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Re: Digest Number 563 ( Once upon a time... )

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Maruthi Pavan • March 19, 2002 


Jai Sriman Narayana,

What Sri Mani told is absolutely right.

Sri Mani quoted : 

"The sole foundational texts for his
> understanding of the
> Sutras are the Upanishads, and secondarily the Gita
> and Vishnu
> Purana "


In the jijnyAsa adhikaraNam of Sri Bhashyam while
establishing the ViShiStAdvaita and its interpretation
of "athAtO Brahma jijnyAsa", the discussion between
Sri pUrva pakShi ( representing Advaita ) and Sri
Siddhanti ( Sri Ramanuja ) continues thru many
ghattams.

Sri Ramanuja correctly interprets all the UpaniShadic
statements , both of those which outwardly appear to
be talking about the nirViShESha Brahman and many many
of those statements which directly talk about the
SaviShESha ( or SaguNa ) Brahman. Most of the SaguNa
statements are ignored by pUrva pakShi.

But Salutations to Sri Ramanuja for giving correct
interpretations and bridging the gap between the
statements which outwardly looked like they were
completely at logger heads.

The striking point is that always Sri Ramanuja goes by
the context of the statement and not just its literal
meaning. Also He gives the correct meaning of the
vAkyAs.

The discussion on the first main sUtra is divided into
the following 

1) Yukti Ghattam (logic)

2) Sruti Ghattam ( correct interpretation of the
upanishad vAkyAs quoted in maha pUrva pakSham ( the
advaitic interpretation ) - like "satyam jnAnam
anantam Brahma", "EkamEvAdvitIyam Brahma", "Brahma
vEda Brahmaiva bhavati etc.

3) Smruti Ghattam ( Correct interpretation of Bhagavad
gIta slOkAs ).

4) purANa Ghattam ( Correct interpretation of the
ViShNu purANa slokas ).

5) sapta vidhAnupapattayah -- avidyA nirasanam ( The
seven inconsistencies arising due to the acceptance of
avidya concept of Sri pUrva pakShi ).

Now the main ( or the soul foundational texts per Sri
Mani ) are the ViShNu purANa and the gIta thru which
Sri Ramanuja establishes the correctness of
ViShiStAdvaita.

The ViShNu purANa slOkAs and the gIta slOkas which
match the nirviShESha thought are first quoted by Sri
pUrva pakShi who gives the advaitic interpretations to
them. Sri Ramanuja then explains them correctly by the
context and the exact inner meanings. Also at many
places Sri Ramanuja quotes many statements about
saguNa Brahman in both ViShNu purANa and gIta. 

These two texts are widely discussed in all the
schools of thought and Sri Ramanuja succeeds in
bringing a complete explanation which covers 100
percent of these basic texts.

I am not sure about Sri Ramanuja quoting from other
texts ( probably like the ones from padma purANa etc -
Iam not sure )...but the "sole foundational" texts
which form the basis of the main first sUtrArdha and
its discussions remain to be ViShNu purANa and Srimad
Bhagavad gIta.

It is pointed out in the purANa ghattam that Sri vyAsa
maharshi ( sutra kAra ) also indicated that in all
para vidyAs, only saguNa Brahma has to be worshipped".

'para vidyAsu sarvAsu saguNa mEva BrahmOpAsyam. phalam
caika rUpamEva atO vidyA vikalpaha".

I am happy to write this mail, as currently I am
learning Sri BhAshyam from my Father thru his and his
Aacharya's and all my paramAcAryA's blessings.

yO nitya macyuta padAmbuja yugma rukma
vyAmOha ta staditarANi truNAya mEnE
asmad gurOr bhagavatOsya dayaika sindhOh
rAmAnujasya caraNau SaraNam prapadyE

Jai Sriman Narayana

Maruthi Ramanuja Das




--- bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com wrote:
> Message: 1
>    Date: Sat, 16 Mar 2002 19:54:05 -0600 (CST)
>    From: Sankaran Kartik Jayanarayanan
> 
> Subject: Once upon a time...
> 
> I chanced to read a posting by Mani Varadarajan in
> the ancient USENET
> newsgroup alt.hindu, and was wondering if Mani's
> challenge still holds:
> 
> http://www.hindunet.org/alt_hindu/1994/msg00757.html
> 
> --------------------
> Subject: Re: superstitions 
> From: Mani Varadarajan  
> Date: Wed, 19 Oct 1994 12:11:36 -0700 
> Newsgroups: alt.hindu 
> 
> [..]
> 
> Ramanuja, the other major expositor of the Sutras,
> certainly 
> cannot be accused of "filtering" the text through
> the Vaishnava 
> tantras.  The sole foundational texts for his
> understanding of the
> Sutras are the Upanishads, and secondarily the Gita
> and Vishnu
> Purana (texts used by Sankara himself). If you can
> show me where 
>                                        
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> in his Sri Bhashya Ramanuja departs from these
> exegetical principles, 
>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> I will wear the ashes of an Advaitin forthwith!
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> --------------------
> 
> I'm not sure if the "Sri Bhashya" refers to
> Ramanuja's Brahma Sutra
> Bhashya, but if such is the case, then the
> translation of Ramanuja's BSB
> that I have with me does indeed point out several
> instances where Ramanuja
> quotes from Puranas other than the Vishnu Purana. 
> 
> -Jayanarayanan
> 



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