Satyanatha Tirtha

Shri Satyanatha Tirtha(Śrī Satya-nātha Tīrtha) or Satyanatha Teertharu or Satyanatha Yati, (c. 1648 - c. 1674) was a Hindu philosopher, dialectician, polemicist, scholar. He is also known as Abhinava Vyasaraja. He served as the twentieth pontiff of Uttaradi Math from 1660-1673. He was a fiery and prolific writer and very ambitious of the glory of Madhva Siddhāntha. He is considered to be one of the important stalwats in the history of Dvaita school of thought on account of his sound elucidations of the works of Madhvacharya, Jayatirtha and Vyasatirtha. At least three of Satyanatha's works are reminiscent of "Vyasatraya" (the three eyes of the man-lion of Madhva Siddhārtha). His energy and determination to crush out the rivalry of Monism is reflected even in the choice of the titles of some of his works, four of which go by the name "Parasu" (the Axe).

Born into a family of dvaita scholars, Satyanatha started pursuing the knowledge of Dvaita Vedanta at a very early age. He is the only person who made a pronouncement that Women and Shudras are eligible for "Aparokshajnana" exclusively through shravana of "Tantra". Satyanatha holds the memory of Vyasatirtha in warm admiration and refers him reverentially as "Vyāsatīrthasrimaccaranah". He composed 12 works, consisting of commentaries on the works of Madhva, Jayatirtha and Vyasatirtha and several independent treatises criticizing the tenets of contemporary schools, especially Advaita, while simultaneously elaborating upon the Dvaita thought. His dialectical skill and logical acumen is often compared with that of Vyasatirtha and is popularly known as Abhinava Vyasaraja.

Most of the information about his life is derived from two hagiographies:Satyanatha Vijaya byhis disciple, and Satyanāthabhyudaya and Satyanatha-mahatmyaratnakara by Chalāri Saṁkarṣaṇacārya (c. 1700). The Alankaramauktikamala of Krsna is another work which eulogises Satyanatha Tirtha. He was bornNarasimhacharya to Krishnacharya and Rukmini Bai. Satyanatha Tirtha was born with Vishwamitra-amsha. Before becoming pontiff of Uttaradi Matha, he was ordained as an ordinary ascetic by the then pontiff of Uttaradi Matha and is known by two names, Vidhyanatha and Raghunatha. After taking the seat of pontificate as the peetadhipathi he was named as Satyanatha Tirtha. According to Chalāri Saṁkarṣaṇacārya's , Koñkanasthabhyudaya accounts Satyanatha was a contemporary of Keladi Chennamma (queen of Keladi) and Mughal emperor Aurangazeb and visited Benares at a time when Mughal emperor was harassing the hindus. It was presumably during this time that he visitedGaya and strengthened the hold of his mutt among the Gayapalas, who had been converted to Madhvism by his predecessor Vidyadhisha Tirtha. Satyanatha gave ashrama to Keshavacharya (Purvashrama name of Satyabhinava Tirtha), who later went on to succeed the pontificate as the peetadhipathi of Uttaradi Matha. After his death in 1674, his mortal remains were enshrined in the mutt at Veeracholapuram, a village in Tamil Nadu. He was succeeded by Satyabhinava Tirtha.

Satyanatha Tirtha authored twelve works consisting of polemical tracts, commentaries on the works of Madhva, Jayatirtha, Vyasatirtha, independent works and a few hymns. Satyanatha wanted to emulate the example and philosophical work that had been accomplished by Vyasaraja. Corresponding to Vyasaraja's Nyayamrita, he wrote Abhinavamrita (commentary on Pramanapaddhati), corresponding to Vyasaraja's Tatparyacandrika he wrote his Abhinavachandrika (commentary on Tattvaprakasika). It is magnum opus which runs to 12,500 granthas. It is not in continuation of Tatparya Chandrika but an independent gloss. His work Abhinavatandava or Abhinavatarkatandava corresponding to Vyasaraja's Tarka Tandava.. It is aanother voluminous original work of Satyanatha which is a dialectical classic, expounding the nature andconstitutional of the logicaland epistemological categories of the Dvaita system and refuting those of rival systems especially those of Nyaya-Vaisheshikas, on the same lines of the original Tarkatandava of Vyasatirtha. The work runs to 11,367 granthas. His commentaries on Dasaprakaranastexts are called Parasu to indicate that he will cut the opponents arguments to pieces. His work Abhinava Gada is a refutation work for the theological controversies provoked by Appayya Dikshita. It runs to 4,750 granthas. He also wrote shining commentaries on the three Khandanas of Madhva. His works are referred as the Abhinava Granthas and Parashu Granthas. According to Sharma, "His dextrous way of explaining the example of "Ahikundala" by constructing the term "vísesha" used by Jayatirtha in Tattvaprakasika in his twin senses of"visesa" and "bheda" is a masterstroke of resourcefulness".

Satyanatha Tirtha is considered to be one of the foremost stalwarts of Dvaita thought. He is revered for his philosophical and dialectical thought, his role in spreading the school of Dvaita across the subcontinent especially in Bihar is noteworthy. Sharma writes "A memorable personality in many ways, a fierce, very ambitious and prolific writer". Satyanatha Tirtha has been eulogised by Chalāri Saṁkarṣaṇacārya in his biographical works Satyanāthabhyudaya and Satyanatha-mahatmyaratnakara.