RE: A doubt on Sri Ramanuja's philosophy

[Guest guest]

Answer to this question is quite complex. I appreciate the fact that people

are questioning without accepting everything given to them with an "adiyen

attitude" !!!

 

Let me add a few questions here:

 

All this was only ONE in the beginning without a second - "sat" ( as

indicated in the passage : sat eva somya idam agra asit ekameva advitiyam.

 

There was only one in the beginning and that one became many. Did that one

become the three tatvas: jivas, matter and God? how? Did that one break up

in to three? Or was there three in subtle form and expanded into three of

manifest form? If so, were there three or one to start with? If one had the

other two as attributes, are the attributes different or same as the

substance? If same how will it break up in to three manifest entities? If

different, how come it was stated that there was only one to start with?

 

Good luck with finding answers to these... let me know. Please read vedartha

samgraha of Sri Ramanujacharya - published in English by SS Raghavachar -

available in Sri Ramakrishna mission (thanks to Sri Rama Krishna Mission to

have published this. I find it ironic that this was not published by some of

the followers of Sri Ramanujacharya!)

 

Also think about: upanisadic verses: agner yatha visphulingah

 

2) sat cha tyat cha bhavat niruktam cha nilayanam cha. Satyam chanrtam cha

satyamabhavat

 

3) satyasya satyam prana vai satyam teshamesha satyam

 

4) neha nanasti kinchana

 

5) tat tvam asi

 

6) yathornanabhih.....

 

7) sa te antaryamyamrtah

 

8) aham brahmasmi

 

9) purnamadah purnamidam purnat purnam udachyate, purnasya purnam

adaya.purnamevavasisyate.

 

10) bhokta bhogyam preritaram cha matva....justah tatah...

 

I personally find it easier to chant... ramanujarya divyajna vardhatam

abhivbardhatam (let the system of Sri Ramanujacharya grow for ever..)

instead of finding answers to these questions !!!!

 

 

(but,

 

how will Ramanucharya system grow without people knowing answers to these

questions???

 

Uttistatha jagratha prapya varan nibodhata.....kshurasya dhara nishitha

duratyaya durgam pathah tat kavayo vadanti...

 

(for answers to these questions, one has to read books from Anantha

rangachar, SMS chari, Kotthamangalam Varadacharya and several other great

acharyas, etc.). but will reading be sufficient?

 

Tad viddhi pranipatena pari prashnena sevaya. Upadekshyanti te jnanam

jnaninah tatva darshinah.

 

Happy deepavali..

 

Asmad gurubhyo namah,

Krishna Kashyap

 

 

Original Message-----

[] On

Behalf Of ananta_rupa

Friday, October 20, 2006 12:45 PM

 

A doubt on Sri Ramanuja's philosophy

 

Namo NArAyanA!

 

Could anyone please help me find the flaws here?

 

[P1 is me, P2 is an advaiti]

 

The email exchange between the two:

 

P2 says:

"Vaishnava monotheists do not regard Brahman as the Ultimate Reality.

Only Narayana is their ultimate Reality."

 

 

P1 says:

This is not true. According to Ramanuja, Brahman

"signifies/synonymous with" NArAyana(Person,Dweller of souls). Brahman

and the Supreme God are one and the same. Brahman is the ultimate

reality, meaning He is the universal self(antaryami). Like Jeevatma

has atma as its soul and body as its mode, Paramatma/supreme

being(Ananta) has Brahman as supersoul and the universe(cit, sentient

and acit, insentient/nature) as HIS body. The non-duality between

jeevatma and paramtma, is due to both being a "being", sharing a

common nature. They are different, jeevatma cannot become

brahman(paramatma) and also not identical with other jeevatma, is in

the difference of the attributes, meaning the level and nature of

consciousness and bliss [karma].

 

 

P2 says:

 

 

What you have written is not true. Ramanuja regards Brahman as the sum

of God or Naryana, Jiva and Jagat, i.e., Brahman=Naryana+Jiva+Jagat.

It is NOT as you are claiming that Naryana=Brahman+Jiva+Jagat.

Naryana, Jiva and Jagat are eternally separate but are linked to each

other.

 

The Ultimate Reality is Narayana and Narayana is the goal for the

spiritual aspirant. Why is it so? In Ramanuja's theory, Brahman is

merely the superstructure for Naryana+Jiva+Jagat. If you say that

Brahman is the Ultimate Reality then you have to say that Jiva and

Jagat are also the Ultimate Reality which can not be true. A spiritual

aspirant following Ramanuja's model will have to consider Narayana to

be the Ultimate Reality.

 

Advaita, on the other hand, says that Nirguna Brahman is ALL and is

the goal for the aspirant.