| Region: | India |
| Bannanje Govindacharya | |
| Birth Date: | 3 August 1936 |
| Birth Place: | Udupi, Karnataka |
| Death Place: | Ambalpadi, Udupi, Karnataka |
| School Tradition: | Dvaita Vedanta |
| Notable Ideas: | ಇರವು ಸಂಪತ್ತಲ್ಲ, ಇರವಿನ ಅರಿವು ಸಂಪತ್ತು |
| Signature Alt: | ''ಬನ್ನಂಜೆ ಗೋವಿಂದಾಚಾರ್ಯ'' |
| Awards: | Padma Shri (2009) |
| Website: | https://bannanjegovindacharya-pratishtana.org/pravachana/ |
Bannanje Govindacharya (3 August 1936 – 13 December 2020) was an Indian philosopher and Sanskrit scholar versed in Veda Bhashya, Upanishad Bhashya, Mahabharata, Puranas and Ramayana. He wrote Bhashyas (commentaries) on Veda Suktas, Upanishads, Shata Rudriya, Brahma Sutra Bhashya, Gita Bhashya and was an orator. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009.[1]
Govindacharya was born on 3 August 1936, in the Bannanje neighborhood of Udupi to Tulu speaking Shivalli Madhva Brahmin parents, in present-day southern Indian state of Karnataka.[2] He started his Vedic studies under his father, Tarkakesari S. Narayanacharya, and went on to study under Vidyamanya Tirtha Swamiji of the Palimaru Matha and Vidyasamudra Tirtha Swamiji of the Kaneyur Matha, both in Udupi. He later studied under Vishwesha Tirtha of the Pejawara Matha.
Govindacharya was a Sanskrit scholar well-versed in Veda Bhashya, Upanishad Bhashya, Mahabharata, Puranas and Ramayana. He wrote Bhashyas, or commentaries, on Veda Suktas, Upanishads, ShataRudriya, BrahmaSutra Bhashya, and Gita Bhashya. He was also an orator. He wrote new Vyakarana Sutras, extending the work of Panini, and also did vyakhyana for the words written before Pāṇini. He sought to integrate ideas from philosophical texts to understand the texts composed by Vedavyasa.[3] An exponent of Bhaagavata chintana, he offered insights into the philosophical significance of Bhagavata and other Puranas.
While born into the Madhvacharya tradition, he had studied Mayavada and other philosophies before reading Madhvacharya's Tattvavaada. Proficient in both Sanskrit and Kannada, he authored approximately 4000 pages of Sanskrit Vyakhyana across roughly 150 books, including works in other languages. He wrote a screenplay for the Sanskrit film "Bhagavadgita" and "Shankaracharya," drawing from his experience in Madhvas Tattvavada or Madhva philosophy.
Best known for his pravachanas (discourses), Govindacharya's talks are widely appreciated among Tuluvas and Kannadigas worldwide, earning him widespread recognition. He also wrote on this Naaku-Tanti. His literary achievements also include his translation and commentaries of the complete texts of Shri Madhwacharya. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009.
In 2005–2006, Professor P.R. Mukund (a disciple of Sri Bannanje) along with his colleague Dr. Roger Easton from the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and Dr. Keith Knox of the Boeing Corporation in Hawaii, undertook the imaging and preserving of the original Sarvamoola Granthas authored by Madhvacharya. Knox and Easton had earlier imaged fragments of the Dead Sea scrolls and are on the imaging team for the Archimedes Palimpsest project. Bannanje regarded this task as a project of enormous importance and was using the images in his studies of the manuscript.[4] [5]
Govindcharya also served as the editor at Udayavani early in his life. He wrote a book on the life of Shree Madhwa acharya called Acharya Madhva: Baduku-Bareha. It was published by RastraKavi Govinda Pai Samshodhana Kendra, Udupi.
Bannanje Acharyaru also propagated and preserved the Chaturdasha Bhajans, 14 songs in Sanskrit penned by Acharya Madhwa's direct disciples and prominent followers of his philosophy.
He also made contributions to the Indian and Kannada film industries. He wrote script in Sanskrit for G V Iyer's movies Bhagavadgeeta, Adi Shankaracharya, Shri Madhwacharya, and Sri Ramanujacharya. He also wrote the scripts for the Adi Shankaracharya and Madhwacharya movies. Adi Shankaracharya incidentally was the first movie made in Sanskrit.
Shri Bannanje Govindacharya made many contributions to Vedic scholarship. He authored numerous commentaries, translations and original works on the subject. He also contributed hundreds of articles in magazines and journals.
Works of Madhwa: This work is a reconstruction of the complete commentary on Madhwa's works by Shri Hrishikesha Tirtha, a direct disciple of Shri Madhwacharya of the 13th CE. It comprises 2000 pages in five volumes complete with footnotes and colophons. Two other works of Shri Madhwacharya, Tithinirnaya and Nyasa Paddhathi which were unknown were discovered and included in this great work.
Apart from the Vedic texts, Shri Bannanje also translated several other Sanskrit works into Kannada. These include,
Some of Bannanje's detailed commentaries in Sanskrit include,
Govindacharya died on 13 December 2020, at his home in Ambalpadi in Udupi. He was aged 85. His death was caused by a heart attack.
Bannanje won numerous awards and various titles were conferred on him by esteemed institutions. Some of these include