The Disappearance of Sri Ramanujacarya
BY: SUN STAFF
Photo by Koyil Tirumanjanam S. Kannan
Feb 03, 2020 — CANADA (SUN) — On the observance of Sri Ramanujacarya's Disappearance, February 4th, a description of His samadhi murti and life pastimes.
"Sri Ramanuja Acarya appeared around 1017 A.D in a pious brahmana family. He became the formost Acarya in the Sri Sampradaya and was reputed to be the incarnation of Laksmana, the younger brother of Lord Ramacandra. He was a boy of extraordinary intelligence and placed himself under the charge of Yadavacarya, a renown Sankarite scholar. His guru was struck with his marvelous intellect and became very uncomfortable on account of his firm faith in Bhakti.
One day while taking a massage, Yadavacarya was explaining to Ramanuja a sutra "tasya yatha kapyasam pundarikamevamaksini" (Chandogya 1.6.7), saying that according to Sankara, the two eyes of Pundariksa are like two lotuses which are red like the nates of a monkey. On hearing this interpretation with the unbecoming and low simile, Ramanuja's soft heart, tender by nature and softened by devotion, melted and as he was massaging, tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes like flames of fire and fell on the thigh of Yadava. Looking up at the touch of the hot tears, Yadava understood that something troubled his disciple. Ramanuja explained his dismay at hearing such an unbecoming explanation from his guru. He thought it sinful to compare with the posterior of a monkey the eyes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead - who is endowed with all gracious qualities and who is the repository of all the beauty of the universe. Yadava was angry at the boy's audacity and told him to explain the verse if he could. Ramanuja analysed the word kapyasam to mean `blossomed by the sun' and the verse to mean "The eyes of that Golden Purusa are as lovely as lotuses blossomed by the rays of the sun."
After a few more such incidents when Ramanuja corrected his guru, Yadavacarya thought him to be a threat to the Sankarite line and plotted to kill him. Later it came to pass that Yadavacarya was to become the disciple of Ramanuja.
Yamunacarya, the formost exponant of Vaisnava philosophy of the time, knowing of his extraordinary ability and purity, called for Ramanuja with the intent of placing him in charge of the mission after his disappearance. Ramanuja was on his way to see Yamunacarya when he received the news of Yamunacarya's departure from the world. Arriving at Srirangam, Ramanuja went to have his last darshana of that great soul. There he noticed three of Yamunacarya's fingers were clenched. Ramanuja then made three vows: he would make the people surrender to God and initiate them by the pancasamskara - he would write a commentary on the Vedanta sutra which was later called Sri Bhashya - he would also write what is like an encyclopedia on the Puranas and would name one greatly learned Vaisnava after Parasara Muni who wrote the gem among the Puranas, the Visnu Purana.
Later Ramanuja took sannyasa and traveled throughout India vigorously defeating atheists and impersonalists by preaching the Vasistadvaita doctrine. He never failed to win over a rival in spiritual disputations.
His philosophy is visistadvaita. Brahman is Narayana -(cit-acit-isvara), Narayana with Laksmi - (transcendental form), Four Vyuha forms, Vaibhava forms. The qualities of Brahman are both nirguna and saguna. The soul is real, eternal, individual, not omnipresent, not independent of Isvara, but part. Isvara is the efficient cause of creation. It is from His will out of delight. The cause of bondage is beginningless karma. The process of release is Bhakti based on Pancaratra and Visnu purana followed by detached karma that brings jnana - Prapatti. The goal is to attain the same nature of Isvara and companionship with Him. He does not return and has no power of creation, etc."
The Departure of Sri Ramanuja
"Ramanuja continued living at Shri Rangam, serving the Deity of Narayana and imparting enlightenment to whoever came to him until he was 120 years old. One day while worshipping the Deity, he prayed, "dear God, whatever I could do to preserve the essence of the Vedas, to uplift the fallen souls, and to establish the shelter of Your lotus feet as the supreme goal in life, I have done. Now my body has grown tired after many years in this world. Kindly allow me to depart from this mortal world and enter Your supreme abode."
With this prayer Ramanuja returned to the assembly of his disciples and announced his desire to depart from this world. Thrown into an ocean of grief, the disciples clasped the feet of their guru and petitioned him to remain with them. It is unbearable for us to conceive of the disappearance of your divine form, which is the supreme purifier, the abode of all that is good, the destroyer of all afflictions, and the fountain of unlimited joy. Out of pity for your children, please stay with us for some time longer."
Ramanuja remained on Earth for three more days. To appease their afflicted hearts. Ramanuja spoke his last instructions to those who were most near and dear to him: "Always remain in the company of and serve those souls devoted to Godhead just as you would serve your own spiritual preceptor. Have faith in the teachings of the Vedas and in the words of the great saints. Never become the slave of your senses: always strive to conquer the three great enemies of self-realization: lust, anger, and greed. Worship Narayana and take pleasure in uttering the Holy Names of God as your only refuge. Sincerely serve the Devotees of Godhead: by service to the great Devotees, the highest service is done and one quickly gains the supreme mercy. Remembering these things you should live happily in this world for the attainment of the next." With these departing words, Ramanuja, keeping his head on the lap of Govinda and his mind fixed in spiritual trance, relinquished his mortal body and entered the realm of Vaikuntha." (GaudiyaHistory.com)
The Samadhi of Ramanujacarya
Inside the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, Trichinapalli, is a shrine dedicated to Sri Ramanujacarya, whose Disappearance is observed on February 19th. The murti of Sri Ramanuja at the Ramanujar shrine (or Udayavar/Yadhirajar shrine) has the interred remains of his body inside.
Ramanuja's thiruvarasu, or sacred burial shrine is located inside the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple, at the place where he is said to have attained his Acharyan Thiruvadi (the lotus foot of his Acharya). His mortal remains (thirumeni) were interred inside the familiar outer murti of Sri Ramanuja, whose outer covering is a wax-like replica. The murti has been covered with the saffron robes Sri Ramanujacarya wore while alive. They are ornamented with chandan and saffron (kungumappoo).
Sri Ramanuja is the only personality whose remains lie in samadhi inside Srirangam Temple precincts. The mula image of the Laksmi (Srivaishnava) Sampradaya Acarya, which appears to be wax, is actually fashioned of plaster. Twice a year, it is coated with a mixture of camphor and saffron, which gives it a distinctive ochre/orange tint. No other chemicals are added to maintain the body. This bi-annual treatment of Ramanuja's murti has been going on for more than eight centuries.
