Guru Raghavendra Swamy comes in the lineage of Sri Madhwacharya, the chief proponent of Dvaita philosophy. He spoke Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil. He was the 16th pontiff of the Purvadimutt established by Sri Madhvacharya – the only one outside the coastal belt of Karnataka. Ashta mutts (eight mutts) were formed in the coastal belt in Dakshina and Uttara Kannada districts of present day Karnataka.
Guru Raghavendra Swamy spoke Tamil as his parents during his birth lived at Bhuvanagiri, near present-day Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu. He spoke Kannada as it was the language of his parents and also it was one of the language he used for communicating with his followers. He spoke Telugu as he had numerous followers from present day Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Sanskrit was the language used by him to write commentaries.
Apart from his theological leadership, Guru Raghavendra Swamy was a renowned commentator. His lucid commentary in Sanskrit proved his command over the language and grammar, the presentation of complicated facts in a simple yet grand manner made him one of the famous savants of Madhvacharya.