Philosophy of Ramanuja

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Chapter3- Cosmology-Nature of Jagat

 

The nature of Brahman, that is Ontology has been explained so far. Now

let us examine the Cosmology or the nature of the Universe and its

relation to the individual self and God.

 

The cosmology of Ramanuja is based on the concept of the three realities,

thathvathraya, namely cit (jiva), acit (jagat) and Isvara (Narayana) and the

relation ship between them.

 

Isvara is cidacit visishta and the latter exists in the relation of modes to the

substance with Isvara. Cit the sentient souls and acit the insentient matter in

subtle(unmanifest) state exist in Brahman before creation and in their gross(

manifest ) state after creation. Thus the sookshmacidactvisishtabrahna is the

cause and sthoolacidacit visishtbrahman is the effect. So the universe exists in

the relation of effect and the cause with Brahman.

 

The cause of the universe being Brahman is accepted by all the schools of

vedanta and by Nyayavaiseshika, or logicians. Only The school of nirisvara

sankhya expounded by Isvarakrishna does not accept Isvara as the cause. The

atheistic schools of Buddhism and Jainism who do not accept the Vedas as

authoritative are outside the scope of discussion.

 

Now the school of sankhya which does not accept the causality of Brahman

professes that the prakrthi, the primordial nature is the cause of the universe

while the sentient soul, purusha is eternal. Thus there is no need of Brahman

at all. The yoga school accepts Isvara but only as a purushavisesha who should

be meditated upon to acquire the right knowledge that the purusha is ever free

and wrongly identifies himself with the prakrthi and suffers the samsara and

this knowledge secures release.

 

The school of Nyayavaiseshika deems the atoms of the four elements,

earth, water, fire and air to be the cause of the universe.

 

According to the Upanishad which declares `sadheva soumya idhamagra aaseeth

ekameva adhvu\itheeyam', there was only Brahman existing in the beginning ,one

only without a second. So Brahman is both the material (like the mud in making

a pot0 as well as the efficient cause (like the potter) of the universe.

 

Then the text goes on to say " it willed to become many and created fire.' Of

course the mention of fire is due to its being the first gross form of creation

and hence the other two namely air and akasa are understood to have preceded it.

From the fire originated the water and from water the earth came about. This is

the order of creation mentioned and in annihilation it takes the reverse order.

 

After creating the gross universe the Brahman decided to enter into all beings

to give them name and form and to be their inner self. ` anena jeevena Atmanaa

anupravisya naamaroope vyaakaravaaNi.'

 

So the universe is the effect and Brahman is the cause and the universe is real

as much as when the cause is real the effect is also real. But this does not

mean that Brahman is transformed into the world in which case the imperfections

of the world will adhere to Brahman. It is just that Brahman being the inner

self of all , the sentient and the insentient, they form the body of Brahman. As

the imperfections of they do not adhere to the self , similarly those of the

universe do not affect Brahman. This sarir-sariri relationship of Brahman to the

world is the pivot of the realistic philosophy of ramanuja.