Shri Jeevothama Teertharu

Shri Jeevothama Teertha Swamiji was the Peetadhipathi of Shri Partagalli Math from 13.04.1518 to 16.08.1588.  He was a great scholar and had a long tenure as Peetadhipathi.  Till date, Shri Partagalli Math is popularly known and referred as Shri Partagalli Jeevothama Math.

विट्ठलत्रयलब्धारं वादिराजयतिप्रियम् ।

जीवोत्तमगुरुं वन्दे विमानेन दिवं गतम् ।।

As the maha was founded in Gokarna kshetra region the Math at Bhatkal came to be called Gokarn matha. As Sri Jeevottama teertha founded a Math in Gokarn Jeevottama was added to the name. Shree Jeevottam Teerth was the third Acharya of the Mutt. He originally hailed from Basroor. He was initiated into the Math tradition by his Guru Shree Vasudev Teertha in the Saka 1439 Srisaka Ishwara Samvatsara, in the month of Magha on Shuddha Chaturdashi. His entire life and work was extraordinary in that it was marked by asceticism . renunciation as well as success. Swamiji,s life is full of wonderful incidents. Like Sriman Madhvacharya He gave people the evidence of his knowledge and yogic powers. With the objective of pilgrimage, he travelled the length and the breadth of India. Once in the course of his journey, he had halted at Bijapur. The Badshah (ruler) Ali Adilshah, though a Muslim had a host of Hindu sardars at his court. At their behest, he cordially welcomed Shree Jevottam Teerth but driven with the urge to test this Swami, he sent meat along with other valuable gifts to the Swamiji. On seeing the meat, swamiji is believed to have sprinkled Teerth (holy water) from his kamandalu on the meat and transformed it into flowers and sent them to the Badshah as a return gift. Impressed with the Swamiji's yogic powers, Badhah prayed for a blessings to get a son as he had no progeny till then. Swamiji gave a fruit with abhimantrana and instructed it to be given to the Queen. Soon the Queen conceived. Pleased, the Badshah honoured the Seer by offering him a white ceremonial umbrella and other paraphernalia including a white ceremonial fan (chamar) and a palanquin. During His pilgrimage up North,visited Prayag, Kashi, Kurukshetra,Saraswati, Varaha Pushkar, Haridvar and Badarikashram.Then went to Gandaki river where Shaligramas are abundant. Swamiji found in the stream of River Sheela, three quinta metallic pratimas which He named as Digvijay Vitthal, Bhoo- Vijay Vitthal and Veer- Vitthal. Shri Vadiraj Teerth, the Acharya of Sonde Mutt, one of the ashtamutts, had also em¬barked upon a pilgrimage and the two Seers met on the river bank where Shree Jeevottam Teerth had made a halt. During this stay, Shree Jevottam Teerth Swamiji started anashan vrata (ritually giving up food) with the objective of attaining moksha (eternal rest). But at one juncture, there was a divine injunction, "Oh great Hermit, I will not be able to meet you at this stage of your life. So you give up the anashan vrata. Do not torment your body. Offer your vrata unto me. At the appointed hour, a divine vehicle will come to take you on your final journey when you shall come to those who are free from life and you shall see Me." As per this divine stipulation, Shree Jeevottam Teerth gave up his anshan vrata and set out on the way back from the Himalayas. Enroute, he sought the darshan of Gopalkrishna at Mathura Vrundavan, of Vithoba at Pandharpur and of Parashuram at the Poiguinim village of Canacona (Goa) before returning to the holy Peetha of Gokarn via Ankola At Gokarn, Swamiji had a sub-Mutt constructed and of the three idols found in the river Sheela, had the idol of Bhoo- Vijay Vitthal ritually installed there. Then, Swamiji had another sub-Mutt constructed at Basroor and the idol of Dig- Vijay Vitthal was ritually installed there. Adopting the idol of Veer Vitthal as the deity for personal worship, Swamiji ceremoniously placed it among the pantheon at the main Math and continued to worship it daily. Ever since, the tradition of the Peethadhish Swamiji personally worshipping the Veer Vitthal idol has continued unhindered to date. On returning to Bhatkal Mutt,ShreeJeevottam Teerth anointed a Brahmacharin from a good family background as his disciple and giving him the name of Shree Purushottam Teerth entrusted him with performing pooja of Veer Vitthal while he himself set out on a pilgrimage again. Having sought the darshan of Shree Venkateshwara at Tirupati, he went to Shree-Shail. After seeking the darshan of Varadraj, he went to Rameshwaram to seek the darshan of Rameshwara, the deity installed by Lord Rama there. At Udupi, he visited the Krishna temple established by Shree Madhvacharya and then returned to. Bhatkal. But despite having duly completed his pilgrimage, Swamiji did not take over the reins of the Mutt. Leaving all such matters to His successor Shree Purushottam Teerth, Swamiji continued to worship Veer Vitthal ritually installed outside the sanctum sanctorum of the Math by him. Spending his time thus engrossed in the worship of Vitthal, Swamiji received the final directive from the God. As promised earlier, during Swamiji,s sojourn on the banks of the river Shila in the course of Swamiji,s anshan vrata, a divya vimaana was supposedly sent by the Lord for him. Realising that His time to return to His final abode had arrived, He breathed His last and His soul returned to its divine abode on the Vimana. At this juncture, it is said, the Swamiji of Sonde Mutt was offering holy arati to Shree Krishna. He saw intuitively that Shree Jeevottam Teerth Swamiji's soul was on its way to divine abode, and so He raised the arti heavenwards. The surprised devotees present on this occasion asked the Swamiji the reason for this strange behaviour. Narrating the life and the greatness of Jeevottam Teerth Swamiji, He also disclosed to them the fact that the Swamiji's soul was ascending to Lord’s abode on a divya vimaana. Thus, it can be seen that in the lineage of the Math, Jeevottam Teerth Swamiji was a great personality.He spread the faith far and wide during His several pilgrimages. He established the Maths at Gokarn and Basroor and had the main Math at Bhatkal extended. He also composed a poem called "Teerthaval'" (Traveloge) dealing with the pilgrimages that he had undertaken. Sri Jeevottama teertha ruled for a long time Srisaka 1439 about 70 years Swamiji was Gurupeethadhipati. In Srisaka 1510, Sarvadhari Samvatsara Bhadrapadha Shukla Panchami Swamiji left His mortal coils and acsented Vaikunta on a Vimana. Swamiji,s Vrindavana is in Bhatkal, on the banks of Gopi river.

Source - Math website