6.sarira-sariri bhava Sarira-sariri bhava is the key concept of Visishtadvaita. The vedanta sastra is known as saarirakasastra which indicates the sarira- sariri sambhandha advocated by Visishtadvaita. Ramanuja defines sarira as a substance which a sentient soul completely supports, aadhara-aadheya bhava, and controls, niyantha-niyaamya bhava for serving its own purpose and which is subordinate to the sentient soul, sesha--seshi bhava.. The world of cit and acit form the sarira of Brahman because they are supported, controlled and used by Brahman. The entry of Brahman into the cit and the acit in order to diversify them into name and form is supported by the sruti 'tadhaikshatha bahusyaam prajaayeya' Hence they exist in an inseparable relation with Brahman similar to the body and soul. Let me explain this. The body has no identity without the soul . So the soul is the supporter, aadhara and the body is the aadheya. Without the soul the body cannot function. Hence the soul is the controller, niyantha. The body exists for the soul and dependent on the soul not vice versa as we imagiine! The last point may not be understood in the worldly sense but in spiritual aspect the soul takes the body to exhaust its karma and as soon as the karma for that particular embodiment is exhausted it leaves that body. So the soul is the seshi and the body is the sesha. Now Brahman being the antaryamin, the real self of all beings, everything other than Brahman form the sarira of Brahman. This concept is the pradhaanaparithanthra, the most important doctrine of Visishtadvaita. The inseparable relation, aprthaksiddhi, between the body and the soul is similar to that of substance and attribute which are inseparable. in the sense that one cannot exist without the other. So Brahman is the prakari and the world is the prakara, mode of Brahman. Hence all words that describe any sentient or insentient being has its connotation only with Brahman., their real and ultimate self. Ramanuja illusrtrates this by saying that the words cow, horse or man denote not their physical body but the sentient soul within their physical form. Since Brahman is the real self of all beings all words connote only Brahman by saamaanaadhikaranya. The concept of aprthaksiddhi emphasises both unity and difference between Brahman and jiva. The universe of finite and imperfect beings and the Brahman , infinite, truth and knowledge, form one organic whole. The entities which exist in relation of aprthaksiddhi with each other are always cognised together as in the statement 'I am a human being.' The unity here is not absolute but visishtaaikya. Sadvidya of the Chandogya is thus interpreted in terms of the sarira- sariri bhava by Ramanuja. Sadvidya states the cause of everything to be Brahman, by knowing which everythig else becomes known and this leads to the satkaaryavada, according to which both the cause and the effect are real.. Sat, Brahman, the only existence willed to become many and created the world of cit and acit, out of itself and entered into them to be their innerself and got differentiated into the world of names and forms. Brahman the case is real its effect the world is also real because it arises from and ensouled by the infinite. Thus the sadvidya section of the Upanishd , the prormissory statement,'ekavijnaanena sarvavijnaanam' and the illustrations of mud , gold etc. therein imply only Brahman to be the cause of the universe. Ramanuja sums up the cosmological and ontological nature of Brahman in the Sribhashya thus: the terms satyam, jnanam, anantham define the svarupa of Brahman as being distinct from everything else and the Brahman has already been shown as the cause of creation, sustenanace and annihilation by the causal statements of the sruti, yatho vaa imaani bhoothaani jaayanthe yene jaathaani jeevanthi yasmin abhisamvisanthi thadvijinjaasava thadbrahma' Then Ramanuja proceeds to define Brahman and to show that Brahman is synonymous with Narayana ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/XUWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oppiliappan/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Oppiliappan-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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