While little is known about Sri Ramachandracharyaru, one thing is clear: he was the disciple of Sri Vedanidhi Teertharu, who was the prashisya (successor’s successor) of Sri Vadiraja Teertharu. Sri Ramachandracharyaru was the son of Sri Raghunathacharya, author of VruttaRatnaSangraha. While the father penned the semi-stotra-semi-historical book VruttaRatnaSangraha, this righteous son has authored an authentic and detailed historical work that aptly glorifies the greatness of Sri Vadiraja Teertharu.
Sri Vedanidhi Teertharu, a contemporary of Sri Vadiraja Teertharu, attained blessings through the Sri Hayagreeva Mantra. His vrundavana was established around or after 1648 AD. Although the greatness of Sri Vedanidhi Teertharu is elaborated in Sri VadirajaguruvaraCharitamrutham, curiously, the timing of his vrundavana is absent from the text. In contrast, the entry of Sri Vadiraja Teertha and his disciple Sri VedaVedya Teertharu into their vrundavanas is meticulously described. Therefore, it can be inferred that the composition of this book occurred slightly before 1645 AD. Additionally, the detailed narrative of SriSvapanaVrundavanaAkhyana within the book indicates it was written after the Akhyana itself was authored.
This book comprises 438 shlokas distributed across nine chapters, presenting Sri Vadiraja Teertharu’s life story in simple language. While certain incidents’ chronology raises questions, the book offers accurate and detailed descriptions of many events. Unlike VruttaRatnaSangraha, which employs a more poetic style, SriVadirajaGuruvara Charitamrutam is rich in historical detail. It meticulously chronicles everything from Sri Vadiraja’s birth to his entry into vrundavana and the writing of the akhyana. This comprehensive approach proves invaluable for those seeking a deeper understanding of Sri Vadirajaru’s greatness through his life history as detailed in SriVadirajaGuruvara Charitamrutam.
Sri VadirajaGuruvara Charitamrutam serves as the authoritative source for understanding the background of the composition of Sri SwapnaVrundavanakhayana. The author, Sri Ramachandracharyaru, mentions that the shlokas uttered by the yedamukha brahmana, under instructions from Sri Vedanidhi Teertharu, were transcribed by him personally. Every word of the entire akhyana was originally penned by Sri Ramachandracharyaru himself, akin to Sri SatyaTeertharu’s role in being the first to document Sri Madhvacharya’s sarvamoola grantha.
Just as Sri Narayanapanditacharyaru(in his childhood) had the opportunity to witness and interact with Sri Madhvacharyaru, similarly, Sri Ramachandracharyaru also had firsthand experience of Sri Vadirajaru’s greatness and life events during his younger years. He received detailed accounts of Sri Vadirajaru’s greatness from both Sri Vedavedya and Sri Vedanidhi Teertharu. This book therefore provides a profound portrayal of Sri Vadiraja’s story, character, and history, making it a valuable source of knowledge.