ABOUT SRI RAMANUJAR

Sri Ramanuja, though appearing to be traditional, was revolutionary in ideas and benevolent to all mankind. A great philosopher and an Acharya of the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya, he was the proponent of the Visishtadvaitha philosophy. To him, there could be no distinction between the high and the low, between the touchable and the untouchable, in the quest for Divine grace. Social, scholastic, philosophic, administrative and humanistic contributions of Sri Ramanuja to the society in general and Sri Vaishnavism in particular are magnificent.

Sri Ramanuja was not merely a philosopher. He was an administrator par excellence and one who was thorough with management techniques. A humanist to the core, he went beyond casteist hurdles and carried the message of compassion.

One of the famous Tamil poets, Bharathidasan, an atheist and also known as 'Puratchikavi' (the revolutionary poet)t has sung in praise of Ramanuja as follows:

"முக்தியோ சிலரின் சொத்தென இருக்கையில் இத்தமிழ் நாடுதன் இருந்தவப்பயனாய் இராமாநுசனை ஈன்றதன்றோ"

( Gist in English : "At a time, when it was considered that Moksha can be attained only by a handful of persons well versed in the Shastras, it was Ramanuja who declared that all who have devotion and render service to the Lord and His devotees could attain Moksha")

Sri Ramanuja worked for social upliftment. He advocated service to mankind, especially to the poor and the downtrodden. He preached 'Universal Love' and eradicated discrimination among human beings. He initiated the construction of the Thondanur Lake in Karnataka which is even today irrigating thousands of acres of land and supplying drinking water to nearby places including Thirunarayanapuram (Melkote).

He brought amity among Hindus and Muslims by agreeing to marry the daughter of Delhi Sultan to Ramapriyan (the presiding deity of Melkote) and performed the marraige as per Hindu tradition in the presence of the Muslim ruler at Thirunarayanapuram (Melkote). Even today, the Muslim girl who wed the Lord is seen at the holy feet of the Lord. Sri Ramanuja's philosophy emphasizes on the blissful experience of the jeeva (the individual soul) with Brahman (or the Ultimate Almighty) by way of Contemplative Bhakthi.

Ramanuja, in an ardent desire to give a dignified place to those who were called the untouchables (தீண்டத்தகாதவர்கள்), named them the "Thirukkulathar"(திருக்குலத்தார்); the name indicates that they are the descendants of Mahalakshmi. Four centuries after Ramanuja, Sri Narasimha Mehta of Junagarh (Gujarat) gave the name "Harijans", meaning they are the descendants of Lord Vishnu (Hari).

Mahatma Gandhi, obviously was much influenced by the life of both these saints. He named his magazine 'Harijan' and found great peace in the song "Vaishnava Janatho tene Kahia". During the Harijan Temple entry movement in 1930s, Gandhiji drew motivation from Ramanuja and hailed him the "Famous Vaishnava Reformer".

A particular incident from the life of the great acharya comprehensively portrays all his philosophy and practice. After receiving from his Guru Thirukkottiyur Nambi, the esoteric meaning of the Thirumantra (Eight syllabled 'Om Namo Narayanaya') at Thirukottiyur (in Tamilnadu), he passed on the esoteric meaning to all those who assembled at his call; this was much against the command of his guru. When the guru questioned him on his apparent violation, Ramanuja explained:

"Mahatman! I have transgressed your behest.... If an insignificant creature like me goes to hell and thousands of men and women are thereby enabled to go to Vaikuntha, this is a consummation that I earnestly pray for.... what could be more propitious and profitable than this?......."

Sri Ramanuja realised that there are three fundamental needs for any individual; of these, food and shelter are more essential. To provide for these, Sri Ramanuja evolved an institution - the Ramanuja kootams which provided the masses with food and shelter.

Sri Ramanuja was a great institution himself.