Vageesh Express
Vedic
Wisdom
Vishistadvaita-I
Vedanta is a principal branch of Hindu philosophy. The
word Vedanta is a tatpurusha compound of veda
"knowledge" and anta "end, conclusion", translating
to "the culmination of the Vedas". In this article we shall
look at the Vishistadvaita school of vedanta.
Visishtadvaita is monism of the qualified
whole, in which Brahman alone exists, but is characterised by multiplicity. It
is a school of Vedanta philosophy which believes in all diversity subsuming to
an underlying unity. Ramanuja, the main proponent of Visishtadvaita philosophy
contends that the Prasthana Traya i.e. the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and
The Brahma Sutras are to be interpreted in way that shows this unity in
diversity, for any other way would violate their consistency. Visishtadvaita
philosophy of Ramanuja provided the philosophical basis for the establishment
of Sri Vaishnavism and gave Vedantic backing to the brimming devotion of the
Alwar saints and their composition of wonderful poetry and devotional songs in
praise of Lord Vishnu.
In more specific terms Vishishtadvaita
conclusions may be briefly summarised as below.
The Absolute Supreme Reality referred to
as Brahman, is a Transcendent Personality with infinite superlative qualities.
He is Lord Vishnu, also known as Narayana. He creates the other two members of
the Trimurti, namely, Creator Brahma and Shiva, the Lord of Deluge.
Narayana is the Absolute God. The Soul and
the Universe are only parts of this Absolute and hence, Vishishtadvaita is
panentheistic. The relationship of God to the Soul and the Universe is like the
relationship of the Soul of Man to the body of Man. Individual souls are only
parts of Brahman. God, Soul and Universe together form an inseparable unity
which is one and has no second. This is the non-duality part.
Matter and Souls inhere in that Ultimate Reality
as attributes to a substance. This is the qualification part of the
non-duality.
Souls and Matter are only the body of God.
Creation is a real act of God. It is the expansion of intelligence. Matter is
fundamentally real and undergoes real revelation. The Soul is a higher mode
than Matter, because it is conscious. It is also eternally real and eternally
distinct. Final release, that comes, by the Lord's Grace, after the death of
the body is a Communion with God. This philosophy believes in liberation
through one's Karmas (actions) in accordiance with the Vedas, the Varna (caste
or class) system and the four Ashramas (stages of life), along with intense
devotion to Vishnu. Individual Souls retain their separate identities even
after moksha. They live in Fellowship with God either serving Him or meditating
on Him. The philosophy of this school is SriVaishnavism, a branch of
Vaishnavism.
The succession of great Master-Expositors
and spiritual giants of Vishishtadvaita school starts with the twelve Alwars,
who left behind an imperishable legacy of Tamil devotional poetry in the form
of 4000 songs, now called the Nalayira-prabandham.
We will continue to look at the
vishistadvaita school of vedanta in the next few articles.
Reference: Wikipedia.org
Submit feedback to newsletter@mahaganapati.org with subject line as <Vedic Wisdom> Disclaimer: Views of readers/column writers are that
of their own and not of the Temple
