Madhavacharya of Sringeri

Sri Vidyaranya Mahaswamiji
Personal
Nationality	Vijayanagara empire
Senior posting
Title	Jagadguru of Sringeri Sharada Peetham
Period in office	1380–1386
Predecessor	Sri Bharati Krishna Tirtha
Successor	Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati I

Vidyāraṇya, (Kannada: ವಿದ್ಯಾರಣ್ಯ) is variously known as a kingmaker, patron saint and high priest to Harihara I (ಹಕ್ಕ ರಾಯ I) and Bukka Raya I,((Kannada: ಬುಕ್ಕರಾಯ). ) the founders of the Vijayanagara Empire. He was the 12th Jagadguru of the Śringeri Śarada Pītham from 1380-6.

Vidyāraṇya helped the brothers establish the empire sometime in 1336. He later served as a mentor and guide to three generations of kings who ruled over the Vijayanagara Empire. Vijayanagara (Hampi), the capital of the empire, had a temple dedicated to Mādhavācārya.

He is identified as Madhavacharya, the author of the Sarvadarśanasaṅgraha, a compendium of different philosophical schools of Hindu philosophy and Pañcadaśī, an important text for Advaita Vedanta.

One theory identifies Vidyaranya as Madhava, the brother of Sayana. This suggests that he was born to Māyaṇācārya and Śrīmatīdevī in Pampakṣetra (modern-day Hampi).

However, according to the records of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Vidyaranya was a different person, and Sayana and Madhava were actually his disciples. According to this account, Vidyaranya was born in c. 1296 CE in Ekasila Nagara (present-day Warangal). He was the elder brother of Bharati Tirtha, who preceded him as the acharya of Sringeri. This account also claims that Vidyaranya wrote some Veda bhashyas, and his disciples Sayana and Madhava completed these works.

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