Sankara SampradhAyam - 10

[Dr. S.R.Marur]

Even then, there is an important reason for the prevalence of the
general perception that advaitins are saivaites. After
BhagavadpAdhAl, srI RamAnujAchAryA propagated vishistAdhvaitham.

srI RamAnujA was of the conviction that 'jIvan and Bhraman can not
become one and be an advaitic reality. Even in the state of mOkshA,
the jIvan reamins as a different entity [*than the Bhraman*] and
realises that the very Bhraman itself exists as antaryAmi within
him and also activates him. Even that Bhraman is not an attribute less
and actionless 'nirguna vasthu', as advocated by Shankara. That
possessed virtuous attributes (sagunam). That engages in action too.
The one that propells even the jIvan to engage in action is that
[*Bhraman*] only'.

Till this, it remains only as a philosophical thought, applicable to
devotees worshipping any [*vEdic*] deity. But, srI RamAnujA added
here that,'Such a saguna Bhraman is MahA vishnu only; neither Shiva
nor any other deity' and thus made vishistAdhvaitham acceptable only
to those who held a particular deity, theologically, as their 'ishta
dEvatA'.

Those who embraced the siddhAnthA of RamAnujA, till then, were
smArthAs only. Even the vaidhIka matham or Hindu matham itself, till
His [*srI RamAnujA's*] days, was only the smArtha matham. So, those
who got converted to His siddhAnthA, which proclaims Vishu as the
sole primordial Godhead, should have been from smArthAs only.

Some would have become His followers purely based on His philosophy.
More than the philosophy, at the theological level, as the 'ishta
dEvatA' of many - MahA vishnu - is established as the highest, many
smArthAs would have opted for srI RamAnuja sampradhAyam.


                                 .... to be continued

Regards,

Sudhakar

----------------------------------------------------------------
Translated from,
HH Sri Chandhra sEkharEndhra Saraswathi Swamiji, 'Sankara
SampradhAyam'. Deivathin Kural (in Tamil), Vol. II, Second
Edition, ed. rA. Ganapathi, Vanathi padhippagam, Chennai,
pp: 119-157 (1980).
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--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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