His Holiness Jagadguru Shankaracharya Shri Vidyaranya Mahaswami | |
|---|---|
 Procession of Vidyaranya c.15th Century | |
| Personal | |
| Born | 1296 |
| Died | 1391 (aged 94–95) |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Religious career | |
| Ordination | 1380 |
| 12th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Sringeri Sharada Peetham | |
| In office 1380–1386 | |
| Preceded by | Bharati Tirtha |
| Succeeded by | Chandrasekhara Bharati I |
| Part of a series on |
| Advaita |
|---|
 |
 Hindu philosophy |
| Part of a series on | |
| Hindu philosophy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Orthodox | |
|
|
|
| Heterodox | |
|
|
|
Vidyaranya (IAST: Vidyāraṇya), usually identified with Mādhavācārya, was the jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham from ca. 1374–1380[1][2][3] until 1386 – according to tradition, after ordination at an old age, he took the name of Vidyaranya, and became the Jagadguru of this Matha at Sringeri.[3][4]
Madhavacharya is known as the author of the Sarvadarśanasaṅgraha, a compendium of different philosophical schools of Hindu philosophy and Pañcadaśī, an important text for Advaita Vedanta.
According to tradition, Vidyaranya helped establish the Vijayanagara Empire sometime in 1336, and served as a mentor and guide to three generations of kings who ruled over it. The historical accuracy of this account is doubtful, and may have originated as late as 200 years after the events, as a "political foundation myth, an ideological attempt to represent the authority of the Vijayanagara state as deriving directly from that of the Sultanate."[5]
The Vidyashankara temple in Sringeri is the samadhi of Vidya shankara, the guru of Vidyaranya which was built over the former's samadhi by his disciple Harihara. It is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.
- ^ Goodding 2013, p. 89.
- ^ Jackson 2016, p. 18.
- ^ a b Dalal 2010, p. entry "Madhavacharya".
- ^ Slaje 1998, p. 115.
- ^ Goodding 2013, p. 88-89.