Padmanabha Tirtha

Life

According to Narayana Pandita's Madhva Vijaya, Padmanabha, born Shobhanabhatta, a Kannada Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin, was an accomplished scholar and logician. Shobhana Bhatta's family were native of North Karnataka. He was born in Puntamba, a town on the bank of the river Godavari in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. According to Sumadhva Vijaya, chapter 4, Madhvacharya has passed through Maharashtra on his way to Badrikashrama and back. It also talks about Madhvacharya meeting Mahadeva of Devagiri. During this time Madhva's first meeting with his first disciple from outside Tulunadu, Padmanabha Tirtha, took place at Puntamba on the bank of Godavari. After being won over by Madhva in a debate, he adopted Dvaita and was subsequently tasked by Madhva to disseminate the nascent philosophy across the subcontinent. After that he took Brindavana at Nava Brindavana near Hampi. His disciple Narahari Tirtha succeeded him as the pontiff.