Sri Bannanje Govindacharya has been awarded the Padma Shri for 2009 for his contribution to “Literature and Education”. This is a proud moment for all Madhvas. Sri Bannanje Govindacharya is one of the greatest Madhva scholars of this generation. His books and lectures are an outstanding source of information and inspiration to all Madhvas. He also has an excellent research mindset and has done amazing work in bringing out several unique facets of Sri Madhva’s philosophy.
He was also the consultant for the movie ‘Madhvacharya’ directed by Sri G V Iyer.
Truly a deserving award for Sri Bannanje!
- Website dedicated to Sri Bannanje’s works – anandamala.org
- Sri Bannanje’s wikipedia page.
- Sri Bannanje’s discourses online at kannadaaudio.com
Filed under: Religion, dvaita | Tagged: award, bannanje, govindacharya, madhva, padma, shree
Dear Hariprasad,
Namaste. The award is a well-deserved honour to Sri Bannanje Govindacharya. I recently listened to his discourse series on ‘Krishnana Kathe’ in Kannadaaudio.com. ‘Maha mahiLe Draupadi’ is also a nice one. His other discourse series are also interesting. It was a real surprise to me when I came to know that Sri Bannanje had scripted the dialogues for the G.V.Iyer movie on ‘Sri Shankaracharya’. I had seen the film long ago when it was first released. But this piece of info. is new to me.
Thanks for your tributes to such a great scholar.
Regards,
subrahmanian.v
Yes, truly deserving. I have learnt a lot about Vedic culture from his discourses. I am actually addicted to (listen to) his discourses. Whenever I visit India, buy the mp3 DVD’s and CD’s and listen to them over and over and over. Another commendable effort is Sri Vidyabhushana swamiji’s Bhgavadgeeta recitation. Truly intoxicating in a positive way.
I just beg to differ on one thing in your blog: This is not just a proud moment for Madhwas, but for all Kannadigas, and for all Indians. Sri Bannanje himself quotes Sri Sankaracharya on numerous occasions, and never differentiates between the acharyas of the 3 major philosophies. If the Vedic culture has to survive and thrive, Indians should make conscious efforts to avoid bringing these subtle differences (dwaita/advaita/vishista) into all discussions. A grand unification and establishment of one “Hindu matha” (for lack of better term) is required. Without which there is no moral guidance to the masses. Although it was always the seeker finding a teacher in Vedic tradition, in this age, the teachers have to reach out to the masses and impart the knowledge. In this regard, Sri Bannanje’s effort is audacious.
Namaskara Anil,
There is no difference
It is definitely a proud moment for all Kannadigas and all Indians. Since he is a great exponent of Dvaita philosophy, I mentioned that Madhvas should feel proud of this award. I don’t mean just Madhvas 
I think bringing the discussion on dvaita/advaita/vishishta is very much acceptable. It just shows the richness of our spiritual thinking and highlights the vast spread of Sanatana Dharma. Our Dharma is a Universe by itself, and every form of healthy interpretation is welcome. It is ultimately a quest for knowledge.
The need for unification comes when attacked from outside. That is when we need to be clear amongst ourselves that while we have philosophical differences, all of us are united with respect to our belief and trust in the Vedic culture and Sanatana Dharma.
Thanks for your valuable comments.
Regards, Hari
namaskara hari,
this has been a wonderfull moment for all madhvas and kannadigas watching sri bannanje receiving the padmashree award. i have been an ardent fan of sri and have listened to allmost all the discourses avaialable on line. i wish that he continues to enlighten us by his divine thoughts and interpretations.
Thanks shri. Hariprasad for the blog. Great responses from Shri. Anil and Shri. Guruprasad. The responses and the replies to it are so cultured. Padmashri shri. Bannanje is an unofficial ambassador of this unification process. The award is certainly a matter of pride for all of us from Bharatavarsha, regardless of the philosophy followed. Jai Sanathana Dharma.