Name Vijayendra Tirtha | ||
Sri shodasha bahu narasimha ashtakam written by sri vijayendra tirtha
Vijayendra Tīrtha (also known as Vijayīndra Tīrtha) (1514-1593) was a Dvaita philosopher and dialectician. A prolific writer and an unrelenting polemicist, he is said to have authored 104 treatises expounding the principles of Dvaita and defending it against attacks from the contemporary orthodox schools of Vedanta and the heterodox Veerashaiva movement. He held the pontifical seat at Kumbakonam under the rule of Thanjavur Nayaks where he participated in polemical discussions with the Advaita philosopher Appayya Dikshita and the Veerashaiva Emme Basava. Inscriptions from that era record grants of villages received by Vijayindra for his triumph over theological debates . Legend ascribes to him mastery over 64 arts and his erudition, writes Sharma, "is evident from a few of his works bearing on Purva Mimamsa, Nyaya and Kavya literature".
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Life
Almost nothing is known about his early life and family. Most of the information on Vijayendra is derived from a few inscriptions and two hagiographies: Rāghavendra Vijaya and Guruguṇastavana. Born as Vitthalācharya, he studied Vedanta, Mimamsa and Nyaya under the philosopher Vyasatirtha until, aged 25, he moved to Kumbakonam at the behest of Surendra Tirtha, eventually succeeding him as the pontiff. He was named Vijayīndra Tīrtha after ascending the pontifical seat.
Literary works
Vijayendra tirtha is credited with as many as 104 literary works of which many are non-extant. A few that remain mainly consist of commentaries on the works of Vyasatirtha (Laghu Amoda) and Madhva (Tattvaprakasika Tippani), polemical works refuting the works of Appayya Dikshita and several treatises dealing with the issue of compatibility of Dvaita with Mimamsa (Chakra Mimamsa). A few poems and three dramatical works have been attributed to him as well.