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Salutations to AchArya RaamAnujA on His Thirunakshathram

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Sadagopan • April 18, 2002 


SrI:

SrImathE RaamAnjAya Nama:

Dear Fellow RaamAnuja DaasAs:

This is one of the greatest days in our sampradhAyam.
AchArya RaamAnujA was born in the year 1017 C.E at
the hamlet of SrI PerumbhUthUr for saving us from
the horrors of SamsAric afflictions.He lived an exemplary 
life as a ParamAchAryan and reached Parama Padham 
in 1137 C.E. after completing the tasks assigned
to Him by the Dhivya Dampathis. 

His First Millenium celebrations will start 15 years 
from now ; the preparations are underway to establish 
a most appropriate and enduring monument is to grow 
further the great legacy He left behind through His 
Nine SrI sookthis for the benefit of humanity in general
and SrI VaishNavA community in particular. 

AchArya RaamAnujA expounds the philosophical
doctrines of VisishtAdhvaitham following 
the Sidhditrayam and Aagama PrAmANyam of 
Swamy AaLavanthAr and the teachings of 
His five AchAryAs :Periya Nampi,Goshti PoorNa,
MaalAdhAraa/ThirumAlai AaNDAn, AaLavandhAn
AaLvAN and Thirumalai Nampi/SrI Saila PoorNa. 

Thiruvarangatthu AmudanAr's RaamAnuja NooRRandhAthi,
Swamy Desikan's YathirAja Sapthathi, SrI MaNavAla Mamuni's
YathirAja Vimsathi extoll in great detail about the life ,
Vaibhavam and the anugraham of AchArya RaamAnujA. AchArya 
RaamAnujA's scholastic genius , AchAryakathvam, administrative
skills are legendary. A small attempt has been made to capture
the Vaibhavam and contributions to the growth of SrI VaishNavam
in the form of an Interactive Multimedia CD ROM .

Today , adiyEn will attempt to reflect on the glories of 
His SrI sookthis very briefly. These are nine in number:
(1) VedArtha Sangraham composed in front of Lord SrinivAsan
of Thirumalai (2)Vedaantha DhIpA (3) VedAntha SaarA 
(4) SrI Bhaashyam (5) SaraNAgathy Gadhyam (6)SrIranga 
Gadhyam (7) SrI Vaikunta Gadhyam (8)GitA BhAshyam 
and (9) Nithya grantham/Bhagavad AaarAdhana PrayOgam.

1. VedArtha Sangraha
*********************
This first SrI sookthi of AchArya RaamAnujA is an elaborate work
focusing on the contents and meaning of the important texts
of VedAs and Upanishads .It also elaborates on the tenets of
VishitAdhvaitham and criticizes soundly the views of rival
Schools like AdhvaithA , Bhaskara , YaadhavaprakAsA. He 
summed up brilliantly the Tatthva-Hitha-PurushArTams 
from the VisishtAdhvaitha point of view .

VedAntha DhIpA and VEdAntha SaarA
**********************************
These two works are brief commentaries on
Brahma SoothrAs. Out of compassion for aspirants
like us of average intellect , AchArya RaamAnujA 
blessed us with these two simpler commentaries on 
Brahma SoothrAs.

2. VedAntha DhIpam
*******************
VedaAntha DhIpa is a shorter version of the complex
magnum opus of SrI BhAshyam , where much of the elaborate
arguments are eschewed for easy comprehension.

The invocatory slOkam of VedAntha DhIpa is a beautiful
salutation to SrIman NaarAyaNA as translated by 
Vaikunta Vaasee SrImAn K.BhAshyam from the commentary of
SrI UtthamUr Swamy :

" May my mind be devoted to the service at the lotus
feet of Him , who is the First of Primeval Being ,
the Lord of SrI , the Immeasurable , the abode of
excellent qualities, the Destroyer of all evil , 
the Dweller of parama Padham (Vaikuntam) and who 
is beyond the reach of speech or mind , but within
the range of vision of His Devotees" .  

Every thing that is needed to characterize SrIman 
NaarAyaNan with His Ubhaya Lingathvam in all His 
majesty is right here in this MangaLa SlOkam.

3. VedAntha Saaram
********************
VedAntha SaarA  brings out the essence of Brahma SoothrAs
in  a very concise manner .It begins with this benedictory
verse:

Samastha chidhachith vasthu sarIrAyaakhilAthmanE
SrImathE niramlAnandhOdhanvathE VishNavE nama:

(Meaning): " I bow unto VishNu , who has as His body
all the sentient and non-sentient beings , who is 
the Self of all objects , who is associated with 
SrI Devi and who is the ocean of bliss untainted 
by impurity(of any kind)".

AchArya RaamAnujA postulates a personal God and
defines Brahman thus:  By the word Brahman is denoted 
the highest person , devoid of all blemishes and 
is the abode of all kalyANa gunams , which are 
countless and unsurpassable in their excellence.
He establishes a world that is real as opposed to
the world of illusion of advaithins. AchAryA 
RaamAnujA accepts Both Bhakthi ( devout and 
intense meditation on Brahman) and Prapatthi
as the means for gaining Parama PurushArTam
of Moksham.The definition of Brahman is handled
elaborately in SrI BhAshyam with powerful PramANams.

4.SrI BhAshyam
***************
AchArya RaamAnujA prepared Himself to write 
this Magnificent and brilliant SrI Sookthi
for more than half of His long life. At the outset ,
The Benedictory slOkam sets the tone for this
great SrI sookthi:

Akhila-bhuvana-janma-sTEma-bhangAdhi-leelE
vinatha-vividha-bhUtha-vrAtha-rakshaika DhIkshE
Sruthi-Sirasi VidhIpthE BrahamaNi SrInivAsE 
bhaavthu mama parasmin sEmushI Bhakthi-roopA

The extraordinary references to Brahman in this
MangaLa slOkam has been commented upon by 
U.Ve Saaraj~na SirOmaNI ChakravarthyAchArya 
in three pages of chaste Sanskrit. The main 
thing for us to remember is the Passage in
this SlOkam: "Sruthi-Sirasi VidhIpthE 
BrahMaNi SrInivAsE". Brahman with anantha
KalyANa GuNams and as Sriya: Pathi is 
recognized as the Supreme Reality , which
is specifically and pre-eminently revealed
in Upanishads.

In His commentary on the second Soothram 
( JanmAdhyasya Yatha:) , AchArya RaamAnujA
defines this Brahman further :

Asya- achinthya-vividha-rachanasya niyatha-dEsa-kaala-
phala-bhOga BrahmAdhi Sthambha-paryantha-KshEthaj~na-
misrasya jagatha: , Yatha: -YasmAth SarvEsvarAth nikhila-
hEya-prathyaneeka-svaroopAth , sathya sankalpAth, 
Jn~AnandhaAdhya-anantha-kalyANa guNAth , Sarvajn~Ath 
sarva-sakthE: parama kaaruNikAth ParasmAth Pumsa:
Srushti-STithi-PraLAyA: pravarthanthE Tath BrahmEthi
SoothrArTa:

(Meaning): " That Supreme Person , who is the ruler of 
all; whose nature is antagonistic to all evil; whose 
purposes (always)come true; who possesses infinite auspicious
qualities such as knowledge, bliss and so on ; Who is
omniscient , omnipotent, supremely merciful ; from whom
the creation , sustenance and re-absorbtion of this
world-- with its manifold wonderful arrangements , 
not to be comprehended by thought , and comprising 
within itself  the aggregate of souls from Brahman 
downwards to blades of grass , all of which experience
the fruits (of their previous deeds) in definite 
points of space and time --That is Brahman. Such is
the meaning of this SoothrA"(SrImAn RaagavachAry's
translation).

Tatthva-Hitha -PurushArtam in SrI BhAshyam
******************************************
>From there on , AchArya RaamAnujA goes on to establish
Brahman as the Supreme Tatthva. He successfuly differentiates
in the MahA SiddhAntha section of SrI BhAshyaa VisishtAdhvatha
doctrines , which constitute the SrI RaamAnujA school of
vedAnthA. He opposed the illusionstic Monism (advaitham) ,
the grosser forms of BhEdhAbhEdhA and also Dhavitham.

Regarding Hitham or Means , first , AchArya RaamAnujA 
establishes the nature of Jivan or individual soul.
He defines that Jivan is neither separate from Brhaman
nor wholly identical with Brahman.Jivan is established
as an amsam or part of Brahman (in the sense of forming
an adjectival mode). The travails of the Jivan in this 
mundane world and its search for the road to perfection
by seeking the Lord as means and upAyam for liberation 
are excellently described with pramANams.Various VidyAs 
to gain the anugraham of the Supreme Being are covered 
as a part of these discussions.

In the Fourth and final chapter of His SrI BhAshyam ,
AchArya RaamAnujA defines the nature of Moksham.
He points out that (1) Moksha is a deliverance from
all the binding Paapams and PuNyams (2) release of
the Jivan into the magnificence of its innate nature
and (3) the phalan and fulfilment of  its svabhAvika
tendency through the blissful experience of Brahman,
its innermost soul ( paripoorNa BrahmAnandham of
anantha klayANa guNa Brahman).This RaamAnujA identifies
as the destiny of the Jivan as revealed by Swamy
NammAzhwAr. 

adiyEn will conclude here the tribute to AchArya RaamAnujA 
on this wonderful day devoted to the celebration of 
His Vaibhavam and anugraham to us .

Sri Raamauja Charanou SaraNam prapadhyE
RaamAnuja Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil SaThakOpan


       
    


  
    

 






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