Rāmānuja

Rāmānuja was a South Indian theologian and philosopher, active at Kanchipuram and above all at the temple centre of Srirangam, and the principal systematiser of Viśiṣṭādvaita, qualified non-dualism. Against Śaṅkara's Advaita, he held that the world and individual selves are real and distinct, yet inseparable from Brahman, as a body from its soul. His traditional lifespan of 120 years is usually treated as conventional. His teaching gave philosophical form to Śrīvaiṣṇava devotion.

Key ideas

• Brahman is a personal God, Viṣṇu-Nārāyaṇa, possessing infinite good qualities.
• The world and selves are real and form the body of Brahman, distinct from it yet inseparable.
• The world is not an illusion; Śaṅkara's doctrine of māyā is rejected.
• Liberation comes through devotion (bhakti) and grace, with the self remaining distinct from God.

Major works

• Śrībhāṣya (commentary on the Brahma Sūtras)
• Vedārthasaṃgraha
• Gītābhāṣya (commentary on the Bhagavad Gītā)

In the conversation

• Debate Rāmānuja’s question ‘whose ignorance?’ is the objection Advaita never answered Govinda Prasad Upadhyaya · 6 replies