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Part 3-Experiencing Bhagavat Ramanuja Yatiraja's Divine Works

From the Bhakti List Archives

M.S.HARI (Madabhushi Sarangarajan Hari) • July 3, 2000 


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Part 3 - Experiencing Bhagavat Ramanuja Yatiraja's Divine Works
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The second verse of Vedartha Sangraham runs as follows:

Param Brahmaivaagnyam Bhrama Parigatam Samsarti tat
Paropaadyaaleedam Vivasam Asubasyaaspadamiti 
Sruthi Nyaayaapetam Jagati Vitatam Mohanamidam
Tamo Yenaapastam Sa Hi Vijayate Yaamuna Muni:

This verse in the form of saluting his preceptor (Yaamunacharya), also refutes
and rejects the Advaita of Adi Sankara, Bheda-bheda Vadas of 
Bhaaskaraacharya and Yadavaprakasa.

"Param Brahmaivaagnyam Bhrama Parigatam Samsarti" is Sankara's Advaita. In
Advaita, the Brahman is conceived as only knowledge-self without any
attributes and only this Brahman is real and nothing other than this is real,
everything other than Brahman is just an illusion. The Brahman when
obstructed/covered by Avidya, creates an illusion of universe and itself
suffers in the material world as Jeevaatman.

"Paropaadyaaleedam Vivasam" is Bhaaskara's Bhedaabheda philosophy. Bhaaskara
does not say that Brahman is devoid of attributes like in Sankara's
philosphy-Advaita. But he says that the Brahman becomes Jeevaatman and suffers
in the material world because of real Upaadi Sambhandam (Upaadi is that which
changes the nature of an entity) like
sense organs, body etc.

"Asubasyaaspadam" is Yaadavaprakaasa's Bhedabheda philosophy. His school of
thought is same as that of Bhaskara except that here the Brahman itself is
Chit, Achit and Iswara by nature and suffers in the material world and
therefore is with impurities of the universe. 

The "Eva" in the first line of this verse, denotes that these schools of
philosphy are refuted as they are not only contradicting/against the Veda but
also also illogical("Sruthi Nyaayaapetam"). These philosophies are deceiving
people by bewildering them and spreading in the world("Jagati Vitatam
Mohanamidam"). Only Bhagavat Yaamunaacharya who dispelled the ignorance
(personified darkness) of these philosophies always wins (thus I salute him)
("Tamo Yenaapastam Sa Hi Vijayate Yaamuna Muni:")

"Eva" brings out the illogical and anti-veda nature of these philsophies as
follows: 

If the Brahman according to Advaita is knowledge-self only therefore always
knows itself, without any attributes and is without a second real entity, then
how come it becomes to know itself as Jeevaatman (without even knowing itself
as real-Brahman) and suffer in material world by the obstruction/cover of
Avidya which is of opposite nature to knowledge-self? Avidya cannot be
considered as another entity different from Brahman as Advaita says "Chin
Maatram". It cannot be an attribute of Brahman also as Advaita says
"Nirguna/Nirvisesha". It cannot be said by Advaita that the Avidya covers only
the "Swamprakaasatva" of Brahman because they do not consider
"Swamprakaasatva" as a quality of Brahman.
"Swamprakaasatva" is "knowing itself by its own knowledge". Therefore if
Avidya covers the "Swamprakaasa" which is Brahman itself then the entitiy
"Brahman" itself is not established by Advaita as it itself is destroyed when
it is covered by Avidya!

If the Brahman according to Bhaaskara's Bhedabheda by itself because of real
upaadi sambandam becomes to apprear as Jeevaatman and suffer in the material
world, then is not the liberation and adopting means to get liberated are
applicable to Brahman itself? 

If the Brahman itself by nature becomes chit and achit, is not the Brahman
impure in Yadavaprakaasa's Bhedabheda? 

These schools of thought contradict Veda and logic. There is no need to refute
these as these are without any substance and are ignorable. But as they spread
in the world bewildering people to decieve them, they are required to be
refuted and rejected and then the only purport of Veda with logic has to be
ascertained which is Visistadvaita Shree Vaishnava Philosphy and Practice.
Only a person with rational mind can understand this. Visistadvaita Shree
Vaishnava Philosphy and Practice is the Parama Vaidika Matam (the only purport
of Veda) on the other hand, the other schools of philosphy that are mentioned
are personal prejudices. 

The second verse is thus the essence of the first part "Mataantara Kandana" of
the granta "Vedaartha Sangraha" in the form of saluting Bhagavat
Yaamunaacharya, the preceptor of Bhagavat Ramanuja. Let now see some portions
from this wonderful grantha as follows:

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To be continued.. .
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