Philosophy of Ramanuja

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Chapter2-section5-Brahman as the whole and the individual soul as the part

This relationship between Brahman and jiva is known as amsa-amsi bhava. Ramanuja explains this in his Sribhshya while commenting on the Brahma suthra ,’amSo nAnA vyapadheSAth,’ (BS.II.3.42) and the subsequent suthras.

In chandhOgya upanishad it is declared

'pAdhOasyavisvAbhoo thAni thripAdhasyAmrtham dhivi,(Chan.3-12- 6)

All beings and the world constitute one part (quarter) of the supreme self and the rest of the three quarters are immortal in heaven.' The word pAdha denotes amsa. The plural term bhoothani, is used as souls are many.

In Bhagavatgita the Lord declares

'mamaivAmsO jivalOkE jivabhoothah sanathanah,(BG.15-7)

an eternal part of Myself has become the individual soul.'

Also it is said ‘ vishtabhyAham idham krthsnam ekAmSena sThitho jagath,’(BG.10.42) “I stand sustaining the whole Universe with a fragment of mine.â€

 

An objection is raised that if the soul is part of Brahman all imperfections of the soul will be of Brahman too

As the light of a luminous body, the generic character (jati) of an entity and the colour of an object, though being part of the object they qualify are different from it so also Brahman is different from the individual self which forms its mode. A visEshaNa, attribute and the visEshya the object having the attribute are inseparable yet different. The declarations of identity and difference denote the two aspects, the inseparability of the substance and its attribute and the distinctness of the substance and the attribute, respectively.

 

In VishnupurANa ParAsara states

'EkadhEsasTHithasyA gnEh jyothsnA visthAriNee yaTHA,parsyabrahmaN ah sakthih thTHEdham akhilam jagath,(VP.1-22-56)

Just as the light of a luminous body that exists in one place spreads around, the power of Brahman pervades the whole world. Also the individual self is declared to be the body of the Lord.'thasyasrjyasya sambhoothou thath sarvE vai harEsthanuh, ' all these created are the body of Hari.

Like the fire which is from the household of a brahmana is accepted while that from cremation ground is not, though the fire is the same everywhere, the difference in qualification is due to the purity or otherwise of the body the soul occupies.

Even though all souls are part of Brahman they being atomic and different from each other the result of the karma is different for each.