Fw: Sribhashya

June 16, 2006

- Sadagopan

Dr.Saroja Ramanujam , a Sri BhAshyam scholar from Chennai has kindly

agreed to my request to write a series of articles on Sri BhAshyam in Oppliappan

and Saranagathy groups . You have had access to her delightful postings on

YaadhavAbhudhayam in Oppiliappan and SaraNagathy lists .

Her remarkable teaching skills to present lucid articles on complex Sri Sookthis like

Sri BhAshyam will be very helpful to get closer to core Sri Sookthis like Sri BhAshyam ,

when traditional KaalakshEpam route is not avilable to many .Perhaps these articles ,

which will ultimatrely appear as a seperate e-book in Sundarasimham Web site would

prepare one to seek traditional KaalakshEpam help from a SadAchAryan later .

The previous two postings on Sri BhAshyam by Dr.Saroja Ramanujam

are available in the archives of Oppiliappan List .

DR. Saroja Ramanuam will cover the first 2 chapters of Sri BhAshyam and adiyEn will try to

cover the remaining two chapters to speed up the coverage of this complex and grand

Sri Sookthi from AchArya RaamAnuja in time for the SathAbhishEkam celebrations

of Srimath Azhagiya Singar on Nov 30 at Srirangam .

adiyEn has also requested Dr.Saroja Ramanujam to cover Swamy Kumara VaradAchAr's

Sanskrit commentary on Swamy Desikan's VirOdha ParihAram , if time permits .

Daasan , V.Sadagopan

http://www.sudarasimham.org

---- Original Message -----

Saroja Ramanujam

saranagathi-owner

Friday, June 16, 2006 3:02 AM

Sribhashya

The PurvamimAmsa sastram discusses the purusharthas beginning with the suthra 'aTHatho dharmajijnasa,' and it is precedent to the UttharamimAmsa in as much as, in order to understand the asthiraphalathva one has to study the sastra and follow the injunctions. So the UttharamimAmsa forms the latter part of study of vedas and hence forms one whole with the purvamimAmsa.

Ramanuja elaborates on the krama, the order of study of the vedas by saying, ' thaTHA hi-praTHamam thaavath "svaaDHyaayo adhyEthavyah" ithi adhyayanEnaivasvADHyAya sabdhavAchyavedhAkyAkshararAsEh grahaNamviDHeeyathE.' First the vedas are learnt after upanayanam by word of mouth , that is chanting with svaras. The proper time of aDHyayana is denoted by "ashtavarsham brAhmaNam upanayeetha ;tham aDhyApayEth." A brahmin should be sanctified with upanayana at eight years of age and should start the aDHyayana. So aDHyayana means learning the chanting of the vedas from the acharya. The result of the vedaDHyayana is self evident as given by the manthras japas etc. The meanings of the vedic texts are learnt in due course along with the vedaAngas.

The next step is to realise that the results of the ritualistic karma are transient and the aspirant turns to the Upanishads for attaining permanent well-being through the enquiry of UttaramimAmsA, also known as sAreerakamimAmsa.

The vedanta texts such as " thadyathEha karmachitho lokah ksheeyathE EvamEva amuthra punyachithah lokah ksheeyathe"(chandogya-8-1-6), Just as this world entered through one's karma is transitory so also are the worlds attained through punyaphala, affirm the transient and finite nature of the karmaphala. In the Baghavatgita the Lord says, 'ksheenE punyE martyalokam visanthi,' when the acquired merit through karma enjoined in the vedas is exausted the jiva returns to the earth, the karmaloka. Only by brahmajnana the cycle of birth and death can be got rid off. The texts "brahmavid aApnothi param", (Taitt.Ana.1) "napunarmrthyavE thdhEkam pasyathi" (chan.7-26-2) and the like are asserting that one who knows brahman reaches the ultimate and afterthe perception of the one ultimate reality never resorts back to mortality.

Here the objection of the advaitin that since the study of the vedas makes one realise that the result of karma is transient and finite, the study of UttharamimAmsA could be pursued straight away without following the course of karmakanda. Ramanuja answers that it is not so.The mere knowledge of brahman by study of vedanta is not enough to secure liberation. The inquiry into the nature of brahman, after clearing the doubts and misconceptions through deep study and practice and contemplation alone can result in brahmajnana . So too mere study of the karmakanda of the vedas will not result in the knowledge of the ephemeral and limited nature of the karmaphala. That is, one has to learn through experience as otherwise mere teaching will make one realise the impermanence of the world. But we see that it is not so in practice. To know whether something is conducive to welfare or not ,one has to know what it is in order to get convinced beyond doubt