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Life and Age:
Nathamuni is regarded as the originator of the school of Visistadvaita Vedanta. Ranganathacarya is said to be his other name. Several works exist on the life of Nathamuni and details will be added here at a later date.
Works:
1. Yoga Rahasya
2. Nyaya Tattva: This book was a treatise on Nyaya (logic) establishing views entirely in harmony with Vedanta and often at variance with Gautama's Nyaya Sutras. The book was divided into padas, which, in turn comprised of Adhikaranas.
Both the works are lost and only fragments in the form of quotations in Nyayasiddhanjana, Tattva Mukta Kalapa and Nyaya Parisuddhi (all compositions of Vedanta Desika), in Sri Bhasya of Bhagvad Ramanujacharya and in Srutaprakasika of Sri Sudarsana Suri are known.
Sri Yamunacarya is regarded as the third Acarya of the sampradaya by Sri Vaisnavas. He was the grandson of Nathamuni, the first Acarya and the paramguru (Grand-teacher) of Bhagavad Ramanuja. As per the tradition, in writing his 'Sri Bhasya', the 'Gadyatyraya' and other works, and in officiating over the administration of the Sri Rangam temple, Sri Ramanuja merely fulfilled the last desire of Sri Yamuna.
Works:
1. Agama Pramanya
2. Atmasiddhi
3. Isvarasiddhi
4. Samvitsiddhi
5. Purusanirnaya
6. Kasmiragama Pramanyam: The authenticity of this work is doubted by some.
7. Gitarthasamgraha
8. Stotraratnam
9. Catuhssloki
The works 2,3 and 4 are available only in fragments and are collectively called "Siddhitraya." Work # 5 is available only in manuscripts while Kasmiragama Pramanyam is lost. Works 7, 8 and 9 are available in their entirety.
Sri Yamuna is often credited with the synthesis of the popular Vaisnava religion with the tradition of Higher Hinduism - as derived from the Upanisads, the Vedas and allied Sanskrit texts. This is reflected in the gamut of his works - He wrote on Vedanta (Siddhitraya), the Gita (Gitarthasamgraha) and on devotion (Catuhsloki and Stotraratna). The 'Gitarthasamgraha' professes to be a chapter-wise summary of the Bhagavad Gita. In this work, the Gita is said to be divided into three sections of 6 chapters each. All chapters are said to expound the 3 yogas (Karma, Jnana and Bhakti) although they form the predominant topics of discussion of the 3 groups of 6 chapters respectively. Nevertheless, the teaching of Gita is held to culminate in Bhakti in all the three cases. The verse "Renouncing all dharmas in me, seek refuge in me alone…(Gita 18.66)" is considered to be the 'carama sloka' of this scripture. According to Sri Yamuna, Bhakti means a meditation on the kalyanagunas of the Lord and a complete surrender unto His will. It is Bhakti alone that leads to a perfect communion with God while Jnana and Karma lead to svarajya- a term more reminiscent with worldly power.
In the manner of the Alvars, the devotional hymns of Sri Yamuna are marked by his humility and surrender to God and confessions of his sinful conduct and his inability to fathom the glory and the greatness of God. They describes the ecstacy one experiences when the beloved Lord is sighted. Bhakti of God, which is so pleasurable, thus becomes not only the way, but also a goal in itself.
A noticeable peculiarity in Sri Yamuna's hymns is his emphasis on his lineage from Sri Nathamuni. Sri Yamuna implores the Lord, in the name of Sri Nathamuni, his grandfather, to grant him salvation. In this regard, one can also refer to certain incidents from Yamuna's life that are narrated in the traditional accounts of his life. These incidents point to a temporary lapse or a fall of Yamuna from the spiritual path/grace and his reawakening subsequently. Thus, the appeals to his lineage are aimed at equating him to Sisupala (a character in the Mahabharata) and others who, though born in noble families, fell from grace and yet were saved by the Lord.
One cannot fail to notice that the themes in Sri Yamuna's and the Alvars' devotional poetry (like respect for one's Guru, confession of sins etc.) recur without modification in the medieval North Indian Bhakti poetry of Kabirdas, Guru Nanak Dev, Goswami Tulsidas etc.
Sri Ramanuja Acarya
Life and Age:
Bhagavan Sri Ramanujacarya is regarded as the most important Acarya (Teacher) of the Sri Vaisnvava community. He is called the 'Emperumanar' or "our great one". It is believed that Lord Visnu at the Sri-rangam temple had Himself bestowed this title on him. He is also called the 'Bhasyakara' or 'the commentator' because he wrote the Sri Bhasya- the authoritative commentary on the Brahmasutras for the Sri Vaisnavas. Sri Vaisnava pilgrim centers are often adorned with icons of Sri Ramanuja. For instance, in a small shrine around the famous central shrine at the Tirupati complex, is installed an icon of Sri Ramanujacarya. The sign outside the shrine reads 'Bhagavan Bhasyakara'.
Bhagavan Sri Ramanujacarya was born of Sri Asuri Kesava Perumal and Devi Bhumi at Sri Perumbudur, near Chennai in India (Sri Perumbudur was in the news recently as the place where Sri Rajiv Gandhi, the ex- Prime Minister of India, was assassinated in June 1990) . He was given the name 'Laksman' by his saintly Uncle Sri Saila Purna. Subsequently, however, he became known as 'Ramanuja', which is a synonym of the name Laksman. In his childhood, he was instructed in the Sanskrit scriptures by his father. Soon thereafter, he became a disciple of Sri Yadava Prakasa- a renowned teacher who followed Advaita Vedanta as taught by Mandana Misra (a senior contemporary of Sri Samkaracarya).
Sri Ramanuja is said to have disagreed with his teacher over the numerous Advaitic interpretations of the Scriptures. The final break between the two is recorded as a very emotional event. Sri Yadava Prakasa was expounding the meaning of the phrase 'Kapsyasam pundarikam' in Chandogya Upanisad according to Sri Samkaracarya's interpretation (' red like the buttocks of a monkey'), when tears of distress fell from Sri Ramanuja's eyes. When the teacher asked the cause of tears, Sri Ramanuja replied that he was pained at such a frivolous interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, and proposed a new etymological interpretation ('the Lord whose eyes are red like a lotus blossomed by the Sun').
Tradition also records that Sri Yamunacarya, by his intuition, decreed that Sri Ramanuja should succeed him, although the two had never met. Unfortunately, Sri Yamuna breathed his last just before Sri Ramanuja arrived to see him. When Sri Ramanuja approached the mortal remains of Sri Yamuna, he noticed that three fingers of the latter's hand were closed. To Sri Ramanuja, this signified three unfulfilled desires of Sri Yamuna. These desires were ascertained as:
1. The composition of a commentary on the Brahmasutras on theistic lines.
2. The arrangement for composition of a commentary on the Tiruvayamoli of Bhagavad Nammalvar, and
3. Bestowing the hallowed names of Veda Vyasa and Parasara (the author of Visnu Purana) on suitable persons.
After Sri Yamuna's passing away, Sri Ramanuja was acknowledged as the follower of Sri Yamuna by the Sri Vaisnava community. But grief stricken, Sri Ramanuja refused to accept this honor and returned to Kancipuram. However, under the influence of the disciples of Sri Yamuna, Sri Ramanuja soon became inclined toward the devotional poetry of Alvars. Sri Mahapurna, a renowned disciple of Sri Yamuna, began instructing him in the Tamil Prabandhams- the devotional compositions of the Alvars. Unfortunately, as a result of some unpleasant remarks made by Sri Ramanuja's wife on the last day of the instruction, Sri Mahapurna left her house, where he had been living for some time now. Incensed by his wife's actions, Sri Ramanuja forsook her and took Samnyasa, i.e., he became a monk.
As a monk, the fame of his erudition and devotion to God spread and he soon acquired a group of loyal disciples like Kuresa and Dasarathi. It is said that on being inspired by his mother, even Sri Yadava Prakasa became the disciple of his own ex-disciple, Sri Ramanuja. At his request, Sri Yadava is then said to have composed his classic compendium on rules of asceticism called 'Yatidharmasamuccaya'.
The disciples of Sri Yamuna soon requested Sri Ramanuja to come to Srirangam and the latter complied. There, Sri Ramanuja began to discourse on the Tamil Prabandhams. He also learnt the classics composed by Sri Yamuna and Sri Nathamuni under the guidance of Sri Mahapurna, who had earlier moved to Srirangam. Sri Ramanuja also learnt the 'Tirumantra' (Om Namo Narayanaya) from Sri Goshthipurna, the Prabandhams from Sri Vararanga afresh and the 'Satharisukta' or the 1000 Hymns of Sathari (Bhagavan Nammalvar) from Sri Maladhara.
It is said that, envious of the popularity of Sri Ramanuja, the High Priest of the Srirangam temple conspired to poison him to death. But the poison failed, and overwhelmed with remorse, the High Priest confessed his sins, asked for forgiveness and became a disciple of Sri Ramanuja.
Sri Ramanuja then studied Valmiki's Ramayana at Tirupati and, remembering his pledge of composing a commentary on the Brahmasutras, he set out for the Sarada Pitha (now in Pakistan occupied Kashmir) with his beloved disciple Kuresa, to study the only extant copy of Bodhayanavrtti- the oldest gloss on the Purva and Uttara Mimamsa. The outcome was the 'Sri Bhasya', an authoritative commentary on the Brahmasutras written along theistic lines. Completing his magnum opus, Sri Ramanuja set out along the length and breadth of India propagating his message, gaining several disciples before returning to Srirangam. En-route, he also tried to introduce the worship of Sri Visnu according to Pancaratric rites at the major Vaisnava centers. While he was successful in doing so at Tirupati and Srirangam, he failed to achieve this goal at the Jagannatha temple (Puri, Orissa) and the Anantapadmanabhaswamy temple (Trivandrum, Kerala). Soon, however, Sri Ramanuja had to flee Srirangam due to the persecutions of the bigoted Saivite- the Chola King Krimikantha. His devoted disciple Kuresa, however, was blinded by the King for refusing to declare that Siva is greater than Lord Visnu. Sri Ramanuja fled with his disciples to the nearby Hoyasala kingdom, where he was successful in converting the Jain king to the Sri Vaisnava creed. He established a grand Vaisnava temple at Melkote (in the modern state of Karnataka, India).
After the death of the bigoted Chola King, circumstances became favorable again for the Sri Vaisnavas. Hence, Sri Ramanuja returned to Srirangam. He was sixty years of age then, and resided thereafter at Srirangam for another sixty years, continuously expounding the glorious message of the Alvars to the laity and spreading the light of Ubhaya Vedanta. Sri Ramanuja did not compose any work besides the nine mentioned below, but his oral expositions on the Prabandhams were recorded and incorporated into their commentaries on these Prabandhams by the disciples of Sri Ramanuja.
Before relinquishing his mortal frame, Sri Ramanuja declared the son of Kuresa as his successor. Kuresa's son was named 'Parasara Bhattara' by Sri Ramanuja, in fulfillment of the third desire of his master, Sri Yamuna. He also commissioned Sri Pillan (see below) to compose a commentary on the Divya Prabandhams. In this way, Sri Ramanuja completed all the unfulfilled desires of Sri Yamuna and laid the foundations of the Sri Vaisnava community of Hindus.
The Sanskrit Writings Attributed to Ramanuja:
Unlike Bhagavatapada Samkaracarya, who is regarded as the author of several hundred works by the Advaita Vedanta tradition, the Sri Vaisnava tradition (of both the Tengalai as well as the Vadagalai schools) ascribe only the following nine works to Sri Ramanuja.
1. Vedarthasamgraha (" Summary of the meaning of the Vedas"): This work seeks to interpret certain key sentences from the Upanisads in a coherent and a consistent manner. In particular, the import of the sentence 'tat tvam asi' occuring in Chandogya Upanisad has been examined. Ramanuja opines that all the statements of the Upanisads can be interpreted in a coherent manner if it is assumed that Brahman is the efficient cause of the universe due to His active role in effecting the manifest creation from its unmanifest cause, as well as being the material cause of the universe by ever being the inner abiding soul of the unmanifest cause. He further clarifies the latter by emphasizing that it is impossible to conceive the unmanifest cause as being independent of Brahman. In the state of pralaya (grand dissolution), the manifest Universe is dissolved into its unmanifest cause, and the latter exists as a mode (prakara) of Brahman. The relation between this Universe (in both the manifest as well as the unmanifest state) and Brahman is that between the body and the soul - they form one organic whole. The Vaisnava leanings of Sri Ramanuja are quite apparent from this work. He argues that Siva and Brahma are merely demigods compared to Visnu (Narayana), who is the central import of all scriptures. Sri Ramanuja also refutes the Prabhakara Mimamsa theory of hermeneutics that all Vedic sentences enjoin some action that generate a force called 'apurva'. He states, to the contrary, that Vedic declarations describe something that already exists, in particular they denote Brahman- the ground reality of all existence. Sri Sudarsana Suri has written an illuminating commentary called "Tatparyadipika" on this work.
2. Sribhasya: This is the magnum opus of Sri Ramanuja and is a grand commentary on the Brahmasutras. At the very onset, Sri Ramanuja appeals to a very hoary tradition to validate his line of interpretation. A conspicuous feature of the work is the disproportionate comment on the very first aphorism (athato brahmajijnasa). Here, Sri Ramanuja shows his skills as an exegete par excellence. He skillfully marshals scriptural citations to formulate the basic tenets of his brand of Vedanta and refute the corresponding views of Sri Samkaracarya in particular and of Sri Yadava Prakasa and Sri Bhaskara incidentally. The voluminous comment on the first sutra is comprised of three parts- the laghusiddhanta, the mahasiddhanta and the adhikaranasiddhanta. The first revolves around the word 'atha' of the aphorism in question and seeks to establish the indispensable role of rituals in the origination of jnana (spiritual knowledge). The second revolves around the word 'atah' of the aphorism and dwells upon the nature of the root cause of bondage. Sri Ramanuja agrees with the Advaitins that the fruit of actions is ephermal but disagrees on the nature of Avidya - which causes this bondage. According to Sri Ramanuja, Avidya is not something indescribable, but rather a result of attachment to karmas and distancing oneself from God. The same can be destroyed by surrender to God coupled with an understanding of His true nature and performance of one's duties without any desire for its fruit. Sri Sudarsana Suri has written a masterly commentary called "Srutaprakasika" and a brief summary of the work called "Srutapradipika" on the Sri Bhasya.
3 and 4: Vedantadipa and Vedantasara- both are short works. The former follows the Sri Bhasya closely and gives a summary of the doctrines of Visistadvaita. The work has an introduction appended to it. The latter work is bereft of logical arguments and gives the meaning of each aphorism in a concise form with the relevant scriptural texts. Both works are convenient from the layman's point of view. Several specialists have doubted the authenticity of these two works on the grounds that it is unlikely that Sri Ramanuja would have written summaries if his own works rather than leave this task to his followers. However, the grounds for these objections are highly specious. On the contrary, a comparison of these works with the Sri Bhasya as regards their language further lends credence to the traditional view of their authorship by Sri Ramanuja.
5. Gitabhasya: This work closely follows the line of interpretation indicated in the Gitarthasamgraha of Sri Yamuna. The philosophical views expressed in this work are the same as in the Sri Bhasya but the emphasis on devotion towards a personal God is much greater. This is said to be the last work of Sri Ramanuja and was written when he was quite old.
6, 7 and 8: Gadyatraya (3 prose hymns)-The first of these (Saranagatigadya) is taken as a model of complete surrender to the mercy of God. It is this aspect of Sri Ramanuja's teaching that became the pivot of the practices of the Sri Vaisnava community. The work commences as a petition by Ramanuja to Sri Laksmi and then to Lord Ranganatha (Visnu). He asks for forgiveness for his sins and the boon of supreme devotion. The response of the divine pair is favorable and is presented as an extended reply of Lord Ranganatha. The second hymn is called the Srirangagadya and is an emotional prayer of surrender at the feet of Lord Ranganatha. The third, namely Vaikunthagadya, describes the state of beatitude in communion with Narayana that the Vaisnava devotee experiences upon salvation.
9. Nityagrantha: This is primarily a collection of practices pertaining to the worship of the Lord. It is devoid of any overtly philosophical content, and moreover does not pertain to the worship of any particular deity.
Parasara Bhattar was a protégé of Ramanuja and his worthy successor. He was born to Andal and Sri Kurattalvan (Kuresa, or Sri Vatsanka Misra) - the devoted disciple and companion of Sri Ramanujacarya. Traditional Sri Vaisnava biographies record that Sri Kuruttalvan longed for children, and at a fairly old age he was blessed with twin sons. To fulfill the last wish of Sri Yamunacarya, Sri Ramanujacarya named these sons Parasara Bhattar (after the Parasara Muni - the author of Sri Visnu Purana) and Veda Vyasa Bhattar (the author of Brahmasutras). He studied under the tutelage of his father and also Embar (Sri Govinda)- a prominent Sri Vaisnava of those times. Several stories are narrated of the wit, learning and scholarship of Sri Bhattar, even in his childhood. Even in the lifetime of Sri Ramanujacarya, Sri Bhattar had begun to attract and enthral vast multitudes of devotees with his discources. Impressed by his dedication, devotion and erudition, Sri Ramamuja named him his successor. It is said that, once, a local chieftain by the name Akalankabrahma Raya decided to renovate the ramparts of the city of Srirangam. Unfortunately, there lay the house of a devotee of Sri Visnu in the path of the wall. Sri Bhattar pleaded with the chieftain not to uproot the house of the devotee, saying that the house of a true devotee is much stronger than any rampart wall one could build. The chieftain did not yield and Sri Bhattar left Srirangam for a some time (till he was welcomed back) in a state of distress. Traditions are not unanimous about his date of birth and his life span. But in all probability, he died at the young age of 28 without leaving any children behind.
Works:
He composed the following works in Sanskrit (1-9), Manipravala (10-11) and in Tamil (12-13):
1. Sri Visnu Sahasranama Stotra Bhasya: This is an extensive commentary and has been published several times along with the English translation. This magnificant work has attracted several sub-commentaries in turn. The first is the subcommentary (called Nirvacana) by Sri Varadacarya of Kancipuram. In this work, the author explains the grammatical origins of the interpretations of Sri Parasara Bhattar by quoting the Astadhyayi of Panini Muni extensively. The other work is an anonymous versified work in 785 stanzas bearing the name 'Nirukti'. It summarizes the commentary of Sri Parasara Bhattar.
2. Sriranga-raja stotra (Hymn to Sri Rangaraja): This is an extensive work comprised of two sections of 127 and 105 respectively. It depicts the elation of Sri Parasara Bhattar upon his return to Srirangam, who was thus able to serve Lord Visnu enshrined there. The work also incidently discusses some of the tenets of Visistadvaita Vedanta including the auspicious attributes (kalyana-gunas) of God, the validity of the Vedas, the mystic nature of the incarnations of Lord Visnu and so on.
3. Astasloki: As the name indicates, it is a work of a mere 8 verses and explains the meaning of the three important mantras of the Sri Vaisnavas--the Carama sloka (Bhagavad-Gita 18.64), the Dvayamantra and the Astaaksara, or Tiru-mantra (Om Namo Narayanaya).
4. Ranganatha-Astaka: Again, a work of eight slokas which reflect his longing to return to Srirangam and serve Lord Visnu enshrined there. The work was composed at a time when he was living away from Srirangam, the religious center of the Sri Vaisnava community.
5. Sri-guna-ratna-kosa: This is a panegyric (stotra) to Devi Ranganayaki, the divine consort of Lord Ranganayaka Visnu of Srirangam. It comprises of 61 verses brimming with devotion.
6. Laksmikalyana: The work is lost barring three quotations found in three works of Sri Vedantadesika. It was a drama celebrating the wedding of Devi Laksmi with Lord Visnu.
7. Adhyatmakhanda-dvaya Vivarana or Vyakhya: The work is lost and all that remains of it are two quotations in the Nyaya-siddhanjana of Sri Vedantadesika. The first quotation deals with the definition of 'Sarira', a term so important in the theology of Sri Ramanuja, and the second deals with the definition of 'Kaivalya'- a lower grade of Moksa attained, according to Sri Ramanuja, by followers of Samkhya and Yoga schools of philosophy/theology.
8. Nitya: Again, the work is lost, save a few verses quoted by Sri Vedantadesika in his works. The work was a manual of daily rituals.
9. Tattvaratnakara: This work is also tragically lost. It appears to have been an extensive treatise dealing with Visistadvaita Epistemology and Ontology. Numerous citations (72 in number) from this work are found in the Nyayaparisuddhi and Nyayasiddhanjana of Sri Vedantadesika. These have been collected and published with an elaborate commentary in German. From the extracts, it is clear that the work was in prose interspersed with verses, and closely followed the arguments stated in the works of Sri Ramaujacarya and Sri Yamunacarya. Even the phraseology of the latter two seems to have been reproduced by Sri Bhattar.
10. Commentary on a verse of the Alvars: His comments in Manipravala language, on verse 21 of Tiru-nedum-tandam, one of the six peoms of Tirumugal Alvar are also extant. In this commentary, Parasara Bhattara has narrated the sweet pangs of longing felt by the heroine (the Alvar composer) on separation from her beloved (the Lord). There is an interesting tradition recorded with reference to this work: Under the instructions of Sri Ramanuja, Sri Parasara Bhattar proceeded towards Melkote to win over Vedanti - an Advaitin scholar, to the Sri Vaisnava faith. He approached Vedanti and begged him for a debate on the Alvar poem. Vedanti, being the host, could not refuse the request of his guest even though he himself was unfamiliar with the poem. The result was that Vedanti lost. Sri Parasara Bhattar proceeded with Vedanti to Srirangam and narrated to the Lord the means by which he had defeated Vedanti. It happened to be the eve of 'Adhyayana-utsavam', i.e., the festival in which the hymns of the Alvars are recited after the annual break. Even to this day, the incident is re-enacted each year on the day of Adhyayana-utsavam' at Srirangam.
11. Commentary on a chapter of Varaha Purana: It is said that Sri Parasara Bhattar left his earthly abode immediately after dedicating this work to the feet of Lord Visnu at Srirangam. The event is celebrated to this day, annually, at Srirangam when the icon of Lord Ranganatha is brought out in a palanquin to listen to the recital of the beautiful commentary by a descendant of the Bhattar family.
12. Two verses in praise of Tiruayamoli: These verses, in the Tamil language, extol the Tiruvayamoli of Bhagavan Nammalvar. These verses are held in such esteem by Sri Vaisnvavas that they invariably commence the recital of Tiruvayamoli with these two verses.
13. About 50 Sanskrit verses in praise of Lord Ranganatha with an autocommentary in Tamil: These are still recited with great devotion by the descendents of the Bhattar family at Srirangam at special occassions like the Ekadasi, Amavasya etc.
14. Oral comments on the Tiruvayamoli, numbering about 100, have been preserved and demonstrate his erudition in several branches of Sanskrit literature. These comments are recorded in the later Sri Vaisnava commentaries of the Tiruvayamoli.
Views and Teachings
Sri Bhattar proves from his writings to be a faithful follower of the Ubhaya Vedanta tradition of the Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya. Thus, while he extols the path of Bhakti Yoga as expounded in the Bhagavad Gita, he nevertheless confesses his incapability in practicing the same. This is exactly what his predecessors like Sri Yamuna and Sri Ramanuja had done. He explains that Prapatti is an alternate and an easy method for salvation prescribed for those who cannot practice Bhakti Yoga. While the latter comprises several ancillaries like control of one's mind, senses, meditation etc., Prapatti per se involves simply folding ones hands in reverence towards God and seeking refuge in Him with all humility. Another advantage of the path of Prapatti is that it is open to all without regard to their personal ability and education qualification.
According to Sri Bhattar, the Lord is magnanimous towards such devotees and answers their prayers with promptness. What is more, He can go to any extent to exhibit His concern and affection for His devotees. Thus, He can break His vows, go against truth, and overlook the faults of His devotees. However, votaries of God are to be distinguished between those who approach Him for some worldly motive like possession of wealth and those who approach Him out of pure love for Him.
In his writings, Sri Bhattar portrays himself as an ardent devotee and appeals to the Lord in all possible ways and with great humility, for His mercy and for his salvation. Sri Bhattar alludes to the fact that he is descended from a lineage of great devotees of the Lord and also suggests that it is through their efforts that he has sought refuge in God. Moreover, Sri Bhattar discusses the standard elements of the path of Bhakti like devotion to one's spiritual preceptor. He also casually refers to the five sacraments of the Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya, indication that they were already in use by his times.
Sri Bhattar's importance in the development and history of the Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya lies in the fact that he expounded further on the tenets of Prapatti, the Kalyanagunas of God, His mercy and compassion for His devotees and above all, the intimate relationship between God and His devotees. Sri Bhattar had a deep reverence for the Tamil Prabandhams and calls them the Dravida Veda, with a thousand branches (just like the Sanskrit Samaveda with a thousand recensions). He quotes from the writings of his predecessors like Sri Ramanuja and Sri Yamuna, and the Sanskrit Texts alike. In doing so, he facilitated in according a semi-canonical status to the writings of the earlier teachers of the Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya and also strengthened the foundations of the community in its formative years.
Sri Pillan was a close associate of Sri Ramanuja, as well as being his cousin. While Sri Ramanuja himself chose to comment on one part (viz. the Sanskrit part) of the Ubhaya Vedanta, he authorized Sri Pillan to comment on the second part viz. the Tamil hymns of Alvars, of the same.
Sri Pillan's commentary on the Tiruvaymoli is significant in several respects. Firstly, it is remarkable that it is a commentary on a text that is not in Sanskrit ('The divine language') to start with. Thus, in writing a commentary on this text, he is reinforcing the notion of the Sri Samradaya that the Sanskrit Vedas and the hymns of Alvars, especially those of Bhagavad Nammalvar, are complementary and are both divinely revealed. Secondly, while the teaching and study of the Vedas was restricted to members of the upper three castes traditionally, and to Brahmins alone in practice, Tiruvaymoli was intuited by Bhagavad Nammalvar- a Sudra. Thirdly, the language of the commentary is a profuse hybrid of Sanskrit (comprising all nouns and 75% vocabulary) and Tamil (verbs and syntax). This gave rise to a distinct style of writing and language called the 'Manipravala' in the Sri Vaisnava community. Fourthly, although Sri Ramanuja is regarded as the foremost teacher of the Sri Vaisnava Samradaya, he does not allude to the Tamil writings in his own works. This lacuna is filled by the commentary of Sri Pillan. In his commentary, he nicely integrates the concepts of Bhakti as expounded in the hymns of the Alvars with the notions of Visistadvaita Vedanta. Lastly, the commentary preserves the oral comments of Sri Ramanuja and his predecessors on several Alvar hymns, proving that Sri Pillan was a close associate of Sri Ramanuja and that Sri Ramanuja was a Vedanta theologian as well as a Vaisnava Bhakta at the same time.
In his commentary, Sri Pillan makes extensive use of verbatim quotations from the writings of Sri Ramanuja and inserts them at the slightest pretext. He often expounds the hints of the doctrine of Bhakti scattered in the individual hymns of Bhagavad Nammalvar with quotations from Sanskrit scriptures and with the beliefs of the Sri Vaisnava Sampradya. He chooses to paraphrases individual phrases and words in the original in a manner so as to bring out the Sri Vaisnava significance of the hymns.
While Sri Ramanuja is conservative in explaining the emotional elements of Bhakti, Sri Pillan does not hesitate to do so. He emphasizes the importance of Bhakti yoga as a means to obtain salvation, yet expresses his own inability to practice the same. He then preaches Prapatti as an alternative, universal and a simple path for those who cannot practice the vigorous path of Bhakti Yoga. Prapatti, for him, comprises in seeking refuge in God with utter humility and with a sense of helplessness, in folding one's hands to Him in prayer and in reciting the sacred 8 syllables (the 'Tirumantra', Om Namo Narayanaya) and also the dvaya mantra. Sri Pillan lays the foundation stone of the doctrine of Prapatti- so important later in the Sri Vaisnava theology. Thus, he states that the Lord does not abandon a devotee who seeks refuge in Him. He also acknowledges the intercessory powers of Sri and holds in reverence all objects and beings that are eternally associated with the Lord - like Garuda, the consort of Garuda, the discus and the conch shell of Visnu.
True to the notions of Ubhaya Vedanta, Sri Pillan sees no contradiction in the doctrine of the Upanisads and the emotional concept of a Personal God as embodied in the writings of the Alvars. He interweaves these two ideas very skillfully in his commentary and thus lays the foundation of the theology of the Sri Vaisnava community.
Life and Age:
Sri Sudarsana Suri, or Sudarsana Bhatta, is the renowned commentator on the 'Sri Bhasya'- Sri Ramanujacarya's commentary on the Brahmasutras - written along the lines of Visistadvaitavedanta. This commentary is called the 'Srutaprakasika' and therefore, Sri Sudarsana Suri is also referred to by the name 'Srutaprakasikacarya' by Sri Vaisnavas.
The colophons of his works state that he was born in the 'Haritakula' (Harita lineage) and that his father's name was Sri Vagvijayi. The lineage of Sri Sudarsana is traced to Kuruttalvan (also called Sri Vatsanka Misra or Kuresa), who was one of the foremost disciples of Sri Ramanujacarya. Kuresa had two sons- Parasara Bhattar, who became the leader of the Sri Vaisnava community after Sri Ramanujacarya, and Sri Vedavyasa Bhattar. The latter had two sons - Vagvijayi, who was the father of Sri Sudarsana Suri, and Sarvajna Bhatta. Sri Sudarsana Suri was conferred the title 'Vedavyasa' by the teachers at Srirangam temple owing to his profound scholarship. It is by the name 'Vyasaraya', that he is quoted very often by the later teachers of Visistadvaita Vedanta.
According to traditional accounts, Sri Sudarsana Suri studied under the tutelage of Sri Vatsya Varadarya, a renowned scholar of the Sri Bhasya and descendant of Nadadur Alvan - a nephew and disciple of Sri Ramanujacarya. He was a very quiet and a reserved student and attended classes regularly, taking down the notes of his teacher dillingently. The Srutaprakasika was derived from these very oral instructions of the teacher, hence the name, which means 'publication of that which was heard.'
Sri Sudarsana Suri lived at Srirangam with his two sons. There, he met Sri Vedanta Desika, who was much younger than him. Tradition accords him a martyr's death. During the unprovoked invasion of South India by the armies of the bigoted Muslim Emperor Allauddin Khilji in 1327 C.E., led by his general Malik Kafur, it became imminent that the temple of Srirangam too would be attacked and desecrated soon by these armies of Islam. To possibly prevent and delay the invasion and thus provide enough time for the inmates of the temple to flee with sacred objects used in the worship of the presiding deity (Lord Ranganatha), the residents of Srirangam divided themselves into two groups. One group took the icons in a palanquin and secretly moved southward after raising a wall in front of the doorway. The other party, lead by Sri Vedanta Desika and Sri Sudarsanacarya and several other un-armed, defenseless Hindus walked towards north to form a human wall in front of the approaching Muslim army, only to be massacred at a place called Samayapuram. Before attaining martyrdom, Sri Sudarsanasuri is said to have handed the manuscripts of his works to his favorite disciple - Sri Vedanta Desika, and asked him to preserve them. He also requested Sri Vedanta Desika to somehow save the life of his sons - Vedacarya Bhatta and Parankusa Bhatta. In the ensuing general massacre of Hindus that followed, Sri Vedanta Desika hid himself, the manuscript of Srutaprakasika, and the two sons of Sri Sudarsana Suri among the corpses. As soon as the marauders had left the field, he fled with them to Mysore, thereby fulfilling his pledge to Sri Sudarsana Suri. The supreme sacrifice of Sri Sudarsana Suri for the sake of Hinduism did not go in vain as Sri Vedanta Desika became a scholar par excellence of the Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya of Hindus and earned their gratitude for preserving the Srutaprakasika. And the icons of Lord Ranganayaka (Narayana) and Devi Ranganayika (Sri-Lakshmi) were reinstalled in the temple after the region was freed from Islamic rule.
Works:
1. Srutaprakasika: A massive and a masterly subcommentary on the Sri Bhasya (which itself is a commentary on the Brahmasutras composed by Sri Ramanuja). It is considered the best of all the extant subcommentaries on the Sri Bhasya. When Sri Vedanta Desika fled to Mysore after the sack of the Srirangam temple by the iconoclast Muslim armies, he settled down at a place called Satyamangalam or Satyakalam, where he taught this text to many disciples and kept it from extinction. The Srutaprakasika is an ideal commentary in many different ways. Its explanations are clear and are neither too elaborate nor too brief. The accessories of each topic of discussion (adhikaranas) are stated clearly and the development of thought is clearly delineated from chapter to chapter, from section to section and from topic to topic. The commentary explains the appropriateness of each sentence and the order in which they occur. It highlights the significance of particular choices of words. At the beginning of each topic, it lists a chain of possible objections and the reply thereto. Again, at the end of each adhikarana, the interpretations of Sri Samkaracarya, Sri Bhaskara Bhatta and Sri Yadava Prakasa are stated and refuted or reviewed. In the beginning sections of the subcommentary, these three predecessors of Sri Ramanuja are normally mentioned by name, but thereafter, they are mentioned as 'pare', 'apare' and 'anye', always in that order. Therefore, it is possible to determine which of the three commentators is referred to in all cases. The importance of the Srutaprakasika in this context lies in the fact that it is possible to reconstruct the entire commentary of Sri Yadava Prakasa (now lost) on the Brahmasutras from it. Particularly significant is the fact that Sri Yadava Prakasa frequently interprets the Brahmasutras in a manner different from the other traditional commentaries and seems to impart a quasi-validity to the Samkhya and other schools of orthodox Vedic philosophy. Secondly, the Srutaprakasika has long quotations from the Sailali-Brahmana - a lost Vedic text which belonged to the Sailali recension of the Rigveda (no longer extant). The interpretations of a certain 'Sri Vatsanka Misra' are also quoted under the comment on the first four aphorisms. It is unclear if these are from the works of Sri Kuruttalvan (the disciple of Sri Ramanuja, and author of a commentary on the Dramida Bhasya) or from the Sri Vatsanka referred to by Sri Yamuncarya in his Atmasiddhi (author of a commentary on the Brahmasutras).
2. Srutapradipika: This is a condensed version of Srutaprakasika composed by Sri Sudarsanacarya himself. By and large, it omits the review of the commentaries of Sri Samkaracarya, Sri Bhatta Bhaskara and Sri Yadava Prakasa. It also passes over several aphorisms without commenting on the Sri Bhasya thereupon. The work was apparently composed for the benefit of people who did not possess the skills to study and comprehend the much larger Srutaprakasika.
3. Commentary on Apastamba Grhyasutras: This has been published several times and is said to be the most learned commentary on the text.
4. Commentary on Subala Upanisad: This Upanisad is cited for the first time by Sri Ramanuja in his Sri Bhasya to demonstrate the primacy of Narayana over all other deities. The text is comprised of 16 sections, but Sri Sudarsanasuri's simple commentary (called Vivarana) covers only the first 5 sections (and ends abruptly there) even though quotations from the last 11 sections are also encountered in the works of Sri Ramanuja. It is possible therefore that Sri Sudarsanasuri was either unable to complete the commentary or that the remaining portion of the work is lost. This Upanisad frequently alludes to the Samkhyan cosmological concepts and Sri Sudarsanasuri cites the Mahabharata, Puranas and other texts to demonstrate that the concept of '8 Prakrtis and 16 Vikrtis' is not alien to the followers of the Vedas, although it might have been described in detail by the followers of Maharsi Kapila.
5. Srutaprakasika on the Saranagati Gadya of Sri Ramaujacarya: This namesake of the commentary on Sri Bhasya is an eloquent and a lucid explanation of the Saranagati Gadya.
6. Tatparyadipika: This is a commentary on the Vedarthasamgraha of Sri Ramanujacarya. Sri Sudarsana Suri cites some new quotations from the Vakyagrantha and the Dramida Bhasya which are not cited in any works of Sri Ramanujacarya. Therefore, these works were indeed available to him. The commentary is written in the same masterly fashion as the Srutaprakasika.
7. Commentary on the Vedantasara of Sri Ramanujacarya: This could not be consulted by the authors.
8. Sandhyavandana Bhasya: This is a commentary on the mantras used in the Sandhya ritual by Taittiriya (Apastamba) Yajurvedins.
9. Sukapakshiya: This is a commentary on the Srimad Bhagavata Purana. A solitary manuscript of this work exists in the manuscript collection of Trivandrum University. If the tradition regarding its authorship is correct, then it does indicate that the Purana was considered a hallowed text even by the early Sri Vaisnavas. Students of the poetry of the Alvars - the forerunners of the post-Ramanuja Sri Vaisnava community, have noticed that the themes of the poetry of Alvars are the same as the ones which recur in the Bhagavata Purana.
Life and Age:
Sri Rangaramanuja was a Samavedin Brahmin and was a native of the Velamur village in the North Arcot district of Tamil Nadu. He studied under Sri Anantacarya - the 15th head of the Vadakalai Sri Vaisnava community, counted from Sri Ramanujacarya. Immediately after his studies, he was initiated into Samnyasa directly by the 15th pontiff of the Parakala monastry of Mysore. Sri Rangaramanuja was very studious by nature and is said to have composed 60 works in all, as the title 'Sasti-prabandha-nirmata' indicates. All his works, however, have not withstood the ravages of time.
Sri Rangaramanuja shows an excellent grasp of the tenets of Advaita Vedanta, Nyaya, Vaisesika and Purva Mimamsa in his works. Quotations from works like Tantravarttika of Kumarila Bhatta, Sastradipika of Parthasarathi Misra are found scattered in his works. He frequently alludes to and criticizes the Advaitin interpretation of these texts.
Works:
Sri Ramanujacarya, the greatest teacher of Visistadvaita Vedanta, himself did not compose a commentary on any Upanisadic text, although in his writings (like Vedarthasamgraha and Sri Bhasya), he has explained dozens of Upanisadic passages. After him, Sri Kuranarayana, Sri Sudarsanasuri, Sri Vedanta Desika etc. also wrote commentaries only on the Isa and Subala Upanisads. This deficiency was completed by Sri Rangaramanuja, who wrote lucid commentaries from the Visistadvaita perspective in a large number of Vedantic texts, as is apparent from the list of his works below.
Sri Rangaramanuja composed works on the traditional Sanskrit scriptures as well as on the devotional literature of the Sri Vaisnavas (for instance, commentaries on the Tiruvayamoli, Tiruppavai, Pallandu etc.). Only the works that fall into the former category are listed below:
1) Commentaries on the Upanisads: Kena, Katha, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandukya (together with the Agama Prakarana), Taittiriya, Chhandogya, Brhadaranyaka, Mantrika (Culika), Atharvasikha, Kausitaki, Svetasvatara. His commentaries are brief, to the point (except for the commenataries on Mundaka and Katha, which are quite extensive) and try to incorporate comments on the relevant passages as far as they occur in the works of Sri Ramanujacarya. He also incoporates the explanations occuring in the works of his other predecessors like Sri Sudarsana Suri (who is called Vyasarya) etc. in his works. The text of the Upanisads adopted by Sri Rangaramanuja often shows slight variations from the vulgate or the text adopted by Sri Samkaracarya and Sri Madhvacarya. Sri Rangaramanuja did not comment on the Isavasya Upanisad, probably because his predecessors Sri Kuranarayana and Sri Vedanta Desika had already written commentaries on this text. In addition, he left out the Subala Upanisad since Sri Sudarsana Suri had written a commentary thereupon. However, Sri Vedanta Desika did compose a summary of the teachings of the major Upanisads. It is on the basis of this summary that Sri Rangaramanuja composed his commentaries. Another noteworthy feature of these commentaries is that Sri Rangaramanuja explicitly cites all the Brahmasutras which refer to a particular passage of the Upanisad while commenting on that passage. It is well known that the Brahmasutras do deal with only representative passages of the Upanisads and the principles enunciated in the text can be applied to many other parallel Upanisadic texts. This has been well domonstrated by Sri Rangaramanuja and he has applied the Brahmasutras profusely to arrive at a meaning of numerous passages of the Upanisads.
2) Commentary on Agnirahasya Brahmana: As is well know, the Agnirahasya Brahmana comprises sections 5.2-6 in the 10th book of Satapatha Brahmana of Yajurveda. It teaches the Vaisvanara Vidya, which is also taught in the Brhadaranyaka and the Chhandogya Upanisads. The Agnirahasya Brahmana is also referred to in the Brahmasutras. Sri Rangaramanuja's commentary does not cover the first section and is extremely brief.
3) Mulabhavaprakasika: This is a commentary on the Sri Bhasya of Sri Ramanujacarya
4) Bhavaprakasika: This is a commentary on the Srutaprakasika of Sri Sudarasana Suri
5) Visayavakya Dipika: This lists and comments upon the Upanisadic passages explicity referred to in the Sri-Bhasya.
6) Sariraka Sastrathadipika.
7) Ramanujasiddhanta Sarasamgraha: this is an original work on Visistadvaita Vedanta.
8) Pratitrantraparisshkriya.
9) Tattvanisshkarssha.
10) Tatparyakaumudi: This is a commentary on the Srirahasyatrayasara.
Copyright (1999) Vishal Agarwal
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