraja Pancha Brindavan:

South East direction of the main Brindavana has Matsya-Koorma-Varaha Sannidhi.

South West direction of the main Brindavana has Narasimha-Vamana Sannidhi.

North West direction of the main Brindavana has Parashurama-Sri Rama Sannidhi.

North East direction of the main Brindavana has Krishna-Buddha-Kalki Sannidhi.

 The entire Brindavanas over and above the dashavatara sannidhis have Sri Chaturmukha Brahma, Sri Maheshvara, Sri Vishnu as well as Sri Mukhya Prana presence.

The main Brindavana has Sri Vadiraja, Sri Hayagreeva and Sri Bho Varaha sannidhi's making this one of the most and sacred place for gaining Sri Hari Bhakti and getting peace and ridding oneself of unknown and known diseases and other problems in life....

The VADIRAJATHEERTHA of this Mutt started worshipping the idol of Bhuvaraha. Gifted by Sri Madhvacharya. The idol is known for its remarkable iconography with Bhuudeevi on one thigh and the other leg supporting on the hood of serpent. Along with Bhuvaraha idol of the personal god of Vadiraja namely Hayagriya is also worshipped. Sri Hayagriva is the presiding deity of knowledge and accordingly the idol has in hand the mudra of knowledge, book, rosary and conch. The 35th pontiff in the lineage Sri Vishvottama Tirtha Swamiji is the present head of the Mutt.

Sri Trivikrama Temple:

The garbhagudi of this temple is actually a chariot made of stone. Sri Bhûta Raja carried this temple for Sri Vâdiraja Tîrtha from Badarikâshrama, the abode of Veda Vyâsa. When he was flying south with the temple in his hand, he had to fight some demons. He used one of the wheels on the chariot to kill a demon. That's why the Sri Trivikrama temple's garbhagudi still has only 3 wheels with a fourth missing.

It is said that during his visit to Badari, Vadiraja had met with Acharya Madhva and Vedavyasa. He had expressed his desire to establish a grand temple to Lord Trivikrama and had requested them to provide him with a suitable icon.

Arasappa Nayaka had one long standing desire – to set up a major temple in Sode. When he expressed his desire to Vadiraja, he told him that this was his desire too and asked him to make the necessary arrangements for the construction of the temple.

As the temple started approaching its final shape people were wondering where the icon was. Vadiraja assured them “This is not a regular icon that needs to go through the normal process of consecration. It is already being personally worshipped by Acharya Madhva. So the only consecration needed is to perform the maha pooja in Svadi. Our Lord Trivikrama will come in his own special chariot”.

He then sent Bhuta raja to Badari to fetch the icon. When Bhuta raja was on his way back with the icon in a chariot he was attacked by some demons. He used one of the wheels of the chariot to fight and defeat them. He reached Sode in time for the maha pooja with everything intact except for one missing wheel on the chariot. Even today one can see just 3 wheels on the chariot in Sri Trivikrama temple’s garbhagudi.It is said that when the temple was being constructed there was a small mishap and one of the stone pillars was about to fall down.

The mason who was working on it was very scared and instinctively uttered an oath invoking the name of Vadiraja and asked the pillar to stop falling. The pillar stopped in midair, thus revealing the power of Vadiraja’s name. Later Vadiraja came there and moved the pillar to its proper location.

SRI BHUTA RAJA

Sri Bhûta-râja is the "bhâvî" Rudra, or the future Rudra, just as Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha is the "bhâvî" Samîra. He is a deity called `Ugra-tapa', for "the one of ferocious austerities." He, Bhûta-râja a.k.a Ugra-tapa, is worshipped in a manner similar to Shiva, but is not considered Shiva himself.

Sri Bhûta-râja is said to serve Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha as a watchman, among other things; he guards a corner of the Dhavala-Ganga tank at Sode. This corner is known as "Bhûtarâjara-koNe" or "Bhûta-râja's corner" and one is not to venture into it. 

Doing so is punishable by death, as many have discovered to their cost over hundreds of years. While the water is seemingly calm, anyone who swims there is pulled down by Bhûta-râja and drowns. However, only a purposeful miscreant can get there in the first place, since the steps lead from the opposite side, and one can get to that side only by diving from a height or swimming from the opposite side.

 One of the best and Great avatara of Sri Hari is that of Sri Rama who was born in Tetra Yuga, the next Yuga after Satya Yuga. Sri Rama's main task was Ravana Samhara and eradicate the evil powers on this earth. When Sri Rama killed Ravana He automatically became eligible for BrahmaHatya dosha (Killing of a Brahmana). Here we need to understand that since Sri Hari is supreme (Sarvothama) there is no kind of dosha or badness in HIM or in any of HIS avataras. It is for the betterment of the future generations that an act of such a thing is orchestraed for the benifit of mankind. 

Sri Rama wanted to get rid of this dosha and when He sought opinions from learned people a learned but arrogant Brahmana came over and told Sri Rama that he would accept Sri Rama's Dosha.... Immediately this Brahmana became a Brahma Rakshasa and after HIS lifetime till Kaliyuga He was born as a pious Brahmana and enjoyed all the material benefits. All this was due to the grace of Sri Hari... 

This Brahmana was born in Kaliyuga at the time of Sri Vadiraja as Narayna and he learnt all the vedas, sastras from Sri Vadiraja. When a person become knowledged or rich he acquires ahankara automatically. It is only a handfull of people who remain modest and not boast of achievements. Narayana was no exception. He was full of arrogance, ahankara and disrespectful towards others. 

He would insult learned people whoever visited Sri Vadiraja and if they were not able to answer his questions he would make fun of these. Even though knowing all this Sri Vadiraja would keep quite and this in turn increased this Brahmana's bad behaviour.

 Sri Vyasaraja one day on a Dwadasi came to have lunch with Sri Vadiraja. Sri Vadiraja was preparing to do His puja... On coming to know of Sri Vyasarajas arrival, Sri Vadiraja immediately had bath and leaving His puja joined Sri Vyasaraja for the parane (lunch). He was aware of the fact that His puja was pending. After lunch and seeing off Sri Vyasaraja, Sri Vadiraja went to a lonely place and He removed all what He had eaten and did His puja and other daily obligations. After this He had His lunch (parane). Narayana coming to know of this started making fun of Sri Vadiraja as well as Sri Vyasaraja. This was it, the patience of Sri Vadiraja ended and He cursed Narayanachar to become a Brahma Rakshasa. 

When Narayanachar pleaded with Sri Vadiraja, HE told him that the day the question "AA-KAA-MAA-VAI KONASNAHATAH..." will be answered he would be rid of the curse. Accordingly this Brahma Rakshasa made a small forest near Hampi his home. He would ask everyone who would pass through the forest this question... "AA-KAA-MAA-VAI KONASNAHATAH..." ? When they were unable to decipher and answer the question he would kill them and eat them away... 

In the due course of time when Sri Vadiraja was passing by the place, Brahma Rakshasa asked HIM the same question. Sri Vadiraja answered it as "Randa Putra Twam Na Syataha ..." Question : "AA-KAA-MAA-VAI KONASNAHATAH..." (Who does not bathe in Ashada - Karthika - Maagha - Vaishaka ?) Answer : "Randa Putra Twam Na Syataha .." (The son of Raande does not do bathe in these months!!!)

 Immediately the Brahma Rakshasa became his normal self as Narayanachar.... Even after all this Narayana was not able to shed his ahankara and he challenged Sri Vadiraja for a Vada Vivada (Arguments). He lost and as per the understanding Narayana had to become Sri Vadiraja's Dasa. Sri Vadiraja blessed Him as his foremost and favourite deciple "BHOOTARAJA". Since then Narayanachar became "Sri Bhootaraja", One who will protect good and pious people and punish the wicked. 

Since he was a Ahankara personified and Ahankara is a Guna and Sri Rudra being the presiding diety, When Sri Vadiraja become Mukhya Prana in the next Kalpa after Sri Mukhya Prana has been elevated to the four-faced Brahma, Sri Bhoota Raja will become Sri Rudra in the next Kalpa.... Sri Vadiraja - Vadiraja - Vadiraja - Pahiman Sri Vadiraja - Vadiraja - Vadiraja - Rakshamam Sri Bhootaraja - Bhootaraja - Bhootaraja - Pahiman Sri Bhootaraja - Bhootaraja - Bhootaraja - Rakshaman.

 SRI VADIRAJATEERTHARU

Sri Vadirajateertha  traditionally 1480 - 1600, a Haridasa, was a Shivalli Tulu Brahmin and native

of the village of Hoovinakare, near Kumbashi in Kundapura taluk, Udipi district in Karnataka state.

His parents were Ramacharya and Gauri. He is considered amongst the highest saints in the Madhva 

hierarchy, next only to Srimad Ananda Tîrtha and Sri Jayateertha. He also studied under Vyasarayaru.

 He is regarded as an incarnation of Latavya (In His previous janma, He was a messenger of Princess

 Rukhmini to Lord Krishna. He is regarded as the incarnation of Latavya a great Tapasvi. ) and hence

popularly known as "BHAVISAMEERA" which means he will come to Vayu Devara Padavi or title in future.

In the Hindu year sharvari (1480 AD) Sri Vagisha tirtha visited a village called Huvvinakere 25 miles North of Udupi. He met a pious but poor and childless couple, Ramabhatta and Gowri devi. They begged him to bless them so that they could have children. He did so, but imposed one condition, the first male child would have to be handed over to the maTha for upbringing.

When the couple hesitated to accept this offer, he made it easy for them by imposing a seemingly easy condition – if the child were to be born inside the house, they could keep it, but if birth happened outside the house then they would have to hand it over. They agreed to it wholeheartedly.

In due course, by the grace of God, Gowri devi became pregnant and the couple was ecstatic. They remembered their agreement and took exta care. Gowri was not allowed to leave the house. Since their house was nothing but a small hut surrounded by a small paddy field, Ramabhatta could easily tend to his work in the field while being available for any requirement in the house. Nine months passed and childbirth was imminent.


On sadhana dvadashi day, Ramabhatta was having his food and Gowri was performing tulasi-pooja in the backyard. She suddenly saw some cows entering the field and destroying the crops. Since this was their only source of livelihood she was very perturbed; she immediately took up a stick and entered the fields with the intention of chasing the cows away, totally forgetting the agreement.

In her excitement she moved quite a distance from the house and suddenly developed labor pains. She could not return home and had to deliver the child in the field itself. Thus divine will prevailed inspite of all human efforts to the contrary !!

Shri vAgIsha tIrtha was informed about the birth of the child. He sent a golden plate and asked the parents to bring the child in that plate to the maTha. It is said that the baby never touched the ground until it reached the maTha.

Sri VAgIsha tIrtha pointed out to the happy parents several auspicious attributes in the baby and predicted that it would one day become a very great sanyAsi. He fed the baby milk that had been offered to the deity and asked the parents to name the boy as BhUvara (some say VarahAchArya). He sent them home with the baby and asked them to bring it back after a few years.

The paddy field where Gowri gave birth to Sri VAdirAja is called as "Gowri Gadde". Now there is a small temple in that spot.

He became a Sanyasi at the young age of 8. The pre-sanyasa name given to Sri Vadiraja was Bhuvaraha. He worshipped Lord Vishnu in the form of Hayagriva.

It was Sri Vadirajateertha who changed the Paryaya system of Udupi to two years from the earlier practice of 2 months. This extension of each individual Paryaya enabled the Swamis to travel far and wide and spread the message of Madhva tradition. Another of Sri Vadirajateertha's achievements is that he lived a life of 120 years and performed Lord Krishna's Paryaya at Udupi 5 times. He is the first Sanyasi who entered the Vrindavana (his own TOMB) alive after worshipping that for nearly 3 years. The only other saint to have followed similar way of leaving this materialistic world is Sri Raghavendra Swamy of Mantralaya.

In an age that knew great Sanskrit scholars and intellects, Sri Vadirajateertha who himself was a great scholar, was able to accommodate the needs of the less scholarly, taking the haridasa tradition to the masses by translating many important works into the Kannada language. He was able to explain sophisticated concepts in the form of simple stotras. About the saint, Dr. B.N.K. Sharma writes "In this respect, his work marks a new and necessary phase in the history of Dvaita literature and breathes the spirit of a new age which produced other popular exponents of Madhva-Siddhânta, both in Sanakrit and in  Kannada".

Vadirajateertharu used to offer daily prasadam to Lord Hayagriva by holding the prasadam on his head. Lord Hayagriva is said to appear in the form of a horse and eat the prasadam by kneeling on Vadirajateertha's shoulders.

After worship of his favourite diety ,sri hayagreeva,he would closet himself in a room with a plate full of cooked bengal gram and Jagerry ( Hayagriva - also called muddy ) held over his head. Hayavadana would emanate from the idol , come in the form of a pure white horse, put its fore legs on his shoulders and eat the Neiveedya , leaving a small portion as prasada for the Rajaru .Some people doubted , if this was true and wanted to test the same. Poison was mixed to the food and the Yati offered it without knowing the fact. Hayagreeva gulped the whole lot that day without leaving a morsal on the plate, assumed a greenish color all over the body and stood aside in a morose mood. After discussion by yati with God Vadiraja Gulla, a type of Brinjal was cooked and offered to the Lord and the green color vanished leaving a streak of green at the neck reminding posterity of this miraculous incident.

There are so many incidents that took place about his Mahma and these columns are not sufficient to explain in detail. His association with great Sri Vysarayaru , Sri Kanakadasaru , Sri Beluru Vaikuntadasaru , Sri Purandara Dasaru , Sri Vijayeendra thirtharu , had great impact on Madhwa philosophy. He made several reforms at the Udipi mutt . He was Chatushasti Kalavida.

In the year 1600 Sarvari year Phalguna Bahula thritiya, a great Vadiraja terminated his divine mission on this mundane plane and entered the Brindavanam with life and body . He was taken in a golden car to heaven .His spirit is still in that Brindavan , and even today his mrithikas are taken from the Brindavanam and seem to have mysterious powers and miraculous healing effect of all ailments of body and mind.

Sode has become a Tapovana and thousands of devotees throng at His shine and get blessed according to their Bhakti.

Thus Sri Vadiraja occupies an elevated place in Dwaita Siddhanta. By his divine abilities of body and mind he had endeared himself to the layman and learned .

He lived for 120years and saw five Paryayas .The mortal coil of Sri Vadiraja might have vanished into the stone Brindavanam at Sode, but his Spirit is still living in our midst guiding us through our dark days by the luster scintillating from his immortal works

His robe and pâduka-s:

After the covering stones of Sri Vâdirâja's Brindavana were placed, some of his disciples started crying for being unable to physically see their Guru. Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha, who had entered the brndâvana wearing his robe and pâduka-s (wooden sandals), threw off the same from "Pushpaka Vimâna" (flying vehicle) for his sad desciples. Even today, on the Âradhana day Sri Vâdirâja's robe and pâduka-s are displayed for devotees.

Vadirajateertharu brindavana is installed in Sodhe temple near Sirsi in Karnataka. The temple also has a pond Dhavalaganga which is very sacred and pilgrims take bath in this pond. The pond has four corners and is available for pilgrims only at 2 corners. One corner of the pond is prohibited since it is believed that Lord Bhutaraja uses that corner of the pond even now. The temple has a tradition wherein every devotee visiting the temple needs to offer coconuts to Lord Bhutaraja

In Sode, along with Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha's brndâvana, there are four others forming a square, with Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha's, the largest of the five, at its geometric center. The five brndâvana-s are described by Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha himself in the Svapna-vrndâvana-âkhyâna thus:

I (Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha), chatur-mukha-Brahma, Vâyu, Vishnu, and Shiva; these reside there, as in Shweta-dvîpa. So, the latter four are the ones who inhabit the other four brndâvana-s.

However, somewhere else in the Svapna-vrndâvana-âkhyâna, it is also said that all 33,000 Crore (3.3 * 10^11) devatâs have been ordered by Lord Hayagrîva to reside in Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha's own brndâvana; that is one more reason why one who worships him does not need worship anyone else (nA.anyad.hdaivam naiva jAne na jAne -- refer previous page, "More on Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha").

There is a big jackfruit tree in Sode, under which Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha used to teach his disciples. Once, a severe bolt of lightning struck this tree. Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha, the Bhâvi Samîra, gave life to this tree. This tree is still alive in Swadi; the MaTha uses its fruit for Sri Hayagrîva naivedya.

On the way to Sode from Sirsi there is a small village called Hulekal, which has a brindâvana of Sri Vyâsa Tîrtha. This is the only place where one can find Sri Vyâsa Tîrtha's brndâvana other than the original one in Nava Vrindâvana.

During his visit to Tirumala hills, he ascended the hill and covered the entire route, to and fro not by walking, lest he would desecrate the place, but on all fours with his knees and hands, The hill looked as if it was full of Saligramas. The Saligram garland worn by Srinivasa was a humble offering made by Sri Vadirajar.

He visited Vijayanagar empire reigned by Venkatapathyraya and in the Sabha he was given the title Prasangabharana Thirtha ( Jewel of a Speaker). During his stay at Poona, he wrote Rukminisha Vijaya which excelled all the compositions of Kalidasa and others.
His philosophical commentaries were Sudha Tippani, Tatwaprakshika Tippani , Bhagavadgita Tippani , Mahabharata Tatparyanirnayatika and Tantrasara Teeka.
Independent works were Guruvrata Deepika , Prameya sangraha , Yuktimallika , Sarasa Bharati Vilasa , Pashadamatha Khandana.

Other works were Ekadashi Nirnaya , Sankalpa Paddati , Geography , Upanyasa Ratnamala , and other stotras in Sanskrit.
Kannada works were, Tatparya Nirnaya ,Vaikunta Varnane, Gundakriya , Swapna Pada , Suladhigalu , Lakshmi Shobhanepada , Bhramaragita and hundreds of Krithis in Kannada. He wrote in Tulu language also.
His master piece is Yuktimallika. It is philosophical treatise, critical study of Bramha sutras .divived in 5 parts in 16 chapters .