BIRTH OF SRI RAMANUJACHARYA AND CAUSE FOR HIS DESCENT

Ramanuja Sahasraabdi Commemorative  Lecture 2018--1

BIRTH OF SRI RAMANUJACHARYA AND CAUSE FOR HIS DESCENT

The lives of Mahatmas (great ones) are always consecrated to the good of the masses. By the Will of the Supreme, because He is otherwise busy, they descend on earth for no selfish end of their own. They are always preoccupied with the thought how to remove the afflictions of the lowly, indigent and the helpless. By knowing and following the path discovered by   these great ones by their deep  and constant meditation on the good of all living beings, one can live one’s life here on earth in supreme happiness and ultimately can also find one’s way to heavenly bliss or liberation from Samsara--repeated birth and death. History says Buddha descended first followed by Sankara and then Ramanujacharya. 

Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, thought to have lived in India from 563 B.C. to 483 B.C. The Buddhist tradition that celebrates his birthday on April 8   places his birth in the 11th century B.C., and it was not until the modern era that scholars determined that he was more likely born in the sixth century B.C., and possibly in May rather than April. Sankara is believed to have lived for 32 years from 509–477 BCE. This dating, is based on records of the heads of the Shankara's cardinal institutions Maṭhas at Dvarak Peetha the   Govardhan Matha and Badri & the Kanchi Peetham. This conforms to the chronology calculated based on the Hindu Puranas. The traditional hagiographies of Rāmānuja place his life to the period of 1017–1137 CE, yielding a lifespan of 120 years. These dates have been questioned by modern scholarship, based on temple records and regional literature of 11th- and 12th-century outside the Sri Vaishnava tradition, and modern era scholars suggest that Rāmānuja may have lived between1077-1157. You know very well the sectarian rivalries in those days which have been cleverly inserted into later Puranas.

Based on logics it is reasonable to believe that Buddha was born in 11^Th century BCE, Sankara in the sixth century BCE (as confirmed by the learned Chansdrasekharendra Sarasvati) and Ramanuja was born in 1017 and died in 1137. Knowing that Indian History has been often meddled with Western Scholars with ulterior motives and also hired by the foreign rulers for the purpose. Further they had no knowledge how Vedas and Puranas had hidden important dates in mantras and slokas. Veda Mantra “Chatvari sringe” reveals the age of Kalpa  is 4320,000,000 years,  that I had explained.

As Ramanuja’s birth caused destruction of evil minded-ness and brought about an efflorescence of right understanding in men, scholars ascertain his year of birth with the help of the word ”dhirladha” which literally means knowledge has  been attained. In accordance with the rule ankasya vama gatih--figures have to be valued from right to left. The word dhirladha presents 3 Main letters, dh, l, and dh. Dh=7 and l=3 a So dhi(7)rla(3)dha (9) reveals 939. So his birth took place in Saka era of 939 or 4118 of Kali era or 1017 Christian era. Tradition has it that during his passing away all who were there heard a celestial voice say, ”dharmo nashtah” which means that “Dharma which has been embodied itself is now removed from the sight of people”. In accordance with the rule “ankasysa vama gatih” words  “’dha(9)rm(5)o na(0)shta(1)h” indicate figures 1059 which is Saka era corresponding to 1017 of Christian era. I have also talked about the mystery  contained in Hanuman Chalisa of Sant Tulsidas.

You can thus see how ingeniously our spiritual scholars have preserved historic records that could be easily remembered in slokas and mantras and also cannot be easily tampered with. They left it to the ingenuity of later scholars to decode. David Frawley stresses the importance of Vedic research in restoring the past history giving such examples.

\n Vedic period, the path of Karma and the path of Jnana were both held in honor. Only those fully qualified were entitled to enter either of these paths. Righteousness or performance of desire-less-ness enabled one to the path of Jnana. Everyone realized this and accordingly acquired the fitness to enter the path of either Karma or Jnana. Observance of duties is easier than abandonment of desires. Worldly pleasures and pain are known as samsara.  Our duties qualify us for the path of Karma; the perfect control of senses attained through complete desire-less-ness enables one to tread the path of Jnana. Man is a result of desire. How can he attain the state of desire-less-ness?  It is not possible for a human being to live without desire! Desire may make one’s mind unsteady.  But unsteadiness is the nature of the mind and does not cause suffering.  It is unnatural work that can cause suffering. Heavenly enjoyments are the summum bonum of desires. “Yanti devavrataah devan” says Gita. It also says they reach Svarga and enjoy equal status with devas. If one desires heaven one has to perform sacrifices.  We offer oblation to deified Kama by kamaya swaha along with oblation to devatas.  Strangely while we come across both “Dharmaaya swaaha” and  “Adharmaaya Swaha” we do not come across “akaamaya swaha”. We have to come back to earth after exhausting our meritorious deeds or “punya” as humans are mortal  and  then work our way to  Paramapada, the Supreme abode from where there is no return. If mortals are lucky to enter Paramapada they become immortal. But after enjoying happiness with the various devatas in Svarga we have to return back and work our way through Jnanamarga to attain Liberation, avoiding further accumulation of any bad deed. We have to conquer ignorance or Tamas by action or Rajas and Rajas has to be overcome by Sattva.

In ancient times they would kindle a sacred fire on a level piece of ground covered with sand for a sacrifice and pour clarified butter into it as an offering to the devatas and the fathers (pitrus) and thus worship them. Afterwards they built temples of various designs and, installing images of various gods and goddesses within them, and worshiped with fragrant flowers, incense, light and food offerings. As society changes, the mode and trend of Karma vary. The modes of Karma that were prevalent in the Vedic times are rarely found today.  The present mode befits the present age. Though the aim is ever the same, the methods vary with change of times. But in the philosophical portion of the Veda (Jnanakanda) there has been no change whatsoever, for Jnana is essentially the same forever. Self-evident laws like those of Euclid will always remain the same. All Upanishads say that through renunciation alone the great ones crossed the ocean of birth and death and attained immortality—Tyaagenaika amritatvamaanasuh (MNU).

The basis of Karma is righteousness or observance of one’s duties. A person is able to perform his duties because he has to some extent gained mastery   over senses. The man led by his senses is always willful. Sometimes in the past the sacrificial priests and performers of Yajnas fell victims to sense –indulgence. The responsibility of carrying on the Yajnas being in their hands, they invented in order to surfeit their stomachs and to indulge their senses, various violent sacrifices marked by use of wine and flesh and propagated them as sanctioned by Vedas.

Bhagavan says in Gita:

Naasato vidyate Bhaavo-na-abhaavo vidyate satah | Ubhayorapi  drishto antasva nayostattvadarsibih||

Those who are seers of the Truth have concluded that of the non-existent there is no endurance and of the existent there is no cessation. This seers have concluded by studying the nature of both.

T
here is no endurance of the changing body. That the body is changing every moment by the actions and reactions of the different cells is admitted by modern medical science; and thus the growth and old age are taking place in the body. But the spirit soul exists permanently, remaining the same despite all changes of the body and the mind. That is the difference between matter and spirit. By nature the body is ever changing and the soul is eternal. In spiritual sense Abhava is Non-being and Bhava is Being.

Wherever we turn our eyes in this world, we see the paradoxical combination of Bhava and Abhava.  Abhava and Bhava are used with different meanings as per context. Abhava means want and bhava means absence of want or desire. Wherever there is Abhava there is also provision for its fulfillment. Abhava is the root of ever-growing tree of Samsara. We cannot hope to attain eternal peace unless we first get rid of Abhava. Therefore all peace-loving being, a mixture of matter and spirit as they are, seek to get rid of the Abhava.

Buddha achieved the fulfillment of all ends and was hailed as the Enlightened. Growing disgusted with life marred by death, decrepitude, disease, and afflictions, he became a mendicant in his youth. And at long last discovering the path to the abode of unalloyed peace, he led all afflicted Mankind—even the lowliest—along the path and made all rightful aspirants  for immortality which he called Nirvana. Buddha was a well-read scholar of Vedas and Upanishads. Brihadarnyaka tells that Supreme Spirit created his deputies as belonging to Four Varnas where Brahma and Agni were Brahmanas, Indra Kshatriya, Vasus Vaisyas and Prithvi Sudra etc., to assist him in administering the universe. Not satisfied He created also Dharma and said that Dharma is no different from Sathya that is Brahman (Chandogya). Sathya means the Principal that regulates immortals and mortals.  Strangely he created humans alone as mortal as well as other lower creatures.  Buddha talked about this Dharma only and was silent on Godhead on which everybody focused misunderstanding Gita’s   “Sarva Dharman Parityajya”.  If Dharma and Sathya mean the same how can Buddha be Atheist? God alone who is endowed with all auspicious qualities is the doer of Good/Dharma. Buddha acknowledged good deeds and thereby recognized doer of good as well. The righteous, unrighteous, the young and the old, men and women, the rich and the poor, scholars and idiots all were made by him pilgrims on the path of Nirvana. Those who were unfit failed to assimilate his invaluable percepts. Thus his sacred and theistic teaching deteriorated into atheism and Nihalisam.  Buddhists indulged in pork eating, wine drinking and all sort of cruel activities.  The earth was tormented by the weight of demoniac Buddhists.   When truth, untruth, religion, irreligion—everything a mere fib and there was no author for the universe who then was to be feared? Laboring under such ideas, the followers of the Blessed One grew willful and intractable. There was again Abhava (want) of happiness and peace in the world. Therefore in order to relieve the world, the all good Almighty  incarnated Himself as the teacher of mankind, assuming the name Sri Sankara, as per his assurance given in Gita—Yada yada hi dharmasya glanirbhavti.. …..sambhavaami

Bhagavan Sankara took to Sanyasa (became a seer) at the age of 16 and lived up to 32 years. But in this short period he turned away Buddhists from the Indian scene with his bold philosophy of Advaita, Promulgation of Shanmata and Panchayatana Puja.  Hindus by then were a confused mass indus H worshiping all sorts of deities and even spirits misunderstanding Gita as Gita talked about worship of Deva, Devatas, Pitrus and Spirits. He consolidated all worships   by the Panchaytana puja confining to five deities with six traditions. While Buddha focused on outward human sufferings and misery brought by greed outward, Sankara asked them to turn inwards and find out divinity and love within and focus on it, thus drawing their attention altogether from outside world which he projected as Maya or mere illusion or passing phase. He thus diverted attention of everybody from materialism to spirituality. Peace prevailed allover with a sense of direction and Sanatana Dharma unfurled its banner all over India. The Devatas and manes were again delighted with “Swaha”  and “Sudha” mantras everywhere. Rishis made bold to lift their heads again and started teaching Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita with right interpretation on which Sankara had spent his entire life. Towards the end Sankara asked everyone to focus on Vishnu aspect  (vyahriti) of Brahman to take care of our life-on earth, progress spiritually and then  safely   pass  on to the hands of Siva the dissolution aspect of Parabrahman and then on to Brahma the creation aspect of Parabrahman.  Unfortunately he felt that he has accomplished his work   and thought his disciples and followers would lead the common people in the right direction and so left to   stay in the supreme abode.           

With the passage of long time many of the so called followers of Sankara, darning saffron robes and assuming the role of monks, servile to the senses, brought a great calamity.  His sloka on “ekadam  tam” (devo ekah) was misinterpreted ; the popular deity Ganesha was worshiped  as a deity with a broken tusk  based on myths and beliefs projecting him as angry and short-tempered deity;  Siva presented him as Gajanana with two tusks when he replaced the guard created by Parvati , who was beheaded by him. A severed body and head of demon were worshiped as planets --Rahu and Ketu in equal status with Sun, whose worship Sankara had promoted in his Shanmata.  Neither Ketu nor Rahu are mentioned as presiding deities of Janmanakshtras in Vedic Astrology; they are  not even mentioned in Vedic astrology and should have been introduced by Sankara’s followers that are feared and worshiped  by many in Navagraha altars even today in all  Saivite temples.  Ganesaha is worshiped as Vishvaksena with two tusks in all Vaishnava temples   and there are no Navagraha sub-deities’ altars in Vaishnava temples. Recently Tiruvyaiyaru Siva temple has removed the Navagraha altar earlier consecrated as unworthy of worship along with Siva’s family.

The Upanishadic Mahavakya  “Aham Brahmaasmi”—I am Brahman was understood by them to mean that the physical man—who is eight hand-measurements with nine  holes and seven kinds of secretions and subject to birth, death, old age and disease—is  Brahman, imperishable, beginning-less, endless, all pervading, omniscient, all containing and the abode of Bliss. So, they made bold that whatever they did, they could not be subjected to any taint in their character. Those who were unable to comprehend the supremely pure religion expounded by Sankara, labored under such false notions. They popularized the reign of evil ways, Vamachara, avarice, malice and untruth in India. Contentment, happiness, peace and truthfulness disappeared. So Bhagavan Ramanujacharya, the propagator of the doctrine of Vishishtadvaita   incarnated. Nothing of the nature of Abhava can stay in the domain of Bhava.  Bliss, peace truth, generosity, righteousness characterize Bhava; and affliction, unrest, petti-minded-nessava, malice, un-unrighteousness,   untruth, avarice--these are the characteristics of Abhava. It has been proved time and again whenever Abhava appears, its remedy also follows. In accordance with this natural law, the advent of Ramanujacharya took place at the right time in India that is Bharat. It was also immediately followed by Madhvacharya who fine-tuned Vishishtadvaita on the advice of Chiranjeevi  Bhagavan Vedavyasa to incorporate the Vedavakyas_-Sayujaymapnoti,  salokamaapnoti and samanalokatam apnoti  with his Dvaita philosophy.

There is a sloka in Yadhavaachala Mahatmyam which says: 

Ananthah Prathamam Roopam Lakshmanascha Tathah Parah |  Balabadram Thritheeyasthu Kalou Kaschit Bhavishyathi || 

(meaning) It is the same who was Adhisesha first, Lakshmana after and Balarama in the third who is born as Sri Ramanuja in the Kali yuga.  This Kaschit is taken by our Poorva Acharyas as referring to Ramanuja (PPM) 

His birth as a savior saint of Vedanta was predicted in Hindu scriptures, the most significant one being  the one in  Vriddha Padma Purana : 

"Long, long afterwards, the Lord himself will come down on earth as a Tridanda  Sannyasin, to restore the good law.  At that time heretics and men of perverted intellects will confuse the minds of the people.  Aasuric Saastraas, based upon fallacious arguments and various schools of thought, very attractive and almost indistinguishable from the Vedanta, will turn away men’s hearts from Vishnu and cause them to forget His glory.  That glorious incarnation will, through the good fortune of the Lord's devotees, come down upon earth, to explain and amplify the teachings of the great Sage Baadaraayana and the divine singer of the Gita.  The holy one would compose a Bhaashya on the Vyaasa Sutras, to save men from the confusion and despair” Perhaps you all know Vedavyasa is an Avatar of Vishnu!

Sarvakrathu  Kesavacharya like Dasartha had no children. So he accompanied by his wife Kantimati performed Yajnas to Lord Parthasarathy of Chennai with a desire a son might be born to them.  When the performance of Yajnas were over, Kesavacharya had a vision of Parthasarathy in a dream.  In his dream the Lord addressed him and said: “O Sarvakrathu, I am much pleased with your good conduct and steadfast devotion. Don’t be anxious!  I Myself shall be born as your son. Instigated by evil motives  and unable to know the purport of the teachings of preceptors, men are considering themselves to be Godhead and are becoming wicked, willful and perverse. So, unless I incarnate Myself as Acharya, they are doomed. Go back home along with your wife. Your desire will be fulfilled”(Prapannamrita).

About a year later Kantimati gave birth to a son endowed with auspicious marks who came to be known as Ramanuja.  He was born in 939 of the Saka Era (4118 of Kali Era and 1017 of the Christian Era) Thursday, the 12^th Chaitra, in the fifth Day of the bright fortnight, when the Sun was in the Zodiac of Cancer in the year Pingala. His natal star was Aridra, the sixth lunar mansion. He belonged to Harita lineage and Yajurveda.      

The month of birth and zodiac of Ramanujacharya too are the same as those of two sons of Sumitra wife of Dasaratha,   hence he was named Ilayaperumal which latere was redesignated as Ramanuja or younger brother of  Rama that is Laksmana.   The following sloka also justifies, he being called Lakshmana and incarnation of Adisesha:

Chaitraadram-sambhavam vishnor-darsana-sthaapanotsukam | tundaree-mandale seshamoortim ramanujam bhaje—Divyasurisatotram -16

I worship Bhagvan Sri Ramanuja, the incarnation of Ananta, who took birth in the month of Chaitra (April-May) under the sixth lunar mansion in Tundiradesa to establish the philosophy of Vishnu

An image of Ramanuja, after he shed his mortal coil, was consecrated in a shrine at the Tirumala temple. There is no other Acharya or Azhwar in “Archa form'” at Tirumala Tirupati. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

[Extracted, abridged, edited with added texts & explanations for Ramanuja Sahasraabdi Memorial Celebration Lectures by N.R. Srinivasan based on Ramanuja Charita    by Swami Ramakrishnananda  in Bengali,  rendered in English by Swami Budhanada of Ramakrishna Math,  with grateful acknowledgment.]