Charama Shloka :

ಶ್ರೀಕೃಷ್ಣಚರಣಾಂಭೋಜಯುಗಳಾಸಕ್ತಮಾನಸಾನ್ | ವಿದ್ಯಾಪಯೋನಿಧಿಗುರೂನ್ ವಂದೇಽಹಂ ಬುದ್ಧಿಶುದ್ಧಯೇ ||

श्रीकृष्णचरणांभोजयुगळासक्तमानसान् | विद्यापयोनिधिगुरून् वंदेऽहं बुद्धिशुद्धये ||

śrīkṛṣṇacaraṇāmbhojayugal̤āsaktamānasān | vidyāpayonidhigurūn vande’haṃ buddhiśuddhaye ||

About Sri Vidyapayonidhi Tirtha

Sri Vidyapayonidhi Tirtha was ordained as the 38th Pithadhipati by Sri Vidyaprasanna Tirtha. His Purvashrama name was Sri Purnabodhacharya. His ancestors belonged to the Kaushika Gotra and were residents of a small village near Gopichettipalayam in present-day Tamil Nadu. His great-grandfather, Sri Krishna Narasimhacharya, was deeply influenced by Sri Vidyashrisindhu Tirtha and followed the saint to settle down in Sosale Kshetra.

Sri Purnabodhacharya’s upanayana was performed in the holy premises of Sri Raghunatha Tirtha at the age of eight. After his Brahmopadesha, he received other sacred Mantrapadeshas from none other than Sri Vidyavaridhi Tirtha. Having completed Krishna Yajurveda Asitadvaya and Padakramanta Patha, as well as Samagra Shastradhyayana under Sri Vidyaprasanna Tirtha, he was engaged in Purva Prayoga, Paurohitya, and serving the Matha in different capacities.

Tradition records that on one occasion, when he was at Mantralaya to perform seva of Sri Raghavendra Swami, he obtained the blessings of Sri Suyamindra Tirtha, the then pontiff, who prophesied that he would one day adorn the hallowed Pitha of Srimatha. The prophecy soon came true, and within a couple of years, Sri Vidyaprasanna Tirtha anointed him to the Pitha with the appellation Sri Vidyapayonidhi Tirtha.

The saint adorned the Pitha for twenty-eight years, during which time he accomplished several important initiatives:

• Strengthening the construction at Tirumakudalu Kshetra to safeguard the Vrindavanas at the sangama from natural calamities, and building the current structure that accommodates devotees.
   

• Compiling and publishing the compositions of his gurus, Sri Vidyaratnakara Tirtha and Sri Vidyaprasanna Tirtha.
   

• Observing Chaturmasya at Srimatha’s different branches—Sriranga, Mysore, Salem, Kurnool, Tumkur, etc.—and using the opportunity to refurbish and reconstruct dilapidated structures.
   

• Conducting the 500th-year Aradhana celebrations of Sri Vyasaraja at various locations to spread awareness of the Srimatha and its contributions.
   

• Establishing Gurukulas at Srirangam and Bangalore to impart knowledge of Sanatana Dharma.
   

• Starting the monthly magazine Tattvachandrika in multiple languages to bring the philosophy of Madhvacharya to the common man.
   

• Relocating the Vrindavana of Purvacharya Sri Lakshmivallabha Tirtha from Belur to Tirumakudalu Narasipura to facilitate daily worship.
   

• Striving to ensure harmony and good relations among various Madhva institutions.
   

The saint was known for his warmth and affection toward everyone. He remembered every disciple he had interacted with and ensured they were well cared for. His compassion endeared him equally to scholars and lay devotees.

His final and most important contribution was the identification of his successor. His Holiness ordained Bhagavata Samrat Sri Jayatirthacharya to the hallowed Pitha with the name Sri Vidyavachaspati Tirtha and spent his last days with him, before attaining Haripada. His Vrindavana was consecrated at Tirumakudalu, alongside those of his predecessors Sri Raghunatha Tirtha and Sri Srinatha Tirtha.