The second paryāya of His Holiness Śrī Vidyādhīṣa Tīrtha Swāmīji of Śrī Palimāru Maṭa which started on 18 Jan 2018 was completed successfully on 17 Jan 2020. It would not be an exaggeration if one were to say that this inspired devotion towards Lord Kriṣṇa while also inculcating the thirst for knowledge of the divine. A glimpse into the accomplishments of the same would be prudent in this regard:
1. The construction and dedication of golden tower [suvarṇa gōpura] at a staggering cost of Rs.40 crores can be mentioned as the biggest achievement of this paryāya. This not only promulgates the supremacy of the Lord under the tower but also that of the Sarvamūla works etched on the golden tiles covering the tower. One would also feel the influence of 21,600 ‘śvāsa mantra” hymns in its vicinity.
2. Devotees can fortify their consciousness under the influence of Vāyu Stuti and other hymns etched in the golden tower built for Lord Mukhyaprāṇa at a cost of Rs.1.25 crores.
3. The work of covering the roof and walls of the room containing Sarvagna Pīṭha with ornate wooden sculptures was also completed. This has further increased the air of sophistication of the same. The wood work includes the divine forms worshipped by the eight Maṭas, incarnations of Lord Viṣṇu, Lord Śrīnivāsa, Lord Badari Nārāyaṇa, Lord Vēdavyāsa among others which increases the spiritual quotient as well.
4. The art quotient of the Rajangaṇa has increased on account of the installation of the Sudarṣana Chakra and the Pānchajanya Conch on either side of its entrance. Additionally, one can also behold Goddess Durgā Dēvi, present in the Sudarshaṇa and Goddess Śrīdēvi present in the Panchajanya, for destruction of evil & ignorance and bestowment of devotion & knowledge respectively.
5. At the beginning of this paryāya, Swāmīji gave a series of lectures [more than 100] on the Bhāgavata hymn, “Satyam Param Dhīmahi” over a period of six months. This shed light upon the importance of devotion towards the Lord. Followed by this, the series of lectures [more than 400] on Kunti Stuti over the remainder 1.5 years of the paryāya served the nectar of the Bhāgavata to the hungry devotees. Through the multiple iterations of proṣṭapadi series’ lectures conducted in front of Lord Kriṣṇa, thoughts of the Divine were offered to the Lord directly. The lecture series about the reflection of 18 parvas of Mahābhārata through the lens of Vishṇu Sahasranāma in the penultimate 18 days of the paryāya also served a similar purpose.
6. Starting at 4.40 am on ekādashi, 16 Feb 2019, a continuous series of lectures on the entire Bhāgavata was successfully completed at 5 am on the following day, dwādaśi, by 16 pontiffs of various Madhwa Maṭas. This celebration of the divine saw a gathering of devotees both local and out station.
7. The daily discourses at Rajangaṇa, saw over 130 experts from all over the world along with 18 pontiffs of various Maṭas indulging in the elucidation of Mahābhārata, ensured that the thirst of all seekers was quenched accordingly. The aforementioned series of 18 parvas in the penultimate 18 days also illuminated the superiority of Mahābhārata Tātparya Nirṇaya by āchārya Madhwa.
8. During the entirety of the paryāya i.e. 730 days, a lakh Tulsi leaves along with the chanting of the Viṣṇu Sahasranāmāvali was offered daily. This combined with the service of offering a crore Tulsi leaves that too twice, results in a grand total of 9 crore Tulsi leaves offered to the Lord during the paryāya period. This has in turn inspired increased devotion towards the Lord.
9. Beginning simultaneously with the paryāya (and also ending with the same), a total of 1,75,200 devotees belonging to 4380 bhajan groups, offered their service in the form of continuous bhajans totalling a duration of 17,520 hours. This along with the bhajan services offered by the pontiffs on Madhwa Jayanti and ārādhana of Vijaya Dāsaru ensured that the festive atmosphere of devotion was uninterrupted throughout the paryāya.
10. During the paryāya tenure itself, the research and publication of Mahābhārata along with the translation in the form of 61 volumes is a big service to the literary and spiritual community. The crown jewel is that this translation is in accordance to the Taulava interpretations present in the Ashta Mathas.
11. The Tulābhāra organised in the custom-built venue at Rathabīdi reminded one of the splendours of the original Tulābhāra involving Lord Kriṣṇa – Rukmiṇi – Satyabhāma. The dance drama, Śrī Kriṣṇa Sandarṣanam, performed before this event also was a divine spectacle in itself.
12. The 24 tower-programmes associated with the dedication of the golden gopura during the 11 days between 31 May 2019 and 10 June 2019 such as Pramēya-gōpura, Dharma-gōpura etc were themselves fountains of devotion, knowledge and spirituality.
13. The bestowment of ascetism to śrī Vidhyārājeshwara Tīrtha Swāmīji and the associated activities on 10 and 12 May 2019 were done in the most accurate and heartfelt manner. These events, while flaunting the superiority of sainthood also influenced the devotees deeply.
14. The discourses on Uddhava Gīte by His Holiness śrī Eeshapriya Tīrtha Swāmīji in the lens of devotion to Lord Kriṣṇa during the former 1.5 years of the paryāya and that of Sangraha Rāmāyaṇa in the latter 6 months by śrī Vidhyārājēshwara Tīrtha Swāmīji also had a profound influence over the devotees.
15. Vidwān Śrī Mōhanāchārya of Bengaluru, offered his service in the form of discourses on Viṣṇu Sahasranāma in front of Lord Kriṣṇa. This was in parallel to Vidwān Sagrī Rāghavēndra Upādhyāya, who during the discourse at Chouki explained the speciality of the particular day along with the importance of Lord Kriṣṇa’s offerings and aspects of Sangraha Bhāgavata. In addition to this, he also conducted various debates and discussions during festive occasions such as Madhwanavami, Navarātri, ārādhane of previous Madhwa pontiffs and saints, thereby inculcating the habit of continuous involvement in the matters of the Lord.
Tubhyamēva Samarpayē: As we can see every activity of the second paryāya of His Holiness Sri Vidyādhīṣa Tīrtha espouses the aspects of devotion in the divine and knowledge of the same. Hence let us dedicate these achievements in their entirety to Lord Krishna as espoused in the saying “twadīyamēva gōvinda tubhyamēva samarpayē’.
