Philosophy of RAMANUJA

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 1. The world, The individual soul and Isvara, all the three are real.

2. The world and the individual soul, in other words thw world

consisting of the insentient(jada) and sentient(chethana) stands in

relation of sarira to its sariri(body and soul) with Isvara.

3. Isvara, that is Narayana is transcendent(all pervading) and

imminent(antharyaami) and hence everything is in Him and He is in

everything.

4.Brahman of visishtadvaita is Narayana who is not nirguna(wiyhout

attributes ) but possesses infinite auspicious qualities.

5. Satyam,truth, jnanam,knowledge and anantham,eternality are His

attributes which are inseparable from Him, being His inherent

nature,svabhaava.

6.Being the Antharyaami He is the inner self of everything.

7.So He is the Controller,Niyantha, Master, Seshi and support,

Adhaara.

8. Bhakthi is the sole means of Liberation.

9. Nithya, Naimiththika Karma, the obligatory and occasional actions

namely the actions according to varnasrama and rituals for special

occasions like sraadhdha etc. are tobe done and cannoyt be

renounced , but should be done as offering to Narayana, without

attachment and desire.

10.'Thathvamasi' and other scriptural texts that claim unity with

Brahman do not imply identity.The merging with Brahman is like when

the gross body and subtle body are given up and the individual is

identified with the soul.

11. There are ample texts substantiating this.

12.Avidya/Maya is not beginningless and independent but the power of

Narayana.

 

 

The philosophy of visishtadvaita, expounded by Ramanuja,

creates harmony between the absolute idealism of advaita and the

theistic pluralism of dvaita. Advaita is based on the scriptural

texts that affirm identity between jiva and abarahman while dvaita

quotes the texts that speak of plurality and difference. Ramanuja

reconciles the discord between the two by means of the relational

texts which he calls ghataka sruti, thus upholding the validity of

the scriptural texts as a whole. In his view the texts should be

interpreted in such a manner that they do not present a

contradiction. His explanation bridges the gap between the abhedha

and bhedha texts.

 

Brahman of visishtadvaita is synonymous with Narayana,

who is the transcendent and imminent reality. The word Narayana

denotes the abode of all beings, naaraanam ayanam, and also that He

is in everything, naaraah ayanam yasya Thus He is not the mere

personal God of a particular religion. V aishnavism is only apart of

visishtadvaita, serving as a means of attaining the goal.

 

 The key concept of visishtadvaita is the sarira- sariri

bhaava, the body-soul relationship between the universe and Brahman.

There are three reals, thathvathraya, namely, Isvara, the Lord, Jiva

the individual soul, and Jagath, the world of insentient beings.

They are not separate entities but together they form one organic

whole. This is explained by the concept of body and soul

relationship.

 

Ramanuja defines sarira as `that substance that a

spiritual entity can use and support entirely for his own purpose,

and that, in its essence is exclusively subordinate to that entity.'

Being the sarira of the Lord, the universe of sentient and insentient

beings stands in an inseparable relation with Him. This relationship,

called aprthaksidhdha, is like that of a substance and its

attribute, where the latter cannot exist without the former as in the

example of fire and heat.

 

Brahman is the material as well as the efficient cause of

the universe. Ramnuja cites the sruti text `yatho va imana

bhoothaani jaayanthe yena jaathaani jeevanthi yasmin abhi samvisanthi

thadvijijnaasava thadbrahma' (Taitreya up.), `that from which

everything came from, by which everything that is born is sustained

and into which everything merges back, know that to be Brahman.'

 

The causality of Brahman is also ascertained by the

text `sadheva soumya idhamagra aaseeth ekameva advitheeyam;

thadhaikshatha bahusyaamprajaayeya, which says that there was sat

alone in the beginning , one only without a second and it willed to

become many. This according to Ramanuja confirms the body-soul

relationship between Brahman and the universe. He claims that this is

the real purport of the mahavakya thathvamasi and not the absolute

identity as professed by advaita. Everything existed in Narayana in

subtle form before creation and became manifest in gross form after

creation.

 

 This concept of sarira-sariri bhava exposes

visishtadvaita to the criticism that if the world is the sarira of

Brahman, that is, Narayana, the imperfections of the world will

adhere to Brahman. This argument is refuted by Ramanuja , who says

that just as the imperfections of the body of an individual do not

affect the soul, Brahman who is the Self of all, is not contaminated

by the imperfections of the universe.

 

An objection that may arise with respect to the authority

of this concept of sarira-sariri bhava is met with by means of the

ghataka sruti texts like the one which says `He who dwells in this

earth and within the earth, whom the earth does not know, whose body

the earth is, who rules the earth from within, He is thy self, the

ruler within and immortal.' There are several texts citing Brahman as

the Self of everything naming the elements and the individual soul

separately as the  sarira  of Brahman.

 

 Brahman of visishtadvaita is not nirguna, without

attributes but possesses innumerable auspicious qualities,

ananthakalyanagunavisishta, which are not adventitious but form His

svarupa. The scriptural definition of Brahman as Sathyam, Jnanam,

Anantham is explained by Ramanuja in accordance with the principle of

Samanadhikaranya, coordinate predication, according to which several

terms are applicable to an entity on different grounds. For instance,

in the expression shyamo yuva Devadattah, Devadatta is a dark young

man, the adjectives shyama and yuva denote the same entity,

Devadatta. Similaraly the epithets Sathyam, jnanam, anantham denote

the same Brahman, sathyam implying absolutely

unconditional existence, jnanam, non-contracted knowledge and

anantham implies  that Brahman is not limited by  space,time and form.

 

Jiva in visishtadvaita is real and so is Jagath. The

jnana of jiva is contracted due to karma, born of ajnana. W hen the

ajnana is removed by jnana as a result of bhakthi, jiva regains its

original state of liberation when its jnana becomes infinite.

 

 Bhakthi is the sole means of liberation in

visishtadvaita. Bhakthi and Prapaththi are the two wings with which

the jiva ascends to the realm of the Lord to become one with Him.

Karmayoga and jnanayoga are the natural outcome of bhakthi and

prappaththi, total surrender, as the devotee acquires the knowledge

that the Lord is the  inner self of whom he himself is the sarira.

The devotee realizes his own state as  sesha, dependent on, adheya,

being supporteby, and niyaamya, being led by the Lord, who is the

Seshi, Master, Adhaara, Support and niyantha, the one who leads him.

As a result the jiva leads his life as an instrument of the Lord,

acquiring viveka and vairagya, offering all his thought, word, and

deed to the feet of the Lord. He sees the Lord in everything and

everything in Him. This is the unity in diversity achieved through

devotion.

 

 The principles of the philosophy of visishtadvaita are

expounded in the interpretation of the Brahmasuthra by Ramanuja. His

commentary on Brahmasuthra, otherwise known as Vedanta

suthra,  is  his monumental work, the Sribhaashya. Ramanuja

establishes the tenets of visishtadvaita firmly in Sribhaashya

while refuting the views of other schools of philosophy effectively.