Ramanuja on the Yoga

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Ramanuja (c. 1017-1137 A.D.) is one of the key figures in the systematic development of Hindu theism. As the chief exponent of Visistadvaita Vedanta he stands as Bhasyakara to South Indian Srivaisnavism. Though less well known than Samkara (c. 800 A. D.), chief exponent of the Advaita Vedanta and Ramanuja's primary object of criticism, Ramanuja is, in perspective, equally important to Hindu thought and life-style. His principal contribution lies in the establishment, on the basis of the Vedanta-texts, of the ultimate reality as a Supreme Person possessed of all auspicious attributes, with the individual souls, by essential nature, standing in a relationship of dependency upon this Lord, as body to soul. The common man's religious experience had spoken of such a Lord and soul long before Ramanuja (witness such as the Vaisnavite Alvars and the Saivite Nayanmars), but he set this forth systematically, grounded on the eternal truth embodied in the Veda-s, i.e. the Vedanta.

Ramanuja is a Vedantin-he writes in Sanskrit and his primary reference is to the Veda-s, most especially, the Upanisad-s Beyond these, he takes the Bhagavadgita as a basic source of inspiration. His major writings and the sources for this study are Sariraka-mimamsabhasya or Sribhasya, Vedarthasamgraha and Gatabhasya. The first of these is a commentary on the Brahma-sutra-s of Badarayana, which sutra-s purport to summarize the teachings of the Vedanta with regard to Brahman. The second is a 'summary' or 'drawing together of the meaning of the Veda-s' (in this case, the Vedanta). The third is a commentary on the Bhagavadgita. six other writings are attributed to Ramanuja's hand: the Vedantasara and Vedantadipa, shorter versions of the Sribhasya, (established doctrine) and the major scriptural support for this doctrine, the latter summarizing the siddhanta (established doctrine) and the major scriptural support for this doctrine, the latter summarizing the sidhanta and argument without scriptural support; the Saranagatigadya, Srirangagadya and the Nityagrantha, a brief description of daily worship for the Srivaisnava. These latter six writings do not add anything to the exposition of Yoga, which is found in the former three.

I have taken up the study of Ramanuja's Yoga for two reasons: first, to gain a clearer understanding of Ramanuja's practicum for Moksa (moksopaya) and there through to speak to some questions concerning his contribution to the development of the Srivaisnava-sampradaya; and second, by reference to Ramanuja, to shed light on an issue of comparative religion-the relationship between yogic practice and world-view.

Ramanuja's philosophy in general and in particular his view of the nature of the three Realities (Tattva-traya)-the Lord (Isvara), the individual soul (cit) and the material universe (acit)-have been dealt with extensively by several authors. Comparatively, very little attention has been given to his moksopaya (or hita) and much of what has been written is, in one of two directions, misleading.

On the one hand, some interpreters of Ramanuja attribute to him what is developed only by later Sri-vaisnava Acarya-s. Specifically, they say that he taught prapatti or sarnagati (resorting to or taking refuge at the feet of the Lord) as the sole, sufficient moksopaya. Related thereto, they see him as one who opened the way to Moksa for all persons, irrespective of caste and as one who worked life-long to enhance the status and procedures of temple worship. Expositing Ramanuja in this way, they see him as inspired more by the hymns of the Alvar-s and the Pancaratra Agama-s than by the Vedanta-texts.

On the other hand, there are those who, while recognizing that Ramanuja's practicum is a compound of karma, jnana and bhakti, do not give sufficient notice to the innovating strictures which Ramanuja's uncompromising theism places upon Yoga in general and Jnana-yoga in particular. The former interpreters take him as too radically departing from tradition, the latter see him as too simply adhering to tradition.