Fundamentals of Ramanuja Philosophy

(Dr. Saroja Ramanujam)

Chapter I

Section1

The upnishadic statement 'brahmavidh ApnOthi param,' that one who know Brahman
reaches the ultimate, is the key thought of real revelation. This corresponds to the central
theme of Ramanuja philosphy, denoted by Thatthva, hitha and purushArTHa.

Let us see what these terms mean:.

There are three questions that present to the mind of the one who thirsts for the
knolwledge of reality, mentioned as brahmajijnAsA in the Brahmasuthra.They are:

1. What is reality?

2. How do I get the knowledge of it ?

3. What do I gain by it?

The answers to these three questions are expounded in the

vedantasuthras.(Bahmasuthras).Ramanuja has interpreted these suthras in Sribhashya
under the light of visishtadvaita principles and the answers given by Ramanuja to the
above three questions are in short, thatthva, hitha and purushArTHa.

1. Thatthva is the answer to the question "What is reality?" The thatthvajnana is the
knowledge that Brahman, synonymous with Narayana of Visishtadvaita is the absolute
reality, the inner Self of all beings and the substratum of the whole universe of sentient
and nonsentient beings.This displays the transcendence and imminence of Brahman.

2.Hitha means that which is good , namely the moral and spiritual discipline that is
necessary for acquiring the knowledge of the Supreme Self.In other words it means the
sadhana.This answers the second question.
3. purushArTHa is the goal to be attained , that is, the realisation of Brahman, attaining
which there is nothing more to be gained and this is the answer to the third question.

section2

The knowledge of reality

Brahman or the absolute reality, is Narayana of visishyadvaita. But the world of sentient
and insentient beings is not unreal. In Visishtadvaita there are three reals, namely ,chit,
the sentient, achit, the insentient and Isvara, though the first two are not distinct reals,
unconnected and separate but have an inseparable realation with Isvara..This is what is
known as the sarira-sariri bhava in visishtadvaita and the vedanta is called sAriraka
sasthra.

The first of the three reals, Isvara is the inner Self of all beings both sentient and
insentient, which form His sarira. The term sarira is defined by Ramanuja as the
substance which a sentient soul can support, control for its own purposes and which
stands in a subordinate relation to the sentient soul. All beings are supported and
controlled by Brahman , to whom they are subservient. As the physical body exists for
the purpose of the individual soul and not vice versa, all beings exist for the sake of
Brahman, their inner self of whom they constitute the body.This relationship is
variously described as AdhAra-AdhEya(supporter and the supported), niyanthA-
niyAmya(controller and the controlled) and Sesha-Seshi( possessor and the possessed).

Brahman is the adhara

Brahman is the adhara or the support of all in the sense of being a substratum of
everything.The idea of support is not like a basket to the fruit where the supporter and the
supported are distinct and separate, but the two have an inseparable relationship.The
space, akasa , exists everywhere and everyting exists in it , without which they cannot
stand, yet the akasa is not affected by anything while it pervades everythiing in and out.In
describing the srshtikrama, upanishad says that everything came from akasa and merges
back into akasa.This is the concept of the adhara -adheya bhava between Brahman and
the world, though this is only in form of an illustration since akasa is not Brahman being
itself supported by Brahman.In Bhagavtgita Krishna says.that all beings are supported by
the SupremeSelf like the beads on a string.The same idea is found in the upanishad
where Yajnavalkya explains that the whole universe is supported by Brahman who is the
warp and hoof of everything.So the knowledge of reality can arise only by knowing the
nature of Brahman , by knowing which everything becomes known.The upanishad define
Brahman as 'sathyam, jnanam, anantham brahma.' That is, Brahman is existence or
truth, knowledge and infinity.

Brahman as Sathyam.

Brahman is sathyam or real which does not mean that the other two, namely, chit, the
sentient and achit , the insentient denoted by jiva and jagat, are unreal. They are real but
they are conditioned.Achit or matter, the effects of prkrthi, the premordial nature
consisting of three gunas, cotinues to change and hence it is conditioned by its form and
attributes. But it is real only as the state of existence alone changes but not the substance.

This can be explained as follows:

The clay is made into a pot and hence it no more exists as clay. But it is real and only the
state of existence has changed. When the pot is broken, it becomes potsherds still it is real
but the form and attributes has changed. So nothing in this world ceases to exist and
hence it is real.The insentient, achit includes everything except the soul.In the final
dissolution also the achit and chit do not cease to exist but absorbed in Brahman and exist
in unmanifest state..

The individual soul, jiva, denoted as chit is also not uneal but conditioned real because
its existence is conditioned by the body it acquires due to karma.

Brahman is thus termed as satyasya satyam, real of the reals. It is the inner self of all,
changeless and infinite.It is satyasya satyam as everything acquires reality only because
of Brahman.

Brahman as jnana
Brahman is knowledge, not in the sense that it is knowledge itself but in the sense of
having knowledge as its svrupa like the heat and the fire. Heat is the svarupa of fire
without which it ceases to be fire.Similarly the jnana is the svarupa of Brahman and it is
infinite.It differs from that of the jiva in as much as the knowledge of jiva becomes
contracted due to karma and attains it infinite state only in mukthi.the knowledge of
brahman is infinite and unconditioned and is the source of all knowledge, by knowing
which everything else becomes known.. These will be explained later when we deal with
the causation of Brahman.

Brahman as anantha

Brahman is infinite. This is a determining quality which distinguishes Brahman from jiva
and jagat. Brahman is not conditioned by time, place or entity. Conditioning by time is
when we say that a thing exists now but not later or earlier. A pot does not exist before its
creation not after it is destroyed.. Conditioning by place means a thing exists here and not
elsewhere. A pot is here but not there. Conditiong by entity is a thing being limited in
form, as saying this is a pot ,that is a cloth etc.

Brahman on the other hand exists everywhere as there is nothing else other than
Brahman. So it is unconditioned by space. Brahman exists always and hence not limited
by time. As everything is Brahman it is not limited by entity either.

Thus the idea of Brahman as AdhAra affirms the reality of separate entities of chit and
achit but denies their separate reality other than Brahman.

Chapter 2

Section 1- Brahman as Niyantha

Brahman is the inner ruler and redeemer. Brahaman explained as the support of all,
adhara, denotes the transcendence, while Brahman as niyantha,controller, shows the
imminence. As the Self of all, Brahman is the silent, but not indifferent, witness.On the
other hand Brahman is not a controller in the sense that all the actions of the individual
self is controlled by Him and the latter is nothing but a puppet on a string.

By the words of Krishna in Bhagavatgita, 'eesvarassarvabhoothAnAm hrddhESE

arjuna thishTathi,;bhrAmayan arvabhoothAni yanthrArooDani mAyayA,(BG-18-
61) the Lord is in the heart of all beings and makes them go round by His maya as though
they are mounted on a machine,' it would appear as though the individual soluls have no
control over their actions and only activated by the Lord. If so, it could not be explained
why do they commit sin unless it is admitted that God is partial and makes some do good
and enjoy happiness while He makes others sin and suffer.

This apparent discrepancy can be explained by examining another sloka from the
Gita,,upadhrashtA anumanthA cha bharthA bhokthA mahEsvarah;paramAthmEthi
chApyukthO dhEhE asmin purushah parah,'(BG-13.22)

This sloka is explained as follows The Self is upadhrashtA , the witness because it is
actually not affected by the experiences of joy and sorrow resulting from the wrong
identification with the body. But since no action or experience is possible with out the
accordance of the self , it is called anumantha, the approver.Since the body is supported
by the Self it is the bhartha, supporter.Due to the identification with the body the self
seems to experience joy and sorrow and without it no experience is possible and so the
self is called bhoktha,experiencer.As the body is subservient to the self who is the
master, it is called Mahesvara, the over-lord and in reality the self is nothing but the
Supreme Self , the inner controller and hence called as ParamAthma.

The self, Atman, is eternal and of the nature of bliss.But the individual self which is
known as jiva is the real self reflected through the ahankara, ego, the product of maya
due to karma.Purusha, the individual soul, due to the influence of ego, identifies himself
with the prakrthi, nature, consisting of the three gunas and acts accordingly..The war
between devas and asuras is that between the spiritual self and the empirical self, which is
ego identified with the prakrthi.Eesvara is a silent witness and approver as the Lord
allowed the devas ad asuras to fight for amrtha but at the same time lent His hand to help
the devas. He did not prevent the war and destroy the asutras forthwith because the devas
had to undergo the result of their own actions, by disobeying His injunctions in the first
place.
Similarly, Eesvara lays down rules of conduct which are disobeyed by the jivas due to
their own karma. In laying out the rule He is the Ruler but when it is disobeyed He is the
silent witness and allows the actions of the jiva to take its own course. In this manner He
is the upadhrashta and anumantha. But in as much as He decrees the proper
apportionment of the results of the actions He is the Niyantha.

Ramanuja illustrates this in his Sribhashya by an analogy. Let us assume that two persons
A and B own a land jointly. The former tills the land and cultivates it while the latter is a
silent partner. But when A want to transfer the land to C or sell it he has to get the
sanction of B. Like wise Eesvara allows certain freedom of action to the jiva but
regarding the result of His actions Eesvara is the sole controller.

By His entry into the jiva as its inner self, Brahman, Narayana of Visishtadvaita, is both
the sovereign and saviour.

Chapter2-Section2

Brahman as the ruler and redeemer

The cause of samsara is the karma which presupposes a free agent.

Isvara is the karmaphaladhAthA, apportioning the fruit of karma. His
proclamation that He manifests Himself in every yuga in order to
protect the good and punish the wicked , and to establish
dharma 'parithrANAya sAdhoonAm vinASAya cha dhushkrthAM
dharmasamsTHApanArTHAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge shows Him the ruler
who punishes the evildoer and rewards the good. But the judgement
is based not on the deed but on the doer. This means the same as in
the worldly sense of the term. When a person commits a crime the
judge decides about the punishment based on the motive of the person
rather than on the act itself. Similarly the Lord acts as the
karmaphaladhatha.

But the role of karmaphaladhatha does not rule out compassion

because the retribution is for redemption. It is like the attitude
of a parent in punishing the child out of love in order to prevent
him from further wrong acts. It is usually thought that a person
steeped in sin is not punished and flourishes on the other hand. In
the world whereas a good person suffers even for the smallest sin
committed by him. It is true. But it only signifies the mercy of God
that He would not allow His devotees to transgress even a little
from the path of virtue. This again is not partiality. A child who
strays away from its home has many falls and mishaps till finally he
decides to seek the protection of his parents and comes home. But
the one who stays close are always watched by the parents and is not
allowed to do anything wrong.

Another question often asked is that why should the Lord allow one
to stray away and accumulate karma? Isn't it true that everything
happens according to God"s will? The answer is that an individual
soul has certain amount of freewill to act as he wants. It is he who
chooses whether to stay close to the Lord or to go away from him.
Bhagavan is the Supreme self. Inner ruler and the witness self.
That is why He is termed as upadhrshta and anumantha, one who
supervises and gives His permission to act. But the how and what of
the action is decided by the individual self, who is possessed of an
intellect which discriminates and decides.

Chapter2-section3

The five forms of Brahman

God seeks the individual soul more than the latter seeks God. Ascent of
self is assisted by the descent of God. As a result , the five forms of
Brahman or Narayana prove the divine mercy of the Lord.

The five forms are, para, vyuha, vibhava, antharyamin and archa.

1. paravAsudheva- The Supreme absolute reality immutable that is Brahman

is known as paravasudheva for the sake of meditation.

2. vyuha- The six attributes of Bhagavan, namely the three

.jnanaaisvarya and shakthi which are transcendental and the three ,
bala, virya and thejas are in the plane of activity. These six pair and
form three vyuha forms, SankarshaNa (jnana and bala), Prdhyumna,
(aisvarya and virya), and Aniruddha (shakthi and thejas). Vasudheva is
the one in whom all the six attributes are present in full manifestation
while in the others only two are manifest and the othersa re unmanifest.
The Vyuha modes are for the purpose of creation, maintenance and d
destruction

3. Vibhava- These are the incarnations of the Lord main of them being
the ten wellknown avataras.

4. Antharyamin- The indwelling self within all beings who can only be
intuited through yoga.

5. Archa- The idol form consecrated with manthra for facilitating easy
worship.

All the above forms are the expressions of the infinite mercy. Of these
paravasudeva is inaccessible like the avaranajala, cosmic waters as He
is in vaikunta in that state, the vyuhas are like the milky ocean which
can be made accessible through inspired meditation, as He has been seen
by the devotees like akrura and sages like visvamithra. The vibhavas or
incarnation are like monsoon floods as they happen once in a while
whereas the archavatharas, the idols worshipped in temples and other
places are like reservoirs of water always available. Antharyami state
of bhagavan is like water in the earth, ever existing but invisible
found only through proper digging.

Brahman who transcends the form and matter, who is without parts and
gunas ( meaning the three gunas of prakrthi) embodies Himself as these
forms out of mercy and to redeem the individual self. Brahman of
visishtadvaita is the sath of the Upanishads, one only without a
second who transforms Himself as Vasudheva. This transition is
necessitated by the divine nature of dhaya or mercy, Brahman expresses
Himself with twofold spititual form as Narayana and Lakshmi.. The two
are inseparable in principle though functionally distinct.

Chapter2-section4- Brahman as Seshin

Seshin is the one who is the owner and the sesha is the owned. As the
inner self of all, the whole universe of sentient and in sentient beings
is controlled by Him and supported by Him in the same way as a king
controls and supports his kingdom and his subjects. Only difference is
that all beings are inseparable from Him as they form His body. Similar
to the relationship between the soul and the body of an individual, the
former controlling and supporting the latter which exists for its use
and enjoyment, the relationship between the individual self and the Lord
is one of sesha and seshi.

The sesha – seshi sambandha is one of absolute dependence on the

Lord and that of service to the Lord. This relationship arises from the
fact that the whole universe forms a part of the Supreme Reality, that
too an infinitesimal part as declared in the Gita `vishtabhyAham
idham krtsnam ekAmSena sThitho jagat,' encompassing this entire
world the Lord stands with the whole universe forming but a
infinitesimal part of Him. The same idea is expressed the Purushasuktha
it is sadi `pAdho asya visvA bhoothAni thripAdhasyAmrthamdhivi.'

The question that arises in the mind is that whether the absolute
dependence rules out the free will and freedom of action on the part of
the individual soul. If so there will be no choice between good and evil
and hence the karma of the individual will not adhere to him as he will
be an automaton with no ill of his own. Thus the whole scripture giving
injunctions and prohibitions will be meaningless.

This view advance dby the opponent is set aside by Ramanuja in his
sreebhashya while explaining the meaning of the suthra `parAth thu
thathSrutheh.'(SB.II -3-40) and the next Suthra-41-krthapray
atnApEkshasthu vihithaprathishiddh a avaiyarTHyAdhibhyah (SB.2-3-41 )
which means `Since the effort is taken by the individual soul the
injunctions and prohibitions are relevant. `

To the objection that if the soul is not independent the injunctions and
prohibitions will have no value it is replied in this suthra that the
effort is taken only by the individual self but it cannot act without
the sanction of the supreme self, who is the anumantha, one who gives
permission to act. If the soul does good karma the Lord bestows His
grace and if indulges in evil deeds He gives punishment.
If the Lord Himself makes one to do good and bad deeds , it goes
contrary to the independent effort of the individual self. Ramanuja
replies that this does not apply to all beings but only means that when
one chooses to proceed along the path approved by the Lord, He helps the
soul to rise further and when one pursues the path that leads away from
the Lord, He makes the soul descend further so that the propensity for
evil will be exhausted. In the Gita the Lord says

'thEshAm sathatha yukthAnAm bajathAm preethipoorvakam dhadhAmi

buddhiyOgam tham yEna mAmupayAnthi thE.'(BG.10.10)

It means that the Lord gives the wisdom to those who worship Him with
love so that they can attain Him. And He hurls those who are evil, He
says, into demonical wombs in perpetual transmigration.

Chapter2-section5-Brahman as the whole and the individual soul as the

part

This relationship between Brahman and jiva is known as amsa-amsi bhava.

Ramanuja explains this in his Sribhshya while commenting on the Brahma
suthra ,’amSo nAnA vyapadheSAth,’ (BS.II.3.42) and the
subsequent suthras.

In chandhOgya upanishad it is declared

'pAdhOasyavisvAbhoo thAni thripAdhasyAmrtham dhivi,(Chan.3-12- 6)

All beings and the world constitute one part (quarter) of the supreme
self and the rest of the three quarters are immortal in heaven.' The
word pAdha denotes amsa. The plural term bhoothani, is used as souls are
many.

In Bhagavatgita the Lord declares

'mamaivAmsO jivalOkE jivabhoothah sanathanah,(BG.15-7)

an eternal part of Myself has become the individual soul.'

Also it is said ‘ vishtabhyAham idham krthsnam ekAmSena sThitho

jagath,’(BG.10.42) “I stand sustaining the whole Universe
with a fragment of mine.”

An objection is raised that if the soul is part of Brahman all

imperfections of the soul will be of Brahman too

As the light of a luminous body, the generic character (jati) of an

entity and the colour of an object, though being part of the object they
qualify are different from it so also Brahman is different from the
individual self which forms its mode. A visEshaNa, attribute and the
visEshya the object having the attribute are inseparable yet different.
The declarations of identity and difference denote the two aspects, the
inseparability of the substance and its attribute and the distinctness
of the substance and the attribute, respectively.

In VishnupurANa ParAsara states

'EkadhEsasTHithasyA gnEh jyothsnA visthAriNee yaTHA,parsyabrahmaN ah

sakthih thTHEdham akhilam jagath,(VP.1-22-56)

Just as the light of a luminous body that exists in one place spreads
around, the power of Brahman pervades the whole world. Also the
individual self is declared to be the body of the Lord.'thasyasrjyasya
sambhoothou thath sarvE vai harEsthanuh, ' all these created are the
body of Hari.

Like the fire which is from the household of a brahmana is accepted

while that from cremation ground is not, though the fire is the same
everywhere, the difference in qualification is due to the purity or
otherwise of the body the soul occupies.

Even though all souls are part of Brahman they being atomic and
different from each other the result of the karma is different for each.

Philosophy of Ramanuja

Chapter3- cosmology-Nature of Jagat

The nature of Brahman, that is Ontology has been explained so far. Now
let us examine the Cosmology or the nature of the Universe and its
relation to the indidual self and God.

The cosmology of Ramanuja is based on the concept of the three reals,

thathvathraya, namely cit (jiva), acit (jagat) and Isvara (Narayana) and
the relation ship between them.

Isvara is cidacit visishta and the latter exists in the relation of

modes to the substance with Isvara. Cit the sentient souls and acit the
insentient matter in subtle(unmanifest) state exist in Brahman before
creation and in their gross( manifest ) state after creation. Thus the
sookshmacidactvisishtabrahna is the cause and sthoolacidacit
visishtbrahman is the effect. So the universe exists in the relation of
effect and the cause with Brahman.

The cause of the universe being Brahman is accepted by all the schools
of vedanta and by Nyayavaiseshika, or logicians. Only The school of
nirisvara sankhya expounded by Isvarakrishna does not accept Isvara as
the cause. The atheistic schools of Buddhism and Jainism who do not
accept the Vedas as authoritative are outside the scope of discussion.

Now the school of sankhya which does not accept the causality of Brahman
professes that the prakrthi, the primordial nature is the cause of the
universe while the sentient soul, purusha is eternal. Thus there is no
need of Brahman at all. The yoga school accepts Isvara but only as a
purushavisesha who should be meditated upon to acquire the right
knowledge that the purusha is ever free and wrongly identifies himself
with the prakrthi and suffers the samsara and this knowledge secures
release.

The school of Nyayavaiseshika deems the atoms of the four elements,

earth, water, fire and air to be the cause of the universe.

According to the Upanishad which declares `sadheva soumya idhamagra

aaseeth ekameva adhvu\itheeyam', there was only Brahman existing in
the beginning ,one only without a second. So Brahman is both the
material (like the mud in making a pot0 as well as the efficient cause (
like the potter) of the universe.

Then the text goes on to say "it willed to become many and created
fire.' Of course the mention of fire is due to its being the first
gross form of creation and hence the other two namely air and akasa are
understood to have preceded it. From the fire originated the water and
from water the earth came about. This is the order of creation mentioned
and in annihilation it takes the reverse order.

After creatin the gross universe the Brahman decided to enter into all
beings to give them name and form and to be their inner self. `
anena jeevena Atmanaa anupravisya naamaroope vyaakaravaaNi.'

So the universe is the effect and Brahman is the cause and the universe
is real as much as when the cause is real the effect is also real. But
this does not mean that Brahman is transformed into the world in which
case the imperfections of the world will adhere to Brahman. It is just
that Brahman being the inner self of all , the sentient and the
insentient, they form the body of Brahman. As the imperfections of they
do not adhere to the self , similarly those of the universe do not
affect Brahman. This sarir-sariri relationship of Brahman to the world
is the pivot of the realistic philosophy of ramanuja.

Philosophy of Ramanuja

The purpose of creation

Thus it has been established that Brahman is the material as well as

the efficient cause of the world. But the question remains to be
answered is that why should He create the world at all? Brahman of
visishtadvaita is avaaptahasamastha kaama, one who one who has no
unfulfilled desire. Usually things are produced in the world either for
one's own use or for that of others. The first alternative is shown to
be absent because Brahman is avApthasamasthakAma and the second also can
be disproved. If Brahman creates for others it must be as an anugraha or
for showering grace in which case He would not have created this world
full of sorrow, as He is full of mercy.
Ramanuja answers this in his commentary to the brahmasuthra
`lokavattu leelaakaivalyam.'(Sri Bhashya 2.1.33)

The purpose of creation is nothing else but play, like a king who has
everything indulges in sport just to amuse himself. This gives rise to
the critcism that if the creation is for sport it exposes Brahman to the
charge of cruelty in creating a world full of inequalities and making
the beings suffer. But the scripture declares that Brahman takes into
consideration the karmas of the souls in creating the different
conditions of the beings in the world. So what appears to be a sport on
the part of Brahman is purposeful from the point of view of the
individual soul. The word leela is used to indicate effortlessness on
the part of Brahman in creating the world of sentient and insentient
beings.

Ramanuja accepts the theory of evolution as given out by Sankhya that

the prakrti or the insentient primordial nature constituted of three
gunas evolves into the world of matter by the combination of three
gunas. He only adds that the entire process of creation is willed and
controlled by Brahman. The seven thatthvas or principles which are the
effects of prakrti are the causal substances of everything else. These
are, mahat or buddhi, ahankara, and the five subtle matter of the
elements. From these evolve the gross elements, ten indriyas and the
mind. Ramanuja opposes the theory of causation of Sankhya only in their
not accepting Brahmanas the inner self of all beings, sentient and
insentient.

Chapter4- The nature of the jiva

The jiva is the finite or individual self. It is distinct from the body,
mind and intellect etc. and eternal in nature. The jivas are many and
form the sareera of the Lord who is their inner self. To Ramanuja the
individual self is the knowing subject unlike in advaita where it is
pure consciousness. In vedartha sangraha he describes the nature of the
soul thus:

The individual self is subjected to anaadi avidya, beginningless

nescience (ignorance) due to accumulation of karma, which is both good
and bad , as a result of which the jiva enters into different bodies,
devatiryangmanushyaadhi, divine beings, human beings or beasts. The
embodied self gets identified with the body it occupies and suffers
thepangs of samsara. To get rid of this spiritual knowledge is sought
about the nature and attributes of the self, the nature and attributes
of Brahman who is its inner self and the way to attain Brahman which
frees the individual self from transmigration.

Jiva as the knowing subject

Ramanuja explains in his comment on the vedantasutra (sribhashya) that

the self is of the nature of knower and not mere knowledge nor
inert.(SB.2-3-19) This is proved from the sruthi itself. In ChAndhOgya
text in the section where prajApathi describes the released and
unreleased souls by saying 'aTHa yo vedha jiGHrANeethi sa AthmA, one who
knows "I smell" he is the self. Similarly in BrhadhAraNyaka it is said
as a reply to the question 'kathama AthmA, who is the self,' that 'yO
ayam vijnAnamayah prANEshu hrdhyanthrjyothirpurushah,(Brhd.4-3-7) he who
is consisting of knowledge is the light within the heart in the prAnas.'
and 'Esha hi dhrashtA srothA GHrAtha rasayithA manthA bOdDHA karthA
vijnAnAthmA purushah,(Pras.IV-9) this person is the seer, hearer
smeller, taster, thinker, knower, doer and the knowing self.

Knowledge ,jnana is the peculiar attribute of the jiva. This is called

attributive consciousness, dharmabhutha jnana. It is however contracted
in the embodied state and attains its natural all encompassing status
when the soul is released from transmigration in mukti.

It may be argued that if the jiva is the knower, its real nature being
infinite and all pervading, there will always be cognition everywhere.
To this Ramanuja replies in Sribhashya thus: (SB.

The sruthi mentions the soul going out, and coming in etc. which is not
possible if it is all pervading. In BrhadhAraNyaka upanishad '
'Esha AthmanishkrAmathi chakshushO VA murDHnO vAanyEbhyO VA
sariradhEsebhyah,(Brhad.4- 4-2)

This self departs through the eyes or the skull or any other part of the
body,' and the return likewise 'thasmAth lokAth punarEthi asmai lOkaya
karmaNE, from those worlds, returns to this world for karma.'

The all pervasiveness only means that The self though atomic is able to
pervade the whole body like the sandalpaste that creates coolness for
the whole body though applied in one place or as the light placed in
one corner lights up the whole room so does the AtmA in the heart
spreads consciousness all over. (SB.2-3-24/26)

The individual self as an agent,karthaa

In katopanishad it is said

'hanthA cheth manyathE hanthum hathaschEth manyathE hatham, ubou thou na

vijAneethou nAyam hanthi na hanyathE.'(Kata.I-2-19),

meaning, one who thinks that the self kills or get killed do not know
the truth because the self neither kills nor gets killed .

It is said in the Gita also,

'prakrthEh kriyamANAni guNairkarmANi sarvasah, ahamkAravimooDAthmA

karthAham ithi manyathE, (BG.3-27)
All actions are done by the gunas and the one who is deluded by ego
thinks that he is the doer.'

The Brhamsutra `karthaa SaasthraarThathvaath, the individual self is

the agent according to sastra ,' says Ramanuja, refutes this view.

. Only the self is the kartha and not gunas. This is in accordance with
the sasthras. It is found in the sruthi texts like 'yajEtha svargakAmah,
one desirous of heaven should perform sacrifice ' and 'mumukshurbrahma
upAseetha, one aspiring for release should meditate on Brahman,' that
the agency of action is ascribed only to the individual self. The word
sasthra means scriptural injunction originated from the word sAsana,
command. Sasthras induce action by giving certain instructions and it is
possible only in the case of a sentient soul and not insentient
pradhana, that is, the gunas. That is why the purvamimamsa declares
'sAsthraphalam prayokthari, the fruit of the injunctions is only to the
agent.' (III-7-18)

Ramanuja clarifies the point by saying that the text about the self not
killing or getting killed etc. is to show that it is eternal and not to
deny the agency. Similarly the sloka quoted from Gita only means that
the activity during the state of bondage is induced by the gunas and not
natural to the self as it is mentioned there itself that 'kAraNam
gunasangOasya sadhasath yOnijanmasu,' ( BG.18-21) the cause of the
embodiment in good and evil wombs is the association of the self with
the gunas.' The original nature of the jiva is one of purity and bliss.
It gets entangled with the world due to the limitations of embodiment
and becomes the doer and enjoyer.

To the objection that if the soul is the doer, the instruments of action
being always present there will be perpetual action. Ramanuja replies
that like a carpenter who has the will to use his instruments or not,
the jiva also, being sentient, has the power to act or not to act. (
SB.2-3-39) Being provided with the instruments of action the jiva is
free to act or not to act. The jiva is free within certain limits and
has the power of choice.

There is a text in Kousheetaki upanishad which says

'Esha hyEva sAdhukarma kArayathi tham yamEbhyO lOkEshu unnineeshathi,

Esha Eva asAdhu karma kArayathi tham yam aDHo nineeshathi,

He makes those whom He wishes to raise to the higher worlds to do good

deeds and whom He wishes to send down from these worlds He makes them do
bad deeds. This may create doubt as to the freewill of the jiva since it
means that only the Lord Himself makes one to do good and bad deeds and
this goes contrary to the independent effort of the individual self.

Ramanuja replies that this does not apply to all beings but only means
that when one chooses to proceed along the path approved by the Lord, He
helps the soul to rise further and when one pursues the path that leads
away from the Lord, He makes the soul descend further so that the
propensity for evil will be exhausted.(SB.2-3-41)

In the Gita the Lord says

'thEshAm sathatha yukthAnAm bajathAm preethipoorvakam dhadhAmi

buddhiyOgam tham yEna mAmupayAnthi thE.' (BG.10-10)

It means that the Lord gives the wisdom to those who worship Him with
love so that they can attain Him. And He hurls those who are evil, He
says, into demonical wombs in perpetual transmigration,

'thAn aham dvishadhah kroorAn samsArEshu narAdhamAn, kshipAmi ajasram

ashubAnAm aAsureeshvEva yOnishu (BG.16-19)
The limited freedom of the individual is explained as follows. The
concept of anumantha as outlined in Sribhashya of Ramanuja and in the
Gita means that The Lord who is the inner self of all promotes the
action and aids it by granting permission. Ramnuja explains this by the
analogy referred to earlier.(see chapter2 section1) He is the anumantha
as no action is possible without the will of the Lord, good or bad. As
to why He allows bad actions has been explained above.

Further Ramanuja says that the allowance of an action on the part of

one who has the power to stop it is not necessarily due to
hard-heartedness.

It is said in the scriptures that the puNya and pApa consists of the
actions like worship etc which please the Lord and the actions that
displease HIm are pApa. His grace and retribution are the fruits of
action resulting in joy and sorrow.

'Paramapurusha aArAdhana rupEkarmaNee puNyApuNyE;thadhanu

grahanigrahAyatt hE cha thathphale sukah duhkE'

Hence the Lord who has infallible will, with no desires, omniscient
omnipotent and of the nature of bliss etc. is the dispenser of the
fruits of actions and bestows on all beings the body and other
instruments to work out their karma, as effortlessly as a sport. There
is no question of cruelty or partiality in administrating justice. As
the punishment for a crime is to check the tendency of evil, so too His
retribution is for redemption, as it is said in the Bhagavatgita,

'thEshAm sathatha yukthAnAm bajathAm preethipurvakam dhadhami

buddhiyogam tham yEna mAm upayAnthi thE;thesham EvAnukampArTHam aham
ajnAnajam thamah nAsayAmyAthmabhAvas THah jnANadheepEna bhAsvathA.'
(BG.X-10-11)
The Lord says that He gives jnana to those who resort to Him with
devortion by destroying their darkness of ignorance out of compassion by
the light of wisdom. (SB.II-2-3)

This leads to the discussion of karma and krpa and how the retribution
is for rendemption

karma and kripa

Karma is the action of the individual soul and kripa is the divine grace
that guides the way to salvation. Katopanishad declares that the
salvation can only be obtained through Divine grace. `naayam aathmaa
pravachanena labhyah na meDhyaa na bahunaa Sruthena; yamevaiSha vrnthe
thena labhyaH,'(Kat.1-2-23) which means that the self cannot be
realised by study, nor through intellect, nor through much hearing. It
can be known only to the one whom the Supreme Self chooses to reveal
itself. This may be understood in two ways. One is that there is
absolutely no need for individual action as everything rests with the
Lord, who will give moksha only to whom He chooses. Or it could also
mean that He will choose only the one who is in earnest and this could
only be proved by some effort on the part of the individual. These two
views have given rise to the two segregations in vaishnavite religion
namely, the vadakalai and thenkalai. We will come to it later. But these
divisions came into being only after the time of Ramanuja, who advocates
both views in his commentaries. He upholds the former view in explaining
the nature of Brahman and of jiva but he seems to be inclined towards
the latter on explaining prapatti. This could be seen in his commentary
on Sribhashya and that on Bhagavat gita n respectively.

To Ramanuja the law of karma and the operation of divine grace are not
contradictory. This can be understood better when we examine the nature
of karma itself. There are three kinds of karma, namely, Sancitha,
Prarabdha and Agaami. Sab nchitha karma is the accumulated karma over
several lives. Prarabdha is that which has started giving result in this
particular life. Agaami is the karma one does in this life which will
give fruit later. Prarabdhakarma is unavoidable and the result of that
has to be endured. The Divine grace can only mitigate and not abolish
prarabdhakarma. That is why we see that some devotees undergo physical
and mental hardships like Ghorakumbha or Meera but their devotion acts
as a shield against suffering and they are not affected by their
troubles. But once a devotee surrenders to the Lord his sanchitha karma
is wiped off and since he is living as the instrument in the hands of
the Lord he does not accumulate any karma. But the time when he would
attain salvation is the will of the Lord. Like the fruit which falls
down of its own accord when it is completely ripe the karma leading to
bondage falls off when the time comes and it is known only to the Lord
as to when and how it happens.

In Mundaka Upanishad there is a text, `bhidhyathe hrdhaygranThih

chidhyanthe sarvasamSayaah; kheeyanthe asya karmaaNi thasmin dhrShte
paravare.'(Mund.2-2-8) All knots of the heart are torn asunder, all
doubts vanish and all the karma ceases to be when the Supreme self
reveals itself. All the spiritual practices are only to purify the inner
equipment , anthahkarana, and as at the last stroke of the hammer the
iron rod breaks into two after several seemingly futile ones, the
revelation comes when the last vestige of karma is destroyed and this
happens only through the krpa of the Lord.

Even to follow the spiritual path requires divine grace. The krpa of the
Lord is spontaneous and available to all though it requires a right
attitude on the part of the individual and this is where the free will
of the individual come into action. Like a ball which is first set into
motion gather s velocity and travels far, the first step taken towards
God sets His grace in motion which takes over and effects the
culmination. The Lord demands nothing but complete self surrender,

Chapter5-Hitha-How to get the knowledge of reality

Section 1- The means to the goal

We have seen so far the nature of three realities, Thathvathraya ,

namely, Brahman, Jagath and jeeva., otherwise known as Isvara, achith
and chith, God, soul and matter. The entire philosophy of visishtadvaita
comprises of thathva, hitha and purshartha, the truth, the way and the
goal. We shall now see the second principle, namely, hitha, or the means
to attain the goal.
There are four ways which lead to the goal. They are, jnana, karma,
bhakthi and prapatthi. These are not however mutually exclusive of one
another. One leads to another and followed simultaneously. This can be
explained as follows.

Knowledge, jnana, of Brahman as the inner self of the individual self

that forms the body of Brahman dispels the ignorance that arises out of
the mistaken identification of oneself with the body. Then the sensual
desires cease to affect the individual and he develops detachment ,
vairagya, which is born out of viveka, discrimination between real and
unreal. This naturally leads the individual to seek the Lord and he
acquires bhakthi, which is , according to Ramanuja is Dhruvasmrthi,
uninterrupted contemplation of the Lord, like the dripping of oil,
thailaDhaaravat. Then the devotee does all his karma as an offering to
God which is karmayoga. This culminates into total surrender or
parapatthi. All this are not different stages that are achieved
successively but simultaneous like the piercing of the petals of a lotus
with a needle, which, though strictly speaking, is successive operation
but due to the fineness of the texture it is simultaneous.

What could be the cause of vairagya, which is the first requisite of a

seeker, mumukshu? At first the individual performs actions, ritualistic
or others impelled by desire. After some time or some lives there comes
a stage when he sees that all the worldly joys are fleeting and always
accompanied by sorrow. Then he strives to attain eternal happiness and
turns to spirituality. He starts enquiring into the real nature of the
world and himself. Armed with the knowledge of sasthras and through
contemplation he comes to know that the one and only reality is the
Supreme self , the inner self of all, the Brahman of the Upanishads
synonymous with Narayana of Visishtadvaita. This is jnana. The more and
more he thinks of the Lord, hears His stories and repeat His name , the
more and more he comes to love the Lord who is the real self of all.
This is bhakthi. With no desires of his own he starts performing all
the actions as the service to the Lord. This is karmayoga. bhakthi that
has no expectations becomes prapatthi, total surrender.

Section2-Karmayoga
Normally karma is motivated by desire , kaamyakarma. The desire arises
out of contact of the senses with the sense objects, when the mind is
following the sense experience, resulting in action.. Every action
leaves its impression on the mind which is known as vasana, which is
accumulated and continues for several births. The beginningless avidhya
, ignorance of one's real nature as the sesha of the Lord, gives
rise to the notion of `I' and `mine,' the root cause of
attachment. This is explained by Krishna in the Gita as `dhyyaytatho
vishayaan pumsaH sangaH theshu upajaayathe.' (BG-2..62)Constantly
thinking of the sensual objects creates a longing or attachment for
them which motivates action which binds us further.

So what should a mumukshu, one seeking release from bondage that causes
the cycle of birth and death, do?

The obvious answer seems to be that we should give away action. But even
then the desire and attachment may remain. To desist from action but
think about them is pseudo renunciation as Krishna tells in the Gita,
` karmndhriyaaNi samyamya ya aasthe manasaa smaran; indhryaarThaan
vimooDaathmaa miThyaachaaraH sa uchyathe.'(BG-3.6) One who controls
his physical actions but dwells on the sensual experience in mind is a
fool and a hypocrite

Hence as karma cannot be avoided s long as one is in embodiment, the

only answer is nishkamam karma advocated in the Gita. This consists in
abandoning not the deed but the doer-ship and. the fruit of action. This
comes out of the awareness that one is the sesha of the Lord and does
everything as His kainkarya, surrendering to Him and offering everything
done by body, mind and word, to the Lord. `kayena vaachaa
mansaendhriyairvaa buddhyaathmanaa vaa prakrthessvabhaavaath ; karomi
yath yath sakalam parasmai NaaraayaNaayethi samarpayaami..' This
means " whatever I do with my body., words and mind, intellect or by
nature and habit, I offer all that to Narayana the Supreme." The
same idea is expressed in the Gita as ` yathkaroshi, yadjhaSnaasi
yajjuhoshi dhadhaasi yath yaththapasyasi kountheya thath kurushva
madharpaNam.'(BG-9.27) " whatever you do, what ever you eat,
whatever you offer, whatever you give away,whatever austerity you
practice, Arjuna, do that as an offering to Me" Karmadone in the
spirit of consecrated service to the Lord is known as kainkarya in the
school of Ramanuja, compared with which there is no greater happiness.
Section 3-jnanayoga

Karmayoga means rationalized karma and preferred because it is easy but

karmayoga to be effective jnana is necessary because karma and jnana
interpenetrate each other. Both become fruitful with Bhakthi as we shall
see in the section on bhakthi yoga. Ramanuja identifies jnana with
dhyana or upasana.

What has been described in Mundaka Upanishat as `seeing the Supreme

self ` on which all the shackles of the mind are broken, the doubts
vanish and all karma is destroyed, is accomplished by meditation that
gives intuition resulting in immediate manifestation that secures the
final release.

The goal of jnanayoga is the realization of prathyagaathman, the inner

self, and it is achieved only by rigorous moral and spiritual
discipline. The evils of raga and dhvesha which cause entry into the
cycle of births and deaths are due to abhimana or the false
identification of self with the body. They could be overcome by
controlling the mind through vairagya , dispassion and abhyasa, constant
practice as the Lord has made out in Gita, `abhyaasena thu
kountheya vairaagyena cha grhyathe.'.(BG.6-35) Vairagya consists in
stripping the self of everything that is non-self, and abhyasa is
introversion., which is withdrawing the mind from the interplay of
gunas caused by the accumulated vasanas and focusing it on the Self.
Thoughts are not suppressed but are thought away.

Vairagya is giving up the raga for non-self and acquire raga for the
Supreme self. Abhyasa is the endeavour which consists in self control by
withdrawing the mind from the senses and direct it towards the Supreme
Self.

There are two kinds of knowledge , namely, that which comes from the
study of scriptures and the other which is higher is called Upaasanaa ,
the devout meditation and consists in direct intuition of Brahman.

The Lord says in the Gita describing the four types of seekers, aarthi,
the distressed, arThaarthi, seekers of worldly things, jijnaasu ,
seekers of knowledge and jnaani, men of knowledge, that the jnani is
.most dear to Him and he is too is so to the Lord. The most beloved is
the `chosen one' mentioned in the upanishat as ` yamevaisha
vrNuthe thena labhyathe.' (Kata-II-23) It says the self cannot be
gained by study of Vedas, by hearing etc. but the Self reveals itself to
the one whom it chooses.

Gita starts with the moral of nishkama karma, which is karmayoga, and
then continues with the exposition of the philosophy of Athmajnana,
jananyoga and culminates with the religious discipline of bhakthiyoga
as the highest state in the philosophy of religion. It is seeking
Brahman as Bhagavan and seeing Him face to face.

Section4- Bhakthiyoga

Steady remembrance of the Lord is called bhakthi or devotion by

Ramanuja. Bhakthi is intense and single-pointed and preceded by the
true knowledge of the Lord and His glory. The supreme object of bhakthi
is to know, to see and to attain the Lord in His real nature. By bhakthi
alone He can be attained as the Lord Himself says in te Gita,
`bakthyaa thu ananayayaa labhyaH.' The definition of a bhkatha
is also given in the Gits as `mathkarma krth mathparamo
madhbhakthaH sangavarjithaH ; nirvairaH sarvabhootheshu yaH sa maamethi
paandava.' This means , "doing work for Me, having Me as his
aim, being my devotee, without attachment and without hatred towards any
one , he comes to Me.'

Ramanuja, commenting on this sloka, enumerates the charactarestics of

bhaktha.
1. The happiness of a bhaktha is to be with the Lord and sorrow is
the separation from Him.
2. A bhaktha attributes all his suffering to his own karma.
3. He has an implicit faith in the Lord and that all beings are
subjected to His will.

According to visishtadvaita philosophy the Brahman of the Upanishats,

Vasudeva of the Gita, Bhagavan of Panchrathra, the gospel of
visishtadvaita, and the archa, the forms of worship in the temples , of
the azvars, connotes the same Supreme Self and the bhakthi yoga is the
direct means of knowing Brahman.

All karma of a devotee is not nshkamakarma but a kainkarya to the Lord.

The fruit of upasana is not determined by merit alone but by the
redemptive mercy of he Lord, the saviour. A bhaktha is endowed with the
jnana that the Lord is the inner self of all and the whole world of
sentient and insentient beings constitute His body. Thus he realizes
that he is inseparable from the Lord , who is his inner self and
understands the relationship between him and the Lord as that of
aadhaara -aadheya, seshi –sesha, niyanthaa- niyaamya etc.

Ramanuja thus synthesizes the three means of salvation , karma ,jnana

and bhakthi with the concept of meditation which, according to him, is
the same as devout meditation or bhakthi.. Jnana referred to in
visishtadvaita is jnana transformed into bhakthi, bhakthirupapanna
jnana..

In the philosophy of Ramanuja karma is the sum-total of all duties .It

becomes karmayoga when the same is done as the worship of the Lord.

Section 5- Prapatthi

Prapatthi is the alternative path to mukthi prescribed for those who

lack the ability to follow bhakthiyoga, which requires knowledge, will
and patience. Thus it is given the status of a yoga and called
praptthiyoga. The path of prapatthi or surrender is shown by the Lord
Himself in Gita by the charamasloka, `sarvaDharmaan parithyajya maam
ekam SaraNam vraja,' which summons the whole world of jivas offering
them mukthi.

Prapatthi is also known as nyasavidhya and is included among the

brahmavidhyas outlined in the upanishats. Prapatthi preserves all the
essential requisites of bhakthi but excludes the more rigorous
disciplines of bhakthi such as the ritualistic worship and other
accessories laid out by the sastras. The only requisite of prapatthi is
a change of heart which makes one believe that the Lord is all for him
vaasudhevassarvam ithi, and absolute faith in the Lord as his protector,
the staunch faith in the mercy of the Lord which is unconditional
irrespective of one's unworthiness due to the sins committed in the
past lives and this.

Prapatthi is an act of self surrender, which requires shedding of ego

and responsibility and also to be responsive to the grace of the Lord.
After surrendering oneself the prapanna feels that he is not the doer
but only carries out the wish of the Lord as he does all actions as the
service to the Lord. Responsiveness to grace consists in accepting
whatever accrues as the result of his actions as the grace of the Lord.
The emotion is akin to bhakthi in as much as the prapanna is also a
bhaktha since he loves the Lord for Himself but a bhaktha remains
separated from the Lord even if it is only to enjoy doing bhkathi but
the prapanna has a sense of belonging to God as a sesha. The sesha seshi
bhava is uppermost in prapatthi.

Thus Prapatthi is the free act of absolute self surrender. The prapanna
seeks the grace of the Lord and the mercy of the Lord lifts him up and
makes him deserving it. This is an example how a small effort produces
great effect.

Desika outlines the principles of Prapatthi in his nyasadhasaka thus,

Svaamin svaSeasham svavaSam svabharathvena nirbharam

Svadhattha svaDhiyaa svaarTham svasmin nysayathi maam svayam

The meaning of this sloka is that the Lord makes the prapanna His
Sesha, under His control and bestows the knowledge of Himself and
assumes all responsibilities to protect him.

Desika also explains about the method of prapatthi and the

characteristics of a prapanna by two slokas.

Aham madhrakshanabharaH madhrakshaNaphalam thaThaa

Na mama SreepatheH eva ithi aathmaanam nikshipeth buDhaH

Nyasyaami akinchanaH Sreman anukoolo anyavarjithaH

viSvaasapraarThanaapoorvam aathmarakshaabharam thvayi

Prapatthi is of three kinds. First is svaroopasamarpaNa, in which the

self is surrendered with the attitude "My self is not mine but of
Sreepathi," Na mama SreepatheH eva. Second is the attitude "the
responsibility of protecting me is His," madhrakshanabharaH
SreepatheH eva. The third is " the fruit of protecting me is also
His," madhrakshaNaphalam thaThaa. The first sloka explains this.

The second sloka illustrates the five accessories of prapatthi. It

means,

"I am unable to follow any other path, akimchanaH, and have absolute
faith, viSvaasa, that You alone can save me, I always do what pleases
You, anukoolah and avoid what does not, anyavarjithah. Therefore with
prayer, viSvaasapraarThanaapoorvam that You must be my saviour, Sreeman,
I place the whole responsibility of my protection in You,
aathmarakshaabharam thvayi nyasyaami.
The five accessories as illustrated by the sloka are,

1. Helplessness of the prapanna- akimchanathvam

2. Great faith in the Lord that he alone can protect- mahaaviSvaasam

3.To do only what pleases Him-aanukoolyasankalpam

4.To avoid what is not accepted by Him- prathikoolyavarjanam

5.Pray to Him to be the saviour-gopthrthvavaraNam

The perfect example of saranagathi can be seen in the episode of

Vibheeshan saranagathi from Valmiki Ramayana.

Vidheeshana was described by Valmiki as dharmathma through out the epic

which shows that his aanukoolya sankalpam. He left Ravana after advising
him many times because he was a dharmathma and could not side with
adharma. This is prathikoolya varjanam. When he came to Rama he informed
the vanaras, ` thyakthvaa puthraamscha dhaaraamscha raaghavam
saraNam gathah, I have left my sons and wives and came to Rama who is
my only refuge. This is gopthrthva varanam. He expresses the great faith
that Rama would accept him by leaving off everything, which shows his
akinchanyam and coming to him. This is mahaavisvaasam. Finally on seeing
Rama he says, bhavdhgatham me raajyam cha jeevitham cha sukhaani cha, I
surrender to you my kingdom, life and happiness which is bharanyaasa.
Thereafter he lives only to do service to Rama which illustrates the
sesha seshibhava of visishtadvaita. Hence Ramayana is deemed as
saranagathi veda according to vaishnava doctrine. Through out Ramayana
we see Rama as Saranya or saviour to those who approached him and gave
refuge to all, man ,bird and beast. He gave refuge to the rshis of
dandakaaranya, and even to kakasura who committed an unforgivable
offence but in vibheeshna saranagathi the principle of prapatthi is
displayed in full.
Chapter 6-PurushaarTha

PurusharTha is defined as the objective of human life, or the goal of

endeavour, while the Thatthva is the nature of reality and the Hitha is
the path to attain the ultimate reality.

The goals or purusharTha according to Hinduism are four, namely, dharma,

the ethical values, arTha, the economoical values, kaama, seeking
sensuous pleasures and moksha, liberation.

Moksha is the ultimate goal of human life which means the liberation
from the bondage of karma which leads one to the cycle of birth and
deaths. The other three .are only subsidiary values which must be
pursued in such a manner as to lead to the final goal of moksha. The
Lord says in the Bhagavatgita `dharma avirudDha kaamo asmi,' I
am the kama or desire which is unopposed to dharma. It implies that
the kama or sensual enjoyment must be with in the limits of dharma. To
fulfil the desires and also to follow the precepts of dharma one should
earn wealth or go for the objects of desire, again in a manner not
opposed to dharma. The word arTha means both wealth and objects of
desire. Since the ultimate aim is moksha all the other purusharThas
should be conducive to that.

This interpretation of purusharthas is accepted by all vedantic

thinkers while each one differs regarding the concept of moksha. The
desire for release fro the woes of samsara is deeply implanted in the
mind of men which is why they seek to acquire the knowledge,
brahmajijnasa, of the ultimate reality. Ramanuja writing on the concept
of moksha says that it is not the annihilation of `I' as some
profess because in that case no one will wish for release.

However this `I' should not be confused with the egotistic self,
but the natural state of the self. Release or moksha therefore consists
in the manifestation of the true self free from sin and the state of
infinite joy, and knowledge which have been obscured by karma.
In mukthi the individual soul is not identical with Brahman but attains
its real nature of being inseparable from Brahman. That is, the
individual soul is separate yet united with Brahman and is in the
relation of body to soul, sarira-sariribhava.

In chandhogya upanishat it is declared `sa svarAt bhavathi, thasya

sarvEshu lOkEshu kama charO bhavathi, he is self-ruler and moves in all
the worlds according to his desire.'

The meaning of the passage beginning with 'sa svarAt bhavathi saya
Ramanuja, is that the released soul, conscious of Brahman and His
glories experiences the objects which lie within the limited spheres of
HiraNyagarbha and the like and does not indicate the powers of
controlling the universe on the part of the individual soul, because
they exclusively belong to the Lord. The equality in attaining the state
of mukthi is in enjoyment of bliss. The individual soul however can
assume any form at will and wander all over the universe.

Mukthi is not only the freedom from bondage but also regaining of
Paramapadha, the realm of bliss which the individual soul is entitled
to, as its natural state. Paramapadha is the self luminous suddhasathva
and shines in its own light. This is the world of Brahman from which
there is no return.