Ramanuja's particular form of Vaisnavism is the oldest of the schools of BHAKTI movement and is often termed Sri Vaisnavism in order to distinguish if from that of Madhva and the other Vaisnava schools, like Nimbarka, Chaitanya, Ramananda, Jayadeva, and so on.These schools developed as per the local needs, languages, religious beliefs, etc.
Unlike Madhva or Chaitanya, who can justifiably be called the founders of their particular school of Vaisnavism, Ramanuja an important member among a great succession of followers of Vaishnavism that trace themselves to the time of the Vedas, is not the founder of Vaishnavism. Instead,. He adapted Vaishnavism, as per the needs, and converted it into the modified school of Srivaishnavism. He not only propagated, but also put in place various systems for the practice and development of Srivaishnavism
The development Sri Vaishnavism has been influenced by various factors, over a great period of time. In the beginning, the basic belief of Srivaishnavism was that Vishnu was the sole God., the Supreme Being. Although prayers and hymns were being offered to other devatas, it was their belief that they were but different faces of Vishnu. Amongst the various mantas being chanted, the primary one was Purusha Suktam, which established Vishnu as the Supreme Being. This practice can be traced back to the time of the Vedas.
Another factor contributing to the development of Srivaishnavism was the ancient scripture of Agamas, the Pancharatra ,Vaikhnasya, Pratishthasara, and Vijnanalalita Agamas. The word Agama means tradition. The Agamas are ancient Indian texts dealing with all rituals and ceremonies to be observed in temples, and they also laid down rules and procedures as to how each archa murthy was to be conceived, constructed and worshipped.
The Puranas and the Sutras also had a very great impact on the development of Srivaishnavism. Amongst the Puranas, while Vishnu Purana was very important to the Srivaishnavas, Bhagwat Purana became more widely integrated into the basic philosophy of Srivaishnavasim.
Development of Srivaishnavism was very greatly influenced by the various Avatars, the Dasavatars or the Ten Avatars of Vishnu, leading to great epics like Ramanayana, Mahabharat
Lord Krishna, in his upadesham to Arjuna said:
Interpretation
Whenever Dharma, or the situation of law and order, is endangered on this world, I will take an incarnation and come in to this world to re establish Dharma, law and order, and to protect the Sadhus or saints and to detroy the evil elements of the society.
In his upadesam to Arjuna, Lord Krishna also showed hi the path to Moksam.
Interpretation
Leave all your dharmaas and take refuge at my feet and I will save or relieve you from all your karmaas and the cycle of births and death
Throughout ages, Lord Vishnu, has incarnated in various life forms through different yugas (ages or eons) in situations wherever Dharma was in danger, because of certain evil elements in the world, Lord Vishnu, has incarnated in various life forms. In mythology, there ten instances of incarnation of Lord Vishnu. These incarnations are termed as the avatars of Lord Vishnu. The ten avataars are as follows:
The Ramayana describes how Vishnu came to earth in the Avatar of Sri Rama and goes on to describe the character of Sita, and through this the greatness of Lakshmi, and the characters of Hanuman, Vibhisana, Laksmana and Bharata,showing their devotion,selflessness, and the way to Moksham.
Another of the great epics, the Mahabharata highlights the characters of various persons like Bhima, the Pandavas, specially Arjuna, and Sri Krishna”s Gita Upadesam to him. It also brought out the loyalty of Karna, and the honesty and respect for law of Vidur.
While the Mahabharat brought the best of characters, great as well as greedy and treacherous, it specially brought out the habits and characteristics of people regarding devotion to duty. Against this, the Ramayana brought out the devotion aspect. Collectively, these are the ways to Saranagati and Moksham.
As time passed, Srivaishnavism weakened, and became diluted. And then came the time of the mystical Azhwars, who through their hymns and compositions revived the flagging interest in Srivaishnavism, gave people greater insights into Sri Vishnu, and the path to him. While the Vedas, Agamas, and Smritis or Epics were the initial guides in the development of Srivaishnavism, it was the teachings of these Azhwars, and later, Sri Ramanujachari, who profoundly impacted the philosophy of Srivaishnavism .
There were 12 Azhwars in all, born in South India starting from the beginning of Kali Yuga. It is said that the first four of them, Poigai Azhwar, Bhuta Azhwar, Pey Azhwar, and Tirumisai Azhwar, were the direct representations of Sri Vishnu, and they were not born to anyone.
The Azhwars, in chronological order, are:
ANDAL and Madhura Kavi are contemporaries of PeriyAzhwAr and NammAzhwAr in the chronological order, the first by virtue of being the avathAram of one of the divine consorts of the Lord and the foster daughter of PeriyAzhwAr,. and the second the prime disciple of Swamy NammAzhwAr .
The writings of these Azwars, in Tamil, were collected from Vedas, Puranas, Ramanayana, and Mahabharata. So profound were their thoughts,and so strong their impact, that these writings, collectively called Divya Prabandham, are referred to as Tamil Vedas, and are treated on par with the Vedas.
NammAzhwAr is considered the most important and the Greatest AzhwAr for his prabhandham (of Thiruvaaimozhi of 1000 pAsurams) which glorifies the prapatti (the surrender concept). He took refuge at the Lord's feet and performed prapatti. Hence, for,Sri VaishNavAs, NammAzhwAr”s teachings are paramount, and of of very great value, since he leads us by example for performing prapatti at the Lord's Lotus Feet. His Thiruvaaimozhi's commentary is called Bhagavat Vishayam
Over a period of time, the teachings of the Azhwars was being replaced by other streams of thoughts and beliefs. The biggest cause was human greed. As time passed, those in possession of the knowledge started exploiting the others who did not, causing great anguish. Vaishnavism was replaced by other beliefs. The first was Budhism, which flourished almost all over the country, and even other nations. But, inevitably, and inexorably, Budhism also fell, prey to the same forces which had diluted Vaishnavism. This coincided with the advent of Adi Shankaracharya, who introduced the Dwaita philosophy to the world. Dwaita philosophy, or Shaivism flourished, specially in South India for centuries. Other streams of thoughts like Jainas, Saivas, Sankhyas, Nyayikas, Vaisesikas, Mimamsa,also existed.
After being lost for many centuries, the Divya Prabandham was again brought back due to the efforts of Madhurakavi Azhwar, Nathamuni, Alavandar, and Ramanujacharya. The work done by these greats is a different topic, and will figure in my subsequent observations. Suffice to say that Vaishnavaism revived only because of their work.
It was Ramanujachary, around a thousand years back, who rebelled against this philosophy, in spite of the fact that his own guru, Yadavprakash, was a very strong exponent of Shaivism. Ramanujacharya broke away from both Dwaitism, as well as Advaitism, which was also prevalent, and propounded his new theory of Visihtadvaitism, thereby ushering in the beginning of Srivaishnavism.
Unlike Madhva or Chaitanya, who can justifiably be called the founders of their particular school of Vaisnavism, Ramanuja an important member among a great succession of followers of Vaishnavism that trace themselves to the time of the Vedas, is not the founder of Vaishnavism. Instead,. He adapted Vaishnavism, as per the needs, and converted it into the modified school of Srivaishnavism. He not only propagated, but also put in place various systems for the practice and development of Srivaishnavism
The development Sri Vaishnavism has been influenced by various factors, over a great period of time. In the beginning, the basic belief of Srivaishnavism was that Vishnu was the sole God., the Supreme Being. Although prayers and hymns were being offered to other devatas, it was their belief that they were but different faces of Vishnu. Amongst the various mantas being chanted, the primary one was Purusha Suktam, which established Vishnu as the Supreme Being. This practice can be traced back to the time of the Vedas.
Another factor contributing to the development of Srivaishnavism was the ancient scripture of Agamas, the Pancharatra ,Vaikhnasya, Pratishthasara, and Vijnanalalita Agamas. The word Agama means tradition. The Agamas are ancient Indian texts dealing with all rituals and ceremonies to be observed in temples, and they also laid down rules and procedures as to how each archa murthy was to be conceived, constructed and worshipped.
The Puranas and the Sutras also had a very great impact on the development of Srivaishnavism. Amongst the Puranas, while Vishnu Purana was very important to the Srivaishnavas, Bhagwat Purana became more widely integrated into the basic philosophy of Srivaishnavasim.
Development of Srivaishnavism was very greatly influenced by the various Avatars, the Dasavatars or the Ten Avatars of Vishnu, leading to great epics like Ramanayana, Mahabharat
Lord Krishna, in his upadesham to Arjuna said:
Yadaa Yadaa hi Dharmasya Glanir Bhavati Bharata
Abhyuttanam Adharmasya Tadaatmaanam Srujamyaham
Paritranaya Sadhunaam Vinaashaya ch Dushkritaam
Dharmasansthapanarthaya Sambhavami Yugay Yugay
Abhyuttanam Adharmasya Tadaatmaanam Srujamyaham
Paritranaya Sadhunaam Vinaashaya ch Dushkritaam
Dharmasansthapanarthaya Sambhavami Yugay Yugay
Interpretation
Whenever Dharma, or the situation of law and order, is endangered on this world, I will take an incarnation and come in to this world to re establish Dharma, law and order, and to protect the Sadhus or saints and to detroy the evil elements of the society.
In his upadesam to Arjuna, Lord Krishna also showed hi the path to Moksam.
sarva dharmAn parithyajya mAmEkam saraNam vraja
aham thvA sarva pApEpyO mOkshayishyAmi mA sucha
aham thvA sarva pApEpyO mOkshayishyAmi mA sucha
Interpretation
Leave all your dharmaas and take refuge at my feet and I will save or relieve you from all your karmaas and the cycle of births and death
Throughout ages, Lord Vishnu, has incarnated in various life forms through different yugas (ages or eons) in situations wherever Dharma was in danger, because of certain evil elements in the world, Lord Vishnu, has incarnated in various life forms. In mythology, there ten instances of incarnation of Lord Vishnu. These incarnations are termed as the avatars of Lord Vishnu. The ten avataars are as follows:
- MASTYA AVATAR Lord Vishnu in a fish form
- KURMA AVATAR Lord Vishnu as a tortoise
- VARAHA AVATAR Lord Vishnu as a boar
- NARASIMHA AVATAR Lord Vishnu as Narasimha
- VAMANA AVATAR Lord Vishnu as Vamana
- PARASURAM AVATAR Lord Vishnu as Parasurama
- RAMA AVATAR Lord Vishnu as Rama
- KRISHNA AVATAR Lord Vishnu as Sri Krishna
- BUDDHA AVATAR Lord Vishnu as Buddha
- KALKI AVATAR Lord Vishnu as Kalki
The Ramayana describes how Vishnu came to earth in the Avatar of Sri Rama and goes on to describe the character of Sita, and through this the greatness of Lakshmi, and the characters of Hanuman, Vibhisana, Laksmana and Bharata,showing their devotion,selflessness, and the way to Moksham.
Another of the great epics, the Mahabharata highlights the characters of various persons like Bhima, the Pandavas, specially Arjuna, and Sri Krishna”s Gita Upadesam to him. It also brought out the loyalty of Karna, and the honesty and respect for law of Vidur.
While the Mahabharat brought the best of characters, great as well as greedy and treacherous, it specially brought out the habits and characteristics of people regarding devotion to duty. Against this, the Ramayana brought out the devotion aspect. Collectively, these are the ways to Saranagati and Moksham.
As time passed, Srivaishnavism weakened, and became diluted. And then came the time of the mystical Azhwars, who through their hymns and compositions revived the flagging interest in Srivaishnavism, gave people greater insights into Sri Vishnu, and the path to him. While the Vedas, Agamas, and Smritis or Epics were the initial guides in the development of Srivaishnavism, it was the teachings of these Azhwars, and later, Sri Ramanujachari, who profoundly impacted the philosophy of Srivaishnavism .
There were 12 Azhwars in all, born in South India starting from the beginning of Kali Yuga. It is said that the first four of them, Poigai Azhwar, Bhuta Azhwar, Pey Azhwar, and Tirumisai Azhwar, were the direct representations of Sri Vishnu, and they were not born to anyone.
The Azhwars, in chronological order, are:
- PoigaiAzhwAr
- BhUthathAzhwAr
- PEyAzhwAr
- ThirumazhisaiAzhwAr
- NammAzhwAr
- PeriyAzhwAr
- MadhurakaviAzhwAr
- ThondaradippodiAzhwAr
- KulasEkharAzhwAr
- ThiruppANAzhwAr
- AndAL
- ThirumangaiAzhwAr
ANDAL and Madhura Kavi are contemporaries of PeriyAzhwAr and NammAzhwAr in the chronological order, the first by virtue of being the avathAram of one of the divine consorts of the Lord and the foster daughter of PeriyAzhwAr,. and the second the prime disciple of Swamy NammAzhwAr .
The writings of these Azwars, in Tamil, were collected from Vedas, Puranas, Ramanayana, and Mahabharata. So profound were their thoughts,and so strong their impact, that these writings, collectively called Divya Prabandham, are referred to as Tamil Vedas, and are treated on par with the Vedas.
NammAzhwAr is considered the most important and the Greatest AzhwAr for his prabhandham (of Thiruvaaimozhi of 1000 pAsurams) which glorifies the prapatti (the surrender concept). He took refuge at the Lord's feet and performed prapatti. Hence, for,Sri VaishNavAs, NammAzhwAr”s teachings are paramount, and of of very great value, since he leads us by example for performing prapatti at the Lord's Lotus Feet. His Thiruvaaimozhi's commentary is called Bhagavat Vishayam
Over a period of time, the teachings of the Azhwars was being replaced by other streams of thoughts and beliefs. The biggest cause was human greed. As time passed, those in possession of the knowledge started exploiting the others who did not, causing great anguish. Vaishnavism was replaced by other beliefs. The first was Budhism, which flourished almost all over the country, and even other nations. But, inevitably, and inexorably, Budhism also fell, prey to the same forces which had diluted Vaishnavism. This coincided with the advent of Adi Shankaracharya, who introduced the Dwaita philosophy to the world. Dwaita philosophy, or Shaivism flourished, specially in South India for centuries. Other streams of thoughts like Jainas, Saivas, Sankhyas, Nyayikas, Vaisesikas, Mimamsa,also existed.
After being lost for many centuries, the Divya Prabandham was again brought back due to the efforts of Madhurakavi Azhwar, Nathamuni, Alavandar, and Ramanujacharya. The work done by these greats is a different topic, and will figure in my subsequent observations. Suffice to say that Vaishnavaism revived only because of their work.
It was Ramanujachary, around a thousand years back, who rebelled against this philosophy, in spite of the fact that his own guru, Yadavprakash, was a very strong exponent of Shaivism. Ramanujacharya broke away from both Dwaitism, as well as Advaitism, which was also prevalent, and propounded his new theory of Visihtadvaitism, thereby ushering in the beginning of Srivaishnavism.
2 comments:
Dasan, I am not sure if Bhuddha is a Avatar according to SriVaishnava belief. The order is as follows:
1.Matsya
2.Koorma
3.Varaha
4.Narasimha
5.Vamana
6.Parasurama
7.Rama
8.Balarama
9.Krishna
10.Kalki
Best regards
Gopal
How do you prove that krishna is paripurna in vishistaadvaita?.....
because krishna only said that he is paripurna in bhagavath geetha...
but ,according to vishistaadvaita...we are brahman,at the same time ,we are not paripurna...similar case applies to krishna...so,how is krishna paripurna in vishistaadvaita?
Post a Comment