Śrī Vidyāpūrṇa Tirtha
Tenure : 1824 – 1874
Ārādhana : Śrāvaṇa śukla ṣaṣṭhī
Location : Sŏsale
Charama Shloka :
ವಿದ್ವತ್ಕುಮುದಚಂದ್ರಾಯ ಭಕ್ತಪಂಕಜಭಾನವೇ | ವಿದ್ಯಾಪೂರ್ಣಾಯ ಗುರವೇ ನಮಸ್ಸರ್ವೇಷ್ಟಹೇತವೇ ||
विद्वत्कुमुदचंद्राय भक्तपंकजभानवे | विद्यापूर्णाय गुरवे नमस्सर्वेष्टहेतवे ||
vidvatkumudacandrāya bhaktapaṅkajabhānave | vidyāpūrṇāya gurave namassarveṣṭahetave ||
About Śrī Vidyāpūrṇa Tirtha
Śrī Vidyāpūrṇa Tīrtha was ordained the 30th Pīṭādhipati by Śrī Vidyānidhi Tīrtha. He was the Pūrvāśrama son of Śrī Vidyākānta Tīrtha and went by the name Veṅkaṭa Narasiṁhācārya. He was ordained to the fourth order, Sanyāsa right at the time of the ordination of Śrī Vidyānidhi Tīrtha. While the Śrīmaṭha was established right at the time of Śrī Vidyāvallabha Tīrtha, a fully functional Vidyāpīṭha “Śrīmat Vyāsarāja Vidyāpīṭha” imparting Śāstraic education came into being during the saint’s time. Further, the saint took personal interest to ensure welfare of the community by resolving conflicts between institutions at that time.
The saint completed four tenure periods, called as Paṭṭa at the helm of the Śrīmaṭha, each tenure is a period of twelve years totalling forty-eight years. Mummaḍi Kṛṣṇaraja Wodeyar of Mysore state held the Svāmiji in very high esteem and used to proclaim in public that “When we talk of Maṭha, it is Śrī Vyāsarāja Maṭha and when we mention Svāmiji, it is Śrī Vidyāpūrṇa Tīrtha Svāmiji.”
The tenure of Śrī Svāmiji is considered to be one of the golden periods in the history of the Śrīmaṭha. Saints of tall order such as Śrī Vidyāsamudra Tīrtha and Śrī Vidyāratnākara Tīrtha and scholars such as Gauḍagere Vāsudĕvācārya, of this institution were all students of Śrī Bhīmasenācārya, Pūrvāśrāma name of Śrī Vidyāśrīdhara Tīrtha, who himself was tutored by this saint.
Śrī Vidyāpūrṇa Tīrtha ordained Śrī Vidyāśrīsindhu Tīrtha to the Pīṭha and attained Haripāda. His Vṛndāvana is located in the same complex that houses the Vṝndāvanas of the saint’s guru and paramaguru.