Swami Jayatiirtha was popular advocate of the Tattvavada of the Dwaita philosophy, besides which he was a polemicist, dialectician and the sixth pontiff of the Madhavacharya Peetha. He is also known as Sri Jayatirtha, Teekacharya or Jayateertharu.
He was born in a Deshastha Brahman aristocratic family and resided in the 14th century at Pandharpur in Maharashtra state. He wrote a commentary on the Isa Upanishad and explained the approach and the concept of duality (Dwaita) School towards the Nature of Reality and counter the theory which Sri Adi Shankaracharya had proposed. The promoter of the Adwaita (non dualitiy) philosophy was Sri Adi Shankaracharya.
Tattvasamkhyana Tika, Vadavalli, Nyaya-Sudha and many other subject works were the important works Swami Jayathirtha worked upon and composed. Swami Jayatiirtha spent a major part of his life in Karnataka state. He also lived in a famous pilgrim centre for the Madhva Sect followers.
In the history of Dwaita school of thought, he is believed to be one of the most important prophets. His works of Madhvacharya are believed to have sound elucidations. He elevated philosophical aspects of Dwaita to an equal footing with the other contemporary schools of thought. Swami Jayatiirtha is worshipped as one the three great Munitraya or spiritual sages of Dwaita.
He had an encounter with Akshobhya a Madhva saint after which he worked towards the cause of Dwaita. He is credited for his commentaries and 22 works on works of Madhva and many other independent treatises criticizing the doctrine of contemporary schools, including Advaita. At the same time he elaborated upon the Dwaita thought. He gained the title of commentator par excellence – ‘Tikacarya’ for his logical acumen and dialectical skills.
