[Advaita-l] Advaita-The Vedanta.

[Srikanta Narayanaswami]

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Taking even an generous stand,a reader of the "Sri Bhashya"can feel that it was written with a 'heartburn'with the preconception of atacking Sri Shankara!

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You could be right. In the very beginning of his spiritual quest  itself Ramanuja probably did not have much real desire to go into the depth of the Veda and Vedanta. It could be that he wanted to make a name for himself more than anything else. It is believed that when his guru gave him a mantra for his spiritual progress he immediately shouted the mantra from the roof-top  saying that the world will be saved by hearing that mantra. Then again to gain an edge over Adi Sankara he could have invented the Bodhayana vritti.

Sunil KB
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There is much more to it than "gaining an edge over Adi Shankara,that Ramanuja invented the Bodhayana Vrtti".
It is said that both Ramanuja and his disciple koorathalvan(Koresha)went to Kashmir where
the "Bodhayana vrtti"was deposited in the "Koshagara"(Library).But,if it had been found there by them,why they have not quoted from the "Bodhayana vrtti",just like Ramanuja has quoted from other granthas like Vishnupurana,etc.Despite claiming himself that he is a Vishnu Baktha,there is not even one quotation or Slokah from Bhagavatham.
The aim of Ramanuja was different.He is basically a "Karma revivalist".He has not written even one bashya on any Upanishad,and even the quotations from the Upanishads like Chandogya,Thittiriya,etc.they donot substantiate his view of "Vishistadvaita".First of all,in the first chapter of his "Sri Bhashya"he quotes from "Gaudapada's Karikas on Mandukyopanishad,he quotes the Karika 16 of the "Agama Prakarana"
 
"Anadi mayaya supto yada jivah prabudhyate!
Ajam anidram asvapnam advaitam budhyate tada!!"
 
If Ramanuja believed that there is no maya or avidya,why did he quote from the Karikas?
More over,the word "Advaitam"clearly establishes that Advaita is Paramartha which supports Adi Shankara's siddhanta.
There are many evidences in his bhashya that he was a "karma revivalist"despite many statements in the Sruthi tests which clearly condemns "Karma".
N.Srikanta.