Madhavacharya
Shri Madhava was very clever in reading and writing. Whatever he used to read once was not required to read it again. As soon as he completed three years, his father started educating him regularly.
When he was five years old, he went along with his mother to a nearby place named Neyampalli where a scholar was lecturing. But unsatisfied with his lecture, Shri Madhava proved his explanation to be wrong and said the right meaning in front of everyone and the crowd present there was stunned with Shri Madhava’s knowledge.
Once, he even surprised his father
who was a great scholar by telling him the meaning of a word which even Nadillya did not know. His father was very happy with the knowledge of his son.
When Shri Madhava was seven years old, after his initiation of sacred thread, he was sent to his guru to learn Ved- shastra. His guru’s name was Totantillya, who was one of the honored teachers of Vedic tradition of those times.
Shri Madhava was not only clever in studies but also very good at sports. No one could beat him in sports and wrestling. Impressed with Shri Madhava’s brilliance especially in wrestling, his fellow students used to call him Bheem.
Once, unhappy with him giving too much time towards sports activities, his teacher scolded him and tested him for his knowledge. But contrary to what his teacher had expected, Madhava answered each and every question so fluently that his guru was impressed with his knowledge. After this, his guru never objected to his playing sports.
“God Vishnu has complete power over souls and matter and that Vishnu saves souls entirely by his grace which is granted to those who live pure and moral lives”
― Shri Madhvacharya
After being established as an Acharya, he always paid attention towards health. It is said that when he was more than forty years, to know the importance of healthy body, he had challenged his students of twenty years for wrestling and defeated each and every one of them.
Once, when Acharya was going on the tour to Badrikashram, a group of robbers cornered him. He told his disciples, “This is not the time to get scared. The hands that can lift a stick can also lift an axe. One should not get scared of bad people, instead punish them.” Hearing this, the disciples pounced on to the robbers. Seeing this severe form of the saints, the robbers ran away to save their lives.
Once while he was going on pilgrimage in the North, some soldiers of a Muslim King arrested him. The King asked him as to whether he was scared. Shri Acharya said, “Why should I get scared. The God that I pray is also your God. You call him Allah and I call him Narayan. This whole world is his state and all of us live in his state and I am going for pilgrimage through one of his states, then why should I get scared to go from his state?” The Muslim king was so impressed with his answer that he honored him in his assembly and donating him a big plot of land asked him to built an ashram over there and stay there. But Acharya Shri refused his proposal and went ahead on his pilgrimage.
Shri Madhavacharya believed for a healthy mind; healthy body is a must. So, he always encouraged his disciples to exercise.
When he was eleven years old, he expressed his wish to be an ascetic but due to his love for his son, his father did not permit him. To stop him, his father pleaded him and bowed him at his feet. Shri Madhava just told him, “For a father to bow down at the feet of a son who is not an ascetic is not proper, but when you have already bowed, it shows that you have already accepted me as an ascetic.”
When his mother told him that if he becomes an ascetic, who would take care of them in their old age, he said that he would not accept ascetism till they have a second son and then, surprisingly his parents had a second son the next year. After this incident, his parents were compelled to permit him for ascetism. The second son took care of his parent till the last day and then got consecrated by Shri Madhava. His name was “Vishnutirth”.
After getting permission from his parents, Shri Madhava accepted ascetism by an Advait ascetic named Achyutpragya (also named Achyutpakshacharya, Achyutpreksha). After his consecration, his guru named him “Purnpragya”. Later, he was also named Anandtirth. But in the end, he became world famous with the name of Madhavacharya.
