Dry wood sprouts leaves
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RAyaru next passed through Shirsingi, which was ruled by a Lingayat headman, who used to harass all brahmins. He did not believe in god, mantras or Vedas and thought that all brahmins were frauds. RAyaru decided to bring him on the right track, and so stayed in the local temple and announced a grand pUja. The headman immediately challenged him to a confrontation and asked him to prove the efficacy of the vEda mantras. He produced a vanake (a dry and hard piece of dead wood, used to pound grain in a pestle) and asked RAyaru to make it sprout leaves. The brahmins present there protested saying that this was impossible and against the laws of nature. RAyaru calmed them down asking them to have faith in mUla rama. He chanted vEda mantras and sprinkled water from his kamanDala on the vanake. Within a few days of such treatment, the vanake sprouted fresh green leaves, vindicating RAyaru’s words. The headman saw the error of his ways and surrendered at RAyaru’s feet.
From there he went to Pandharapura and had darshan of Lord Panduranga Vittala. Next he went to Kolhapur. Since this was part of the Maratta kingdom and they were linked to the chieftains of Tanjore, he was treated with all the respect due to a Rajaguru and stayed there for a long time. He then went to Nasik and had a symbolic bath in the Godavari. Having done this, he started the return journey passing through Bijapur. This was a very big kingdom then, ruled by Ibrahim Adil Shah II. Even though he was a muslim by birth, he had a lot of tolerance and respect towards Hindus, especially brahmin scholars. On learning that a great saint was passing through his kingdom, he personally went and invited RAyaru to the capital. All the scholars in the court were totally swept of their feet by RAyaru’s scholarship and deep knowledge. Quite a few of them converted to dvaita by accepting Mudra-dhArana at RAyaru’s hands. The Nawab conferred several villages to RAyaru and gave him the title of ‘jagadguru’. He also presented RAyaru with shwetha-chathra (a white regal umbrella that only kings and emperors are allowed to have). Those familiar with Sri Vyasa tIrtha’s life-history will recall that a similar honor was accorded to Sri Vyasa tIrtha by a nawab from the same kingdom!
From there he moved on reached Aluru, on the banks of the river Krishna. He spent some time there and completed his commentary called bhAva dIpa on tattva prakAsha, and a commentary called tattva manjari on Acharya Madhva’s aNubhAshya.
From there he moved on eastwards and reached Manvi in Raichur district. He was camping in a small Hanuman temple. Since it was chAturmAsya, he stayed there for a while. One day when he finished his morning rituals and was working on a commentary, he noticed a low-caste man standing near the Garuda pillar of the temple. Immediately a thrill passed through him and he beckoned to the man to come near him. He asked him “What are you doing here?” The man replied “I have come here as ordered by you. Now, it is up to you to elevate my condition as you did the last time”. RAyaru laughed and told him “All right. Bring something for the naivedya tomorrow and then you can go on your way”. The man happily went away and came back the next day with a handful of sesame seeds (sAsuve kALu). He offered this great devotion to RAyaru at a distance and begged RAyaru to bless him. RAyaru ordered the maTha cook to take the sesame and use it as part of the naivedya. Normally sesame is avoided during chAturmAsya. However, RAyaru accepted it because it is used in Yagya and it was given by this special person, who was none other than kanakadAsaru! It seems that Sri VyAsa tIrtha had ordered kanakadAsaru to take one more birth and meet him during his rAghavEndra incarnation. KanakadAsaru agreed and accordingly took birth as a low caste person. After RAyaru and other learned scholars took the naivedya offered to the Lord, KanakadAsaru discarded his body and went to his heavenly abode.
RAyaru continued his chAturmAsya there. Sri ShrInivasAchArya from Bidarahalli met him there and showed him his works. Even though he was a householder he had spent his lifetime writing glosses and commentaries on works of other dvaita scholars. RAyaru examined his works and was filled with admiration for his dedication and the quality of the work produced by him. He blessed ShrInivasAchArya saying “Even though you are a householder, you have worked like a sanyAsi and dedicated your life to Ananda tIrtha”. Such was the power of his blessing that from that day onwards Sri ShrInivasAchArya came to be known as Bidarahalli SrInivAsa tIrtha.
During lunch that day, Sri ShrInivasAchArya did not partake the food served to him because it contained sesame, which was against the rules of chAturmAsya in his maTha. RAyaru noticed this and ordered a separate dish to be prepared for him. At the end of the day when Sri ShrInivasAchArya bid goodbye, RAyaru offered him phala-mantrAkshate as was the custom. When Sri ShrInivasAchArya reached home and examined the mantrAkshate, it was black like sesame. He immediately realized that he had committed a great sin by going against the desires of RAyaru. He remembered the dictum that dharma (good deeds) which hurts the feelings of the devotees of the lord becomes adharma ( a heinous sin) of the highest order. He immediately rushed back to RAyaru and begged his forgiveness. The kind hearted RAyaru forgave him and invited him to lunch. This time the scholar took the food without any protest!
RAyaru completed the chAturmAsya and continued on his way. There in kandAti, a small village under the sovereignty of the Nawab of Adoni, an orphan brahmin boy named Venkanna came and prostrated before him.