The Saintly Tale of the Philosopher - Reformist Sri Ramanujacharya

The history of religions and their proponents have a wide niche of their own and they cannot be merged with other records justifiably. There have been a lot of figures in the past whose lives were filled with glorious accounts of revolutionary actions and this is not limited only to the patriotic heroes. The field of devotionalism and especially Hinduism has a great population of notable individuals who were responsible for radical activities. Sri Ramanujacharya, who was an exponent of the Vaishnavism, a branch of Hinduism, is also among them. Known more popularly as Sri Ramanuja, his thinking and teachings had quite a massive impact on the followers of Hinduism. The Divine Gifts that he had been bestowed with in form of spiritual knowledge were utilised in propagating the religious beliefs.

Childhood of the Saint: The sources of information about the early life of the pious personality are limited to the hagiographies written by his followers.  As per some traditional sources, he was born in a Tamil Brahmin family to the parents Kesava Somayaji and Kantimathai. His birth place was the village of Perumbudur and his birth date has been a matter of contradiction between the traditional and modern scholars. As per the views 1017 and 1077 CE were the two probable years when he took birth. Ilaiya Perumal, as he was named by his parents, was a promising child from the beginning. He grew up during the rule of Chola dynasty and in an environment where multiple beliefs related to religion were prevalent in the society.

Education and Early Life: After the death of his father Somayaji, Ilaya Perumal was sent to Kanchipuram or Kanchi for the further studies as a disciple of Yadava Prakasha. The teacher was a follower of Advaita Vedanta, a Hindu monistic belief which gained popularity during the time. Through his theological acumen and good learner’s impression, Perumal soon became a good student. However, it is said that he often had disagreements with his Guru on the interpretation of Upanishads and they had fell out as his Guru’s doctrine did not support the theory of a God with form. After this he went on to start his own small school and shared his Divine Gifts with people in form of devotional discourses.

It is believed that later on he was influenced by the Kanchipurna, a disciple of Yamunacharya, who was a great scholar of Vedanta. As per legends, Yamunacharya sent for Ramanuja, impressed by his fame, to give him the position of the Math of Srirangam after his death. Before the meeting, the soul of Yamunacharya departed and Ramanuja was left with his three wishes – becoming his successor, writing Visishtadvaita Bhashya, perpetuating the names of Maharishi Parashara and saint Sadagopa. The married life of Ilaya Perumal has also been shrouded in uncertainty. Some say that he was married to Rakshakambal at the age of 16, whom he left when he became a saint, while others give a different account.

The Philosophies and Work of the Theist: The philosophy of Ramanuja was highly similar to another sub-school of Vedanta known as Madhavcharya’s Dvaita. Both the philosophies advocated the individuality of the Jiva (human) and Brahman (God) and the purpose of the former of serving the latter. The doctrines of the Ramanuja came to be known by the name Vishisthadvaita which translates into qualified non-dualism. It preached that human beings are quantitatively different from the Supreme, but share the same essence of the Brahman. As per him, human beings are the fragments of Him and contemplation, meditation instead of ritual practises using Puja Samagri were prescribed by him. The theory of Adi Shankara Advaita, or the third branch were rejected by him several basis.

The theologies of the saint are reflected in his Sanskrit works named Vedarthasangraha, Sri Bhasya, Bhagvad Gita Bhasya, Vedantapida, Vedantasara, Gadya Traya (a set of three texts) and Nitya Grantham. Of these texts, the first three became the most famous works of the Sri Ramanujacharya. He is said to have travelled and propitiated his philosophies to many parts of the country and cleansed the many evils prevalent in the community. His preaching laid the foundation of the Bhakti movement. He is said to have died somewhere around 1137 or 1157 CE as per two different views.

 

Author’s Bio: An enthusiast of ancient Indian culture and tradition, Puja Shoppe is a writer of spiritual issues. He does extensive research on the topics and has knowledge about Puja Samagri, Divine Gifts customs, beliefs, and their origin.