Page 7 - Ramanuja and Equality Book.pmd
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The tradition known today as the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya was
implemented by Ramanujacharya as an unbreakable bond among
everyone, uniting the diverse population of the universe through
mutual respect and equality. The whole world can be recognized
with one spiritual bond. The social philosophy of Ramanujacharya
was designed to cross the boundaries of the caste system and
embrace the entirety of humanity, leaving no one behind. He has
thus been lauded as a social genius with Vedic tenets and has
been rightly given the title ’Bhagavad.’
In addition to disclosing divine, quintessential knowledge of Vedas
to all those with sincere interest, He re-established appropriate
procedures for rituals performed in temples throughout India -
the most famous ones being at Tirumala, Sri Rangam, Melkote,
and Kanchipuram.
Bhagavad Ramanujacharya made strenuous journeys to distant
places across the Indian subcontinent. He taught that the social
order is actually a moral order (code of conduct) and that the
crux of all values is man’s desire to improve society for all. He
was a great philosopher-saint, theologian, and social reformer
who passed down the essence of Vedic knowledge in its purest
fashion.
SRI RAMANUJACHARYA: SPIRITUAL REFORMER
As an unparalleled spiritual master, He delivered the treasure of
the true spirit of Vedic literature to the doorsteps of the common
person - regardless of caste, creed, or gender. He propounded the
philosophy of qualified monism, which enables us to understand
reality as it is, and the relationship among all of us.
The key tenets of the philosophy are
• There are three essential categories: (i) Nature, (ii) Soul
(atma), and (iii) The Supreme Being (paramatma).
• Nature is real; there are infinite number of souls, all
souls are real and are of the same essential nature; The
Supreme Being is real with infinite auspicious qualities.
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