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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00044 Jul 2002

 
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Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:

Dear Sri Parthasarathy,

I(hope others too) am fortunate to have your posts 
atleast once in awhile. Now I'm getting into our sampradAyam and I'm 
a beginner. I am trying to understand the two differing views 
on "concept of Sri" that persist in the two different schools namely 
Tennkalai and Vadakalai. My post may be slightly lengthier! Pardon 
for all my ignorances in this post.

Sri Ramanuja mentions in all his genuine(vedantic)works 
about Sri in the dedicatory verse itself and does not mention 
elsewhere(I listened to Sri U.Ve Srirangam Narasimhachar's 
upanyAsam). For example "Srinivasa" in SribhASyam; "Sriyah kanta" in 
vEdAntadIpa;"Srimat" in vEdAntasAra. Again in GItabhASya,he mentions 
Sri in the beginning itself. Only in vEdArthasamgraha,there are more 
references from sruti and smrti but again they are brief. Since Sri 
Ramanuja does not explain this brief description of 
Sri,interpretation becomes difficult.

On the contrary,we find first a separate prayer to Sri 
and second to NArAyaNA in the beginning of SaraNAgati gaDyam. There 
is no description of Sri in SriRanga gaDyam and we find a brief 
description of Sri in the VaikuNTa gaDyam. 

VK school considers Sri to be infinite like the Lord 
whereas the TK school considers Sri as the first among the finite 
spirits. Please correct me if I'm wrong in my usage of words and also 
the information.

Questions:
1.Does EmperumAnAr mention anywhere in his works "the distinct 
function" of goddess Sri as puruSakAra?

2.Which statements of Ramanuja clearly express that "Sri" is 
puruSakAra?

3.Why didn't EmperumAnAr offer separate prayer to Sri in his vEdAntic 
works? Is there any reason for it? What do our AchAryAs say about it?

4.Does EmperumAnAr closely follow the thoughts/ideas of yAmunAchAryA 
in all his major works? How does yAmunAchAryA handle the "concept of 
Sri" in his Stotra Ratna and CatusslOki?

PS:I have the gItAbhASya of Ramanuja by van buitenan. In that the 
author mentions that Ramanuja owes everything to yAmunAchAryA and 
Ramanuja uses yAmunA's own words whenever the occasion arises.

5. What is the role of Sri and ViSNu in Pancharatra Agamas? Is it in 
this you find temple worship being mentioned? How does Ramanuja 
refute Sankara's interpretation of Tantric view(soundaryalahari is a 
hymn where Sankara says that without Sakti,Siva wouldn't be able to 
move anything. Am I right)?

6. Is it true that Ramnauja's immediate successors
(KUrathAzhvAn,ParAsara bhattar,Tirukurihai PirAn PiLLAn)gave more 
emphasis on Sri(and other divine consorts bhUmi,nILA)as "puruSakAra" 
than Ramanuja himself?

7. If EmperumAnAr had very clearly stated in his works that Sri is 
puruSakAra(also on nirhEtuka krpa),there wouldn't have been any kalai 
disputes. Was Swami Desikan of the same view as TennAchAryAs 
regarding the concept of Sri? Who was the main person in VK school to 
have a differing view regarding the "nature of Sri". 

8. Did EmperumAnAr want his immediate successors(who were in close 
association with him in thought)to stress that "Sri is puruSakAra" 
rather than he himself doing it just as he wanted Tirukuruhai PirAn 
PiLLAn to write a detailed commentary on Tiruvoimozhi instead of he 
himself writing the commentary.

I request all to forgive my ignorance in asking too many questions. 
Since I don't have any pUrvAchAryAs works(i'll be getting soon),I 
want to know how the two interpretation started. 

AzhwAr EmperumAnAr Jeeyar TiruvadigaLE saraNam
nappinnai





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