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Re: Re.visitaadvaitha

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sudarshan madabushi • July 14, 1999 


Dear Sri.Suresh,

I have no disagreement with the sentiments expressed by you.

The purpose of my interjection was only to remind members that contrary to 
popular impression, there is, I would think, nothing like a term called 
"VisishtAdvaitA" that was patented by Sri.RamAnujAchAryA. The label was 
created later on by the school of philosophy that followed his teachings.

As you yourself say, upto his time in the history of Vedantic thought, no 
one had elegantly formalised as he did the philosophical position that 
"bheda" and "abheda" mind-sets blind one to the "ghataka" aspects of Vedic 
and Upanishadic truth. It was therefore left to "bhAshyakArar" to establish 
the shift in emphasis. In doing so, I believe, he was not formulating a 
thesis from scratch, from 'tabula rasa', from a clean slate, so to say. You 
could say he was pointing to a paradigm shift in Vedantic thinking which 
until then had been rather pre-disposed to the "bheda"/"abheda" 
tunnel-vision.

If the above is accepted then where does it all lead us to in our 
discussions about the "evolutionary" trend of growth in Vedantic ideas?

Sudarshan


>From: "sriram suresh" 
>To: sudarshanm@hotmail.com

>Respected sir,
>              It is true that the term visistaadvaitha was never used by 
>Sri Ramanuja but he answers his vedantic view or standpoint to a question 
>raised by the purvapaksin whether Ramaanuja agrees with the texts called 
>abedha(i.e one speaking of oneness) or bedha shrutis(plurality) or 
>intermediate texts called ghataka-shruti(like texts of antaryaami brahmaana 
>of Brahadaaranyaka upanishad speaking  about the earth and the jiva being 
>ensouled by brahman forming his body,but whom they do not know etc.).This 
>can be found in his work called VEDAARTHASANGRAHA.I feel if one has to 
>understand Raamanuja's vedantic view or his understanding of the upanishads 
>or to know the essentials of his philosophy,one has to read this book.It is 
>a master piece and a book which must be read by a student of vedantha.
>
>Sri krishnaarpanamasthu
>
>Regards
>B.N.Suresh


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