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The Visista-dvaita School
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writing philosophical and religious works. In the samkalpasuryodaya he says that at the time when he was writing that work he had finished the Sri-bhasya for the thirtieth time. While he lived in Kāñci and Srirangam, he had to work in the midst of various rival sects, and Pillai Lokācārya, who was very much senior to him in age and was the supporter of the Tengalai school, against which Venkatanatha fought, wrote a verse praising him. Scholars are in general agreement that Venkatanatha died in 1369, though there is also a view that he died in 1371. He enjoyed a long life and spent much of his time in pilgrimage to various northern countries such as Vijayanagara, Mathura, Brindaban, Ayodhya, and Puri. The story of Vidyaranya's friendship with Venkaṭanatha may be true or false; but we know that Vidyāraṇya was acquainted with the Tattvamuktā-kalāpa, and he quotes from it in his account of the l'iṣiṣṭādvaita view in Sarva-darśana-samgraha. When Venkatanatha was middle-aged, Sudarśana Sūri, writer of the Śruta-prakāśikā, was already an old man, and it is said that he called Venkatanatha to Srirangam and handed over to him his commentary on the Śrībhāṣya, so that it might get a greater publicity. Venkatanatha himself also wrote a commentary on the Sri-bhāṣya, called the Tattvaṭīkā. Though an extremely kind man of exemplary and saintly character, he had many enemies who tried to harass and insult him in countless ways. A great difference in interpretation of the nature of prapatti, or self-surrender to God, was manifested at this time in the writings of different Śrīvaiṣṇava scholars. Two distinct sects were formed, based mainly on the different interpretation of the nature of prapatti, though there were minor differences of a ritualistic nature, such as the marks on the forehead, etc. Of these two sects, the leader of the Vadakalai was Venkaṭanatha, and that of the Tengalai was Pillai Lokācārya. Later on Saumya Jāmātṛ muni became the accepted leader of the Tengalai school. Though the leaders themselves were actuated by a spirit of sympathy with one another, yet their followers made much of these little differences in their views and constantly quarrelled with one another, and it is a well known fact that these sectarian quarrels exist even now.
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It was during Venkatanatha's life that Malik Kafur, a general of 'Alä-ud-din, invaded the Deccan in 1310. He easily conquered the countries of Warangal and Dvarasamudra and pushed to the extreme south, spreading devastation and plundering everywhere.
