The Life and works of AchArya RaamAnujA : Part 3

[Guest guest]

The NINE Sri Sookthis of AchArya RaamAnujA

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This CD ROM has focused deeply on the Sri Sookthis of

AchArya RaamAnujA and Bhagavadh AarAdhanam . AdiyEn

will therfore highlight the main points about

AchArya RaamAnujA's Sri Sookthis .

 

(1) Sri Bhaashyam , the magnum opus of AchArya RaamAnujA

is the greatest commentary on Brahma SoothrAs of

BadarAyaNA and is based on the BodhAyana Vrutthi ,

TankA's VaakhyA , DramidA's BhAshyam on TankA's VaakhyA ,

Saankhyasapathi of IsvarakrishNA , PaancharAthra samhithA ,

AaLavandhAr's Siddhitrayam and Aagama PrAmANyam .

 

With the help of select Sruthi, Smruthi and Saathvika

PurANam passages, AchArya RaamAnujA effectively

crticizes the other commentaries on Brahma SoothrAs

based on SankarA's AdhvaithA and BhAskarA's BhEdAbhEdA

as untenable and establishes the accuracy of Sri BhAshyam

rooted in Sri VisishtAdvaitham .

 

The essence of Sri Bhaashyam (Four Synoptic propositions )

has been summarized by Sro AdhidEvAnandA this way :

 

(a) It is a reasoned and critical reconstruction of

the philosophy of the Upanishads with due appreciation

of other sources of knowledge such as perception

and inference and the supplementary scriptures .

 

(b) The reconstruction presents Ultimate Reality , Brahman ,

the Supreme Spirit ,as the trascendent respository of ALL

perfections and as holding as it's own embodiment

the totality of finite existence ,sentient and insentient .

 

© The pathway to the final good of life is the blissful

communion with Brahman by way of devout and loving

contemplation named BHAKTHI , facilitated by

a life of virtue and founded on assured philosophical

understanding.

 

(d) The end attained through that means is the eternal

experience of Brahman , with all the plentitude and

eternity which only that experience can bring to

the individual personality .It is the supreme

ecstasy of Life in God .

 

 

(2) The GitA BhAshyam is an elaboration of AaLavandhAr's

GithArtha sangraham . The individual verses are explained

in the light of the VisishtAdhvathic tenets : " Reality is

personalistic with countless auspicious attributes , and that

it is a qualified whole of which Isvaran is the Soul ,

and the Jiva and the Jagat (Prakrti) form the body in

inseparable relation with the Whole, but there are

internal divisions of the nature of modes in It."

 

The saadhanas that an aspiring human being should adopt for

Moksham are explained by AchArya RaamAnujA here .Moksham

in the complete sense is explained as occuring with

the fall of the physical body , "after which the released

soul is clothed in a body of suddha-sattvA with which it is

able to commune with God and experience His overpoweringly

august but loving presence through eternity ". This is

described as the experience of ParipUrNa BrahmAnandham

in the abode of Sriman NaarAyaNA at Sri Vaikuntam .

 

3.VedArtha SangrahA : This elaborate treatise is

an important commentary on the correct meanings of

the important passages of VedAs and Upanishads .This

grantham points out the deficiencies in the rival

schools of VedanthA in general and AdhvaithA in particular .

This grantham pays a lot of attention to the VisishtAdhvaithic

intrepretations of Tattva(Reality), HithA ( Means of attaining

Brahma ) and PurushArtham ( Supreme Goal of Life).

 

4. VedAntha DipA : This grantham is a shorter commentary

on Brahma SoothrAs. The essential purport of each of

the SoothrAs is given. It stays away from the scholarly

arguments of Sri Bhaashyam and does not include

the ctitique of the rival systems .

 

5.Vedantha SaarA : This is yet another brief commentary

on Brahma SoothrAs for those of average familiartiy

with VedAthic doctrines. This grantham gives the meaning

of each soothram and AdhikaraNam .

 

6. SaraNAgathi Gadhyam : This is one of the three Gadhyams

bequeathed to us by AchArya RaamAnujA.This gadhyam explains

the nature , importance and method of performance of

Prapatthi at the sacred feet of the Divya dampathis .

 

7. Sriranga Gadhyam : Here AchArya RaamAnujA prays to

Lord RanganAtha and Sri RanganAyaki with Parama

Bhakthi and utter humility .

 

8. Sri Vaikunta Gadhyam : This is a moving description

of Sri Vaikuntam visualized by AchArya RaamAnujA during

his divine ecstasy following his Prapatthi on a Panguni

Uttharam day in presence of the Divya Dampathis of Srirangam .

The depth of AchArya RaamAnujA 's mystical experience

of Sri Vaikuntam and the supreme bliss enjoyed there

by the MukthAs and Nithya Sooris is unparalleled .

 

9. The Nithya-GranthA : This practical grantham instructs

us about the proper form of worshipping Sriman NaarAyaNA .

Hence , this grantham is also known as Bhagavadh-aarAdhana

PrayOgA . Fifteen points are stressed and these are elaborated

further in this CD ROM dedicated to AchArya RaamAnujA .

Our great AchAryan insists that a VishNu Bhakthan

MUST perform Aaradhanam to the Lord to qualify as His

devotee as described in the twelfth chapter of BhagavadhgitA .

 

His Kaimkaryam for SamprahAya Pravarthakam :

 

After his return to Srirangam from ThirunArAyaNapuram ,

AchArya RaamAnujA as a great administrator established 74

SimhAsanAdhipathis to grow the Darsanam and gave them each

a set of Sankham and Chakram for performing Pancha SamskArams.

He handed over copies of SrikOsam on Sri Bhaashyam to

ThirukkuruhaippirAn PiLLAn , NdAdUr AzhwAn, KidAmpi AacchAn

and MudaliANDAn and asked them to continue with the pravachanam

of Sri Bhaashyam and made them Sri Bhaashya SimhAsanAthipathis.

He singled out ThirukkuruhaippirAn PiLLAn to initiate

Bhagavadh Vishaya KaalakshEpam and made this special

sishyan (His Jn~Ana Puthran) a Ubhaya SimhAsAnAthipathi.

 

In addition to the above 74 simhAsanAthipathis, there were

700 Jeeyars and 12,000 EkAnthis and thousands of Kainkarya-

parALs , who sought the sacred feet of AchArya RaamAnujA

for refuge.

 

Out of his infinite compassion , AchAryA RaamAnujA

in his last days gave us a five point guideline to follow

(yathA sakthi)that would assure us the grace of

Sriman NaarAyaNA :

 

(a)Perform KaalakshEpam of Sri Bhaashyam and spread

its message to others.

 

(b) If that is difficult , perform KaalakshEpam of

AzhwAr's aruLiccheyalkaL and spread their messeages .

 

© If that proves to be diffcult , perform daily

Kaimkaryams at Divya Desams through offering

NaivEdhyam to the Lord, lighting lamps in sannidhis ,

SamarpaNam of ThuLasi and flower garlands to

the Dhivya dampathis et al.

 

(d) If that proves to be not possible , recite

the Manthra Rathnam , Dhvayam , and contemplate on

its meaning .

 

(e) If none of the above is beyond one's sakthi ,

then seek Sri VaishNava sathsangam and become

the Thiruvadi of BhagavathAs to attain the bliss of

Moksham .

 

Concluding Salutations to NamperumAL and AchArya RaamAnujA

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AdiyEn will conclude this short summary of the life and

works of AchArya RaamAnujA with the three slOkams

uttered in presence of Sri RanganAtha at the conclusion

of the AdhyayanOthsavam conducted by AchArya RaamAnujA :

 

sarvadEsa dasAkAlEshu avyAhata parAkramA

RaamAnujArya dhivyAj~nA vardhathAm abhivardhathAm

---- ThirukkuruhaippirAn PiLLAn

 

RaamAnujArya DhivyAj~nA prathivAsaramujjvalA

DhiganthavyApini BhUyAth saa hi LokahithaishiNi

---- MudaliANDAn

 

Sriman Srirangasriyam anubhadravAm anudhinam samvardhaya

Sriman Srirangasriyam anubhadhravAm anudhinam samvardhaya

--- AchArya RaamAnujA

 

May we seek the blessings of the Parama DayALu ,

AdhisEshAvathaarar , Sri RaamAnujA and the Guru paramparai

established by him on the occasion of the release of

this Special CD ROM celebrating his immortal gifts for us

and conclude with His Taniyan :

 

yO nithyam Achyutha PadhAmbhujayugmarugma

vyAmOhatha: tadhitharANi thruNAya mEnE

asmath GurO:BhagavadhOsya dayaikasindhO:

Raamaanujasya CharaNou SaraNam prapdhyE

 

DaasAnu Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradchAri Sadagopan

PramAthi Samvathsaram, PurattAsi Pooram

KrishNa Paksha ThrayOdasi Thithi , October 7, 1999 .

[Guest guest]

Sri Venkata Gurave Nama:

Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

 

Respected Sri.Sadagopan Swamin,

 

Your write up on Life and Works of Emperumanar though concise, full of

relevent details.

you have summarised our Acharya Vaibhavam so nicely.

 

recently Sriman .Mani Swamy had also given a beautiful write on on Swami

Desikan's vaibhavam.

 

Adiyen really feel proud of this technological enabler called email which

enables me to keep association with Baghavatas of your stature.

 

Nitya Sree Nitya Mangalam

Dasan

 

K.M.Narayanan

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