Quiz : Adiyen's answer

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asmad gurubhyo namah

srimathe srivan shatakopa sri vedanta desika yatindra mahadesikaya namah

srimathe sri lakshmi nrisimha divya paduka sevaka sri narayana yatindra maha

desikaya namah

 

 

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QUIZ: What is the MOST REVOLUTIONARY CONTRIBUTION to the world of Hindu

Philosophy by Sri Ramanujacharya and why is it so? - please explain.

 

 

Let me offer my heartfelt thanks to all the folks who have thought about

this QUIZ and answered it in various ways. From different perspectives, the

answer to this QUIZ will be different and hence there may be several answers

to this question. It is hard summarize the contributions of mahans like

Jagadguru Sri Ramanujacharya in a parpagraph and state that this is the most

important contribution. Sri Mani Varadarajan and myself were discussing for

several weeks about the topic of prapatti and whether there is proof in our

shastras for supporting advaraka prapatti as opposed to bhakti yogam ( which

is same as sadvaraka prapatti). Please note: prapatti for direct attainment

of moksam is known as advaraka prapatti. bhakti yogam also requires

prapatti, but this is anga prapatti or surrendering to attain bhakti yogam.

Hence even bhakti yogam also involves surrender but the goal is to

effectively begin, maintain and end bhakti yogam.

 

with this introduction let me step back and analyze this issue further.

 

1. We cannot argue in a global basis about sri Ramanujacharya's works. We

can only take a view of our vedantic world and assess sri Ramanujacharya's

contributions. We cannot take the whole world since christians or atheists

or anyone else may not appreciate SriRamanujacharya's contributions.

 

2. We cannot support our principles using our own pramanams. for example,

if one asks what is the pramanam for direct prapatti in the shastras, we

cannot quote alvars views, since in vedanta, alwars views ( though it has

the highest truths explained better than the vedas) will not be admissible

in general. A saiva vedantin may want to ask: "why not nayanmars?. We

should take their view to be of the highest truth!". Any experience based

view, such as a yogis' views, or Alwars' views or any nayanmars's views will

not be acceptable to all people who are vedantins ( who agree that vedas are

valid testimony). Note that one's experience cannot be shared by others.

 

3. Only vedas are the pramanam which is commonly accepted by all vedantins.

 

4. Concept of surrender as an angam to bhakti yoga is commonly accepted and

is not a special finding of visistadvaitam. In many places of Sri

Sankaracharya's bhasyam on Bhagavadgita, surrender is mentioned for the

attainment of jnana or sadhana for moksha. Hence the concept of surrender

to start and perform bhakti yogam is not new and not a distinct contribution

of Sriramanujacharya.

 

4. If you take Gita bhasyam of sri Ramanujacharya, since prapatti is

mentioned as anga or a means to attain bhakti yoga in that context, that is

sort of similar to other bhasyas.

 

5. However, in Sharanagati gadyam the advaraka or direct prapatti is

established as a valid means by Sri Ramanujacharya. This is the only method

which is available to every one. If one looks at the vedic verse :

tasmat nyasam esam tapasam atiriktam ahuh,

 

the Nyasa here can be taken as direct prapatti or anga prapatti for

bhaktiyogam. It was Sri Ramanujacharya's revolutionary greatness to have

given prominence to the meaing of advaraka ( direct) prapatti as the meaning

of this vedic passage, by writing sharanagati gadyam clearly as direct

prapatti and not anga prapatti.

 

6. Note that Nammalwar's life is explained by both Tirukkurugai Pillan and

Eeedu as ; alwar prapannar dehayatraiyil avar bhakti yogi. (sorry for my

mistakes in this quote because I dont remember the exact quotation). this

means that Nammalwar is prapannar but in his life here he was a bhakti yogi

naturally. No doubt that Nammalwar performed bharanyasam in the ahalahillen

slokam which is for direct moksham. Nammalwar's words are ultimate; however

cannot be used to convince other vedantins.

 

Due to all these reasons, Sri Ramanujacharya has established the validity

of Advaraka prapatti or direct prapatti to attain moksham without bhakti

yogam or any other sadhanas, using Vedas as the basis so that it is commonly

acceptable to all vedantins. This I think is the most revolutionary

contribution of SriRamanujacharya. All other contributions such as opening

all this method to all castes and creed etc. are all derivative of the

shastraic sound basis which Sri Ramanujacharya established. Such shastraic

basis was not given before the time of Sri Ramanujacharya. Sharanagati

gadyam is that work where this is well established.

 

This is adiyen's humble view. I dont know whether this view is right.

However, by asking this QUIZ and trying to Answer this QUIZ, the

unintentional good effect is that, we think, get the views of other

bhagavatas, and speak and reminisce the lotus feet of our divine acharya Sri

Ramanujacharya, who is so kind as to accept adiyen as one of his servants of

his servants.

 

yo nityam achhyuta padambuja yugma rugma vyamohatah taditarani trinaya mene

asmad guroh bhagavatosya dayaika sindhoh Ramanujasya charanau sharanam

prapadye

 

adiyen Krishna Kashyap