Seniors Post

Religion, Philosophy and Ethics

Remembering Ramanuja: Intellectual Love of God

GV CHELVAPILLA

Many years back Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari wrote in Swatantra, a magazine founded by Khasa Subba Rao, "While classes followed Sankara, masses follow Ramanuja."

All our savants did yeoman service in preserving India’s culture and civilization, some times against insurmountable odds. While Sankara faced a challenge from atheists and nihilists, the challenge to Ramanuja was of different kind. Islam was very much there. By placing the innate beliefs and common practices of masses on sound philosophical basis, Ramanuja ennobled and strengthened Vedic beliefs meeting the challenge without raising any armies. That was done later under Sri Krishna Deva Raya. It was Ramanuja’s Sri Vaishnavism of Visistaadvaitha that shaped the empire, that guided the King Emperor and the mighty armies of Vijayanagar stood as bulwark against Islamic aggression.

May 11 was the birthday of Ramanuja, also the birthday of Sankara, a strange coincidence or ordained by Destiny!

Ramanuja was born in the temple town of Sri Perumbudur, close to present Chennai, formerly Madras city. His family deity Sri Adikeshava Perumal had a temple there. And his father and mother were devout Vaishnavas. You can still visit the house he was born near the temple. In these columns, some time back, was pointed out how Sri Ethiraja Jeear located in the town, fought to preserve the sanctity against encroachment of ‘secularism’ and converting the town to Rajivpuram was pointed out. And for such sins the Congress party not only was wiped out in the region, even the Prime Minister at the time is still facing jail term. Such is Dharma, and powerful is The Truth and Satyameva Jayate (Truth Always Triumphs).That is our scriptures, saints and rishis tell us to follow Dharma. The mightiest of material forces stand humbled before the forces of Dharma. The history of India and the world from Pauranic ages to modern times is a witness.

Sankara advocated Advaitha, while Ramanuja’s philosophy was Visistaadvaitha, the non- dualism and qualified monism, roughly translated, respectively. And in contrast to both of these Madhva’s philosophy stands as dualism. All the three are based on the Vedas. Hence the Vedic aphorism, Sarva Dharma Samabhava. The key word is Dharma. It is the wily politicians who distorted this beautiful saying to equate non-Vedic Islam and Christianity among the Dharmas, an entirely untenable proposition.

All the three philosophies revolve around the relationship of three entities-- Iswara (the Lord), Jiva (living entity) and Prakruthi (material nature). Also one can describe as relationship between super soul, soul and matter.

Sankara gave primacy to common factors, the identical factors between the two, Super soul and soul. Hence, non-dualism. But Ramanuja emphasized the difference which he considered is of primary importance. And Madhva, of course, felt both Soul and Supersoul are always different and separate.

An analogy drawn was between a glass of water and ocean. Similarity of liquids was enough for Advaithins, but Visistaadvaithin sees the mighty vast ocean as different from mere glass full which can never be same. And soul, even in liberated state, can never be equated to that of all auspicious and mighty powerful Super soul or Narayana.

Swami Vivekananda also says in his commentary on Bhakti, that the power of governance of universe is not given to any one else, to even most exalted and liberated soul. That always remains with the Lord who is recognized in all three systems as Sriman Narayana.

Again regardless of differences between the three systems, which by no means unimportant, since they are all rooted in same Vedic source, none of these or our other saints ever claimed originality for the philosophical systems they propounded. There is always precedence, there are always predecessors going back all the way to the same source, the supreme Sri Maha Vishnu himself. Thus the scriptures are held in high esteem by all the three savants and world teachers. Ramanuja in his cogent and logical way develops the case in his commentary on Vyasa’s Brahmasutras, the supremacy of Vedas in revealing the Supreme since neither the senses nor the logic of limited faculties of embodied soul can ever hope to gauge either the vastness of Brahman or the unlimited auspiciousness of the same Sri Maha Vishnu.

The philosophy of Sankara, the Advaitha, was expounded rather too commonly so that there are many ‘commoners’ running around posing as God. They gather some followers and all of them, as stated by Krishna in the Gita, remind us of the blind following the blind. And this phenomena is not new. Krishna Himself encountered such an impostor, a contemporary, called Paundraka Vasudeva. And in later ages it became rampant enough to bother very much Yamunacharya, a great Visistadvaithin and a predecessor of Ramanuja.

The masses were looked down as bunch of superstitious folks, not knowing any better, flocked to temples where they worshipped stone and wooden idols. And the classes felt that they are such masters who have no need for such blind rituals for they went beyond that stage! Yamunacharya wanted some one to bring out the deep and sound philosophical basis behind our rituals and common practices of the masses. Ramanuja was answer to his prayers as also fulfillment of God’s promise to us never to leave us, the humanity. So it was.

So, in the Huna year of 101 AD, at Sri Perumbudur, a son was born to Kantimati and Keshavacharya. He was Ramanuja and grew to become Sri Ramanujacharya who gave a powerful thrust to India’s theistic philosophy. He lent a metaphysical basis to the popular great devotional or Bhakti movement. He did not borrow it, as the modern secularists would say from Sufis, but from Vedas. He cited his predecessors in this, in Dramida, Bhodayana and others. To verify, to get references he traveled all the way to Kashmir which was then literally head of India, both physically and spiritually abounding in scholarly pundits preserving our best of heritage. Now they are all gone and the place, from being a seat of Sarada, the goddess of learning and knowledge has become a playground for world’s worst scum who are dumped into Kashmir by ever obliging Pakistan, much like a neighbor dumping his garbage into your beautiful garden.

Thanks to Ramanuja the common rituals and practices of the masses acquired philosophical vindication based on sound arguments. Indeed they form an important part of Sanskritic philosophical discipline.

"The philosophy of Sri Ramanuja is termed Visistaadvaitha. The religious view presented by him is known as Sri Vaishnavism. He recognized God as one characterized by certain attributes (Visista). The two entities which stand in adjectival relations to Him are Nature or matter (Prakruthi) and the Individual soul (Jiva). While the former is non sentient, the latter is sentient. (Achit and Chit).Through these modes God manifests Himself in visible universe. Thus the Nirvana, the supreme Vasudeva known by name of Vishnu and thousand others, indicated by the term ‘Brahman’ qualified by both sentient and non sentient is the only reality. This is the philosophy of Visistaadvaitha." [From Life of Ramanuja, by M Yamunacharya, published by Bhavans Book University).

The preachers and teachers belonging to this tradition indicating these three truths, Iswara (God), Jiva (the soul) and Prakruthi (matter) carry three sticks tied together and are called Tridandi.

The soul and the matter are subordinate to God. The association of immaterial soul with material body constitutes creation. The physico chemical constituents of the body are just the same as those of entire physical universe. Ramanuja refutes the view that the matter or the living entity known as Jiva can be looked upon as constituting the cause of the world. God alone is the sole cause and He is both immanent in the souls as well as in physical universe. Yet remains transcendent as well. The soul invested with inherent knowledge when unfolds in perfection which is also inherent, will take its flight heavenward to the abode of Vishnu. This is the ultimate destiny, the liberation or Moksha. Thus in this journey for the soul to achieve such perfection, to get such qualifications, body becomes an important and necessary vehicle. Ramanuja defines body as any substance which a sentient soul is capable of completely controlling and supporting for its own purposes. And the body stands to the soul in an entirely subordinate position.

The body is thus capable of elevating the soul as also capable of degrading it, depending on how it is put to use. This body which is marvelous with its various organs and limbs is endowed on man by God out of His kindness and concern for the welfare of His dependents, so living can reach His presence. This is the summum bonum of human life.

The goal thus to cross this ocean of worldly entanglements, called Samsara, is no doubt difficult and therefore, requires strenuous effort. However, all excellent things, as Spinoza says, are as rare as they are difficult. Ramanuja who describes God as friend and a great commiserator says that this journey becomes easy due to inscrutable grace of Providence. This means ways are ‘provided,’ means are given, towards liberation and bliss, both here and hereafter. In this goal to reach such blissful God, the teacher or Guru, ever compassionate becomes a valuable companion who leads the seeker by the hand and takes upon himself to commend to God.

The same God out of mercy incarnates in worshipful images in temples, to come within the reach of our senses which cannot otherwise perceive Him even though He resides very close in the heart. As fire hidden in the wood, He resides is such consecrated images for the felicitous facility of embodied souls who are fortunate to go to temples.

Sri Ramanuja, besides all the knowledge, superb logic displayed in his works, remains essentially a lover of God. His devotional spirit pours forth even as one infatuated with the object of his love forgets everything else, even when he was dealing with most intricate subject matter or thorny questions of philosophy. Whenever he comes anywhere near mentioning any of the qualities of God which are all auspicious, he lets himself go in pure ecstasy of supreme love. This is true symptom of knowledge, Jnana maturing in love of God -- Bhakti -- both an end and means. This is similar to what Spinoza calls,Amor Intellectualis Dei ( Intellectual love of God).

Thinking of such personages on their birthdays and near that period of their appearance on this Earth helps along the path they traveled. This is the true purpose of observing Jayantis, but not to curry favor with some passing politico puffed up with pomp and pelf of power which are ever fleeting with each passing moment.

Soon it will be 1000 years since his appearance. In that period many Kings, Presidents and Prime Ministers came and gone. None can remember them. But when it comes to such saints as Sri Ramanuja their presence through their influence to help us, to get us endeared to Lord of Sri, is everlasting and most enduring. They will still be there after 2000 years and more. Time, in contrast to things material which get diminished with each passing moment, actually enhances such philosophies and ways as propounded by Sri Ramanuja. Following them is our good fortune.

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