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The Life and works of AchArya RaamAnujA : Part 3

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • October 9, 1999 


The NINE Sri Sookthis of AchArya RaamAnujA
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This CD ROM has focused deeply on the Sri Sookthis of 
AchArya RaamAnujA and Bhagavadh AarAdhanam . AdiyEn
will therfore highlight the main points about 
AchArya RaamAnujA's Sri Sookthis .

(1) Sri Bhaashyam , the magnum opus of AchArya RaamAnujA 
is the greatest commentary on Brahma SoothrAs of 
BadarAyaNA and is based on the BodhAyana Vrutthi ,
TankA's VaakhyA , DramidA's BhAshyam on TankA's VaakhyA ,
Saankhyasapathi of IsvarakrishNA , PaancharAthra samhithA ,
AaLavandhAr's Siddhitrayam and Aagama PrAmANyam . 

With the help of select Sruthi, Smruthi and Saathvika 
PurANam passages, AchArya RaamAnujA effectively 
crticizes the other commentaries on Brahma SoothrAs
based on SankarA's AdhvaithA and BhAskarA's BhEdAbhEdA
as untenable and establishes the accuracy of Sri BhAshyam
rooted in Sri VisishtAdvaitham .

The essence of Sri Bhaashyam (Four Synoptic propositions ) 
has been summarized by Sro AdhidEvAnandA this way :

(a) It is a reasoned and critical reconstruction of 
    the philosophy of the Upanishads with due appreciation 
    of other sources of knowledge  such as perception 
    and inference  and the supplementary scriptures .

(b) The reconstruction presents Ultimate Reality , Brahman ,
    the Supreme Spirit ,as the trascendent respository of ALL 
    perfections and as holding as it's own embodiment 
    the totality of finite existence ,sentient and insentient .

(c) The pathway to the final good of life is the blissful
    communion with Brahman by way of devout and loving 
    contemplation named BHAKTHI , facilitated by 
    a life of virtue and founded on assured philosophical 
    understanding.

(d) The end attained through that means is the eternal 
    experience of Brahman , with all the plentitude and
    eternity which only that experience can bring to
    the individual personality .It is the supreme 
    ecstasy of Life in God . 


(2) The GitA BhAshyam is an elaboration of AaLavandhAr's
GithArtha sangraham . The individual verses are explained
in the light of the VisishtAdhvathic tenets : " Reality is
personalistic with countless auspicious attributes , and that 
it is a qualified whole of which Isvaran is the Soul ,
and the Jiva and the Jagat (Prakrti) form the body in 
inseparable relation with the Whole, but there are 
internal divisions of the nature of modes in It." 

The saadhanas that an aspiring human being should adopt for 
Moksham are explained by AchArya RaamAnujA here .Moksham
in the complete sense is explained as occuring with 
the fall of the physical body , "after which the released 
soul is clothed in a body of suddha-sattvA with which it is
able to commune with God and experience His overpoweringly 
august but loving presence through eternity ". This is
described as the experience of ParipUrNa BrahmAnandham 
in the abode of Sriman NaarAyaNA at Sri Vaikuntam .

3.VedArtha SangrahA : This elaborate treatise is 
an important commentary on the correct meanings of
the important passages of VedAs and Upanishads .This
grantham points out the deficiencies in the rival
schools of VedanthA in general and AdhvaithA in particular .
This grantham pays a lot of attention to the VisishtAdhvaithic
intrepretations of Tattva(Reality), HithA ( Means of attaining 
Brahma ) and PurushArtham ( Supreme Goal of Life).

4. VedAntha DipA : This grantham is a shorter commentary 
on Brahma SoothrAs. The essential purport of each of 
the SoothrAs is given. It stays away from the scholarly 
arguments of Sri Bhaashyam and does not include 
the ctitique of the rival systems .

5.Vedantha SaarA : This is yet another brief commentary 
on Brahma SoothrAs for those of average familiartiy 
with VedAthic doctrines. This grantham gives the meaning
of each soothram and AdhikaraNam .

6. SaraNAgathi Gadhyam : This is one of the three Gadhyams 
bequeathed to us by AchArya RaamAnujA.This gadhyam explains 
the nature , importance and method of performance of
Prapatthi at the sacred feet of the Divya dampathis .

7. Sriranga Gadhyam : Here AchArya RaamAnujA prays to 
Lord RanganAtha and Sri RanganAyaki with Parama 
Bhakthi and utter humility .

8. Sri Vaikunta Gadhyam : This is a moving description 
of Sri Vaikuntam visualized by AchArya RaamAnujA during
his divine ecstasy following his Prapatthi on a Panguni
Uttharam day in presence of the Divya Dampathis of Srirangam .
The depth of AchArya RaamAnujA 's mystical experience
of Sri Vaikuntam and the supreme bliss enjoyed there 
by the MukthAs and Nithya Sooris is unparalleled .

9. The Nithya-GranthA : This practical grantham instructs
us about the proper form of worshipping Sriman NaarAyaNA .
Hence , this grantham is also known as Bhagavadh-aarAdhana
PrayOgA . Fifteen points are stressed and these are elaborated 
further in this CD ROM dedicated to AchArya RaamAnujA .
Our great AchAryan insists that a VishNu Bhakthan 
MUST perform Aaradhanam to the Lord to qualify as His
devotee as described in the twelfth chapter of BhagavadhgitA .

His Kaimkaryam for SamprahAya Pravarthakam :

 After his return to Srirangam from ThirunArAyaNapuram ,
AchArya RaamAnujA as a great administrator established 74
SimhAsanAdhipathis to grow the Darsanam and gave them each 
a set of Sankham and Chakram for performing Pancha SamskArams.
He handed over copies of SrikOsam on Sri Bhaashyam to
ThirukkuruhaippirAn PiLLAn , NdAdUr AzhwAn, KidAmpi AacchAn 
and MudaliANDAn and asked them to continue with the pravachanam
of Sri Bhaashyam and made them Sri Bhaashya SimhAsanAthipathis.
He singled out ThirukkuruhaippirAn PiLLAn to initiate 
Bhagavadh Vishaya KaalakshEpam and made this special
sishyan (His Jn~Ana Puthran) a Ubhaya SimhAsAnAthipathi.

In addition to the above 74 simhAsanAthipathis, there were 
700 Jeeyars and 12,000 EkAnthis and thousands of Kainkarya-
parALs , who sought the sacred feet of AchArya RaamAnujA
for refuge.

Out of his infinite compassion , AchAryA RaamAnujA
in his last days gave us a five point guideline to follow 
(yathA sakthi)that would assure us the grace of 
Sriman NaarAyaNA :

(a)Perform KaalakshEpam of Sri Bhaashyam and spread
its message to others.

(b) If that is difficult , perform KaalakshEpam of
AzhwAr's aruLiccheyalkaL and spread their messeages .

(c) If that proves to be diffcult , perform daily 
Kaimkaryams at Divya Desams through offering 
NaivEdhyam to the Lord, lighting lamps in sannidhis ,
SamarpaNam of ThuLasi and flower garlands to 
the Dhivya dampathis et al.

(d) If that proves to be not possible , recite 
the Manthra Rathnam , Dhvayam , and contemplate on 
its meaning .

(e) If none of the above is beyond one's sakthi ,
then seek Sri VaishNava sathsangam and become 
the Thiruvadi of BhagavathAs to attain the bliss of 
Moksham .

Concluding Salutations to NamperumAL and AchArya RaamAnujA
************************************************************

AdiyEn  will conclude this short summary of the life and 
works of AchArya RaamAnujA with the three slOkams 
uttered in presence of Sri RanganAtha at the conclusion
of the AdhyayanOthsavam conducted by AchArya RaamAnujA :

sarvadEsa dasAkAlEshu avyAhata parAkramA
RaamAnujArya dhivyAj~nA vardhathAm abhivardhathAm
---- ThirukkuruhaippirAn PiLLAn 

RaamAnujArya DhivyAj~nA prathivAsaramujjvalA
DhiganthavyApini BhUyAth saa hi LokahithaishiNi
---- MudaliANDAn

Sriman Srirangasriyam anubhadravAm anudhinam samvardhaya
Sriman Srirangasriyam anubhadhravAm anudhinam samvardhaya
--- AchArya RaamAnujA 

May we seek the blessings of the Parama DayALu ,
AdhisEshAvathaarar , Sri RaamAnujA and the Guru paramparai 
established by him on the occasion of the release of
this Special CD ROM celebrating his immortal gifts for us 
and conclude with His Taniyan :

yO nithyam Achyutha PadhAmbhujayugmarugma
  vyAmOhatha: tadhitharANi thruNAya mEnE 
asmath GurO:BhagavadhOsya  dayaikasindhO:
  Raamaanujasya CharaNou SaraNam prapdhyE 

DaasAnu Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradchAri Sadagopan 
PramAthi Samvathsaram, PurattAsi Pooram
KrishNa Paksha ThrayOdasi Thithi , October 7, 1999 .