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
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