Rāmānuja

Indian philosopher

• Born: c. 1017
• Birthplace: Śrīperumbūdūr, near Madras, southern India
• Died: 1137
• Place of death: Śrīrangam, southern India

Rāmānuja expounded a theistic interpretation of Vedānta philosophy and led the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas community in its formative period.

Early Life

The dates of the life of Rāmānuja (rah-MAHN-ewj-uh) are somewhat controversial, because the 120-year lifespan attributed to him by Śrī Vaiṣṇavas tradition seems exceptionally long; it is also possible that he was born some sixty years later than the traditional date. Particularly noteworthy about the time and place of his life, however, is that most of the region of Tamil Nadu in southern India was at this time a single powerful state, the Cōla kingdom. Śrīranijgam, which would figure so prominently in Rāmānuja’s life, was at the center of a prosperous, highly organized state, the rulers of which often lavishly supported the various religious traditions within their realm.

Rāmānuja was born into a Brahman family apparently Smārtas Brahmans who had inclinations toward Vishnu (Viṣṇu) worship but were not members of the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas sect. Traditionally, males of his family were scholars of the Vedic texts and rituals. Rāmānuja was married early in his life, then went to study with Yādavaprakāa, a local scholar of the Upaniṣads and Vedānta. Disagreements with his teacher’s interpretations of the sacred texts, combined with his increasing interest in the devotional practices of the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas sect, finally led to a decisive break with his teacher and to Rāmānuja’s initiation into the sect.

The last great leader of the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas community, Yāmuna, had died immediately before Rāmānuja’s initiation, denying Rāmānuja the opportunity of serving and being instructed by the living master of the tradition. Still, Rāmānuja regarded himself as Yāmuna’s disciple and was acclaimed as Yāmuna’s successor by devotees in the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas center of Śrīranijgam.

Detailed instruction in Śrī Vaiṣṇavas doctrine followed Rāmānuja’s initiation; this instruction was provided in Rāmānuja’s home by a devotee named Periya Nambi. After six months, Rāmānuja’s wife quarreled with Nambi’s wife regarding their relative status in the caste system; although all of them were Brahman, Rāmānuja’s wife believed that Nambi and his wife were members of a subcaste lower in status and that contact with them was polluting. Nambi and his wife left Rāmānuja’s home, terminating his instruction. Rāmānuja was so infuriated with his wife’s behavior that he sent her back to her parents and shortly thereafter became an ascetic. This incident illustrates Rāmānuja’s attitude that the social order of caste hierarchy was less important than the spiritual rank of devotees within the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas community.

Life’s Work

After becoming an ascetic, Rāmānuja lived in a small monastery he had established near the temple in Kanci. Several of Rāmānuja’s younger relatives and other Brahmans came to him for instruction, were initiated into the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas community, and became Rāmānuja’s disciples. Among these disciples was his former teacher, Yādavaprakāa, who composed a manual of rules for ascetics of the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas community at Rāmānuja’s request, a work that still exists.

Soon the devotees in Śrīranijgam heard of these developments and asked Rāmānuja to assume leadership of the community and administration of the temple at Śrīranijgam. He did so, and during the next few years, he thoroughly reorganized the administration of the temple. Because the worship of the lay followers of Śrī Vaiṣṇavism centered on the temple, its administration was a matter of great concern to the whole community. Rāmānuja was able to introduce new procedures and new temple personnel without alienating members of the prior regime.

These reforms were accomplished even though several temple officers were displaced and disciples of Rāmānuja (some of whom were his relatives) who came from a different group of Brahmans and from a different area were given positions. Rāmānuja’s changes necessitated the peaceful coexistence not only of different subcastes of Brahmans but also of Brahmans and non-Brahmans, for many different groups helped administer the temple. The relatively liberal attitude toward status distinctions based on caste within the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas community is a striking feature of Rāmānuja’s tenure as the community’s leader.

Because Rāmānuja had not had the opportunity of being taught by Yāmuna, the previous master of the tradition, he sought out five of Yāmuna’s disciples to transmit some portion of the master’s teachings. Receiving from one the secret meaning of the sacred mantra, Rāmānuja then publicly revealed the teaching to a group of Śrī Vaiṣṇavas. He justified violating the prohibition against publicizing this doctrine on the grounds that even if he was damned for doing so, others would be saved by his action. Śrī Vaiṣṇavas tell this story because it illustrates vividly Rāmānuja’s compassion for his fellow devotees and his desire to spread the teachings of the doctrine, with all of their saving power, to a wider audience.

Nine works have been attributed to Rāmānuja. Three of these works are commentaries on the Vedānta-sūtras, the best known and longest of which is the Śrībhāya (Rāmānuja)[{I}Sribhasya{/I} (Ramanuja)]}; the shorter ones are entitled {I}Vedātadīpa{/I} and Vedāntasāra . Also attributed to Rāmānuja is a commentary on the Bhagavadgītā (c. 200 b.c.e.-200 c.e.; The Bhagavad Gita, 1785). Perhaps his earliest work is a summary statement of his philosophical position entitled Vedārthasaṃgraha . (These writings have all been translated widely and are best known by their original titles.)

The other four works traditionally ascribed to Rāmānuja are devotional in mood and somewhat different in content from the works above; for this reason, some modern scholars have questioned whether Rāmānuja actually composed them. One work is a ritual manual to be used in one’s daily worship. The other three are prose hymns in praise of Vishnu. Śrī Vaiṣṇavas have preserved these nine works, which have become the basis of the distinctive theology and practice of their community.

Rāmānuja accepted the traditional Hindu concept of reincarnation and the law of karma, which determines the nature of one’s rebirth based on one’s actions in one’s previous life. For Rāmānuja, ultimate reality is God, a personal lord who reveals himself to those who acknowledge their dependence on him. The traditional Vedānta is concerned with knowledge of ultimate reality as the means of attaining emancipation from the cycle of rebirth. Rāmānuja’s interpretation of Vedānta incorporates knowledge of ultimate reality with the performance of one’s ritual duties and social duties as secondary means of attaining liberation, but the primary means is devotion (bhakti ). Devotion in the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas community is a recollection of the attributes of God with an attitude of love, so that the devotee feels the presence of God constantly and vividly. Most bhakti traditions regard this devotion as the means to the attainment of God’s presence; for Rāmānuja, the devotee who feels a need for God’s presence discovers that God needs the loving devotion of his devotee as well. Bhakti in Śrī Vaiṣṇavism is thus the mutual participation of God and his devotees.

Rāmānuja traveled through much of India, taking the doctrines and practices of the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas sect to all who would listen. His influence was particularly strong in southern India, where many converts were won. Late in his life, however, Rāmānuja was forced to flee from Śrīranijgam when a newly installed king demanded that he declare obeisance to Śiva (Shiva). Rāmānuja fled north to the HoysalŃa kingdom, where he was free to practice Śrī Vaiṣṇavism. After the death of the fanatical king of Cōla, Rāmānuja was able to return to Śrīranijgam and spend his remaining years peacefully in the company of many disciples.

Significance

Rāmānuja emerged as the leader of the small Śrī Vaiṣ-ṇavas community between the eleventh and twelfth centuries and was instrumental in transforming this sect into one of the largest devotional religious movements in India. Rāmānuja’s leadership was twofold: He was both the chief administrative officer of the Śrīranijgam temple and the authoritative teacher of the community of devotees for whom Śrīranijgam was the center.

Since the twelfth century, Rāmānuja has been seen as the most important teacher and leader of the Śrī Vaiṣ-ṇavas community. In fact, Rāmānuja has been regarded by his followers as the means by which salvation was to be attained. Through the teachings that he enunciated and by worshipping at the temple that he reorganized and supervised, the blessed state was attainable. Rāmānuja was thus regarded as the mediator between Vishnu (god) and his community of devotees.

Rāmānuja’s leadership established Śrī Vaiṣṇavism as a dynamic and growing tradition in southern India. His reforms of the temple’s administrative procedures and the example of his own life served to integrate Brahmans and non-Brahmans within one religious community. Subsequent leaders of Śrī Vaiṣṇavism have followed the procedures for temple administration that Rāmānuja instituted and have relied on his writings as the official doctrines of the sect.

One of the most significant aspects of Rāmānuja’s thought is that it provided a theistic interpretation of Vedānta in opposition to Śanijkara’s monism, which was very much the dominant interpretation. In so doing, Rāmānuja contributed to the establishment of devotional theism as acceptable to even the most orthodox Brahmans. Devotional theism has become the most popular kind of worship in India, in part because of Rāmānuja’s intellectual and organizational skills.

Bibliography

Bartley, C. J. The Theology of Rāmānuja: Realism and Religion. London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2002. A look at the religious beliefs of Rāmānuja. Bibliography and index.

Lakshamma, G. The Impact of Rāmānuja’s Teaching on Life and Conditions in Society. Delhi: Sundeep Prakashan, 1990. An examination of the life of Rāmānuja and his impact on his society. Bibliography.

Lipner, Julius. The Face of Truth: A Study of Meaning and Metaphysics in the Vedantic Theology of Rāmānuja. Houndsmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England: Macmillan, 1986. Analysis of Rāmānuja’s Vedantic religious views. Index and bibliography.

Lott, Eric J. God and the Universe in the Vedantic Theology of Rāmānuja. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1980. This work is a clear and concise study of the religious thought of Rāmānuja, with particular attention to his doctrines regarding God and humanity’s relationship to God. For Rāmānuja, the soul is dependent on God much as the body is dependent on the soul which it contains. Bibliography.

Rangarajan, Haripriya. Rāmānuja Sampradāya in Gujarat: A Historical Perspective. Bombay: Somaiya Publications, 1996. An examination of Rāmānuja and Śrī Vaiṣṇavism in Gujarat. Bibliography and index.

Srinivasa Chari, S. M. The Philosophy of the Upaniś;ads: A Study Based on the Evaluation of the Comments of Śaṇkara, Rāmānuja, and Madhva. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharial, 2002. An examination of the Upaniś;ads that looks at the comments of Rāmānuja. Bibliogrpahy and index.

Vineeth, Vadakethala F. Self and Salvation in Hinduism and Christianty: An Inter-religious Approach. New Delhi: Intercultural Publications, 1997. A study that looks at the philosophy of self and salvation of Rāmānuja and Paul Tillich (1886-1965). Bibliography and index.