A significant fact not very well known, is that Sribhashyam has the distinction of having the richest supporting material, amongst all commentaries of Brahmasutras. Acharyas interpreted the 4000 verses of Divya prabhandam in the light of Sribhashyam, and journals recording discourses and conversations since Ramanuja’s time are carefully preserved. Of these 700 year old works, the व्याख्यान of Tiruvaimozhi by five commentators starting from ஆறாயிரப்படி to ஈடு முப்பத்தாறாயிரப்படி are unmatched in demystifying Vedanta.

2. One would expect that Sribhashyam to have become a work of wide scholarship. Far from it. Though it is prized as a philosophical treasure worldwide, it is limited to a small community of experts. Sankara bhashyam and advaita ,on the other hand, are well known as the standard Indian philosophy in the student community. We shall look at one possible reason for this preference for advaita over visishtadvaita.

3. The very first verse of Tiruvaimozhi proclaims that the supreme is a person Purusha, not an abstract entity. He is gunapoorna, not nirguna. The jivakoti is several, their relation to the Purusha being one of dasa/swami. These are uncompromising standpoints stated in Stibhashyam, which are directly contradictory to advaita philosophy.

4. Coming to practices, Nammazhwar urges people to do आराधना, ritual worship with पत्रं, पुष्पम, फलं, तोयँ all simple offerings. He adores vedic yajnas. He advises seekers to take the name of the Lord, adorn themselves with पुंड्रम (நீறு செவ்வேயிடக்காணில்) and gather in groups and do नामसंकीर्तनं . All these नित्य, नैमित्तिक कर्मा are directed at the deity at home and at दिव्यदेशम . Tiruvaimozhi sings about avataras from beginning to end, Nammazhwar’s abhimana being Krishnavataram. Starting with Tiruvengadam (I-8-3), he sings about 28 divyadesams. Acharya hrudayam , a work on Tiruvaimozhi details how each divyadesam exemplifies a particular kalyana guna. It is in the light of these that Ramanuja holds that the vedas, karma and jnana khandas, are an integrated shastra, and that the upasanas prescribed are not to be ignored.

5. Vedas talk of devatas as persons with potencies that impact our lives. Our elders teach us that Vedas are like mothers, they will never lead us into delusion or deception. Numerous generations of our forefathers have experienced the truth of shastras in their lives. To this day, there are people amongst us who have felt the loving touch of God. At the same time, there are skeptics who dismiss faith as auto hypnotism, superstition, gullibility, etc. But faith is irrepressible even in this cynical age as evident from this popular song:

கற்பனை என்றாலும், கற்சிலை என்றாலும், கந்தனே உனை மறவேன்!

6. Practice of faith calls for some exertion and discipline. Unfortunately, these values are attacked by liberals as regimentation, denial of freedom, patriarchy, etc. Modern education places great importance on scientific evaluation of theories. The theory of evolution is interpreted as an implication that there is no intelligent God. Many educated persons find it hard to accept anything beyond an abstract central power as God. Even those who believe in a personal God have reservations about worshipping deities at temples. The only remnant of vedic faith is in those families where observance of faith has become an integral part of their daily lives.

7. It is this vast rationalist segment which finds advaitam very appealing. They view the philosophy and practices as sanitised Hinduism. Advaitam dismisses Vedas, rituals, and god as means of elevating the self, to be discarded after use. One need not bow to any being, because there is no second being.

8. Modern age advaita teachers also do not stress troublesome advaita concepts like karma, dharma, rebirth, etc. They justify their stand with the defence that these are all part of mithya prapancham.

9. Advaitam is also considered intellectually superior, because its content is totally abstract, indefinable, indeterminate. The fact that practice and achievement of brahma nishta in life is merely theoretical does not deter from its appeal.

10. Before concluding ,it is important to note that the sanitised advaitam’s preeminence is in material terms only. It is popular in international seminars, publications, institutions with massive financial muscle power, and finally with modern gurus with multitudes of foreign followers. The advaitam which Sankara taught, one of lofty principles and pious living, is still active in the lives of smartha and Saiva siddhanta followers. Their surrender of jiva identity is only in the mood of stressing the insignificance of self effort in liberation.

While discussing conflicting interpretations of vedic texts, we have to remember constantly that the differences, amongst advaita, visishtadvaita, and dvaita are due to different shades of अभिमान , that is variations in stressing some components, while the whole belief system remains the same. All the schools hold that an object grasped by our senses and mind can not be Brahman. Advaita takes this view to the extreme and makes it absolute. Srivaishnavas acknowledge that Advaita has shaped great saints. But advaita philosophy is called कुदृष्टि, a peculiar view.

2. Similarly, dvaitam is distinguished by exemplary spiritual discipline and illumination of some of the mysterious aspects of bhakti, which is the fruit of mature jnana. At the close of this post, I give the century old prayer of Hindu High School, Triplicane. This work of Ananda Tirtha is an expression of distilled vedanta, which will melt even a heart of stone. But dvaitam refutes advaita, which is a vedic teaching.

3. Ramanuja has kept the Sankara bhashyas of upanishads untouched, except to clarify a few ambiguous passages like “tat tvam asi”, in his short work Vedartha sangraham. For Upanishad discources, we turn to advaita teachers and the experience is very rewarding. The attitude of the teachers, the style of teaching and the thoroughness are very impressive.

4. There have many instances of bogus godmen cheating gullible people. Public are confused between genuine and fake swamis. Exploiting this, a few decades back there was a mud-slinging campaign against an ancient reputed advaita institution, an “exposure” of its misdeeds and the “hypocrisy” of its teachings. The severity was such that the future of the institution was in question. The Head of the institution , when informed, said “make a big poster of the allegations and display it at our gate!”. To the puzzled devotees he said “if, after reading it, one or two come to us, they are the persons we want.”. Such is advaita shraddha.

In advaita discources, there were no public question/answer sessions as in modern times. Even in private ,instead of pre-digested answers, teachers encouraged निदिध्यासन to cut asunder the knots of doubts.

In a small group someone asked an acharya to condense the teaching and give a one minute summary. The swamiji declined. Persisting, another said Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had condensed Gita into a single word “tagi”. Swamiji replied “a siddha can transmit knowledge like that, but that is not for everyone. One has seen the surgeon wield the knife, he has the surgery manual, will he attempt to perform an operation?”.

At some point someone said, “swamiji, you are blessed ,you are able to accept these teachings. I am afraid, I may never reconcile myself to some of these in this life”. Swamiji replied “we teachers follow a नियति. A teaching received has to be transmitted , whether I am fully convinced or not. There are many instances when disciples , by their words and actions, brought enlightenment to the guru on certain points.”

नानुध्यायाँ बहूनि शब्दानि (brihad 4-4-21) is stressed by all advaita teachers. During waking hours a mass of words roam in our consciousness, and we have to become efficient in retaining just one or two for deep reflection. Unnecessary words lingering in our minds will cloud our vision. Words, persons, events, experiences, transactions should melt away from our consciousness after their task is done.

Some snippets: we look back with pride at the fruits of our labour, namely house, car, investments, reputation, etc. We have some problems created by inimical forces. In fact, our problems are also truly self-earned fruits of our karma.

We are not happy when asked to renounce the fruits of karma. What if we know that the fruit is actually a bomb about to explode? The shadow of dosha haunts even the perfectionist’s karma.

We feel unhappy if we are forgotten, overlooked, ignored, or slighted. The yogi celebrates it as thinning of the thread of samsara. Samsaris are ever engaged in strengthening bonds, and then complain of bondage.

Even if one knows nothing about renunciation of desires, in the dreamless deep sleep state total absence of desires is achieved.

To understand anatma (achit) acting on anatma, think of a person eating idli every morning. The idli eaten yesterday is digested and become the flesh and bones, etc. When the person eats idli today, is it not a case of yesterday’s idli eating today’s idli?

Traditionally advaitam is taught by sannyasis only. It is recognized that householders are the backbone of society. Sannyasa or jnana is no protection against the common ills of samsara, the fruit of प्रारब्ध कर्म. They also clarify that a sannyasi’s life need not be very peaceful. One teacher said ” If there is politics in society consisting of householders who are normal people, imagine how much more politics will be there in sannyasi matams which house abnormal people!”.

Above are some impressions gathered from Kamakoti Paramacharya, Swamijis Ranganathananda, Niramayananda, and Guruparananda. It may give an idea of advaita teaching style and practice. Next we turn to a sample of advaita teaching.

6. Worldwide, spirituality and self control are inevitably connected. विषय स्पर्श विष स्पर्श is an observation of Lokacharya. The general srivaishnava prescription for overcoming desire and hatred is two fold. One is adherence to dharma, and the other is employing the senses in contemplating the दिव्यमंगल विग्रह of the Lord. This will work for astikas, but the advaita teaching is more universal. It is focussed on brahmachari-sannyasin, but the same principles hold good for chaste conduct of householders also.

In Gita the subject starts in II-55 to 72, pervades the whole work and concludes in XVIII- 37-39. These Gita passages are vedic commands stated in simple form.

Starting initiation in this discipline, advaita teachers remind us that we have passed through numerous births, some as men other as women, and enjoyed all pleasures and pains of living. We carry these impressions in our bodies and minds in subtle form. So प्रिय अप्रिय feelings are nstural. These are not barriers to liberation as long as these प्रियम्, अप्रियम् are without निबन्धनम् (Sankara). This means desire and hatred, if renounced at early stages, will not lead to bondage.

Hatred progresses in a way parallel to desire, and so we may see the course of desire alone.

The first stage is स्पर्श sense contact. Recollection of an object विषय , which we have seen, or heard, or smelt or tasted ,or felt is called dhyana ध्यान . Dhyana may lead to priyam(being agreeable). Priyam becomes modam मोदम् (pleasurable) on further dhyana. Continuation of the process leads to प्रमोदम् (thrill felt in every cell of the self). There are many shades of desire signified by रागम्, तृष्णा, etc. Soon a stage is reached when life appears meaningless without possessing the object of desire. If the desire is fulfilled, then there is a cooling off, which even turns to disinterest or aversion eventually. Then there is a new attachment and the same cycle is repeated.

Advaita recommends choking this mushroom effect by viveka or discrimination. All beings are reflections of the single सत् , self is one and the desired object another. If the self is lacking in sweetness, it is due to failure to trace the sweetness within the self. What can not be found internally can not be found externally. A true sannyasi is one who is connected to his internal refreshing spring.

Contrary to popular view, the sannyasi is not taught to be blind to beauty, or deaf to melody, etc. These qualities are taught as noble values in their sphere, to be respected as taught in the penultimate sloka of chapter X of Gita यद्यद् विभूतिमत्सत्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा। तत्तदेवावगच्छ त्वं मम तेजोँँशसम्भवम् ।। Actually treating a गुण as दोष is a negative trait असूया. The sannyasi has the whole world as his family, which can be truly practised only if attachment to a limited family is sublimated. This principle is readily grasped by the advaita student , because the entire upanishad education has the recurring theme of understanding व्यष्टि and analyzing and extrapolating it to समष्टि.

Properly adapted, these precepts are valuable guides to householders also.

The topic of brahmacharya or the आत्मगुण of शम दम is a vast one, and we can only see some illustrative points. We may conclude this topic by reiterating that at the level of siddha, a seasoned practitioner, there is no question of restraint or control; rather nature, mind and body are like hand tools for that person.

We may also note that the advaita concept of mithya prapancham (the accurate description given is प्रातिभासिक सत्यम ) is also useful to us. While we can not apply it to our sastras ,deities, acharyas, theerthas or kshetras, we do roam in a mithya world in our material dealings. Everyday some of our beliefs and assumptions proven false. Something we believed lifelong turns out to be a one-side view. Familiarity with the concept of mithya helps us to understand and live with gross disorder in society.

Finally, a noble expression of dvaitam. Hindu High School was famous for several srivaishnava, smartha, and madhwa teachers, Headmasters. Some famous nsmes are Subramanya Iyer, Raghavendra Rao, and T.S.Rajagopalan. The school prayer is an indication of the values imparted by them.

याचेहम् करुणासिन्धो यावज्जीवमिदम् तव। अदैन्यम् देहदार्ढ्यंच त्वत्पादाम्बुज सम्स्मृतिम्।।

अनाद्यनन्त कालेषु भृत्योहम् त्वम् हि मे प्रभुः। त्वम् तुष्टो वाअथ रुष्टो वा त्वाम् विना मे गदिर्नहि।।

तुष्टोसि त्वम् दयासिन्धोकिमन्यै मम रक्षणे। दोषानाम्च सहिष्णुत्वे त्वत्समो नास्ति भूतले।।

मत्समो नास्ति देवेश कृतघ्नो वंचको भुवि। प्रसीद अशुल्कदासोहम् शश्वत्तव जगत्पते।।

जगत्स्वामिन् दयापूर्ण यदि त्वम् न दयापरः।तदा का गदिरस्माकम् गरदायाम् स्वमातरि।।

त्वमेवैको जगत्राता दाता ज्झाता दयान्वितः।त्वाम् विना कः पुमान् कर्ता ह्यस्माकम् तु मनोरथम्।।

दीनबन्धो । दयासिन्धो ।सुहृत्बन्धो जगत्पते। अज्झान सिन्धुमग्नम् माँ आपत्सख समुद्धर।।

सुकृतीनाम् दयालुत्वम् करोषीति किमद्भुतम्। तत्कृतम् चेदनाचारे तदेव विपुलम् यशः।।

प्रसीद मे जगन्नाथ। सुप्रसीद दयानिधे। पुनः पुनः प्रसीदत्वम् प्रसाद वरदो भव।।

We have seen how the problems of anupapatti defy reconciliation between advaitis and visidhtadvaitis. But, we should remember this is the subject for vidwans only, who have devoted sufficient time to study all systems carefully. Though such debates are apparently vigorous, both sides are fully aware that their paths are identical all the way up to 99%. It is only at the peak that the beliefs diverge because of varying degrees of abhimana, the mapping of identity. Otherwise, all of us honour and follow our Acharyas, and live as our dharma dictates. The ultimate destiny for all of us is at the pleasure of the Supreme only, as succinctly explained in the verse “nAyamatma pravachanena…vivrunate tanum svAm” occurring in Mundaka and Khatha Upanishads. Srivaishnavas especially value this as “janma jayamana kataksham”.

2.In fact , it is because of this strong foundation of our faith in the bedrock of omnipotent almighty, that we ignore the provocation of fanatical Christians and Muslims shouting from rooftops “Ours is the only true way. Others are doomed to eternal hell”. We protest only when they attempt to convert Hindus by sword or fraud. The semitic religions have destroyed native faiths throughout the world as pagan,by massacres and destruction which are recorded in their history with pride. But those religions are now mired in extreme worldliness in pursuit of wealth, power, and numbers. They have created an insecure world, plagued by suspicions, competition, terror and total decline of humane ethical values. People totally unaware of our sanatana dharma are now rediscovering truths which have been stated in far refined manner in upanishads.

3. The Advaita concepts of nirguna, abheda, aikyam etc are associated with great values like vairagya, eradication of desires, etc. Nammazhwar who is Satakopa Muni rounds up Tiruvaimozhi with the words “attained Paramapadam on cessation of desires”.

அவாவற்று வீடு பெற்ற குருகூர்ச்சடகோபன்…

A simple example will highlight the worth of the lofty advaita principles, and the havoc they could cause in the event of slightest misapplication. The Kamakoti Paramacharya Chandrasekharendra Saraswati is internationally renowned for his saintliness and wisdom. His uncompromising adherence to advaitic thought enabled him to appreciate and uphold the treasures of vedic wisdom, the ennobling quality of sastras, the mysticism of temples- kshetras- theerthams-moorthys as epicentres of spiritual aura, and above all the eternal and indestructible nature of Hindu sanatana dharma thanks to systems evolved over thousands of years. A certain Srivaishnava vedic scholar of repute was deeply devoted to the Paramacharya. For the greater part of his life the srivaishnava respected the vedic beliefs and observances. But in his latter life, he developed vipareetha bhavana (a type of negative attitude) and started proclaiming that vedas were not sacred as they were composed by dominant groups to further their self interests, that the sastras were hollow and vain, that srivaishnavism had crept into temples surreptitiously, and that Hindu dharma was bound to collapse and meet its doom! His statements were supported by laboured interpretation of veda and sastra passages. Coming as it did from a renowned vedic scholar, his books were gleefully adopted by atheist Dravidian readers and proclaimed as the confessions of an approver! This Srivaishnava’s writings, supported by profuse quotations from Vedas and sastras, were in conformity with the atheist Dravidian propaganda, prominently engraved in stone under the statue of their leader EVR popularly called “periyar” meaning “great man” , in every prominent public square of Tamil Nadu.

Mercifully, the Paramacharya who was steadfast in sanatana values till his last breath, did not hear these details regarding the srivaishnava.

Many advaita and Saiva passages are quoted with admiration by Vaishnava acharyas. e.g

“Let the world cease to exist for me. Let me cease to exist in the eyes of the world”.

“கேடும் ஆக்கமும் கெட்ட திருவினார்

ஓடும் செம்பொனும் ஒக்க நோக்குவார்”

“Cover the entire world with the blanket of Easwara” (Isavasya upanishad opening lines).

We shall see a few more illuminating advaita teachings in the next post.

We have to see how and why the issue of anupapattis agitated the minds of our Acharyas.

4. Chandogya Upanishad is one of the the main pillars of Brahmasutras .It starts with associating Brahmam with the ultimate rasam (“rasam” means essence and also the most endearing taste. One may get an idea of rasa by considering the example from Bhagavata purana ,top ranking bhakti work. Rasa leela celebrating Krishna-gopis spiritual love is the zenith of that work.) Rasam with Brahmam is apparently inappropriate, as the supreme is not a matter of anubhavam. But this jnana takes the back seat when there is swelling of prema as in the case of azhwars.

Here it is our duty to dispel doubts about how rasa, that is enjoyment, is spiritual. In our temples we see the moorthy images bedecked with ornaments and flowers, which is an expression of rasa. These appeal to a lay devotee and gives an idea of power and auspiciousness. But very few know that the main aradana is done behind curtains to the salagrama moorthy, an essential part of every sannidhi, as we can see if we look carefully. The theertham (charanamrutam) we receive at temples is salagrama sripada theertham, which is sacred as elders explain in detail. Thus the rituals have varying gradations appropriate to varying degrees of preparedness of devotees.

The love of azhwars was pure and sublime.

அஞ்ஞானத்தால் கலங்கியவர்கள் சம்சாரிகள்

ப்ரேமத்தால் கலங்கியவர்கள் ஆழ்வார்கள்.

Love is the noblest emotion found in the animal kingdom, and in the human race love of God is the hallmark of spirituality. The concept of love or bhakthi has no place in the heights of advaita. This is the background or unmentioned basic flaw, expressed as objections euphemistically termed unupapatti or inconsistency. It is worth noting that famous advaitis have celebrated this rasam. Thyagabrahmam sang about Rama nama rasam of Ramabrahmam. Krishnapremi holds namarasam as the siddhantam; he has published Kamakoti Bodendra Saraswati’s “Bhagavat Namamrutha Rasodayam”, from centuries old palm leaf scripts.

5. The advaita logic is that every resource should be treated as a stepping stone , which should be discarded after use. This starts with the world, extends through vedas and Easwara ,and finally jivatma which is finally discarded ,ending in absolute existence devoid of substance. Of course, advaita does not call it “discarding”, but liberation from mithya. Our acharyas point out that vedas can not be interpreted as teaching that their teachings are false, and that vedic term Advaita really means “The Supreme is One, without a second”. Srimad Bhagavatam talks of nirvisesha chinmatram as a kalyana guna of Krishna. Gaudapada and Sankara only first use these words to talk about brahman. They also indicate it as one of the many ways, not the only way. Before them we don’t come across rejection of jivan or prapancham or easwaran as mithya in philosophical works.

6. Advaita teaches the seeker to perform vedic duties with the full awareness that they are all mithya performed in a dream world. This would amount to ashraddha. Sankara would not have dreamt of such a view. Nor Bhaskara ,Yadava , Bhatta , Prabhakara and a host of others who preceded Ramanuja. It is probably only in the 16th century that the present hardened views took shape. What we now call Sankara’s advaita is a vastly transformed version, Sankara’s name being taken only to lend it prestige. From Sribhashyam we find that this process has started even before the time of Ramanuja.

7. We may extend our examination to other Indian belief systems also. They all derive their nourishment from the same eternal springs. Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, animist faiths and Vedic sects have strong fundamental bonds. All these faiths affirm our existence spanning several births resulting from karma. All affirm dharma which enjoins us to perform our duties to keep the wheel of existence moving. All recognize that each home is a shrine. Salagrama (Muktinath) one of the holiest vaishnava shrine is common to Hindus and Buddhists, the priest being Buddhist. In Thailand, Hindu priests officiate at Buddhist ceremonies. All Indian religionists freely worship at Hindu temples.

8 .One may ask, why exclude other Western religions. We don’t. Europeans and Americans frequently asked Kanchi Paramacharya or Ramana maharishi what they should do to live as Hindus. They received the same reply;there is no baptism in Hinduism. All those not allergic to being called Hindu, are Hindus.

9. We have seen that Ramanuja was noted for utmost humility, extreme circumspection, and a  great sense of responsibility in the fulfillment of his master’s last wish. We have also seen he never condemned any person or doctrine, but pointed out inconsistencies, which resulted in picking holes, while accepting the whole. But his work has met with adverse criticisms which continue despite detailed rebuttal through the ages, the most brilliant and unshakable one being Vedanta Desika’s Satadushani. Over the years criticisms have increased further, critics reiterating their same standpoints. It has become more shrill since 19th century when advaitam caught the fancy of Western scholars due to its deep mysticism. Like the atom, which packs sufficient energy within itself to destroy the whole world, each one of us is the infinite omnipotent omnipresent Brahman, the one which exists without a second, and most importantly not a person or object but pure absolute existence. Under Western influence the philosophy is now tinged with parapsychological and psychedelic elements. Men and women put on ochre robes, smoke narcotics and chant Sivoham, Aham Brahmasmi ,and Tatvamasi in a bid to reach brahmasamadhi. 

10. Debates between Srivaishnava and Advaita followers has become stereoype. Basically the Srivaishnava says “No way I can accept or reconcile myself to believing I am Sriman Narayana , who is under an illusion that he is a jiva . If it were so I would be aware that I am an avatara, because Maya  can not obstruct the wielder of Maya “. The advaiti replies “You will realise your folly only when you acquire the jnana that Ramanuja and Narayana are all mithya and  products of avidya. Avataras are all fanciful imagination, good to the extent they are stepping stones to jnana. They are your creations in your dream, but you will never know till you wake up. Once awake your avidya and Vidya go away and you yourself cease to exist, only existence remains”. There can be no end to this debate.

After initial exposure to Vedanta concepts in Sribhashyam, some students develop the curiosity and interest, if not serious doubts, about certain standpoints. For instance, jiva-Brahma union (aikyam) appears logical as the droplets of a ocean must merge with the parent. Bheda is another contentious point, because Brahman is, after all, the material cause. Nirguna as the transcendental attribute appears most appropriate to the supreme reality. There are similar doubts about mithya prapancha, etc., These are all concepts set aside by Sribhashyam as anupapatti, a technical term which shall be explained at the end of this post.

2. Our Poorvacharyas have advised us to steer clear of the concepts of jiva-brahma aikyam, abheda, nirguna etc., in the student stage, as these are inevitably linked to sarvasunyavadam. To understand this we have to look into the history of post-Sankara advaitam.

3. Lord Narayana Himself is considered the first teacher and rishi of advaita. Sankara Bhagavadpada is prominent in the parampara, and famous world-wide. His achievements are the subject of several volumes. He saved vedas from extinction by outwitting Buddhists in their own crafts. He retrieved murthys desecrated by Buddhists and restored the sanctity of Himalayan shrines like Badrinath and Kedarnath. He wrote comprehensive commentaries on Upanishads, Gita, Brahmasutras, Vishnu sahasranamam, etc. He composed many philosophical treatises and stotras. Most importantly, Sankara wrote a bhasyam on Brahmasutras and he clearly indicated that saguna brahman and nirguna brahman are equally valid concepts. This is natural flowing from the opening verses of Gita chapter XII. The perception of supreme reality and one’s relationship to it are determined by the individual’s tastes, samskaras accumulated over a series of janmas, and no view is superior or inferior. It is in keeping with this view that he formulated shanmatha, six deities one or several of which a person may worship ceremonially.

4. Sankara’s guru was Govindapada, whose guru was Gaudapada. Gaudapada had written a karika, a commentary in verse form ,on Mandukya Upanishad. The Upanishad has 12 verses and the Karika 180 verses. Couched in simple Sanskrit, the karika reads like a Buddhist text, but actually it is a vaidika work explaining the imagery waking-dream-sleep and pranavam employed in Mandukya Upanishad.

5. Gaudapada karika is divided into four prakaranas. In the first agama prakaranam the central subject of the Upanishad, that is Brahman , Iswara, known by pranavam is Satyam is well explained. But in vaitatya and Advaita prakaranams which follow, Gaudapada lists about thirty vital aspects of existence starting with prana and ending with srishti sthithi vinasam, and declares all as mere fancies of human mind. Man is the creator of material world, animate and inanimate beings, action and inaction, vidya and avidya, samsara and moksha, Gods and heavens, all these being an elaborate dream, Relativity is a meaningless concept as every effect is a cause and cause the effect. When there is only existence, there is no scope for knowledge, experience, or action or time. Easwara Leela is rejected as irrational.

6.The fourth Alatashanthi prakarana of the Karika starts with a salutation to Buddha, and it explains the phenomenal world by the imagery of wonderful shapes displayed in night sky by a flaming torch swung by a skilled artist. The movement is termed Alata spandana. The vision vanishes when the spandana or movement stops. This appears to be an effort to reconcile Buddhism and Advaita.

7. It is worth noting that the Karika is quoted by both Ramanuja and Madwacharya. That indicates that the work has a deeper meaning, underneath the apparent sunyavada. The series of apavadam or dismissal must ,at last strike at the root of scriptures and the Karika itself, which is an unexpected and unacceptable position, which should necessitate a re-examination of the original premises. It is logical to conclude that the author’s intention is to stabilize the seeker’s Shraddha in Upanishads by pointing out extreme consequences of stretching standpoints beyond reasonable limits.

8. The present rigidity of Advaita arose from the period when teachers after Sankara started “purification” of Advaita. Besides some of the Sankaracharyas occupying the four cardinal peethas, there are numerous works on Advaita, though there are varying opinions on authorship of particular work. They selected the buddhi-based passages from Gaudapada and Sankara, and reinforced these with many ingenious arguments. A few illustrative examples are given below:

i) Sankara’s catholicity was replaced by dogmatic gradation of spirituality. Mandukya Upanishad, mahavakhyas, and chatussutri were considered sufficient and complete jnana for uttama Adhikari (highest class of seeker of reality). The rest, namely 99% of Upanishads and 541 out of 545 Brahmasutras were branded as “for consumption of dull intellects and low class seekers.

ii) The deities Brahma Vishnu Siva were classified as jivas presiding over their respective samsara mandalams.

iii) Though in advaita samsara and moksha are impressions in dream state , and not in reality, those without jnana were declared ineligible for moksha. There is no explanation as to how intellectual acceptance of a belief would make any difference in that state.

iv) We enquire whether on dawn of jnana the jnani “wakes up”. No. His samsara will continue till his prarabdha karma is exhausted. He will be known as jivanmukta. Will he be steady in jnana at that stage? No. There could be slide back and recovery. Can we see and identify a jivanmukta? No.

All very unpredictable.

v) The above should not be taken to mean Advaita group is homogeneous, far from it. The orthodox mainstream advaitis hold that only sannyasis are eligible for moksha and that only Brahmin men are eligible for sannyasa. There are advaitis totally immersed in bhakti for Krishna or Siva, praise their countless Kalyana gunas, but declare that the swarupam of that deity is nirguna Brahman.

9. The summary and confused course of Advaita should be contrasted with Sribhashyam which harmonises the entire Vedas, Itihasas, puranas, Divya prabhandam, intuitive awareness of individual jivas, bhakti literature and experience, incorporating a meaningful interpretation of Advaita. We want to find the elusive common thread with advaitis which is bound to be there considering the common authority of Vedas. We acknowledge karma should cease, jnana should ripen, and bhakti refined. But they say karma, jnana, bhakti are ab-initio void, as there is nothing to do, know ,or love. We see a goal, but they say that is only a step. Realising that there is no goal is their goal. The most considerate response we get from them is “We are both on the same boat. I am aware of my ajnana. You are not”. A far cry from Sankara, who preferred to be called Bhagavat pada, feet of the Lord. He lies in jiva samadhi within the precincts of the famous Vadakkanathar temple in Trichur, and on the ground corresponding to his right and left shoulders ,large granite images of Sudarsana and Panchajanya (discus and conch) are placed.

10. The above should give a good idea of the implications of nirguna, abheda, and jiva-para aikyam,etc,. Nirguna because there is no vastu, chinmatram. No vastu because cognition of a vastu would nullify Advaita. Advaita interpreted as ‘brahma Eva Satyam, Jagat mithya” because, that is the pramanam, a fact hitherto unknown introduced by the Vedas as evident from mahavakhyas.

11. If we don’t accept Advaita logic, how do we explain passages like “mrittika Eva Satyam”? Instead of the example of ocean and droplets, ocean- ice vapour may be considered. Vapour and ice are real and separate from water , though they are also water. Vapour is continuously changing like inanimate matter. Ice floats on ocean. Beyond the example, there is the strong intuitive intimation of individual immortal Chaitanya, reinforced by scriptures and experience of generations, which is the bedrock of visishtadvaita.

12. One should not forget that Ramanuja is constantly aware of the chances of error and the speculative nature of the subject. He never condemned any view, some people mistakenly take khandanam as condemnation. Khandanam is only picking holes to remove irritants, things out of tune with the general design, called anupapatti. To give an example, before eating a rawa dosa, some of us examine the surface of the dish and remove pieces of chillies, peppers, curry leaves ,etc, picking holes in the dish . The dish itself is wholesome, and the spices have enhanced the flavour, but we don’t care to munch these pieces. Concepts of avidya ,etc are valuable to purify our minds, but wholesale rejection of everything is like throwing away the baby with the bathwater. We shall see a little more about anupapattis in the next post

Veda Vyasa who compiled the vedas, upanishads,and puranas states at the very beginning of Mahabharata (ch 1-267 itihasa puranabhyam…) “Veda Mata is scared by the gross misinterpretation of vedas, which should have been interpreted only in accordance with itihasas and puranas”. The misinterpretation continued in respect of Brahmasutras also, which were sought to be remedied by Sribhashya.

2. Ramanuja made the study and teaching of Sribhashya a sacred duty of each srivaishnava. For those who found it difficult, he offered some alternatives, one of which was taking up a humble residence in Tirunarayanapuram, also known as Yadusailam, Yadavadri, Melukote. The place is associated with sacred events/personalities in each of the successive yugas. It sheltered Ramanuja in a period of sectarian persecution by the Chola king. It’s remote rural ambience continues to be protective and conducive to cultivation of jnana.

3. Three centuries after Ramanuja, Vedanta Desika, escaping murderous Islamic raiders took refuge there with the Sribhashyam and Srutaprakasika texts and the two sons of Sudarsana Suri who wrote Srutaprakasika.

4. Tirunarayanapuram is the place where Ramanuja spent several years of the prime of his youth. It is the perhaps the most important in a series of Vishnu temples he rediscovered or restored. It is worth remembering that Tirumala Tirupati, Srikoormam, and Simhachalm are some other instances of this mission of identification and installation of deities and practices of worship.

5. The region around Tirunarayanapuram was under pressure from non vedic faiths which were spreading fast, replacing the Vedic religion. Ramanuja met them all in debate and halted the decline of vedic dharma. After that it was his turn to tackle the kudhrishti group, Vedic scholars who misinterpreted sastras under the deep influence of non-vedic principles.

6. It may be observed that the first sutra, jignyasadikaranam occupies fully 25% of Sribhashyam, the balance of 500+ sutras covered by the remaining 75%. This adhikaranam contains a logical evaluation of conflicting perceptions of Brahman. What we have to keep in mind is that Sribhashyam is the fruit of Ramanujja’s wide scholarship , discussions and reflection. It is one of those rare works, where the author lived for 80 to 90 years to clarify the positions taken therein. Guruparampara records that Ramanuja spent 12 years in Tirunarayanapuram in the kainkaryam of Perumal and Sribhashya kalakshepam. Thus Tirunarayanapuram occupies a place of honour in the field of Sribhashyam study.

7. From the point of view of the Sribhashya students, Tirunarayanapuram area holds the highest promise of notes jotted during Ramanuja’s time, or karnaparampara traditions. Unfortunately, due to the holocaust unleashed by Tippu Sultan and his murderous hordes, the hope has shrunk.

We may turn our attention next to the origins and development of Brahmavichara briefly.

We have seen how Lord Varadan put his stamp of approval on Ramanuja’s Sribhashyam venture, by his famous six sentences through Kanchipoorna.

2. Varadan on Garuda vahana is described as acharyas as “visible brahmam”. Garuda is Vedas personified, and by lifting and showing Varadan to the world proclaiming “He is the Brahman I describe in vedas” . Varadan on Garuda rushing to the rescue of Gajendra is the event remembered by each Srivaishnava on waking up everyday by reciting the verses “graahagrasthe….”, and “nakrakranthe…” of Nadadur Ammal.

3. Ramanuja grew up around Vardan temple, did daily aradana to him lifelong, and was connected with Varadan in all events in his life like sannyasam, shift to Srirangam, etc. Following him Sri Vedanta Desikan was born in Thoopul, close to Vardan temple 250 years later, and he was also launched into an illustrious career by Varadan. During his time, Islamic invaders terrorized the country with ruthless slaughter of the masses, looting,destruction and burning of texts. Desikan risked his life to preserve the Sribhashyam text. Desikan is prominent in the tenkalai Sribhashya guruparamparai also.

4. Sri PBA swamy, one of the sampradaya giants of the last century has explained how the first verse of Tiruvaimozhi is an accurate description of Varadan as Parabrahmam in each of the four lines.

a) உயர்வற உயர்நலம்… The nalam or noble quality unique to Varadan is called nirhetuka kripa, spontaneous grace. Varam means a boon, invariably in return for some merit or good deed. But Varadan’s grace is just for the asking. One may ask why ,then, there is so much suffering in the world. The clouds may pour rains, and rivers full of water. Unless one digs a pond or well to receive the water, he has to suffer. We fail to draw His grace to us.

This line is important, because in one stroke it destroys the contention that brahman is nirguna.

b) மயர்வற மதிநலம்… This is the intellectual clarity for which Ramanuja prayed in the first dhyanasloka. We have seen how Varadan clarified Ramanuja’s doubts by his six sentences.

This line is the basis of our holding jnana as an attribute of brahmam and jivan.

c)அயர்வறும் அமரர்கள் அதிபதி … The moolavar is known as Devadi Rajan, which is what these words mean.

This shows brahman is not nirvisesham.

d) துயரறு சுடரடி…. These lines mean “the resplendent feet which banish distress”. In Varadan moolasthanam we get darshan of Him in five moorthys, one named “Pranata aarti haran,” which Sanskrit terms translate into “one who destroys the distress of devotees”.

5. Acharyas have held that Srivaishnava darsanam (darsanam means way, path, creed,etc.,) is the ultimate goal of Sribhashyam. Darsanam also means sight, and Varadan is reputed as one who grants vision or eyesight. Koorathazhwan had his eyesight restored by Him. When the venerable Kamakoti Paramacharya of Kanchi was advised an eye surgery, he said “do it close to Varadan sannidhi, under the benign glance of the darsana praksaka”.

6. Kanchi is the only mukti kshetra in the South mentioned in ancient texts. We shall next look at the role of Melkote Tirunarayanapuram.

Ramanuja starts Sribhashyam with a prayer to Lord Srinivasa of Venkatadri – Akhila bhuvana janma…… Srinivase….bhakti roopa. The name Srinivasa connotes a mithunam, the duo to whom all Srivaishnava prayers are addressed.

2. Two factors which turn people away from religion are talk of sin and death. In the West ,with the Abrahamic rule “the wages of sin is death”, the alienation is complete. But Vedanta takes the sting out of the subject.

3.  Vedanta lifts us out of gloom when we are oppressed by doubts about right and wrong. It tells us we are not mere frail flesh, but effulgent atma, untouched by sin. When we are swayed by pride ,Vedanta makes us humble, declaring “sarvArambhA hi doshena..aavruta”- all human endeavours are enveloped by faults.

4. Sins can be in action (controllable), in words (controlled with some difficulty) and by thoughts (almost uncontrollable). A sinful act actually calls for great effort, because it means overpowering  law, social code, defensive resistance, personal pride and honour, human traits of kindness and kinship,etc., Wisdom dictates that each hurdle is viewed as a helpful hand guiding us in the  path of righteousness.

5. Vedanta teaches  that adherence to dharma fries the seeds of sinful tendencies, thoughts and words, so that they will not sprout into action. Till the dharma way becomes strong and settled , action should be controlled with great effort. Thus the word papam is generally taken as kayika  – physical sin. Papa kriyasya saranam Bhagavat kshama eva – the Lord’s pardon is the only means  of escape from consequences. Sankara in Prasnottara Malika talks of memory of sin as the ultimate torment while breathing one’s last. Gita charamslokam XVIII-66, and the very last sloka of Srimad Bhagavatam and Taittiriya Upanishad II-9 Brahmanandavalli are important concluding passages of sastras which give us hope of redemption and  cleansing of sins.

6. The ancient name of Tirupati Tirumala was Tiruvenkatam. Vem katam in Tamil means “sins turn to ashes”. There is a stream  at Tirumala named  Papavinasanam. The Lord wears Daya and Kshama as Sridevi and Bhudevi on his chest, and hence called Srinivasa, the abode of vatsalya. Vatsa means calf in Sanskrit, and vatsalya means the act of the cow licking off the dirt on the body of the calf and cleansing it of impurities.

7. The names Madhava, Sridhara and Srinivasa are dear to srivaishnavas, because the parabrahmam Narayana is not ekayana or kevalanarayana, but Lakshminarayana, a mithunam (duo) that should never be separated in our thoughts. Lakshmi is a complex tatvam. Sri Desikan ,in his Daya satakam paints a vivid picture of Lakshmi as the personification of Srinivasa’s mercy. Her influence is so overpowering that the Lord can not adopt a stern view about devotees’ faults.

8. Lakshmi is commonly thought of as bestower of wealth, dhAridrya nAsini, but dharidram actually means craving. Craving is the cause of sin; it clouds reason and  blocks jnana. Ramanuja ,at the start of Sribhashyam, seeks  Srinivasa’s grace for a clear devout intellect, emboldened by the obvious presence of Lakshmi, Bhuma. Ramanuja’s followers are called srivaishnavas, because Lakshmi is given prominence equal to Narayana. Incidentally there is a mistaken view that Laksmi is counted as jivA  in Tenkalai sect. This is incorrect. LokAcharya’sTatvatrayam and ManavAla Mamuni’s vyAkhyAnam do not include Lakshmi in any of the three categories of jivA. She features only in the Easwara tatva. If we ascribe all the attributes of Brahmam to Lakshmi individually,  it could lead to confusion. It is worth noting that Mahalakshmi, Varalakshmi, Vaishnavi, Narayani, etc are names of parabrahma swaroopini in shAktam, one of shanmatha postulated by Sankara.

9.  Srinivasa removes our sins which  block our karma, jnana and bhakti, by his vatsalya and the benign presence of divyamahishis. Ramanuja was treading  the footsteps of Nammazhwar who made his kainkarya prarthana (dhvayam poorva vakhyam) in Tiruvaimozhi

3-3-1

ஒழிவில் காலம் எல்லாம் உடனாய் மன்னி

வழுவிலா அடிமை செய்ய வேண்டும்…

In the next post we shall see the role of Athigiri Varadan, whose kripa is matchless.

Srirangam is the place where Ramanuja received the authority to write the Sribhashyam. It is more important as the centre where Ramanuja turned theory into practice.

2. For Srivaishnavas moksha means Nitya kainkaryam and Bhagavadguna anubhavam; eternal service and celebration of the countless auspicious qualities of the Lord. This is the central message of vedas. The Pranavam ௐ is the essence of three vedas . It is a single syllable of three components AUM. “A “denotes Vishnu in Sanskrit. In sankhya notation “M” stands for jivatmas, ourselves. U is the relationship, a bond thicker than any other. Azhwars sing “What infinite love Narayana bears for me! As if I am the only person in this world!”. This is the basis of bhakti. This subject is not supposed to be elaborated further  ,as it is part of sacred communication by acharya to the disciple after panchasamskara.

3. The acid test for true Vaishnava is souhardam- “good heart”; the whole universe beating as one heart ; feeling others’ pain in one’s own heart. Narsi Mehta’s bhajan summing up this was made famous by Gandhi – “vaishnava janato….  “. Upanishad prays “..sarve bhadrani pasyantu. Ma kaschid du:kha bhagh bhavet”.

4. At Srirangam the Lord exemplifies vyuha souhardam. This is true wealth Srivaishnavasri , Sriranga Mangala Nidhi.  This  quality has been celebrated by all azhwars, especially  eloquently by Kulasekhara Azhwar Perumal Tirumozhi 1-10.

5. While bhaktiyoga is as tough as advaita, bhakti abhyasa is simple, sweet and as essential as oxygen for everyone without exception .Sastras prescribe some simple requirements like eagerness (shraddha)to frequent divyadesams (mentally, if not possible physically)  and doing aradhana at home in the mood of serving the Lord at Vaikunta in the presence of acharya. If possible an image may be set up  and an offering of water, leaf or fruit made.(vide Gita IX-26,and Tiruvaimozhi I-6-1). That moment we are transported to our personal Vaikunta, and the object of worship becomes Narayana in paramapadam.  We can also worship in the mental Vaikuntam in our hearts as Azhwar indicates  in Tiruvaimozhi VII-10-5,6).

6. This personal Bhuloka Vaikuntam,  on a larger scale is Srirangam temple.  Originally it was right on the banks of Cauvery (Viraja river in Vaikuntam) on a high elevation sand bank, Cauvery flowing just below the rajagopuram.  Residences were to the Nort-East of the temple on the banks of Kollidam, a perennial river. An ancient temple of Varahaswami once stood (not traceable now) in the centre of the residential quarters. Only a few temple employees lived around the Srirangam temple. Whenever Kollidam flooded and breached its banks, people temporarily came to stay around the elevated temple.

7. Srirangam naturally became the centre of Srivaishnava sampradayam and Yamunacharya settled there to head the Srivaishnava goshti. His Gitartha sangraha and Stotraratnam sum up Srivaishnava philosophy succinctly. At a ripe old age he looked for a successor, identified Ramanuja and sent for him, but passed away before the latter arrived. His followers apprised Ramanuja of the master’s wish that a new bhashyam for Brahma sutras should be compiled, and Ramanuja pledged to undertake the task. It is said  three fingers on the charama deha of Yamunacharya unfolded on Ramanuja’s assurance.

8. We know the extreme efforts Ramanuja made to fulfill the task in letter and spirit. Having completed the task, his  compassion compelled him to transmit his sarvAtma bhAva (This is the true essence of advaitam of the vedas. What advaitis of various schools profess today are intellectual creations) to all around him. He used his position of authority  to introduce procedures which were revolutionary, unthinkable till then. Such measures would have been killed at start elsewhere, in places like ultra-orthodox Kanchi, Tirupati, or Melkote. But Srirangam was different, it had a precedent. Lord Ranganatha made Tiruppanazhwar, of asprusya caste into a Munivahana. The azhwar rode on the shoulders of a brahmin ArAdhaka  into the Lord’s presence.

9. At Ramanuja’s time the populace were intoxicated with the musical rendering of azhwars’ verses rendered by Nathamuni’s descendants, who continue to this day as arayars. Ramanuja’s mission consisted of removal of the labels of language, class/caste, stri/purusha in matters of atmayatra, and assertion of atma sAmyam. This is recorded as “தென்னரங்கர் செல்வம் முற்றும் திருத்தி வைத்தான் வாழியே”. Volumes can be written about this achievement. We shall touch some examples to illustrate.

10. Inside the temple elders will advise you avoid treading on any grass or insects. These living beings are nityasuris who have stationed themselves there in the service of the Lord.

11. The entire population was encouraged to make the community’s contribution ,through their representatives, to  temple, however humble, in cash,or kind or labour; especially as the products of their skills. Tillers offered paddy, cobblers offered sandals, and so on. This continues to this day. When the ceremonial offering is made, the Lord bestows his grace by his Srisatakopam. This is called maryada (which in Sanskrit means ‘limit’. In Tamil it is confused with another sense of the word , and taken to mean “temple honours”, a misunderstanding). The speciality of this ceremony is : the Srisatakopam is taken  from the Lord’s feet, travels past the bowed heads of all elders, and offered exclusively to the particular craftsman and returns to the Lord’s feet.

12. Ramanuja kalakshepa goshti was thrown open to women, who were till then not participating in public discources. In exposition of rahasyas , or in panchasamskaras,he made no distinction on the basis of caste or sex. While returning after a dip in Cauvery, he often leaned on the shoulder of a non-brahmin.

The extent to which the spirit of these is upheld today is a moot question. But the awareness is there. I got to know these as a boy who roamed the streets of Srirangam around 1954, and later stays during 1978-80 and 2002-05.

From time immemorial man has felt a puppet-like existence and developed many theories about the puppeteer. Ancient monuments like the Stonehenge ,etc., throughout the world have been varyingly identified as religious sites, 10000+ years old, and interlinked. The Rk Veda is THE oldest religious text existing, more than 4000 years old. It is popularly believed (mistakenly) that veda samhitas deal only with worldly matters and that vedanta alone deals with atmajnana. But the Jiva-Brahma vichara pervades Rk Veda, though the Veda continues now only as ritual chants. Some vedanta passages are visible in explicit form. e.g “dva suparna sayuja…” of Mundaka and “samane vrkshe….” of Svetasvatara are an echo of lines 20 to 22 of Rk I-164.

2. Purusha Sukta of Rk calls  the Supreme as Purusha, Lakshmipati. Itihasas and vaishnava puranas talk about the avataras of Narayana. For Sankara, Ramanuja and Madhwacharya , all karma, jnana, and bhakti are directed to Him only. This tradition continues with the successor acharyas in the parampara till date.

3. Ramanuja had the benefit of the vision of Yamunacharya, and also the benefit of receiving instruction from the master’s associates. One of them Kanchipoorna was to play a critical role in crystallizing the standpoints in Sribhashya.

4. Ramanuja studied sastras under an advaita vaidika, Yadavaprakasa. The education continued with special stress on Ramayana and அருளிச்செயல் (4000 divyaprabhandam). These are described as a deluge of bhakti, பக்தி வெள்ளம்.

5. When Ramanuja set out to compile the Sribhashyam he was fully equipped with knowledge of Veda sastras, advaita tradition, streams of bhakti movement,and the instruction of his five teachers. In order to be doubly sure, Ramanuja sought two more supporting inputs. One is the Bodayana Vritti ,in search of which he travelled to Kashmir. Finally and most importantly, he prayed for vision and guidelines from Lord Varadaraja which he received through his mentor Kanchipoorna in the form of the famous “six sentences”. Two of the sentences “aham eva param tatvam” and “darsanam bheda eva cha” find direct echo in Sribhashyam.

6. Thus Yamunacharya’s “Narayana param Brahma” is reconfirmed by the Lord Himself. Ramanuja had no problem in treating Narayana as Param Brahma in Gita bhashya, because Gita is from the Vaishnava itihasa. In fact the bhashya starts with “Shriya:pathi” , which term  has become a standard signature with which all majorSrivaishnava vyakhyanas start.

7. Once we treat the subject as Narayana, questions like abheda, nirguna,etc., melt away. The nature of Jiva as அணு , swamy-dasa relationship,etc flow logically. But Vedanta,which is the subject of Brahma sutras , is a turbid mass . There is no concept of bhakti which is the universal hallmark of religiosity. It will get clarified by several stages of refinement starting with Sribhashyam and continuing to this day with Uthamur Swami’s tippani compilation.

8. Ramanuja  could clearly see through  the whole sastra as Narayanaparam thanks to his mastery of azhwar srisusuktis.Once he caugbt hold of this thread ,everything fell into place, and Sribhashyam achieved the seal of approval and adoration of all vaidikas. Sribhashyam starts with an invocation to Lord Srinivasa “Akhila bhuvana…”. Srutaprakasika the first and foremost tika starts with an invocation to Lord Varadaraja.A speciality of the latter verse is  a reference to the five names of the pancha bhera archa murthy samooham in Kanchi Hastigiri shrine moolasthanam. Acharyas of both sects have highlighted this impact of azhwars’ srisuktis on Sribhashya. “செய்ய தமிழ் மாலைகள் நாம் தெளிய ஓதி தெளியாத மறை நிலங்கள் தெளிகின்றோமே “- ஸ்ரீ தேசிகன் அதிகார சங்கிரஹம்.  “பாஷ்யகாரர் இது கொண்டு சூத்திரங்களை ஒருங்க விடுவர் “-நாயனார் ஆசார்ய ஹ்ருதயம்.

9. The swamy-dasa relationship is the keystone of visishtadvaita, and a major deviation from the dominant advaita interpretation of sastras. Jiva, in his search for self-identity intuitively senses his bondage. It is not that of a slave, all drudgery and helplessness, and painful . It is Gunair Dasyam, a spontaneous mood of worship of auspicious qualities. Rather like one’s attitude to a sweetheart. Ramanuja’s definition  of liberation is “nithya kainkaryam and bhagavadguna vaibhavam”. Thus if bhedam and Gunapoornatvam are denied, there is no visishtadvaita.

10 . Narayana in the eyes  Ramanuja is best experienced in the divyadesas, four of which are closely intertwined with Sribhashyam. மாமலராள்  புணர்ந்த பொன் மார்வன் பொருந்தும் பதி  தொறும் புக்கு நிற்கும் குணம் திகழ் கொண்டல்….

ராமானுச நூற்று அந்தாதி. 

We shall turn our attention to these four blessed spots in next post.

For me Sribhashyam is a  subject which  has stayed elusive  for nearly five decades. But  my efforts to familiarise myself  have enriched me in sampradaya; these I must share with deep gratitude to all the mahanubhavas, many of whom I can not name.

2. I have been postponing this record hoping to refine it further. But with eyesight issues in the offing, I must do it now.

3. I want to touch subjects like  Ramanuja’s background, inspiration for  this work, his style of dealing with subjects,etc.  Incidentally, we shall also examine whether Srivaishnava tradition is narrow minded, what devataantara means, and similar topics.

4. These topics, though not directly touching the content of Sribhashya, help us to keep our orientation steady. If we keep our position fixed  on one set of beliefs, we are enabled to absorb abstract material in a consistent manner. When sufficiently equipped, it would be possible to experience the impact of Brahmajnana independent of any particular belief,  but that is at the level of a sage like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. This phenomenon explains exemplary bhakti in a galaxy of advaitis like Sankara, Bodendra, and Madusudana Saraswati. The last-named went say far as to declare “Krishnat param kimapi tatvam aham na Jane”- “I know no Supreme Reality other than Krishna”. An echo of கண்ணன் அல்லால் தெய்வம் இல்லை- நம்மாழ்வார். Even Buddhist teachers used sunyavada only to banish the last remaining desire of jiva, the wish for immortality by identity with the Supreme. This achieved, they stayed as bhaktas worshipping at Hindu temples.

5. Srivaishnavas recollect Ramanuja’s background several times a day, in what is known as Guruparampara, in arohana and avarohana order. Ramanuja’s maanasika guru was Yamunacharya (the two never met face to face in their lifetime, the guru had just passed away when the eager sishya reached Srirangam). Ramanuja undertook the work of bhashya in deference  to his guru’s wishes. 

6. Yamunacharya’s grandfather Nathamuni is the first historical character in the line. He is the one who rediscovered the 4000 divine verses of azhwars, (Vaishnava) Tamil saints , because of whom Puranas celebrate Dravidadesa as the origin of bhakti.

7.Yamunacharya ,who had the fortune of education under very competent masters, was the first to compose a key Srivaishnava philosophical commentary.  His brief Gitartha Sangraha opens with the declaration “Brahman is Narayana”. This belief will remove many doubts tormenting students of Sribhashya. Its origin and implications will be seen in the next post.