vedarthasangraha of Ramanuja2. acharya vandana and 3. Import of the upanishadspa

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param brahmaeva ajnam bhramaparigatham samsarathi

paropaaDhyaaleeDam vivaSam aSubhasya aasapadham ithi

Sruthinyaayaapetham jagathi vithatham mohanam idham

thamo yena apaastham sa hi vijayathe yaamuna muniH

 

The sage Yamuna is victorious,

who dispelled the deluding darkness of ignorance which is the result of

prevalent doctrines in the world which are contrary to Vedas and reasoning that

Brahman itself transmigrates out of illusion and ignorance and that it is helplessly

conditioned by adjuncts different from itself and that it is the abode of evil.

 

This sloka is a tribute to Yamuna

, Alavandar, who was the chief exponent of Visishtadvaita before Ramanuja and the grand acharya of Ramanuja ( that

is he was the acharya of the acharya of

Ramanuja.

 

By the two slokas Ramanuja indicates the

essence of Visishtadvaita and also the refutation of the other doctrines which

are the subject matter of the present work. According to Advaita Brahman and

the individual jiva are identical, jeevo

brahmaiva na aparaH and the jiva

gets into bondage due to ignorance and delusion which means that Brahman itself

param brahma eva, comes under the influence of ignorance, ajnam, and delusion, bhramaparigatham, says Ramanuja, and

gets into transmigration, samsarathi.

 

 

The Bhedhaabhedha doctrine of

Bhaskara and Yadhavaprakasa are also referred in the sloka by paropaaDhyaaleeDam, Brahman or Athman,

is conditioned by adjuncts separate from itself, and hence vivaSam, dependent, which refers to the Bhaskaramatha and asubhaaspadham, abode of

impurities, which refers to the

Yadhavaprakasamatha. These are dealt with in detail later in the work.

 

Ramanuja extols Yamunacharya by

saying that he has dispelled the darkness of ignorance, yena apaastham thamaH, due to these doctrines which are against the

sruthi and reasoning, sruthinyaayaapetham,

and delude the world, jagathi vithatham

mohanam.

 

Then Ramanuja starts expounding

the doctrine of Visishtadhvaita.

 

aSesha

jagath hithaanuSaasana SruthinikaraSirasi samaDhigathaH ayam arThah

 

This is the import of the

Upanishads which are the crown of the Vedas and which enjoin what is beneficial

to the entire world.

 

aSesha jagath- the whole

universe.

 

hithaanuSaasana- laying down what is beneficial. The Vedas are the

means of following dharma and attaining the purusharThas, the highest goal ,

purusharTha being moksha which is the subject matter of the Upanishads. Hence

they are the crown of the Vedas, Sruthi

nikara Sirasi means at the head of the Vedas.

 

samaDhigathaH ayam arThaH- this is the import of the Upanishads.

 

Then Ramanuja gives the whole essence of Visishtadvaita in a

sentence, bringing out the three main tenets of the Visishtadvaita philosophy,

namely, thathva, hitha and purusharTha.