Life and Mission
Rāmānujācārya (c. 1017–1137 CE) — called Emperumāṉār ('our Lord') by the tradition — is universally regarded as the greatest systematizer of Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta. Born in Śrīperumbūdūr near Chennai, he was the disciple of Mahāpūrṇa (Periya Nambi) and Yāmunācārya's spiritual heir. He lived for 120 years and left a transformative mark on both Śrī Vaiṣṇavism and Indian philosophy.
Philosophical Contributions
Rāmānuja composed nine works (nava-ratnams):
- Śrī Bhāṣyam — magnum opus commentary on Brahma Sūtras, establishing Viśiṣṭādvaita
- Gīṭā Bhāṣyam — commentary on the Bhagavad Gīṭā
- Vedārthasaṅgraha — a summary of Upaniṣadic teaching
- Gadya-trayam — three prose hymns encoding prapatti (including Śaraṇāgati Gadyam)
- Five shorter works on philosophical matters
Organizational Legacy
Rāmānuja reorganized the worship at Śrīraṅgam (the foremost Divya Desam), establishing procedures still followed today. He sent disciples across India to establish the sampradāya and admitted people of all communities into Śrī Vaiṣṇavism — a radical step for his time. He is said to have revealed the meaning of the Tirumantram to 18,000 people publicly from a temple tower, in defiance of the injunction to keep it secret — preferring that all be liberated even at the cost of his own.
His Eternal Status
Rāmānuja is venerated as an avatāra of Ādiśeṣa, the divine serpent-throne of the Lord. His image sits in the sanctum sanctorum of Śrīraṅgam even today. 'Rāmānuja Darisanam' is a synonym for Śrī Vaiṣṇavism itself.