Philosophy of Ramanuja in easy instalments-Part1-section2

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section2

 

The knowledge of reality

 

Brahman or the absolute reality, is Narayana of visishyadvaita. But the world of sentient and insentient beings is not unreal. In Visishtadvaita there are three reals, namely ,chit, the sentient, achit, the insentient and Isvara, though the first two are not distinct reals, unconnected and separate but have an inseparable realation with Isvara..This is what is known as the sarira-sariri bhava in visishtadvaita and the vedanta is called sAriraka sasthra.

 

The first of the three reals, Isvara is the inner Self of all beings both sentient and insentient, which form His sarira. The term sarira is defined by Ramanuja as the substance which a sentient soul can support, control for its own purposes and which stands in a subordinate relation to the sentient soul. All beings are supported and controlled by Brahman , to whom they are subservient. As the physical body exists for the purpose of the individual soul and not vice versa, all beings exist for the sake of Brahman, their inner self of whom they constitute the body.This relationship is variously described as AdhAra-AdhEya(supporter and the supported), niyanthA-niyAmya(controller and the controlled) and Sesha-Seshi( possessor and the possessed).

 

Brahman is the adhara

 

Brahman is the adhara or the support of all in the sense of being a substratum of everything.The idea of support is not like a basket to the fruit where the supporter and the supported are distinct and separate, but the two have an inseparable relationship.The space, akasa , exists everywhere and everyting exists in it , without which they cannot stand, yet the akasa is not affected by anything while it pervades everythiing in and out.In describing the srshtikrama, upanishad says that everything came from akasa and merges back into akasa.This is the concept of the adhara -adheya bhava between Brahman and the world, though this is only in form of an illustration since akasa is not Brahman being itself supported by Brahman.In Bhagavtgita Krishna says.that all beings are supported by the SupremeSelf like the beads on a string.The same idea is found in the upanishad where Yajnavalkya explains that the whole universe is supported by Brahman who is the warp and hoof of everything.So the knowledge of reality can arise only by knowing the nature of Brahman , by knowing which everything becomes known.The upanishad define Brahman as 'sathyam, jnanam, anantham brahma.' That is, Brahman is existence or truth, knowledge and infinity.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Smt. Saroja,

 

Just to add to your discussion, an interesting analogy is offered by HH Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamigal to explain AdhAra and AdhEya:

 

Brahman can be compared to a fruit and the souls as the qualities of the fruit. A mango has a unique color, shape, size, smell, weight, etc., none of which can exist without the presence of the mango. The mango does not need the qualities to describe it, because when one sees the mango, one immediately recognizes it. But, the qualities are unique to the mango, and hence expressions to its being, just as the jeevas serve as receptacles to the Lord's Grace and instruments to His Good.

 

 

This analogy was so " sweet " and simple, it was easily understood by children as young as 7.

 

adiyen