Sribhashya

[Guest guest]

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May god bless you,

 

Dr. Saroja Ramanujam, M.A., Ph.D, Siromani in sanskrit.

 

 

 

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