Sri Ramanujacharya

Story

In the year 1017 A.D., a boy named Lakshmana (later known as Ramanuja) was born into a well-to-do family. His Father was Kesava Somayaji and his mother was Kantimathi. He spent his childhood days in his birthplace, Sriperumbudur, near modern Chennai. Ramanuja gained his primary education from his father.

At the age of sixteen Ramanuja moved to Kanchi, a holy city famous for its temples and scholars, to pursue his studies under an able Guru. In Kanchi, he met Yadava Prakasha, who was renowned for his scholarship in advaita vedanta ( the idea of adi shankaracharya on non-dualism i.e. the supreme god and all human beings are equal).

Ramanuja enrolled in Yadava’s school and used to listen to all the lessons and commentaries very sincerely. 

Yadava always believed Ramanuja to be a follower of non-dualism, and used to show him affection. But this affection did not last for long.

One day, while explaining a verse from the Taittiriya Upanishad beginning with "Satyam gnanam anantham brahma," Yadava said that Brahman is intelligence, truth, and the infinite.

Hearing this explanation, Ramanuja politely added, “Brahman possess the qualities of intelligence, truth, and the infinite. This means that he is not covered by ignorance as are ordinary living beings. He is never untruthful, and his energies are unlimited, not limited. The Supreme Brahman is the reservoir of all good qualities, yet he is superior to those qualities, as the sun is superior to sunlight.”

Yadava claimed, “Your conclusions do not agree with those of Shankara or any of the previous masters! Your thoughts don't match ours, hereafter you should follow your own path and discover the truth for yourself.

After some time, Ramanuja opened his school at his home, and in no time people came to listen to his devotional teachings and soon became his disciples, called Vaishnavas. He differed from the idea of nondualism and claimed, “The living beings are a part of the supreme god and not his equal. And our position is to serve him with utmost devotion. Ramanuja's philosophy became known as Visishtadvaita or qualified non-dualism. 

Many people objected to Ramanuja's philosophy but he was never scared to put his opinion forward. In the following years, he wrote some Hindu scriptures and books to express his thoughts. Sri Bhasya, Vedanta Sangraha and Vedanta Sara are some of his famous works.

He was a kind saint who believed everyone should be like one big family. He welcomed people who were often left out and treated them with love and compassion. Ramanuj encouraged people to follow the path of bhakti.

To honour Ramanujacharya’s contribution to Hinduism and his salvation by meeting the supreme god, Sri Ramanujacharya Jayanti is celebrated every year in May. On this auspicious day, devotees offer prayers, bathe the statue of Ramanujacharya, also known as Uthsava Murthi, in sacred water, and honour him by reciting his teachings at temples.