Ramanujacharya

Ramanujacharya was a great Vaishnavite philosopher. He was born in 1017 CE in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. He became a leading proponent of Vishishtadvaita Vedanta. This philosophy teaches qualified non-dualism. It emphasizes devotion to Lord Vishnu.

Ramanujacharya studied under Yadava Prakasa, an Advaita scholar. However, he disagreed with Advaita's non-dualism. He believed in a personal God with attributes. He taught that the soul and God are distinct yet connected. This connection is like the body and soul relationship.

He wrote important texts, including:

• Sri Bhashya: a commentary on the Brahma Sutras.
• Gita Bhashya: a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita.

Ramanuja traveled across India. He spread his teachings and reformed temple practices. He emphasized bhakti (devotion) and equality among devotees. His work influenced the Bhakti movement. He passed away in 1137 CE in Srirangam.

His mother  was Srikanthimati, and father, Asurikesava Dikshita  Srikanthimati was the sister of Yamunacharya’s disciple, Sri Shailapurna. Acharya’s childhood name was Lakshmana. He revived the path of devotion and became the renowned Jagadguru Ramanujacharya.

A Miracle

After his father's passing, Lakshmana studied under Yadavaprakasha, a scholar of Advaita philosophy. However, Lakshmana did not find Advaita teachings appealing. He could not accept that devotion and worship were lower forms of spiritual practice or that the Lord’s divine form was illusory. This led to differences in interpretation between him and his guru. Despite this, Lakshmana showed great respect for his teacher.

Yadavaprakasha was also skilled in Tantra. Once, a princess in Kanchi was possessed by a Brahmarakshasa. The king invited Yadavaprakasha to help, but his rituals failed. The Brahmarakshasa revealed that if Lakshmana, a devotee of the Lord, placed his feet on the princess’s head, she would be cured, and the Brahmarakshasa would be freed. With his guru’s permission, Lakshmana obeyed. The princess was healed, and the spirit was released.

This made Yadavaprakasha envious, and he saw Lakshmana as a threat to his fame. He planned to kill Lakshmana during a pilgrimage to Kashi. However, Lakshmana discovered the plot and separated from the group, parting ways with his guru.

Lakshmana walked through unknown paths and dense forests. His feet were injured by thorns and stones. Hunger and thirst made him weak. In desperation, he called out to the Lord, the protector of devotees. At that moment, a hunter couple appeared before him. 

At dawn, the hunter's wife felt thirsty. Lakshmana found a well where many people were drawing water. Without a vessel, Lakshmana used his hands to give her water thrice. When he went to fetch water the fourth time, the couple had disappeared.  He realized that Lord Lakshminarayana Himself had appeared as the hunter couple.

Knowledge Bank

What are the nine forms of bhakti also called Navadha bhakti?

According to Prahlada, the nine forms of bhakti are - 1. Shravana - listening to Bhagawan's glory ( eg. Parikshit ) 2. Keertana - singing his glory ( eg. Shukadeva ) 3. Smarana - remembering him constantly ( eg. Prahlada ) 4. Padasevana - serving his lotus feet ( eg. Lakshmi ) 5. Archana - physical worship (eg. Prithu ) 6. Vandana - offering namaskaras ( eg. Akrura ) 7. Dasya - to consider yourself as Bhagawan's servant (eg. Hanuman ) 8. Sakhya - to consider him as your friend ( eg. Arjuna ) 9. Atmanivedana - complete surrender to Bhagawan ( eg. King Bali ).

How was Agastya Muni born?

There were two Devas, Mitra and Varuna who were joined together originally. They are different forms of Aditya. Then they got separated. Their sperms were kept in a pot. From that pot came out Agastya and Vasishta after some time (similar to IVF).