Q.        Based on the Vedanta Sara explain how Sri Ramanuja rejects the fallacies in other systems of philosophy and establishes the Visistadvaita philosophy?

Ans. The beauty of Visistadvaita lies in its conception of a Godhead of attributes or gunas whose playground is the entire universe from whom all the animate and inanimate emanate and in whom all merge ultimately. This goes as a compromise between absolute monism of Adi Shankara and the distinctive separation of deva and jiva of Ananda thirtha the famous Madavacharya.

Another important aspect is that if Shankara’s advaita preaches salvation through discard of vices and worldly aspects and realization of the Godhead through introspection. The Visistadvaita accepts the social obligation of jeeva as a dehin and teaches the way to be away from the phenomenal world but to live within it  by surrendering the fruits of action at the feet of that supreme bliss manifested in the form of Sriman Narayana.

The fundamental doctrines of all the visistadvaita philosophy as declared by all the Upanishads is…..

1.      Narayana the consort of Sri is our Lord who has all being and things as His body.

2.      He gives moksha or release from bondage.

3.      He is the object of blissful enjoyment for those who have attained moksha.

Sri Ramanuja wrote nine works in Sanskrit on the philosophy of visistadvaita of these the “Vedanta Sangraha “ occupies a unique place. This work mirrors a total vision of the Upanishads, discussing all the controversial texts in a relevant and coherent manner. It is said to be an independent exposition of the philosophy of the Upanishads. This work was expounded in the form of a lecture before Lord Srinivasa of Tirumala. This is the first work of Sri Ramanuja. This is also called the summary of the Vedas, as thye Vedas themselves aim at conveying the meaning of the Upanishads. (Vedanta) the wok is titled Vedanta Sangraham, meaning the summary of the Vedas.

This philosophy was first expounded by Sri Nathamuni developed to a great extent by Sri Yamunacharya in his works and the same was perfected by Sri Ramanujacharya in his works like the Sri Bhasyam and Vedanta Sangraham, after refuting the controversial views of the opponents. Of all the Sanskrit commentators of the Brahma Sutra’s Ramanuja is unique, he proved that the relation between Brahman on one side and the soul and matter on the other is that between soul and body, (sarira sariri bhava) so that all the scriptural texts on the bheda abheda shruthis could be sensibly interpreted. Bhedha abheda and sorting them was Ghataka Sruthi. Sri Ramanuja states that he has followed the teachings / treatises of the predecesors like Bodhayana, Dramida, Guha and Tanaka. Sri Ramanuja held that the 12 chapters of purvamimamsa, 4 chapters of samkarsakanda and four chapters of Brahma Sutras constitute one system of philosophy. The authors though different deal with one subject. Sri Ramanuja says that Bhakti yoga is the means for the realization of the self and the attainment of Moksha which constitutes eternal bliss. It is synonymous with uppasana or meditation. That Bhakti (devotion) results wholly from Viveka (discrimination) vimoksa (freedom) abhyasa (practice) Kriya (work) kalyana (auspiciousness) anuvasada (absence of weakness) and anuddharsa (absence of excessive merriment) and there is scriptural authority to that effect.

The Brahma Sutras consist of 4 Adhyayas and each of the Four adhyaya or chapter consists of four Pada’s (parts) the First chapter is called Samanvayadhyaya, and it determines that Brahman is the cause of creation, sustanance and destruction of the universe. The second chapter is called the Avirodhadhaya and it removes the inconsistency that may arise and also establishes firmly what the first chapter states. The third chapter is called the sadhanadhyaya and it mentions the means of attaining Brahman. The last chapter is called Phaladhaya and as the name mentions it treats the results obtained by the means. Thus the first two chapters are quiet distinct from the last two chapters.

Vedanta sara begins with a benedictory verse meaning “ I bow unto Vishnu who has for his body all the sentient and nonsentient beings, who is the self of all objects, who is associated with goddess Sri, who is the ocean of Bliss untainted with impurity”

1 Adhyaya System of philosophy is established.

First pada deals with 1. Then Therefore an enquiry unto Brahman, the small purvapaksha, the small siddhanta, the great purvapraksha and the great siddhanta, there is no proof of non differenced substances, sabda proves differences, pratyaksha --- even of the nirvikalpaka kind proves differences, the bhedaabheda views is untenable, inference also teaches differences, perception does not reveal mere being, plurality is not unreal, Being and consciousness are not one, the true meaning of svayamprakasatva, consciousness is not eternal, there is no consciousness without object, consciousness is capable of change, consciousness is an attribute of the permanent conscious self, the view that the conscious subject is something unreal, due to the ahankara, cannot be maintained, the conscious subject persists in deep sleep, the conscious subject persists in the state of release. In cases of scripture conflicting with perception, scripture is not stronger, the true cannot be known through the untrue, no scriptural text teach a Brahman devoid of all differences nor do smriti and purana teach such a doctrine. The theory of Nescience cannot be proved, All knowledge is of the real, neither scriptures nor smriti and purana teach nescience, scripture does not teach that release is due to the knowledge of a non qualified Brahman, the meaning of tat, tvam, asi, summary statements as to the way in which different scriptural texts are to be reconciled, nescience cannot be terminated by the simple act of conscing Brahman as the universal self, the vedantin aiming to accertain the nature of Brahman from scriptures.

2. Brahman is that from which the origin of this world proceeds.

3. Because the Scriptures is the source of knowledge of Brahman.

4. the connection of scriptures with the highest aim of man.

5. Seeing that which is not founded in scriptures.

6. -----the word seeing has a secondary meaning (figurative)

7. Because release is taught of him who takes his stand on it

8. and because there is no statement of its having to be set aside

9. and an account of the contradiction of the initial statement

10.on account of the individual soul going to the self

11.on account of the uniformity of the view,

12. And because it is stated in scriptures,

13.the self consisting of bliss is the highest self on account of multiplication if,

14. an account of its being a word denoting an effect,

15.and because he is declared to be the cause of thntra,

16.and because that (Brahman) which is referred to in the mantras,

17.not the other on account of impossibility,

18.on account of the declaration of differences,

19.and an account of desire, there is no regard to what is inferred

20.and scriptures teaches the joining of this with that,

21. the one within the sun and eye,

22.and on account of the declaration of   differences,

23.either is brahman.

24.for the same reason breadth is brahman,

25. the light is brahman,

26. If it be objected that Brahman is not denoted,

27.and thus also because thus only is the designation of being,

28.If it be said that brahman is not recognized.

29.prana is brahman.

30.If it is said that brahman is not denoted.

31.The instruction given by Indra about himself.

32.It is said that brahman is not meant.

Second Pada.
1, Everywhere: because there is taught what is known,
2.And because the qualities meant to be stated are possible in brahman,
3.But on account of impossibility not the embodied soul,
4. And because there is a seperate denotation the object and the agent,
5. On account of the difference of words,
6. and on account of smriti,
7. Should it be said that the passage does not refer to brahman,
8. Should it be said that there is attainment of fruition,
9. The eater is the highest self on account of their being taken all that is movable and immovable.
10. And on account of the topic of the whole section.
11. The two entered into the cave.
12. And on account of distinctive qualities.
13. The person within the eye is the highest self.
14. And account of the statement as to abode.
15. And on account of the text referring to only what is characterised by pleasure.
16. For that very reason that eather is Brahman.
17. And on account of statement of the way of him who has heard the Upanishad.
18. Not any other, on account of non permanency of abode, and of imposibility.
19. The internal ruler is the highest self.
20. And not that which smrithi assumes.
21. For both also speak of it as something different.
22. That which possesses the quality of invincibility.
23. Not the two others on account of distinction and statement of differences/
24.  and on account of description of its form.
25. Vaisvavara is the highest self.
26. That which the text refers to is the highest mark thus.
27. Should it be said that it is not so on account of the word.
28. For the same reason not the divinity and the element.
29. Gaimini thinks that there is no objection to the word agni.
30. On account of definiteness thus armarathya opines.
31. On account of meditation Badari thinks.
32. On account of imaginative identification thus Gaimini thinks.
33. Moreover they record him in that.
Third Pada:
1. The abode of 

 to be continued.

Q. write an essay bringing out in your own words clearly explaining the description of the realities wise namely Jiva and Iswara in Yatindra mata dipi

Yatindra mata dipika was composed by Srinivasarya, a well known Visitadvaita philosopher who lived in Tirupathi. Chittoor district about the beginning of the seventeenth century. It is compendious exposition of the teachings of visistadvaita in its aspects of metaphysics, morals and religion, known as tattva hita and purushartha. The work is called yatindra mata dipika, or the light of the system of yatindra or sri ramanuja. Sri ramanuja deduces his philosophy from this shastra but gives a comprehensive and synthetic interpretation of it by recognizing the validity of pancaratra as the word of god and accepting the equal value of the teachings of Risis and alwars in the scheme of Ubhaya Vedanta.

The visistadvaita of Sri Ramanuja was not a reaction against the dry ritualism of the mimamsakas and the mentalism of atheistic thought which followed the intellectual revolution caused by the Buddha. But also the revival of the theistic mimamsa. Vedantic theism did not emerge suddenly in the evolution of philosophy of religion in India.

Sri Ramanuja in his Vedanta sangraha refers to Tanaka, Dramida, Guhadeva,Kapardin and Bharuci who were great exponents of theistic Vedanta. The inscriptions referring to the worship of Sankarshana and vasudeva (100BC) and the errection of the garuda column in the honour of Vasudeva the God of Gods about (200BC) prove the existence of the theistic faith at the very early period. The great Contribution by Sri Ramanuja is that he has given us for the first time a conception of monotheism (non Dualism) in a systematic form. Visistadvaita accepts as ultimate the three entities of matter (acit) individual self (cit) and Iswara. Matter and individual self are absolutely dependent on Iswara for their existence, the dependence being similar to that of body upon self. The universe forms the body of Iswara, and he is the universal self not only of the unconscious matter but also of the conscious self. Body is that which an indwelling self supports and controls for its own services. Similarly matter and self being the body of Iswara are supported and controlled by him for his own purposes.

Sri Ramanujas unique view of the relation of aprthaksiddhi (inseperability) in which Iswara stands to the world consisting of matter and selves. The inseperable relation of the world to Iswara is conceived this brings out clearly the intimate connection that subsists between substance and attribute. Iswara is substance and the world of matter and selfs are his inseperable attributes.

JIVA

Like Iswara the JIVA is of the nature of Consciousness and possesses dharma bhota jnana as an inseperable attribute. It is real external and unborn. It is distinct from the body, the sense organs, mind and vital airs. Though the individual self, as a mode of Brahman, is essentially of the same nature, it is actually distinct, for it is of monadic size and resides in a separate body. It is the agent, the enjoyer, the embodied self and the body. It is the embodied self with regard to its physical body. It is the body with regard to Iswara. It is not only sentient but also the essence of ananda. Samsara is due to avidya which is of the nature of Karma accumulated by the jiva in its previous births. In this condition jnana and ananda are obscured but fully manifest in the state of liberation. In spite of its monadic size, the jiva can contact the ends of space through its attributive knowledge. The jivas which are innumerable belong to three classes. The nityas (eternal) are those who have never been caught in the samsara, and who have from eternity been enjoying ananda in the supreme abode. The Muktas (liberated) are those souls who have attained liberation through Bhakti and Prapathi. The Baddhas (the Bound) are those who are not liberated from the trance migratory existence due to avidya and karma. At the moment of giving up the body, the jiva which has attained the knowledge of brahman issues out of the body through the aperture in the crown of the head and moves upwards through the rays of the sun. The released self ultimately reaches its supreme goal and enjoys ananda for ever being established in the communion with God. Moksha is essentially of the nature of sayujya (communion) and not salokya (co existence) sarupya (similarity) or samipya (intimacy)

Iswara

Iswara is the controller (niyanta) the principal (sesin) of all the worshiped in every act, the bestower of all fruit, the sustainer of all and the supreme cause of all effects, while cit and acit are his modes and subsidiaries (sesas) the controlled and the supported. Since consciousness pre supposes a conscious self the reality is not identical with consciousness. Hence Iswara is not pure nor difference being nor pure consciousness but the highest self, charaterised essentially by consciousness and unsurpassable ananda. He is the sole cause of the universe since he comprehends it within himself in latent form prior to creation, and then by his will manifests what is latent.

The conception of God as the Supreme person and creator raises the following question: How can the supreme being be eternally perfect, if he manifests himself as the world? Will not the imperfections of the world adhere to the perfect being also? Visistadvaita attempts to solve this problem by its doctrine of sarira sariri sambandha, or the relation between the world and brahman as body and soul. Brahma has the world of life and matter for his body, and constitutes the universal self of that body. The world body has two states, Karana and Karya, or the causal and the effected, the nature of which are contraction and expansion, these states belong to the world body of brahman alone and not brahman himself. Expansion is evolution and contraction is involution. Brahman becomes or manifests the world in the sence that he evolves the body which is his attribute. Not that the essence of Reality is in a state of flux. The notion of a supreme person whose attributes only is in a state of manifestation makes the divine being the substantive element the ground of all existence. The entire process of evolution in the form in which Iswara manifests himself in and through the world – body is an opportunity given to jivas to attain a life of perfection and communion with the supreme. Though this view of evolution attributes to the divine being a transcendent activity, he as the antaryamin reveals his nature in the entire process of evolution and human history. This impacts a unique value to the religious experience of all individuals in their intellectual, moral and psychic levels.

The imperfections clinging to the body do not affect the universal self, and the transcendental attributes of the universal self do not pervade the body. It is just like infancy youth old age and other bodily modifications which are not the attributes of jivas, but belong to the body. While pleasure pain ect belong to the knowing self and not to the body. Thus the relation of sarira saririn absolves the reality from having even a shadow of evil.

Though Visistadvaita conceives the reality as qualified by the realms of cit and acit, these modes do not constitute the whole of reality I for the realms of cit and acit, which as existents are real, are not identified with Iswara who is a self conscious being and a sub stratum of every thing. The view of reality as adhara and niyanta not only give a glimpse of the nature of the supreme being, but also suggests the personal nature of the divine. The visistadvaita conception of Deity must be sharply distinguished from pantheism on the one hand and anthropomorphism on the other hand. There is no room for rentheism, since the reality in spite of being the antaryami in all is looked upon as Narayana, concrete and endowed with consciousness and super individuality. Like wise any sort of anthropomorphism is out of place since the supreme being is thought of as possessing the six attributes of jnana aiswarya Shakti bala virya and tejas besides the infinite auspicious qualities of love mercy kindness etc. which transcend the ordinary qualities of human personality.

Visistadvaita offers a theistic ideal which affirms the existence of the supreme person and consistently interprets our experience as a whole so as to account for the oneness of the world. Iswara is an actually existent reality who embraces and comprehends all individual self and the world of matter not as isolated entities but as intimately releated to one another in an organic manner and thus forming a perfect and coherent unity. They have no existence apart from him; in and through him life and matter have meaning and significance.

Jiva is the 8^th avtara consisting of 26 verses.

1.The first verse gives the common characteristics of jiva and iswara

2. Gives the nature of jiva.

3. How jiva is different from body senses mind etc.

4. Jiva is monadic.

5. Jiva is eternal and unborn.

6. Jiva is different in each body.

7. Consciousness monadness etc. determines jiv’s essential nature.

8. Refutation of various conceptions of jiva by Buddhists, charvakas, sankhyas etc.

9. Objection if jiva is not all pervasive how can it enjoy its fruits in other regions? It is possible by power of adrsta which is a special kind of consciousness.

10 Jiva is of three kinds. The bound, the freed and the eternal.

11. Origin of devas etc.

12.human beings animals and non ambutants described.

13. Womb born, egg born, sprout born sweat born jivas

14. Owing to power of a vidya, bound jivas are subject to manifold afflictions.

15. Here various kinds of bound jivas explained.

16. Mumuksus are of two types votaries of kaivalya and moksa.

17. Moksha seekers are of two kinds bhaktas and prapannas.

18. Members of three varnas only are qualified for bhakti.

19. According to Vedanta sutras sudras are not qualified.

20 bhaktas are of two kinds.

21.nature of prapanna; every one is qualified for self surrender.

22. Prapanna is of two kinds ekantin and parama ekantin. Parama ekantin is of two kinds drpta and arta.

23. Description of mukta is given.

24 mukta attains equality with brahman in enjoyment of bliss.

25. Objections muktas cannot wander all over worlds since scriptures declares that the liberated do not return, muktas can wander according to their own will; scripture prohibits return due to karma.

26. The eternals. The eternals are ananta, garuda, visvaksena etc. whose consciousness is devoid of contraction, in as much as their activities are never opposed to the will of bhagwan. Their special duties have been fixed up from time without beginning by the eternal will of iswara.

Iswara is the 9^th avatara consisting of 29 verses they are in short.

1. Definition of Iswara.

2. Iswara is both material and efficient cause.

3. Definitions of material cause efficient cause.

4. Sriman Narayana is the sole cause of universe.

5. How causality results in Narayana and how it is determined by examination of Vedanta texts.

6. According to principal of “Samanya Visesa” all general terms such as Siva, Sambhu etc terminate in particular term Hiranya garbha.

7. Hiranya garbha refers to Narayana.

8.Antaraditya vidya refers to Vishnu.

9. All vidyas including daharavidya must be construed as referring to Narayana.

10. According to non dualistic passages of srutis identity of Brahman with Self is alone real and that everything else is unreal. There fore Narayana cannot be import of Vedanta texts. Narayana is proved to be cause of universe from Vedanta textswhich treat of causality the apparent contradictions between dualistic and monistic texts is harmonized by ghataka srutis.

11. Traditional teachings of visistadvaita.

12. Refutations of samkhya, mimamsa yoga and pasupata views in respect of Iswara.

13. Iswara is untouched by imperfections adhering to universe body.

14. Iswara is vibhu.

15. Various attributes of Iswara.

16. Narayana is the creator, the protector and the destroyer of the universe.

17. Iswara abides in five fold forms. Para, Vyuha, Vibhava, Antaryamin and Archa.

18. Para is highest. Narayana in Vaikuntha.

19. Vyuha is four fold Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha.

20. Each vyuha descends into three sub vyuhas such as Kesava etc.

21. Description of Kesava Madhava etc.,

22. Vibhava is avtara such as matsya etc.

23. Purpose of various avtaras such as matsya kurma etc.

24.Avtaras are manifold such as primary secondary etc.

25.Iswara incarnates by his own will and not owing to karma.

26.Iswara as antaryamin abides in all jivas.

27. Archa is that special form of Iswar which accepts any substance for body.

28. Archa is four fold.

29. Bhagwan is ever present with sri in all five fold states.

Ramanujas Visitadvaita is noted for.

a. It propounds a credible doctrine of complete identity between God and the absolute.

b. It harmonises God’s transcendence (paratva) with his accessibility (Soulabhya) and.

c. It inculcates the highest type of devotion without belitting the part of intellectualism and social duties in spiritual life.

While the doctrine first gained articulation as a system of thought in the now unavailable writings of Dramidacharya and later in those of the illustrious Yamuna acharya, it was Sri Ramanuja who put these devotional traditions coming from the alwars down into the mould of the Upanishadic thought by embodying them in the form of commentaries based on the Vedantic scriptures.

Since several pious and scholarly savants wrote on the doctrines of the system, the most brilliant of them being Sudarsana Suri and Vedanta Desika. There were also several others noted for their lucid exposition of the system. Srinivasa dasa disciple of Mahacharya who lived in the 16^th century and gave us the Yatindra mata dipika in brief but comprehensive writing on the system is a complete hand book simple and lucid and best for the study of visistadvaita.

He ends his work by the concluding verse.

“Thus Narayana the Supreme Vasudeva known by the name of Visnu, expressed by the term ‘Brahman’ and qualified by the sentient and the non sentient is the only reality that this is the philosophy of the adherents of visistadvaita is established here by.

Swamy adidevananda of Ramakrishna mutt mysore has givena transalation of the work of srinivasa dasa’s yatindramatadipika in Kanada and subsequently into English from where the above have been taken