He who in the form of the tortoise supported the earth, who holds the cosmic waters, who bears the serpent Śeṣa upon whom Viṣṇu reclines — that Vāyu is our family guru and king.
Verse 2 — āvavanu dēhadolagiralu hari nelasihanu āvavanu…
āvavanu dēhadolagiralu hari nelasihanu
āvavanu tolage hari tā tolaguva
āvavanu dēhada ā oḷa horage niyāmakanu
ā vāyu namma kulagururāyanu
When Vāyu dwells within the body, Hari resides there; when Vāyu departs, Hari departs too. He is the inner and outer controller of the body — that Vāyu is our family guru and king.
When the gods of compassion leave the body, one becomes blind, deaf, and mute; when the supreme vital breath departs, the body is known to be mere matter — so declare the wise.
Dwelling among the gods, among humans, among all beings, he is the supreme lord who governs and abides. Apart from Hari there is none other in all the worlds — he is the crest-jew of the guru lineage, the foremost Vāyu.
In the Tretā Yuga, born as Hanuman the son of Vāyu, he declared he would serve Rāma; crossing the ocean in a humble boat-like form, who else in all the worlds is his equal?
Protecting the son of the sun (Aṅgada), crossing the vast ocean, finding the daughter of the earth (Sītā) and with the warrior monkeys, waging fierce battle and conquering by hurling divine weapons, Hanuman came to Laṅkā.
Presenting the Chūḍāmaṇi (crest-jew) to Rāma, uniting with the monkeys, bridging the ocean, slaying many demons, and in battle wounding the ten-headed Rāvaṇa — mighty and valiant Hanuman shone forth.
When the best of monkeys were trapped by the serpent's coils and lost their wits, he who honored the command of the crown-jew of the solar dynasty brought back the mountain with the life-giving herb — is there anyone equal to Hanuman?
Rāma, pleased with the victory and with Sītā, worshipped him and offered a pearl necklace; when Rāma offered the kingdom, Hanuman begged only for pure devotion and obtained that boon.
That same Vāyu, born as Bhīma in the Dvāpara Yuga in the lunar dynasty, fought alongside Arjuna and smashed the demons with fearsome valor — that glory belongs to our family guru and king.
Lifting with one hand the infant Bhīma and slaying the demon carrying a hundred fortresses — among heroes, among gods and humans, is there any equal to this Vāyu?
Verse 12 — kuru pa garalavanikke nere uṇḍu tēgi…
kuru pa garalavanikke nere uṇḍu tēgi
hasiduragagaḷ myāle biḍaladanorasida
araginaramaneyalli uriyanikkalu vīra
dhariśi jāhnavigoyda tannanujara
The strong one drank the poison at the churning, vomiting fire upon the hungry horses, and the brave companion carried the fiery one to the Ganges — such is the servant of Madhva.
allirda baka hiḍiṃbakarēṃba rakkasara
nil lado rasida lōkakaṇṭakaranu
ballidasurara gelidu draupadiya kaiviḍidu
ella sujanarige haruṣava tōrida
There he slew the demons Bakā and Kīcaka and other tormentors of the world, defeated the powerful demons, and protected Draupadī — bringing joy to all good people.
Splitting the mace of Jarāsandha, the thunderbolt of the Kuru lineage, he performed the Rājasūya sacrifice; declaring he would subdue the Kaurava army in battle, he bound the armlet (took the vow).
To vanquish the demons, understanding the desire of the noble Draupadī, he went to the forest, subdued the Kinnaras and others, and brought her the fragrant Saugandhika flower.
Verse 16 — duruḷa kīcakanu tā draupadiya celuvikege…
The wicked Kīcaka, infatuated with Draupadī's beauty, harassed her; in the wrestling arena he crushed him and his kinsmen, destroying the entire clan of wrestlers.
Subduing the Kaurava army and crushing the enemies, he broke Duryodhana and shone in battle; splitting open the enemy Duḥśāsana in the battlefield, he revealed the divine sport of the hero Nārāyaṇa.
In battle, when the guru's son released the Nārāyaṇa weapon and they counter-fired their own weapons, Bhīma, graced by Hari's mercy, roared and deflected Hari's divine weapon.
Seizing his mace with fierce valor and sweeping away all the villains across the earth in battle — who in the three worlds can stand and witness the might of Vrkodara (Bhīma)?
When the demons descended in the Kali Yuga among the learned and could not defeat Veda Vāyana's philosophy, the wise one, the Wind-God, descended upon the earth and became known as the treasure of honor, Madhva.
Born in childhood at Badari, the Madhva muni fearlessly studied all the scriptures; to dispel the illusion (māyā) upon earth, the Madhva muni revealed the path of truth to the good.
Verse 22 — sarvēśa hari viśva ella tā pusiyēṃba…
sarvēśa hari viśva ella tā pusiyēṃba
durvādigala matava neṛe khaṇḍisi
sarvēśa hari viśva satyavēndaruhidā
śarvādi gīrvāṇa santatiyali
He who is the Lord of all, Hari, who holds the entire universe as a mere trifle — demolishing the doctrines of the Dvaita-opponents (Durvāsādi schools), he proclaimed that Hari is the supreme truth, established among the lineage of Brahmā and Śiva.
Reborn at Badarikāśrama, bowing at the feet of Vyāsa muni, he learned the entire meaning of the Vedas from the mouth of Padmanābha (Viṣṇu) and attained Brahma-jñāna — I bow to that Madhva muni king.
Victory, victory to the sun that destroys the darkness of the Durvāda doctrines! Victory to the five-faced one who defeats the elephant-like debaters! Victory to the thunderbolt that shatters the mountain of Cārvāka pride! Victory, victory to the Lord of the universe, the Lord of Madhva!
Abiding in the lotus-heart of the best guru of the Tunga lineage, unbroken bliss comes to all the good; ceaselessly bestowing grace is our inner self of Madhva — proclaim always that Rāṅga Viṭhala!
By the merit of giving a thousand cows at the conjunction of sun and moon to the Earth Goddess on the banks of the celestial river, offering it to Śrī Mukuṇḍa — to those who write and read this Madhvanāma.
Those without sons will obtain virtuous sons; victory in all directions will come; all enemies will perish and untimely death will not approach — by merely praising the one named Sūtra (Madhva).
The Madhvanāma sung by Śrīpādarāya removes all suffering and grants complete happiness; showing the way, it carries one across the well of worldly existence by the grace of Lord Jagannātha Viṭhala.
About Madhwanama
Madhwanama is a Kannada devaranama, composed by Śrī Śrīpādarāja (Śrīpādarāya), addressed to Madhwacharya — a Nama. It is presented here in Devanagari, Roman (IAST), Kannada, each verse with its English meaning. Source text: Vignanam.org (enthusiast blog).
An early Mādhwa pontiff of Mulbagal and a pioneer of the Haridāsa movement, guru of Vyāsatīrtha; among the first to compose Kannada devaranamas, suḷādis and ugābhogas, under the signature 'Raṅga Viṭhala'.
Madhwanama is a Kannada devaranama (devotional hymn), composed by Śrī Śrīpādarāja (Śrīpādarāya), addressed to Madhwacharya, of 29 verses. On Avabodhak every verse is shown with its English meaning, so you can understand the text line by line as you read.
How do I pronounce Madhwanama correctly?
Avabodhak presents Madhwanama in Devanagari, Roman (IAST), Kannada alongside IAST Roman transliteration that marks every long vowel (ā, ī, ū) and conjunct consonant. Reading the Devanagari text with the IAST line lets you follow the exact pronunciation syllable by syllable, and the guided practice mode replays it line by line.
What is the word-by-word meaning of Madhwanama?
Avabodhak pairs each verse of Madhwanama with its English meaning, and the practice view breaks lines into individual words — so you learn what each word means, not just the overall sense.
Who composed Madhwanama?
Madhwanama is attributed to Śrī Śrīpādarāja (Śrīpādarāya).
In which scripts can I read Madhwanama?
Madhwanama is available in Devanagari, Roman (IAST), Kannada on Avabodhak, each with English meaning and IAST transliteration.
Can I chant or practice Madhwanama online?
Yes — Avabodhak offers a free reading view plus guided practice and word-puzzle modes to help you chant and memorise Madhwanama.