Philasophy of Ramanuja-jnana and bhakthi

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Section 3-jnanayoga

 

 

Karmayoga means rationalized karma and preferred because it is easy but karmayoga to be effective jnana is necessary because karma and jnana interpenetrate each other. Both become fruitful with Bhakthi as we shall see in the section on bhakthi yoga. Ramanuja identifies jnana with dhyana or upasana.

 

What has been described in Mundaka Upanishat as `seeing the Supreme self ` on which all the shackles of the mind are broken, the doubts vanish and all karma is destroyed, is accomplished by meditation that gives intuition resulting in immediate manifestation that secures the final release.

 

The goal of jnanayoga is the realization of prathyagaathman, the inner self, and it is achieved only by rigorous moral and spiritual discipline. The evils of raga and dhvesha which cause entry into the cycle of births and deaths are due to abhimana or the false identification of self with the body. They could be overcome by controlling the mind through vairagya , dispassion and abhyasa, constant practice as the Lord has made out in Gita, `abhyaasena thu kountheya vairaagyena cha grhyathe.'.(BG.6-35) Vairagya consists in stripping the self of everything that is non-self, and abhyasa is introversion., which is withdrawing the mind from the interplay of gunas caused by the accumulated vasanas and focusing it on the Self. Thoughts are not suppressed but are thought away.

 

Vairagya is giving up the raga for non-self and acquire raga for the Supreme self. Abhyasa is the endeavour which consists in self control by withdrawing the mind from the senses and direct it towards the Supreme Self.

 

There are two kinds of knowledge , namely, that which comes from the study of scriptures and the other which is higher is called Upaasanaa , the devout meditation and consists in direct intuition of Brahman.

 

The Lord says in the Gita describing the four types of seekers, aarthi, the distressed, arThaarthi, seekers of worldly things, jijnaasu , seekers of knowledge and jnaani, men of knowledge, that the jnani is .most dear to Him and he is too is so to the Lord. The most beloved is the `chosen one' mentioned in the upanishat as ` yamevaisha vrNuthe thena labhyathe.' (Kata-II-23) It says the self cannot be gained by study of Vedas, by hearing etc. but the Self reveals itself to the one whom it chooses.

 

Gita starts with the moral of nishkama karma, which is karmayoga, and then continues with the exposition of the philosophy of Athmajnana, jananyoga and culminates with the religious discipline of bhakthiyoga as the highest state in the philosophy of religion. It is seeking Brahman as Bhagavan and seeing Him face to face.

 

Section4- Bhakthiyoga

 

Steady remembrance of the Lord is called bhakthi or devotion by Ramanuja. Bhakthi is intense and single-pointed and preceded by the true knowledge of the Lord and His glory. The supreme object of bhakthi is to know, to see and to attain the Lord in His real nature. By bhakthi alone He can be attained as the Lord Himself says in te Gita, `bakthyaa thu ananayayaa labhyaH.' The definition of a bhkatha is also given in the Gits as `mathkarma krth mathparamo madhbhakthaH sangavarjithaH ; nirvairaH sarvabhootheshu yaH sa maamethi paandava.' This means , "doing work for Me, having Me as his aim, being my devotee, without attachment and without hatred towards any one , he comes to Me.'

 

Ramanuja, commenting on this sloka, enumerates the charactarestics of bhaktha.

 

 

The happiness of a bhaktha is to be with the Lord and sorrow is the separation from Him.

A bhaktha attributes all his suffering to his own karma.

He has an implicit faith in the Lord and that all beings are subjected to His will.

 

According to visishtadvaita philosophy the Brahman of the Upanishats, Vasudeva of the Gita, Bhagavan of Panchrathra, the gospel of visishtadvaita, and the archa, the forms of worship in the temples , of the azvars, connotes the same Supreme Self and the bhakthi yoga is the direct means of knowing Brahman.

 

All karma of a devotee is not nshkamakarma but a kainkarya to the Lord. The fruit of upasana is not determined by merit alone but by the redemptive mercy of he Lord, the saviour. A bhaktha is endowed with the jnana that the Lord is the inner self of all and the whole world of sentient and insentient beings constitute His body. Thus he realizes that he is inseparable from the Lord , who is his inner self and understands the relationship between him and the Lord as that of aadhaara -aadheya, seshi –sesha, niyanthaa- niyaamya etc.

 

Ramanuja thus synthesizes the three means of salvation , karma ,jnana and bhakthi with the concept of meditation which, according to him, is the same as devout meditation or bhakthi.. Jnana referred to in visishtadvaita is jnana transformed into bhakthi, bhakthirupapanna jnana..

 

In the philosophy of Ramanuja karma is the sum-total of all duties .It becomes karmayoga when the same is done as the worship of the Lord.