Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c6.s6.t1.13

c6.s6.t1.13

Stories of his having defended the Draviḍa Āmnāya (scriptures in Tamil) when their authenticity was questioned by the followers of other faiths on the occasion of a Brahmotsava are also current.¹⁷⁹ At Raṅgapaṭṭana or Śrīraṅgam, when Sudarśanasūrya was challenged by some rivals to have debate with them, otherwise stop the daily worship of God Raṅganātha according to Pāñcarātra system, the former entrusted Vedāntadeśika to enter into a debate with them and when Vedāntadeśika emerged victorious in the debate he was given the title of Vedāntācārya by the God himself.¹⁸⁰ His detractors did not leave him even when he had moved to Ahīndranagaram and was delivering discourses for the King Devanātha there. At the behest of the king he debated with the adversaries again and after defeating them was honoured with the title of Kavitārkikacakravartī (sovereign of poets and philosophers) by the king. His followers documented these debates and compiled an anthology of them entitled *Paramatabhaṅga*.