Ramanuja | |
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 Idol of Ramanuja in the Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam | |
| Personal | |
| Born | 25 April 1017 |
| Died | c.1137 (aged 119–120)[a] |
| Religion | Hinduism |
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| Denomination | Vaishnavism |
| Sect | Sri Vaishnavism |
| Organization | |
| Philosophy | Vishishtadvaita |
| Religious career | |
| Guru | Yadava Prakasa |
Influenced by | |
Influenced | |
| Literary works | Traditionally 9 Sanskrit texts, including Vedarthasamgraha, Sri Bhashya, Gita Bhashya |
| Honors | Emberumānār, Udaiyavar, Yatirāja (king of sannyasis)[7] |
| Propagator | Vishishtadvaita Vedanta |
| Part of a series on | |
| Hindu philosophy | |
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Ramanuja ([ɽaːmaːnʊdʑɐ]; Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmānuja; c. 1017[b] – 1137), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a social reformer. He is noted to be one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaishnavism tradition within Hinduism.[7][9][10] His philosophical foundations for devotionalism were influential to the Bhakti movement.[9][11][12]
Ramanuja's guru was Yādava Prakāśa, a scholar who according to tradition belonged to the Advaita Vedānta tradition,[13] but probably was a Bhedabheda scholar.[14] Sri Vaishnava tradition holds that Ramanuja disagreed with his guru and the non-dualistic Advaita Vedānta, and instead followed in the footsteps of Tamil Alvārs tradition, the scholars Nāthamuni and Yamunāchārya.[9] Ramanuja is famous as the chief proponent of Vishishtadvaita subschool of Vedānta,[15][16] and his disciples were likely authors of texts such as the Shatyayaniya Upanishad.[13] Ramanuja himself wrote influential texts, such as bhāsya on the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, all in Sanskrit.[17]
His Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism) philosophy has competed with the Dvaita (theistic dualism) philosophy of Madhvāchārya, and Advaita (non-dualism) philosophy of Ādi Shankara, together the three most influential Vedantic philosophies of the 2nd millennium.[18][19] Ramanuja presented the epistemic and soteriological importance of bhakti, or the devotion to a personal God (Vishnu in Ramanuja's case) as a means to spiritual liberation. His theories assert that there exists a plurality and distinction between Ātman (soul) and Brahman (metaphysical, ultimate reality), while he also affirmed that there is unity of all souls and that the individual soul has the potential to realize identity with the Brahman.[19][20][21]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
names Rwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ N. Jagadeesan (1989). Collected Papers on Tamil Vaishnavism. Ennes Publications. p. 82.
his name 'Ramanuja' (the name of Lakshmana in the Ramayana) was done into Tamil as 'Ilaiyalvar.'
- ^ Gerhard Oberhammer; Marion Rastelli (2007). Studies in Hinduism: On the mutual influences and relationship of Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta and Pāñcarātra. IV. Austrian Academy of Sciences Press. p. 269. ISBN 978-3700136804.
Hence, says the AK, "On the twelfth day, during the naming ceremony which was preceded by giving him the divine signs, they gave him the name Ilaiyalvar
- ^ Sydnor, Jon Paul (2012). Ramanuja and Schleiermacher: Toward a Constructive Comparative Theology. p. 20. ISBN 9780227900352.
- ^ a b Jones & Ryan 2006, p. 352.
- ^ a b Carman 1974, pp. 27–28, 45.
- ^ a b Raman 2020, pp. 195, 198–205.
- ^ Sydnor, Jon Paul (2012). Ramanuja and Schleiermacher: Toward a Constructive Comparative Theology. p. 20. ISBN 9780227900352.
- ^ a b c C. J. Bartley 2013, pp. 1–4, 52–53, 79.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Sydnor2012p20was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
M-WRāmānujawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Hermann Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund (2004). A History of India. Routledge. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-415-32920-0.
- ^ a b Patrick Olivelle (1992). The Samnyasa Upanisads : Hindu Scriptures on Asceticism and Renunciation: Hindu Scriptures on Asceticism and Renunciation. Oxford University Press. pp. 10–11, 17–18. ISBN 978-0-19-536137-7.
- ^ Nicholson 2010, p. 34.
- ^ C. J. Bartley 2013, pp. 1–2.
- ^ Carman 1974, p. 24.
- ^ Carman 1994, pp. 82-87 with footnotes.
- ^ William M. Indich (1995). Consciousness in Advaita Vedanta. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 1–2, 97–102. ISBN 978-81-208-1251-2. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ a b Bruce M. Sullivan (2001). The A to Z of Hinduism. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-8108-4070-6.
- ^ C. J. Bartley 2013, pp. 1–2, 9–10, 76–79, 87–98.
- ^ Sean Doyle (2006). Synthesizing the Vedanta: The Theology of Pierre Johanns, S.J. Peter Lang. pp. 59–62. ISBN 978-3-03910-708-7.
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