The Fifth Delight
Shri Raghavendra Gurusarvabhauma
96. Composition of the Vedic Commentaries
One day, Sri Guru Raghavendra, at the Sri Matha’s Vidyapeetha, called together the elderly scholars who were both respected elders and dear associates—Lakshminarasimhacharya, Ramachandracharya, Narasimhacharya, Anna Gururajacharya, as well as his pre-monastic younger brother’s children (nephews), spiritual sons, and students such as Narayanaacharya, Venkatanarayanacharya, Lakshminarayanacharya, Krishnacharya, Govindacharya, and others.
He shared with them the idea of composing commentaries on the Vedas, which he had resolved to undertake, and gave the following command:
“Vidyālakṣmī, after I accepted the Paramahamsa Ashrama, instructed me to write the Vedabhashyas, Prakasha, Parimala, and other treatises for the protection of the Dvaita Siddhanta.
Our revered Guru Sri Vijayindra Tirtha also commanded me to do so.
Though I have been seated on the peetha (pontifical seat) for many years, and by the grace of Sri Hari, Vayu, and our Guru lineage, I have authored several works, yet until now I have not been able to write Vedic commentaries, as ordained by Vākdevī (goddess of speech).
During our yatra to Tirupati, Sri Venkateshwara Himself blessed me with a divine vision and explicitly commanded me to undertake the writing of these commentaries.
Now, inspired by Sri Hari-Vayu-Guru, I have firmly resolved to begin this great work. It is not only a rare divine opportunity but also a task of tremendous responsibility.
With the mercy of Sri Hari, Vayu, and our Guru, I have the confidence and faith that we will complete this successfully.
In this noble endeavor, I seek the support of all of you—scholars, elders, dear ones, and experienced well-wishers.”
He continued:
“First, we must gather authentic manuscripts of the Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma, and Atharva Vedas, along with the commentaries that aid in their interpretation.
We must begin with tasks such as:
Collection
Review and research
Verification of variant readings
Preparation of clean copies
All of this requires your dedicated and devotional service.”
Hearing these nectar-like words from Sri Guru Raghavendra, all present were overjoyed and deeply moved. Knowing well that the composition of Vedabhashyas would not only be of immense benefit to the Dvaita tradition, but also a great aid to scholars interested in scriptural study and teaching, they enthusiastically and reverently accepted Sriyavaru’s instruction, offered prostrations, and humbly pledged their service.
Then began the great endeavor—collection of sacred texts!
From kingdom after kingdom, village after village, house after house, manuscripts of Vedic scriptures were collected with great enthusiasm. Within six to seven months, thousands of palm-leaf manuscripts and handwritten Vedic texts were gathered and presented to Sri Guru Raghavendra.
Sri Swamiji, under the supervision of Lakshminarasimhacharya, Ramachandracharya, and Gururajacharya, formed a Vedic Research Committee comprising:
Vedic scholars,
Forty to fifty shastra-versed pandits,
His disciples and spiritual sons like Venkatanarayanacharya, Narayanacharya, Lakshminarayanacharya, Krishnacharya, and Govindacharya.
This committee was tasked to:
Carefully inspect each Vedic text,
Separate the cleanest manuscripts,
Identify commonly accepted readings from variants,
Compare both clean and variant versions rigorously,
Produce purified, accurate versions, and
Prepare a register (yadi) explaining variations.
At the Vidya Matha, 45 scholars worked diligently in the research of Vedic manuscripts. Their devotion and enthusiasm made the entire endeavor vibrant and successful.
Every week, the scholars presented:
The portion of the research completed,
The revised manuscripts, and
A list of textual variants to Sri Raghavendra Swami.
He reviewed each carefully and gave detailed feedback on what to modify. The team would then revise the work and prepare new versions. After nearly a full year of intense effort, purified versions of the three Vedas (Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma) were completed.
Once satisfied, Sri Swamiji made a final detailed review and gave the authoritative pronouncement:
"Idam ittham" (This is correct).
Thus was completed the famous and revered "Traye"—the pure manuscripts of the Ṛgveda, Yajurveda, and Sāmaveda with validated variant readings.
Then, at an auspicious time, Sri Guru Raghavendra Swami began the sacred composition of his Vedabhashyas (commentaries).
He arranged before him:
The purified versions of the Vedas,
The Vedangas (auxiliary sciences),
Nirukta, Chandas, Vedic lexicons,
Śrī Madhvacharya's Ṛg Bhashya,
Commentaries by Śrī Jayatirtha, and
Word-sequence texts (pada-krama) by Śrī Vāgīśa Tīrtha.
Also included were:
Interpretations by Śrī Jayatirtha, Śrī Vyāsarāja, Śrī Vijayīndra, and Śrī Sudhīndra Tīrtha on difficult scriptural passages,
Rare works by Śrī Vijayīndra such as:
Śruti Tātparya Kaumudī, Śrutyartha Sāra, Turīya Śiva Khaṇḍanam, Paratatva Prakāśikā, Bhedavidyāvilāsa, Bhedacandrikā, Bhedāgama Sudhākara, Bhedacintāmaṇi, Bhedaprabhā, Chakra Mīmāṃsā,
Upaniṣad commentaries by Śrī Madhva and Tīkakāras, and
Sāyaṇa’s Vedic commentaries.
All these texts, along with the Vedic manuscripts and newly prepared palm-leaf collections, were ceremonially worshipped. Mangalarati and mantrapushpa were offered. Worship was performed to the portraits of Śrī Bādarāyaṇa, Śrī Madhvacharya, and Śrī Tīkakāra, followed by a special prayer at the Brindavana of Śrī Vijayīndra Tīrtha.
Returning to Vidya Matha, Sri Raghavendra Swami, in the presence of the scholarly assembly, took his seat on the sacred throne (bhadrāsana) and began the composition of the Vedabhashya.
The assembly was full—hundreds of scholars, students, and dear disciples had gathered.
Six renowned stenographers, well-versed in sacred writing, sat before him with palm-leaf manuscripts, pens, and writing tools—ready to inscribe every word.
That scene was enchanting and unprecedented.
It brought to mind the vision of Sage Bādarāyaṇa composing the Brahma Mimamsa Shastra (Brahma Sutras) in Badarikāshram, surrounded by hundreds of rishis and sages.
Everyone sat in eager anticipation, hearts brimming with bliss, awaiting the Vedic elucidations to emerge from Sri Swamiji’s lotus mouth.
The atmosphere glowed with divine energy.
Sri Gururajaru, having invoked in his heart Sri Moola Raghupati Vedavyasa Deva, glanced once at the assembly and, with a gentle smile, began the composition of the Vedabhashya!
At that moment, it felt as though a bolt of divine energy surged through the assembly. As soon as Sriyavaru began to speak, all six manuscript scribes swiftly began writing without pause.
Guru Raghavendra began with the Ṛgveda Bhashya, composing an auspicious invocation (mangala-acharana), offering reverence to the Guru lineage, and clearly outlining the purpose of the work, all in a deep, resonant voice. The scribes captured every word as he spoke.
The audience, witnessing this unprecedented, extraordinary, and intellectually profound event, were awestruck at the mastery with which Sri Gururajaru composed his works. The eyes of all scholars, filled with devotion and joy, began to stream with tears.
Guru Swamiji first described the apauruṣeya (non-human, divine) nature and greatness of the Ṛgveda in a soul-touching manner. He then recited the first ṛk (hymn), gave its explanation, and presented the correct interpretation.
He went on to critically analyze the commentary of Sayanaacharya, pointing out its:
Errors,
Incompleteness,
Misinterpretations, and
Contradictions—
backed by authoritative sources (sapramāṇa).
He demonstrated, with logical and scriptural rigor, how Sayana’s interpretations were inconsistent, and then refuted them using the authority of the Śruti. He offered a clearer, deeper interpretation in line with the views of Sri Badarayana (Vyasa).
For each ṛk, he explained its correct meaning, drawing on other shastras, citing the words of Sri Madhvacharya, Tikakaras, and earlier acharyas. With profound clarity and brilliance, he showed how every word and syllable of the Veda ultimately points to Lord Vishnu alone.
His speech glowed with radiance, and it appeared to all present that Sri Lakshmi Devi Herself, along with her eternal consort Lord Narayana, were residing on the stage of the Guru’s divine face.
It felt as if:
Sri Hari, in His five forms,
Sri Bhudevi and Durga Devi, as aspects of Lakshmi,
Hanuman, Bhimasena, and Madhvacharya, as the Jivottama (Supreme soul),
Brahma, who first taught the Vedas to the world, and
Saraswati, goddess of wisdom with the Veena in hand—
were all dwelling in the theatre of Sri Guru’s radiant countenance, revealing through him the eternal truth that:
The essence of all the Vedas is none other than the flawless Sri Vaishnava Siddhanta,
inherited through an unbroken tradition of pure souls since time immemorial.
This extraordinary, wondrous, and world-revered composition of the Vedabhashya, inspired directly by the Lord Himself, was bringing eternal fame to Sri Guru Raghavendra.
Thus, Sri Raghavendra Guruvarya became deeply immersed in the Vedabhashya composition.
Every morning, after completing bath, rituals, and japa, he would take his seat on the Vidyasimhasana at sunrise, in the assembly overflowing with scholars, and
For three full hours, he would dictate the Vedabhashya.
After that, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, he would deliver formal discourses (shastra-patha-pravachana).
Among the closest disciples and nephews of Sri Gururajaru's elder brother Gururajacharya was Venkatanarayanacharya, whose four sons—Venkannacharya, Vasudevacharya, Muddu Venkata Krishnacharya, and Vijayindraacharya—along with Govindacharya (son of Narasimhacharya, a relative of Sri Sudheendratirtha) and Purushottamacharya (son of Sri Lakshminarayanacharya), and Appannacharya from Bichale, formed a group of six.
Along with them, sixteen young students—sons of scholars from places like Kumbhakonam, Tanjavur, and other scholarly centers—were studying under the direct guidance of Sri Gurusarvabhauma (Sri Raghavendra Swami).
These disciples, during that same period, began intensive study in:
Vedanta Shastra,
Nyaya (logic),
Mimamsa (hermeneutics),
Vyakarana (grammar), and
Dharma Shastra (law and ethics).
Sri Raghavendra’s daily schedule was as follows:
From sunrise till noon:
Vedabhashya composition and scriptural discourses
At midday:
Worship of the Moola Rama deity, distribution of Teertha Prasada, and meals
From 2:00 to 4:00 PM:
Teaching of other shastras and discussions with religious dignitaries
In the evening:
Sandhyavandana, Sayamdeepa Aradhana, and blessing devotees with phala-mantrakshata
Later:
Reviewing texts and preparing mentally for the next day’s Vedabhashya writing, followed by rest
In this uninterrupted cycle, the composition of Bhashyas, daily teachings, and discourses continued seamlessly. As months and years passed, Sri Gururajaru completed profound and elaborate commentaries (bhashyas) on the:
Rigveda,
Yajurveda, and
Samaveda.
As for the Atharvaveda, Guru Raghavendra, being a visionary and spiritually inspired by the Divine, refrained from composing a commentary on it, deeming it less suitable for public and universal benefit.
During this same period, Sri Raghavendra Swami also authored the following extraordinary works:
1. Gītārtha Saṅgraha (Summary of the Gita’s Meaning)
2. Commentary on the Gītā Bhāṣya Prameya Dīpikā
3. Elucidation of Gītā Tātparya Ṭīkā
4. Mahābhārata Tātparya Nirṇaya Bhāva Saṅgraha
5. Commentary on Vādāvali
6. Commentary on Tarkatāṇḍava
7. Notes on Pramāṇa Paddhati
8. Prameya Saṅgraha
These scholarly compositions firmly established Sri Raghavendra Swami as:
A Vedic commentator (Vedabhashyakara),
A commentator on commentaries (Tīkākāra), and
A master of glosses and annotations (Ṭippaṇyāchārya),
earning him unparalleled fame and deep reverence among the intellectual elite of India.
At Vidyamatha, the Madhwa Navaratri festival and the accompanying Great Scholarly Assemblies (Mahavidvat Sabhas) were being held with extraordinary grandeur.
In the Mahavidvat Sabha, a golden palanquin carried the sacred icons of:
Sri Vedavyasa Deva,
The portrait of Sri Madhvacharya,
The Sarvamoola granthas (all original works),
The Vedabhashyas, and
The newly authored scriptures composed by Sri Raghavendra Swami.
These were adorned with golden ornaments and silken garments (pitambara) and were accompanied by auspicious musical instruments and chanting of Vedic mantras as they proceeded through the royal streets of Kumbhakonam in grand procession.
As the golden palanquin passed through each street, Sumangalis (auspiciously married women) offered arati (ritual lamp), while the gathered public, with cheers of joy, showered flowers in reverence.
Sri Raghavendra Swami, accompanied by his disciples, walked humbly beside the palanquin, gently fanning the divine images with gold-handled chamara fans, surrounded by hundreds of pandits.
Fortunate were those who beheld this majestic and charming spectacle—an unforgettable vision filled with divine bliss!
After the procession returned to Vidyamatha, the ceremonial publication of the Vedabhashyas was conducted under the graceful hands of Sri Raghavendra Swami, in all its splendor.
That day, the blessing-speech (anugraha bhashana) delivered by Sri Raghavendra Swami was of such depth and spiritual grandeur that it deserves to be inscribed in golden letters in the annals of Indian philosophical history!
Many renowned scholars also gave speeches, wholeheartedly praising:
Sri Raghavendra’s wisdom, devotion, and renunciation,
His genius as an author, and
The immense significance of the Vedabhashyas he had composed.
Thousands of devotees, having received the darshan of the sacred and auspicious Guru Sarvabhauma, as well as his blessing words (anugraha vachana), sacred water (teertha), holy food (prasada), and phala-mantrakshata (blessed rice grains), felt their lives had attained fulfillment—they were overwhelmed with divine bliss.