Name : Ramanuja, also called Ramanujacharya, or Ilaiya Perumal (Tamil: Ageless Perumal [God])
Born : 1017 AD, at Sri perumbudur, India
Died : 1137 AD, Shrirangam
Died : 1137 AD, Shrirangam
Spouse: At the age of sixteen Ramanuja married Rakshakambal
Education: In Kanchi the young Ramanuja studied under the famed guru Yadava Prakash. Yadava, his guru was a supporter of the doctrines, or principles, of an earlier famous acharya, Sankara (also spelled Sankaracharya; c. 788–c. 820). In time, however, he began to reject some of the central doctrines taught by his master.
Ramanuja is revered worldwide as a Vedic philosopher, social reformer and one of the most important exponents of Sri Vaishnava tradition. In his 120 year life, travelled across Bharat, understanding the way of life of all sections, at the same time, focusing on individual needs.
Ramanujas Teachings
Ramanuja produced a number of treatises, or essays, on Hindu theology. Many of these treatises were on Hindu sacred texts, including the Bhagavad Gita and the Vedas, Hinduism's chief sacred scripture. Others were manuals for his followers. In these treatises and in his teachings Ramanuja challenged many of the core beliefs of Hinduism as it was practiced at the time. Such challenges were why such people as Yadava opposed him so vigorously.
During the twelfth century Hindu theologians debated the nature of God and the relationship between God and both the human soul and physical matter. Two major positions were taken. One was the position that had been outlined by Sankara in the late eighth and early ninth centuries. Sankara looked at the state of Hindu practice and belief and opposed what he saw as meaningless ritual and animal sacrifice. Based on his interpretation of the Vedas, he adopted a monist position about the nature of God. The monist view, called Advaita Vedanta, said that there was a fundamental oneness to everything in creation, including God.
The other major point of view taken in this era was the dualist position, which would later be taught by another acharya, Madhva (c. 1199–c. 1276, see entry), in the thirteenth century. The dualist view (with the prefix duo- meaning "two") sees a complete distinctness, or difference, between God and physical matter. The dualist view also says that the distinctions between forms of physical matter that people can see are real and not illusions. Physical matter came before the existence of God, and then the universe evolved in response to God's will. Because God was separate from creation, people could come to know His names, His characteristics, and His form. Also, because God was separate from His creation, He could become the object of worship and reverence.
The monist and dualist positions represented the most opposing views that were preached on these matters. Ramanuja's lifetime fell between those of Sankara and Madhva, so the fact that his own position was a blend of the two different opinions seems appropriate. Modern-day religious scholars refer to his views as a "modified nondualist position," or, among Hindu scholars, as Visishtadvaita, a compromise between the two opposing positions.
Ramanuja began with the belief that one cannot have knowledge about anything unless that thing has characteristics that make it different from other things. If humans claim to know something about an object, then that implies that the object has characteristics. Ramanuja applied this principle to knowledge of God. If humans are to reach God, they have to somehow know God, as much as possible. To know God implies that God has form and characteristics and is different and separate from the human soul and from physical creation.
Ramanuja began with the belief that one cannot have knowledge about anything unless that thing has characteristics that make it different from other things. If humans claim to know something about an object, then that implies that the object has characteristics. Ramanuja applied this principle to knowledge of God. If humans are to reach God, they have to somehow know God, as much as possible. To know God implies that God has form and characteristics and is different and separate from the human soul and from physical creation.
According to the monist view, all of creation is in truth just one entity. The supreme God does not have any form or characteristics and indeed does not even have a name. Thus, monists deem it impossible to be in any meaningful way "devoted" to God, because God is both nowhere and everywhere, and humans are incapable of understanding God's nature. Further, everything in creation is alike (which to Sankara made animal sacrifice unacceptable). That is, the human belief of individuality in creation is an illusion. This view was preached by Sankara and was the most widely accepted among Hindus at the time of Ramanuja's birth. Ramanuja's rejection of this view, in particular, made his teacher, Yadava, angry.
Yadava grew angry and began to see Ramanuja as a threat to his beliefs and to the central teachings of Hinduism. His anger and jealousy grew until he conspired with a group of his younger and most faithful students to kill Ramanuja. He planned a pilgrimage to the sacred Ganges river and invited Ramanuja to join him and his pupils. Ramanuja agreed, but he brought along his cousin, Govinda. After the party arrived at the site, Yadava's students took Govinda aside and told him of their plan to eliminate Ramanuja. Shocked, Govinda informed his cousin of the plan and urged him to flee. Govinda returned to the group and claimed that while he and his cousin were in the forest, they had been attacked by a tiger. The tiger, he said, had dragged Ram-anuja away. Yadava and his fellow conspirators were relieved that the tiger had killed Ramanuja for them.
After Govinda's deception Ramanuja made his way back to Kanchi. He later claimed that along the way he fell into a deep sleep, had a vision of God, and awoke on the outskirts of Kanchi without knowing how he had arrived. He then resumed his life in Kanchi. Several months later Yadava and his students returned from their pilgrimage and were astonished to find Ramanuja there, conducting his school as he had before. They gave up their plans to kill him.
He believed that God did have an identity and that people could on some level come to know it. For Ramanuja, the chief characteristics of God were intelligence, truth, and infinity. God was not cursed with the ignorance of humans and other living things. He was never untruthful, and he had unlimited energy. Ramanuja rejected the accepted notion that a jiva, a lesser spirit, could somehow be equal to God, as the monist position held. Yet, departing from a strict dualist position, Ramanuja also argued that a jiva or any other living thing was a "particle" of God. Its purpose was to serve God and the common whole, just as a hand is part of the body and serves the rest of the body. He concluded that if the purpose of living things was to serve God, then the physical world could not be an illusion.
Ramanuja also believed in "personality," that is, the idea that all things in creation are different. Thus, each person's soul would be different. Because each soul is different, each has to have free will. Otherwise, without freedom of will, souls could not be manifestations of God, or indications of God's existence. In Ramanuja's view the only way that God and humans could have a relationship that made any sense was if God gave people the freedom to choose. The human soul could not in any meaningful way serve God if it was not free to do so.
Ramanuja also believed in "personality," that is, the idea that all things in creation are different. Thus, each person's soul would be different. Because each soul is different, each has to have free will. Otherwise, without freedom of will, souls could not be manifestations of God, or indications of God's existence. In Ramanuja's view the only way that God and humans could have a relationship that made any sense was if God gave people the freedom to choose. The human soul could not in any meaningful way serve God if it was not free to do so.
Both Ramanuja and his successor, Madhva, were strong supporters of the bhakti movement, a loosely organized movement of Hindu sects that emerged in medieval India. The word bhakti comes from the Sanskrit word bhaj, which means something like "to revere or adore." The word bhakti, therefore, is usually translated into English as "devotion." The meaning the word suggests is much deeper, however, signifying a total, intense devotion to God. It refers to both an attachment to God and a way of reaching God. It was through bhakti that Hindu Indians overcame divisions of birth, caste, gender, and race to become a united people.
The original bhakti movement had a significant influence on Indian religion and society. Over the centuries, many figures preached the principle that bhakti was the only way to achieve salvation, which led to several large-scale bhakti movements. One of these figures was Ramanuja.
In practicing complete devotion to God, he and his Hindu followers put aside the rituals and animal sacrifices of the ancient traditions, which placed emphasis on the outward form of religion. The bhakti movements instead relied on an intense worship of a separate, identifiable God.
108 divyadesams (model temples), built in stone, surround the statue. The statue was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 February 2022.
Shed your ego. Serve all beings as service to God.
Serve society which is the universal form of God.
Nobody is infallible.
Do not humiliate anyone.
What is of supreme importance is purity of mind and deed
Contributions
Contributions of RamanujaHis ultimate goal was to instill the Vedic way of life throughout society. He was a saint who spread the message of universal brotherhood.
He accepted the untouchables and treated them as if they were special. Seeing his love for the afflicted, His ecstatic guru bestowed upon him the coveted title " Em-perum- anar," which means " you are ahead of us."
Subjugated classes were given the term Thirukkulathar-Born Divine by Sri Ramanuja.
The Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya is a brilliant system devised by Ramanujacharya as a permanent tie to unite the universe's diverse people through mutual respect and equality, uniting the entire world in one spiritual bond.
Ramanujacharya's social philosophy was intended to transcend the caste system and include all of humanity.
As a result, he has been hailed as a great religious and social genius, and the title "Bhagwad" has been appropriately bestowed upon him.
From temple spires, he revealed the secret, important knowledge, and true substance of the Vedas to the average man.
He created the proper processes for rites done in temples all over India, the most notable of which are Tirumala and Srirangam. He wrote many commentaries on our Vedic classics.
The Statue of Equality 216 ft statue of the 11th-century Indian philosopher Ramanuja, Located in the scenic Muchintal Sriramnagar village, Divya Saketam is around 40kms from Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy district, Telangana State. It lies amidst the 45 acres of JIVA Campus which houses the Vedic school, Homeopathy Medical College, JIMS hospital, Swamiji’s Ashram, a Go Shala that houses 300 cows and calves, beautiful gardens, temples and 5 acres of playground where the devotees enjoy and learn under the divine spiritual guidance of HH Swamiji. JIVA offers the ideal peaceful and serene environment required for holistic development.
Chinna Jeeyar’s yearning to revive the concept of Equality in the world gave birth to a vision which actualised as the Statue Of Equality.
It is the second tallest sitting statue in the world. The project of building the statue was conceptualised by the trust to commemorate 1,000 year birth anniversary of 11th-century Bhakti saint Sri Ramanujacharya. The project, built entirely using private donations from corporates and devotees from across the world, cost Rs 1,000 crore, according to the project managers. The initial cost estimates in August 2015 had pegged the figure closer to Rs 130 crore. The foundation stone was laid in 2014.
Apart from the 216-feet statue, the project also includes a 120-kg golden inner sanctum, with a deity of Ramanujacharya inside, to symbolise the 120 years of his life. The smaller golden statue inside the base building was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on 13 February 2022.
SALIENT FEATURES
Total height of Statue of Equality – 216 ft.
Total height of Statue of Ramanuja – 108 ft.
Total height of Bhadra Vedi – 54 ft.
Total height of Padma Peetam – 27 ft.
Total height of Thridandam – 135 ft.
Number of Lotus petals – 54
Number of Elephants under Lotus – 36
Number of Sankhas and Chakras – 18 + 18 = 36
Educational gallery featuring exhibits about the inspiring life story of Ramanujacharya.
A library with all the Vedic scriptures
Auditorium for seminars and panditha sabhas.
Omnimax theatre for different shows. (coming soon)
A few reminiscences of Ramanujacharya’s life will come alive through technology.
Replicas of 108 Divya Desams around Ramanujacharya Swamy – built in stone, rich with ornate architectural detailing and accompanied with audio guides explaining
The history of these temples as sources of inspiration.
Inside the Bhadra peeta, a 120 kgs gold statue, swarna murthy, of Ramanujacharya swami will evoke mystical devotion in our hearts, outpouring in prayers.
This devotion will take the form of Abhisheka through a musical fountain, paying obeisance to him.
Mukhamandapam, a common corridor for all 108 Divya Desas.
BHAGAWAD RAMANUJACHARYA’S MESSAGES
Total height of Statue of Ramanuja – 108 ft.
Total height of Bhadra Vedi – 54 ft.
Total height of Padma Peetam – 27 ft.
Total height of Thridandam – 135 ft.
Number of Lotus petals – 54
Number of Elephants under Lotus – 36
Number of Sankhas and Chakras – 18 + 18 = 36
Educational gallery featuring exhibits about the inspiring life story of Ramanujacharya.
A library with all the Vedic scriptures
Auditorium for seminars and panditha sabhas.
Omnimax theatre for different shows. (coming soon)
A few reminiscences of Ramanujacharya’s life will come alive through technology.
Replicas of 108 Divya Desams around Ramanujacharya Swamy – built in stone, rich with ornate architectural detailing and accompanied with audio guides explaining
The history of these temples as sources of inspiration.
Inside the Bhadra peeta, a 120 kgs gold statue, swarna murthy, of Ramanujacharya swami will evoke mystical devotion in our hearts, outpouring in prayers.
This devotion will take the form of Abhisheka through a musical fountain, paying obeisance to him.
Mukhamandapam, a common corridor for all 108 Divya Desas.
Known for being a revolutionary social reformer, Ramanujacharya propagated the concept of equality. The number of individual souls being elevated by his teachings kept increasing year after year, decade after decade, century after century... a thousand years… and still counting.
Serve society which is the universal form of God.
Nobody is infallible.
Do not humiliate anyone.
What is of supreme importance is purity of mind and deed
He believes that God is Saguna Brahman and that the creative process, encompassing all of creation's things, is genuine and not illusory, as Shankaracharya believed.
As a result, Ramanuja believes that God, soul, and matter are all real. The inner substance, on the other hand, is God, and the rest are his qualities.
As in dualism, the universe and Brahman are considered two equally real entities in Vishishta Advaita Vada, but the universe is generated out of Brahman rather than being separate from it.
The Brahman is regarded as a personal god with omniscience who created the universe from himself.
As a result, the world bears the relation of the portion to the whole or the relation of a 'qualified consequence' to the base to Brahman.
Brahman is the sea, and the objects of the world, both living and nonliving, are the waves upon this sea, according to the famous analogy.
Brahman, according to Ramanuja, is a completely personal god who is thought to be Vishnu or one of his avatars. Vishnu, he believed, created the universe out of his love for people, and he also ruled over it at every turn.
He also believed that Vishnu possesses all of the characteristics of a personal god, such as omniscience and omnipotence.
The difference between Dualism and Vishishta Advaita is that "mankind has a greater rank and is closer to God than in pure dualistic worship."
Both the universe and Brahman are equally existent in Vishishta Advaita, they have not considered two independent realities as they are in Dualism.
Ramanuja was a proponent of prabattimarga or self-surrender to God. He preached Bhakti redemption and welcomed underprivileged people to Vaishnavism.
Sribhashya, Vedanta Dipa, Gita Bhasya, and Vedantasara are some of his works.
As a result, Ramanuja believes that God, soul, and matter are all real. The inner substance, on the other hand, is God, and the rest are his qualities.
As in dualism, the universe and Brahman are considered two equally real entities in Vishishta Advaita Vada, but the universe is generated out of Brahman rather than being separate from it.
The Brahman is regarded as a personal god with omniscience who created the universe from himself.
As a result, the world bears the relation of the portion to the whole or the relation of a 'qualified consequence' to the base to Brahman.
Brahman is the sea, and the objects of the world, both living and nonliving, are the waves upon this sea, according to the famous analogy.
Brahman, according to Ramanuja, is a completely personal god who is thought to be Vishnu or one of his avatars. Vishnu, he believed, created the universe out of his love for people, and he also ruled over it at every turn.
He also believed that Vishnu possesses all of the characteristics of a personal god, such as omniscience and omnipotence.
The difference between Dualism and Vishishta Advaita is that "mankind has a greater rank and is closer to God than in pure dualistic worship."
Both the universe and Brahman are equally existent in Vishishta Advaita, they have not considered two independent realities as they are in Dualism.
Ramanuja was a proponent of prabattimarga or self-surrender to God. He preached Bhakti redemption and welcomed underprivileged people to Vaishnavism.
Sribhashya, Vedanta Dipa, Gita Bhasya, and Vedantasara are some of his works.
Literary works of Ramanuja
Sri Ramanujacharya authored nine scriptures known as the Navrathnas.
Vedartha-Sangraha - The concepts of Visishtadvaita, a reconciliation of various competing sruthis, are presented in this text.
Sri Bhashya - A comprehensive commentary on the Vedanta Sutras.
Sri Bhashyam, the greatest commentary on the Brahma Sutras, is Sri Ramanuja's magnum opus.
This magnificent contribution was one of three desires granted by Sri Ramanujacharya for His respected mentor and Guru Sri Yamunacharya, who died before seeing Sri Ramanuja in person.
Gita-Bhasya - An in-depth analysis of the Bhagavad-Gita.
Vedanta-Dipa - A synopsis of the Vedanta Sutras.
Vedanta-Sara - A concise commentary on the Vedanta Sutras intended for novices.
Saranagati-Gadyam - A prayer of complete surrender to Lord Srimannarayana's lotus feet.
Sriranga-Gadyam - Self-surrender manuals to Lord Vishnu.
Sri Vaikunta-Gadyam - Describes Sri Vaikuntha-Loka and the freed souls' status.
Nitya-Grantha - A brief guidebook designed to guide devotees through day-to-day prayer and activities.
Vedartha-Sangraha - The concepts of Visishtadvaita, a reconciliation of various competing sruthis, are presented in this text.
Sri Bhashya - A comprehensive commentary on the Vedanta Sutras.
Sri Bhashyam, the greatest commentary on the Brahma Sutras, is Sri Ramanuja's magnum opus.
This magnificent contribution was one of three desires granted by Sri Ramanujacharya for His respected mentor and Guru Sri Yamunacharya, who died before seeing Sri Ramanuja in person.
Gita-Bhasya - An in-depth analysis of the Bhagavad-Gita.
Vedanta-Dipa - A synopsis of the Vedanta Sutras.
Vedanta-Sara - A concise commentary on the Vedanta Sutras intended for novices.
Saranagati-Gadyam - A prayer of complete surrender to Lord Srimannarayana's lotus feet.
Sriranga-Gadyam - Self-surrender manuals to Lord Vishnu.
Sri Vaikunta-Gadyam - Describes Sri Vaikuntha-Loka and the freed souls' status.
Nitya-Grantha - A brief guidebook designed to guide devotees through day-to-day prayer and activities.
Contributions
Contributions of RamanujaHis ultimate goal was to instill the Vedic way of life throughout society. He was a saint who spread the message of universal brotherhood.
He accepted the untouchables and treated them as if they were special. Seeing his love for the afflicted, His ecstatic guru bestowed upon him the coveted title " Em-perum- anar," which means " you are ahead of us."
Subjugated classes were given the term Thirukkulathar-Born Divine by Sri Ramanuja.
The Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya is a brilliant system devised by Ramanujacharya as a permanent tie to unite the universe's diverse people through mutual respect and equality, uniting the entire world in one spiritual bond.
Ramanujacharya's social philosophy was intended to transcend the caste system and include all of humanity.
As a result, he has been hailed as a great religious and social genius, and the title "Bhagwad" has been appropriately bestowed upon him.
From temple spires, he revealed the secret, important knowledge, and true substance of the Vedas to the average man.
He created the proper processes for rites done in temples all over India, the most notable of which are Tirumala and Srirangam. He wrote many commentaries on our Vedic classics.
BOOK ENTRY PASSES ONLINE
Save time on arrival by booking entry passes in advance online. Click ‘Book Entry Pass’ below to enter your details of the visit and book the entry passes.
VISITING HOURS
Monday to Friday
Hours: 11:00 am – 08:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday
Hours: 11:00 am – 08:30 pm
Closed: Every Wednesday
Save time on arrival by booking entry passes in advance online. Click ‘Book Entry Pass’ below to enter your details of the visit and book the entry passes.
VISITING HOURS
Monday to Friday
Hours: 11:00 am – 08:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday
Hours: 11:00 am – 08:30 pm
Closed: Every Wednesday
Thank you for useful information.
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