Bhaskara Raya Bharati Dikshita is an outstanding Vedic scholar of the 17th/18th century. Among the scholars and philosophers of Hinduism, the name of Bhaskara Raya (1675 – 1751/68) of Hyderabad stands prominent. He established the universal prestige of Hinduism after it was energized by Sri Shankaracharya. In his writings, the Acharya upheld Vedas and the Advaitic tradition of Adi Shankaracharya. He was also an authentic interpreter of Sri Vidya Upasana (tantric worship of the Goddess).
The Acharya’s father was Gambhira Raya Dikshita, one of the
Principal Secretaries of the Nawab of Bijapur in the south, who was himself a
great scholar of Sanskrit. At the instance of the Sultan of Bijapur, Gambira
Raya translated the Mahabharata into Persian. Since then ‘Bharati’ became a
family title. Bhaskara Raya’s first teacher was his own father. As a young
learner, he worshiped Saraswati, and had his sacred thread ceremony at
Varanasi.
Under the care and guidance of his father, Raya studied all Vedas.
He also came under the influence of a very capable teacher, Sri Nrisimhadhvari.
He studied all the eighteen vidyas of the traditional Vidyasthana. At different
stages, certain other distinguished teachers also taught him.
Raya offered to take part in Shastrartha (disputation over
the scriptures) to uphold the fundamentals of Vedas. As his fame spread, Adi
Shankaracharya of the Sringeri Peeta asked him to go round the country and
spread the message of Vedas.
About 67 works are attributed to the Raya, but not all these
works are extant. He wrote on all disciplines of knowledge. His books on Srividya
are considered authentic. Important among his works are – Ganesha Sahasranama –
Khadyota Tika, Saubhagya Bhaskara and Varivasya Rahasyam.
The Acharya was a firm adherent of the Shankaracharya tradition.
He has given a very exhaustive explanation of the 108 names of Shiva.
When he was writing Trca Bhaskara (worship of the Sun), the Acharya
had to go to the Kaveri River for ablutions. The distance he had to cover from
his residence to the river was fairly long. It is said that he used his
spiritual powers to bring about a change in the course of the river. He
installed Shivalingas in different parts of the country, including the one at
the Annapurna temple in Varanasi.
One of his favorite disciples wrote a verse about him that
said – no part of Bharat was left out by him, there was no king who did not
meet him, and there was no Shastra which was not known to him.
Bhaskara Raya passed away in the region of Madhyarjuna on
the banks of Kaveri River in Tamil Nadu.