The Three Gadyas of Rāmānuja
Rāmānuja composed three celebrated gadyas (prose hymns): Śaraṇāgati Gadyam (the prayer of surrender to Śrī Ranganātha), Śrī Raṅga Gadyam (praise and prayer addressed to the deity at Śrīraṅgam), and Śrī Vaikuṇṭha Gadyam (a vision and description of Vaikuṇṭha). Together they are the 'three gadyas' that form the devotional heart of Rāmānuja's literary legacy.
Content of Śrī Raṅga Gadyam
Śrī Raṅga Gadyam is addressed directly to Śrī Ranganātha — Rāmānuja speaks personally to the Lord, describing the Lord's qualities, acknowledging his own unworthiness, and requesting the Lord's grace and the opportunity for eternal kaiṅkarya. It is a deeply personal document, revealing the emotional depth beneath Rāmānuja's philosophical precision.
Liturgical Use
The three gadyas are recited on the Aippaśi month Punarvasu star day (Rāmānuja's tirunakṣatram) and on special festival occasions, especially at Śrīraṅgam. They are also recited during the annual Brahmotsavam in homes and maṭhams. The gadyas represent Rāmānuja's direct heart-to-heart address to the Lord — unlike his philosophical commentaries, which speak about the Lord.
Historical Occasion
Tradition holds that Rāmānuja composed the three gadyas on a single night at Śrīraṅgam, in the presence of Śrī Ranganātha Himself, with the Lord's direct encouragement and response. This story underscores the gadyas' status as intimate, supernaturally inspired devotional documents.