Philosophy of Ramanuja made easy-chapter2-section2

July 18, 2007

Chapter2-Section2

Brahman as the ruler and redeemer

The cause of samsara is the karma which presupposes a free agent.

Isvara is the karmaphaladhAthA, apportioning the fruit of karma. His

proclamation that He manifests Himself in every yuga in order to

protect the good and punish the wicked , and to establish

dharma 'parithrANAya sAdhoonAm vinASAya cha dhushkrthAM

dharmasamsTHApanArTHAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge shows Him the ruler

who punishes the evildoer and rewards the good. But the judgement

is based not on the deed but on the doer. This means the same as in

the worldly sense of the term. When a person commits a crime the

judge decides about the punishment based on the motive of the person

rather than on the act itself. Similarly the Lord acts as the

karmaphaladhatha.

But the role of karmaphaladhatha does not rule out compassion

because the retribution is for redemption. It is like the attitude

of a parent in punishing the child out of love in order to prevent

him from further wrong acts. It is usually thought that a person

steeped in sin is not punished and flourishes on the other hand. In

the world whereas a good person suffers even for the smallest sin

committed by him. It is true. But it only signifies the mercy of God

that He would not allow His devotees to transgress even a little

from the path of virtue. This again is not partiality. A child who

strays away from its home has many falls and mishaps till finally he

decides to seek the protection of his parents and comes home. But

the one who stays close are always watched by the parents and is not

allowed to do anything wrong.

Another question often asked is that why should the Lord allow one

to stray away and accumulate karma? Isn't it true that everything

happens according to God " s will? The answer is that an individual

soul has certain amount of freewill to act as he wants. It is he who

chooses whether to stay close to the Lord or to go away from him.

Bhagavan is the Supreme self. Inner ruler and the witness self.

That is why He is termed as upadhrshta and anumantha, one who

supervises and gives His permission to act. But the how and what of

the action is decided by the individual self, who is possessed of an

intellect which discriminates and decides.

:

Recommended Posts