. Madhvacarya
He was born in a Sivanni brahmana class family in the Pajakaksetra of Udupi village in the year 1040 Saka. His parents were Sri Madhyageha Bhatta and Srimati Vedavidya. His childhood name was Vasudeva. At the age of twelve he was initiated by Acyutapreksa. His sannyasa name was Purnaprajna.
He obtained the Deity of Udupi Krsna (Nrtya Gopala) from a boat full of gopi-candana. The Deity is holding a curd-making stick in one hand and a string, used for pasting curd, in the other hand. Though the Deity was very heavy, Madhvacarya carried it alone from Vadabhandesvara.
The following are the names
of the eight Udupi Mathas and their main heads:
1. Palimara - Sri Hrsikesa Tirtha
2. Adamara - Narahari
3. Krsnapura - Janardana
4. Puttige - Upendra
5. Siruru - Vamana
6. Sode - Visnu
7. Kanuru - Srirama
8. Pejavara - Adhoksaja
The following are the names of the Deities in the above mentioned maths respectively: Sri Ramacandra, Sri Krsna, Caturbhuja Kaliya-mardana Sri Krsna, Vitthaladeva, Vitthaladeva, Bhuvaraha deva, Nrsimha deva, and Vitthala deva. In the Sri Krsna matha there is a Deity of Balakrsna, installed by Madhvacarya.
The following are books written by Madhvacarya:
1. Gitabhasya
2. Brahma Sutrabhasya
3. Anubhasya 4. Pramana-laksana
5. Tattva-viveka 6. Rigbhasya
7. Upanisada bhasya
8. Gita Tatparya Nirnaya
9. Dvadasa Stotryas
10. Sri Krsnamaharnava
11. Srimadbhagavata Tatparya
12. Sri Mahabharata Tatparyanirnaya
13. Sri Krsna Stuti
The major works of Madhvacarya are his commentaries on the Brahmasutras, Upanisads, and the Bhagavad-gita. Most of his thirty-four works are philosophical, although there are a few poems and devotional compositions. Yamaka Bharata is a poem narrating the story of Mahabharata in Yamaka verse. Bharata Tatparya Nirnaya are his learned critiques on the Bhagavata and the Mahabharata. He was also wrote commentaries on some hymns in the Rg Veda. He relied heavily on evidence from the Puranas, rather than on the Vedic texts or logic. (An Encyclopedia of South Indian Culture, pp. 278-279)
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