Sri Bhashya - Swami Ramanujas commentary on the Brahma Sutra (A brief explanation for novice) This series is just an attempt to sensitise the seekers, not an argumentative or detailed analysis. Understanding Brahman is a complex exercise. Therefore, those who are interested in deep knowledge are requested to read the treatises written by acknowledged scholars. Blessings sought from seekers to continue this exercise - Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan - Muralidharan Seshadri. Genesis of Sri Bhashyam of Sri Ramanuja After renouncing the life of a house-holder, Sri Ramanuja travelled to Srirangam to meet an aging Yamunacharya(Swami Alavandar), a philosopher of the re-emergent Vishishtadvaita school of thought. Swami Alavandar (Yamunacharya) had died prior to Sri Ramanujas arrival. Followers of Sri Ramanuja relate the legend that three fingers of Yamunacharyas corpse were curled. Sri Ramanuja saw this and understood that Yamunacharya was concerned about three tasks. Sri Ramanuja vowed to complete these, i.e. 1. Write a Visishtadvaita Bhashya for the Brahma Sutras of Vyasa which had previously been taught orally to the disciples of the Visishtadvaita philosophy. 2. That the name of Parasara, the author of Vishnu Purana should be perpetuated. 3. The name of Saint Saţakopa should be perpetuated by writing a commentary on the Tiruvoimozhi. Legend goes that on hearing the vow, the three fingers on the corpse straightened. Providence destined Sri Ramanuja to accomplish the great task of elucidating the Sutras in a theistic style, asserting the metaphysical eminence of Brahman without the supplementary thesis of world-denial and the denial of the individuality of the finite selves, and promulgating knowledge of Brahman as arising from Karma-yoga and maturing in bhakti. Sri Ramanuja has bequeathed three works on the Brahma-Sutra: the Vedanta-Sara, Vedanta-Dipa, and the Sri-Bhashya. The first work merely enunciates the meaning of the Sutras. The second goes beyond this summary of conclusions and indicates the dialectical framework. The third is the fullest and all-sufficient commentary. Pious tradition records that the Goddess Sarasvati was so charmed by it that she blessed it with the prefix ‘Sri’. Sri Ramanuja lived a long and full life. He seems to have spent nearly half of it in equipping himself for the creation of this masterpiece. He did advance his special philosophical point of view in his early work, the Vedanthasangraha in a brilliant and spirited manner. But he acquired devoutly all that Sri Yamuna’s tradition could give him on the Sutras, studied ancient documents on the Sutras such as the works of Bodhayana, Tanka, and Dramida, mastered the current schools of philosophy to perfection, soaked himself in the Vedic literature, particularly the Upanisads, acquired an authentic understanding of the commentaries of Sri Sankara, Bhaskara, and Yadava-prakasa, got the core of the Advaitic classics of the masters such as Mandana, Padmapada, Suresvara, Vacaspati-misra, Vimuktatman, and Prakasatman, and shaped his own vision of Vedanta and an appropriate style before he addressed himself to the literary mission of his life. No wonder the Sri-Bhashya is a stupendous and masterly work, its style matching its substance. Sri Ramanuja chooses the hard way on every issue, that of thoroughness, and he is massive in the statement of prima facie views and also in his vindication of his own findings. The language of exposition is lucid as well as grand. Vedanta Desika, himself a great master of style, acknowledges that his own style acquired grace through a devout application to the writings of Sri Ramanuja. In the compass of vision, fullness of execution, and splendour of style the Sri-Bhashya reaches heights of excellence. .........In the next episode, we will see how the structure of the Sutras are laid down by Swami Ramanuja, and Sri Bhashyas invocation hymn and its explanation....
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 01:15:39 +0000
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