Raghavendra Swami

About Raghavendra Swami

Raghavendra Swami (1595–1671) is the Madhva saint who entered living samadhi at Mantralayam on the Tungabhadra, where his Brindavana shrine still draws pilgrims. Born Venkatanatha, he took sannyasa in 1621 as Raghavendra Tirtha. His daily hymns picture him in saffron robes with gold-toned skin, holding a staff and water pot, Tulsi beads at his neck. Madhvas revere him as the third birth of Prahlada, after the Dvaita teacher Vyasaraja. He earned the title Sudha Parimalacharya for his Parimala commentary on Jayatirtha's Nyaya Sudha, and composed Kannada songs as Venu Gopala. Devotees chant his eight-syllable mantra 108 times at twilight before the Brindavana.