Sri Ramanujacharya's Nava RathnangaL

[Guest guest]

Sri:

 

Dearest Sisters and Brothers,

 

Couple of days back, there was a query from a new member of the Bhakti

Group regarding the works of Sri RamanujAchArya (with a brief

description in one to two sentences) . There are nine works of our

dearest AchAryA. (nava rathnangaL)

 

1. Sri Bhashyam- The commentary on Brahma sUthrA that establishes

Vishishtadvaitic Siddhaantham.

2. Vedantha saarA-

3. Vedantha DeepA-

4. Vedantha sangraham- These three provide shorter and intermediate

versions of the commentary on Brahma sUthram.

 

The above three provide the most authoritative texts for us to

comprehend the glory of Bhagavadh Ramanuja Siddhaantham.

 

5. GitA bhashyam- Self explanatory. (Can someone please mention if

there is any English translation of RamanujA’s gItA Bhashyam in the

lines of Vishitadvaitic Siddhaantham?)

6. SharanAgathy Gadhyam - Prose type composition on his ultimate

surrender to Lord through Periya Piraatti Sri MahA Lakshmi’s

recommendation and assurance and the Lord’s reply.

7. Sri Rnga Gadhyam- Prose type composition on his disqualification and

Sri Ranganathan’s most auspicious attributes

8. Sri Vaikunta Gadhyam- The jIvan’s travel to Sri vaikuntam and the

beautiful narration of the Parama Padham and its Nathan.

9. Nityam- The Nitya karma anushtaanangaL, a sri vaishnavan shall

perform daily.

 

Dear sisters and Brothers, please correct me any errors/mistakes in the

above else it will mislead people (including me)

 

Thanjam adaindha nam RamanujanE thanjam

 

NarayaNa dAsan Madhavakkannan

 

 

____

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[Guest guest]

Dear Sri MadhavakkaNNan :

 

Two days back , I sent a personal

note in response to the query of the new

member . I hope he received it .

I had one paragraph level descrption of

the Nava rathnagaL . I did not cvopy the

general membership .Perhaps " Thaiyar " can

copy my note to him to the list .

 

Regarding Sri GithA Bhaashyam , I have

put together extensive notes on it in

English in the context of Swami Desikan's

GeethArtha Sangrham . Swamy Desikan's

work is the elaboration of AlavandAr's terse summary .

Sri RamAnujA's commentary on Gita

again elaborates ALavandAr's sangraham .

I released my postings in Bhakthi

list and I do not have ready reference to

the dates of those postings .I have the

manuscript still with me .

 

V.Sadagopan

 

At 11:10 PM 4/7/98 PDT, you wrote:

>Sri:

>

>Dearest Sisters and Brothers,

>

>Couple of days back, there was a query from a new member of the Bhakti

>Group regarding the works of Sri RamanujAchArya (with a brief

>description in one to two sentences) . There are nine works of our

>dearest AchAryA. (nava rathnangaL)

>

>1. Sri Bhashyam- The commentary on Brahma sUthrA that establishes

>Vishishtadvaitic Siddhaantham.

>2. Vedantha saarA-

>3. Vedantha DeepA-

>4. Vedantha sangraham- These three provide shorter and intermediate

>versions of the commentary on Brahma sUthram.

>

>The above three provide the most authoritative texts for us to

>comprehend the glory of Bhagavadh Ramanuja Siddhaantham.

>

>5. GitA bhashyam- Self explanatory. (Can someone please mention if

>there is any English translation of RamanujA's gItA Bhashyam in the

>lines of Vishitadvaitic Siddhaantham?)

>6. SharanAgathy Gadhyam - Prose type composition on his ultimate

>surrender to Lord through Periya Piraatti Sri MahA Lakshmi's

>recommendation and assurance and the Lord's reply.

>7. Sri Rnga Gadhyam- Prose type composition on his disqualification and

>Sri Ranganathan's most auspicious attributes

>8. Sri Vaikunta Gadhyam- The jIvan's travel to Sri vaikuntam and the

>beautiful narration of the Parama Padham and its Nathan.

>9. Nityam- The Nitya karma anushtaanangaL, a sri vaishnavan shall

>perform daily.

>

>Dear sisters and Brothers, please correct me any errors/mistakes in the

>above else it will mislead people (including me)

>

>Thanjam adaindha nam RamanujanE thanjam

>

>NarayaNa dAsan Madhavakkannan

>

>

>____

>Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

>

>

[Guest guest]

On Tue, 7 Apr 1998, Madhavakkannan V wrote:

> 5. GitA bhashyam- Self explanatory. (Can someone please mention if

> there is any English translation of RamanujA’s gItA Bhashyam in the

> lines of Vishitadvaitic Siddhaantham?)

 

I just want to add to SrI Sadagopan's reply to this. Three other

books are available: one is "Ramanuja on the gItaa" by S.S.

Raghavachar, published by the advaita press - this is not a verse by

verse commentary but a chapter by chapter description based on SrI

Ramanuja's gIta bhaashyam. The second one is a two volume set

published by the Vishistadvaita Research Center, Chennai written by

SrI V.N. Gopala Desikan - this is a verse by verse description with

word by word meanings also. I think SrI Gopala Desikan is well known

to SrI Sadagopan, and through SrI Sadagopan, I have had the

opportunity to become acquainted with another nice work of SrI

Gopala Desikan (Dialogues on Hinduism which also appears in the

tamizh monthly Nrsimha Priya). The third one is published by

Ramakrishna Mutt, Mylapore - I am not sure about the author.

 

adiyEn,

-govindarajan

[Guest guest]

Dear Members of the Bhakti List,

 

I received the following message a few days ago from Sri Sadagopan. I'm

forwarding this message to the list as per his request. Thanks.

 

Narendran

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Sun, 5 Apr 1998 10:12:42 -0400 (EDT)

Sadagopan <sgopan

Narendran Thaiyar <thaiyar

Re: Introduction and more...

 

Dear Sri Narendran :

Welcome to the Bhakthi Group !

 

Here is the brief summary of Acharya Ramanuja"s

nine granthams :

 

1. Sri Bhaashyam :Magnum Opus of Our AchAryA

*********************************************

This is a voluminous work critiquing the interpretaions

on the BrahmasUtrAs of Sage BadaraayaNA ( VyAsA ) by

Adhi Sankara"s advaithA , BhaskarA's BhedAbhEdhA and

other schools of VedanthA .The lengthy commentary on

the first sUtrA lays the foundation for

the Sri VisishtAdvaitha darsanam firmly and clearly .

 

2. Sri GitA BhAshyam : This is a Substantive commentary on

the Bhagavad Gita based on the shorter grantham ( GithArtha

Sangraham ) by his AchAryA's AchAryA ( ALavanthAr/Yaamuna Muni).

Bhakthi Archives has postings on AlavanthAr's work .

 

3. VedArtha SangrahA : A detailed Critique of the rival schools

and the exposition of the tenets of Sri VisishtAdvaitham with

special attention to Tattva , HithA and PurushArtham .It also

repudiates the views of MimAmsakAs .

 

4. VedAntha DeepA : A brief commentary on the purport of

each of the Brahma sUtrAs . It is shorter than Sri Bhasyam

because it does not include the criticisms of the rival systems .

 

5. VedAntha SaarA : This grantham is for those , who might

find Sri Bhaashyam and VedAntha DeepA too terse and tough .

It brings out the essence of Brahma sUtrAs and the AdhikaraNAs .

Our AchAryA did not want to frighten away those , who might

have difficulty scaling the intellectual heights of Sri BhAshyam .

 

6.Gadya Trayam (1) : SaraNAgathi Gadhyam-- This deals with

the most important SaraNAgathi ( Prapatthi )doctrine , which

is cardinal to Sri VisishtAdvaitham .

 

7.Gadhya trayam (2) : Sriranga Gadhyam-- This grantham is

in the form of a soul-stirring prayer to Sri RanganAthA .

 

8.Gadhya Trayam (3) :Sri Vaikunta Gadhyam --A glowing

description of the celestial abode ( Sri Vaikuntam )

of Sriman NaarAyaNA and the supreme bliss ( MokshAnubhavam )

of the Muktha and Nitya Jeevans .

 

9. Nithya Grantham or Bhagavdh AarAdhana PrayOgA :Following

the instructions given by GeethAchAryA in the twelfth chapter

of GitA , AchArya RaamAnuja insists on the need for a VishNu

BhakthA to engage in the religious observances enjoined in

the VedAs , Smrithis and PurANAs . A summary of the three

Gadhyams is available in the archives of SaraNAgathi Journal ,

courtesy Sri MadhavakkaNNan .

 

Through these nine granthAs in Sanskrit , AchArya RaamAnuja

built on the foundations laid by his predecessors ( natha Muni

and ALavanthAr ) and built the citadel of Sri VaishNavam .

His successors (74 SimhaasanAdhipathis) intrepreted

the above nine granthams and created the Vast Sri VaishNavite

literature that we are blessed to possess as our Kula Dhanams

today .

 

Sri Mani VaradarAjan's excellent introduction to Sri Vaishnavam

in the Sri VaishNavA home page and the Archives of AchAryAL's

work maintained by Sri Ilayavalli will provide you more details

on the tenets of our system of VedAnthA known as Sri Bhagavdh

RaamAnuja SiddhAntham .

 

Since you are not too far from Denver , You might have an

opportunity to learn from Sri Tridandi Jeeyar about our

Darsanam during the end of May . Sri Mohan Sagar can provide you

more details on that opportunity .

 

With best wishes ,

V.Sadagopan