THE ESSENCES
Showing posts with label Birth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birth. Show all posts
Thursday, May 29, 2008
DESTINY NUMBER is the sum total of one's date of birth and therefore unique for every person
In Numerology, Destiny Number is the sum total of one's date of birth and therefore unique for every person. ... It is calculated by adding all the numerals in one's birth date and bring it down to one digit. For e.g., a birth date of 2/09/1976 will give the destiny number of 7 (2+9+1+9+7+6= 34= 7).
A number derived from all of the letters in your FULL BIRTH NAME make up what is called the Destiny or Destiny number. Although this number is called both of these names, throughout this website it will be referred to as the Destiny number. I'm changing my naming of this to Destiny because that name seems to be winning out over all, and it is probably a better descriptive word for the meaning of the this important core element. This is the number that describes the tasks that you must achieve in this lifetime using the name given you. This name, the complete birth name, symbolizes the opportunities you have at your disposal. This is sometimes referred to as your potential or destiny. Living up to attributes of this number may not be easy, but it is your goal in the here and now. It is your life's purpose, spiritual mission, and your field of opportunity. Unlike the Life Path number which reads as you are, the Destiny number more correctly reads as you MUST or what you can aspire to become.
To arrive at your Destiny number, take each name separately and add up the letter values using the conversion chart below. Reduce each name to a single digit . Then add the results of all of the names to arrive at a total which you then once again reduce to a single digit.
Don't use nicknames, assumed name, deviations in spelling used, or omit any part of the birth name. Use it as it appears on the birth certificate. Don't worry about changes to the name (married name, etc.), just stay with complete birth name. Don't count Jr. Sr., III, etc. following the name.
The only exception to this is in the case of adoption shortly after birth, and here the name given in the adopting home should be used.
Here is how to turn letters in the full name to a Destiny Number:
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Example of Destiny Number: DAVID MICHAEL McCLAIN, David equals 22/4, Michael equals 33/6, and McClain equals 28 which reduces to 10/1. The Destiny number is 4+6+1=11, and 11, a master number, becomes 11/2. My Destiny Number is 11/2.
1 (10/1)
The number 1 Destiny suggests that the direction of growth in your lifetime will be toward gaining greater independence and establishing yourself as a leader. A name producing a 1 Destiny may help you gain the talents to become a skilled executive with keen administrative capabilities, or perhaps a sales executive, or promoter. You have within you what it takes to become an original person with a creative approach to problem solving, and a penchant for initiating action.
Unless you Life Path shows that you won't need the help, someone may have to follow behind you to handle the details, but you know how to get things going and make things happen. As you develop, you will have little need for much supervision, preferring to act on your own with little restraint.
Progressing through life, you will become one who seeks to expand and broaden opportunities to find new careers and new inventions. You must develop skills in innovation and ingenuity. You have a good mind and the ability to use it for your advancement. Because of these factors, you have much potential for achievement and financial rewards. Frequently, this Destiny belongs to one running a business or striving to achieve a level of accomplishment on ones talents and efforts.
As you mature, you must become increasingly ambitious and determined. Self-confident and self-reliant must be yours, as you develop a strong unyielding will and the courage of your convictions.
The 1 Destiny presents a tendency for you to fear the routine and being in a rut. You often jump the gun because you are afraid of being left behind. The negative attributes of the 1 Destiny include one becoming egotistic and developing a self-centered approach to life. This is an aggressive number and if it is overemphasized it is very hard to live with. You do not have to be overly aggressive to fulfill your destiny. You do not have to dominate and destroy in order to lead and manage.
2 (11/2, 20/2)
The number 2 Destiny suggests that the direction of growth in your lifetime will be toward gaining an understanding of people and a greater spiritual sense of the world around you. A name producing a 2 Destiny gives you the tools to work very well with other people. Your destiny will be, in part, in the role of the mediator and the peacemaker. As you grow in this direction, you become sensitive to the feelings of others, you become diplomatic in handling complicated situations.
The spiritual potential for the 2 Destiny, and perhaps particularly so for the master number 11/2, is very high. You have the capacity to be inspirational, and the ability to lead merely by your own example. An inborn inner strength and awareness can make you an excellent teacher, social worker, philosopher, or advisor. No matter what area of work you pursue, you are very aware and sensitive to the highest sense of your environment. Your intuition is very strong; in fact, many psychic people and those involved in occult studies have the number 11/2 Destiny. Indeed, the 2 has a spiritual connection not found in other numbers.
In many ways you are dependent on others and seem to function best in a partnership or in some form of group activity. As you mature, modesty will run deeper in your nature, and you must work comfortably without recognition of your accomplishments.
Often, others will get credit for your ideas, and this must be of little real concern to you as you skill as a team play progresses. Cooperative, courteous, and considerate, you have the capacity to become an outstanding facilitator. You will have the capacity to organize and handle people, just as you will handle detail, rarely overlook anything.
As you fulfill your destiny, tactful and friendly behavior will increase your popularity, and nearly everyone will like you. Perhaps this is also because you are more content working with your ideals, rather than dollars and cents. The positive aspect of the number 2 Destiny is an always idealistic attitude. This is even more accentuated in the master number 11/2.
The negative 2 personality can be oversensitive and easily hurt. Too much of this number in your makeup can make you very shy and uncertain. Sometimes the excessive 2 energies makes one apathetic and somewhat indifferent to the job at hand; the ability to handle details is hampered in these cases.
Some 2s, and especially the 11/2s, struggle with a continuous sense of nervous tension; you may be too sensitive and temperamental. You tend to dream a lot and may be more of a dreamer than a doer. Fantasy and reality sometimes become intermingled and you are sometimes very impractical. You tend to want to spread the illumination of your knowledge to others irrespective of their desire or need.
3 (12/3, 21/3, 30/3)
The number 3 Destiny suggests that the direction of growth in your lifetime will be toward a more creative and inspirational nature. This path also leads to establishing yourself as an inspiration person spreading optimism and cheerfulness wherever you reside or travel. The byword for the 3 Destiny is embracing the joy of living and helping others to do the same.
A large part of your mission in life centers around raising the spirits of your fellow man. This might be on a everyday small scale basis, or it might be by being on stage as an entertainer. Obviously, for most, the first more likely, but, this Destiny does incline you along a variety of lines that may include writing, speaking, singing, acting or teaching. For some the interest in and appreciation of the arts is there, but the creative pursuit of these interests might not arrive.
You also have the destiny to sell yourself or sell just about any product that comes along. You may indeed be a natural salesman as the 3 traits are always welcome in sales and public relations. You are imaginative in your presentation and a pleasure to be around.
As you mature you must become an optimistic person that seems ever enthusiastic about life and living. You are friendly, loving and social, and people like you because you are charming and such a good conversationalist. You must develop an ability to communicate effectively in order to inspire others. It is your role in life to inspire and motivate.
Friends are extremely important to the 3 Destiny, and you must develop the ability to be a true friend. Through this talent you will achieve success. Opportunities open for you as you become increasingly social.
The negative side of number 3 Destiny is superficiality. You may tend to scatter your forces and simply be too easygoing. It is advisable for the negative 3 to avoid dwelling on trivial matters, especially gossip.
4 (4, 13/4, 22/4, 31/4, 40/4)
The number 4 Destiny suggests that the direction of growth in your lifetime will be toward a greater sense of order, service, and management skills. As you develop, you must adopt an approach that is more practical, down-to-earth, and thorough. You must be willing to work those long, hard hours to push a project through to completion.
A increase in your patience with detail allows you to become expert in fields such as building, engineering, and all forms of craftsmanship. You may accumulate abilities to write and teach, leaning toward the more technical and detailed. In the arts, music will likely be your choice. Artistic talents may also appear in such fields as horticulture and floral arrangement. Many skilled physicians and especially surgeons have the 4 Destiny. Indeed, you may enjoy success in any number of professions in which planning, organization, regulation, and dogged follow through are valued.
All with Destiny 4, and especially the master number 22/4, are potentially equipped to handle large scale undertakings in the material world. Often the reference to "master builder" is used in with regard to the 22/4, however, this trait is a potentiality in every 4, and does frequently occur.
The Destiny 4 produces a very moral character and you must choose your friends from those living up to your high standards. It will be difficult to hide your disappointment in those who fail to meet this ideal. You will be happiest mixing with associates and friends who are, like yourself, practical, moral, and doing good works for others.
The negative side of 4 often produces dominant and bossy individuals. If there is too much 4 energies present in your makeup, you may express some of the negative attitudes of the number 4. The obligations that you face may tend to create frustration and feelings of limitation or restriction. All 4s, and particularly the 22/4 may accentuate unorthodox methods to the point of eccentricity. This negative manifestation of the 4 Destiny can also be very dominating and overbearing. Avoid becoming too rigid, stubborn, dogmatic, and fixed in your opinions. You may have a tendency to develop and hold very strong likes and dislikes, and some of these may border on the classification of prejudice.
5 (5, 14/5, 23/5, 32/5, 41/5)
The number 5 Destiny suggests that the direction of growth in your lifetime will be toward becoming a harbinger of change, freedom, and progressive thought and action. The number 5 Destiny potentially endows you with the wonderful characteristic of multi-talents and versatility. You must develop in ways allowing you to do so many things well. The tone of the number 5 is the constructive use of freedom, and in your drive to attain this freedom, you must be the master of adaptability and change.
As you mature, you must become good at presenting ideas and knowing how to approach people to get what you want. Naturally, this will give you an edge in any sort of selling game and spells easy success when it comes to working with people in most jobs. Whatever you do, you have the capacity to be clever, analytical, and a very quick thinker.
You must learn to accept changes as they come along and avoid clinging to the outdated. Avoid rebellion, and focus on enlightenment and progression thinking that will benefit mankind. You life is broadened by gaining an understanding and an appreciation of all kinds of people.
The Destiny 5 will be welcome in many varied professional environments. The public sector is a natural for you because you must administer to all peoples. The media, advertising, promotion, publicity, all types of selling, and entertainment are all potential fields that may interest you. Settling on a single career may not be in the cards for you, as you are in a continuous state of flux brought by constantly changing interests.
If there is too much of the 5 energy in your makeup or if you develop negatively, the negative side of the number may appear. Your restless and impatient attitude may keep you from staying with any project for too long. Sometimes you can be erratic and scatter yourself and your energies. You have a hard time keeping regular office hours and maintaining any sort of a routine. As clever as you are, you may have a tendency to make the same mistakes over and over again. Much of your response to such errors is glib reaction rather that thoughtful application.
6 (6, 15/6, 24/6, 33/6, 42/6, 51/6)
The number 6 Destiny suggests that the direction of growth in your lifetime will be toward a greater sense of responsibility, love, and balance. Development in life must make you more helpful, conscientious, and capable of rectifying and balancing any sort of inharmonious situation. You must be a person very much inclined to give help and comfort to those in need. You have a natural penchant for working with the old, the young, the sick, or the underprivileged.
As the saying goes, charity begins at home, and the home is where you must be a special person. The qualities of the 6 make the finest and most concerned parent, and one who is often deeply involved in domestic activities. Openness and honesty is apparent in your approach to all relationships, particularly close family relationship. A happy home life is the goal of Destiny 6, and if you live up to the promises of this number, you will reap this reward most likely with some degree of luxury and grace.
Although you may have considerable creative and artistic talents, the chances are that you will devote yourself to an occupation that shows concern for the betterment of the home and of the community at large. The destiny of the 6 is often a career in medicine, welfare work, education, dealing in the arts, furniture, decorating, landscaping, home construction, religious endeavors, or scientific fields.
The positive side of the number 6 suggests that you are very loving, friendly, and appreciative of others. You have a depth of understanding that produces much sympathetic, kindness, and generosity.
If there is an excess of the number 6 in your makeup, you may exhibit some of the negative traits associated with this number. This can include stubbornness, self-righteousness, or dominance. There may be a tendency for you to be too exacting and demanding of yourself, too. In this regard, you may at times sacrifice yourself (or your loved ones) for the welfare of others. Many with the Destiny of the number 6 worry much too much. In some cases, the over zealous 6 has difficulty distinguishing helping from interfering.
7 (7, 16/7, 25/7, 34/7, 43/7, 52/7)
The number 7 Destiny suggests that the direction of growth in your lifetime will be toward thought, analysis, and the development of a mind skilled at searching out the truth. You must become accomplished at analyzing, judging and discriminating, so that little escapes your observation and deep understanding. In this you will become increasingly introspective, and value seclusiveness and solitude.
You are the type of person that can really get involved in a search for wisdom or hidden truths, and you must become an authority on whatever it is your are focusing on. This can easily be of a technical or scientific nature, or it may be religious or occult, it matters very little, you pursue knowledge with the same sort of vigor. You can make a very fine teacher, or because of a natural inclination toward the spiritual, you may become deeply emerged in religious affairs or even psychic explorations. You have excellent capabilities to study and learn really deep and difficult subjects, and to search for hidden fundamentals.
You tend to operate on a rather different wavelength, and many of your friends may not really know you very well. At full maturity you are likely to be a very peaceful and poised individual. You really like to work alone, at your own pace and in your own way. You neither show or understand emotions very well.
The positive aspects of the 7 Destiny are that you must be a true perfectionist in a very positive sense of the word. You are very logical, and usually employ a quite rational approach to most things you do. You can be so rational at times that you almost seem to lack emotion, and when you are faced with an emotional situation, you may have a bit of a problem coping with it.
If there is an over supply of the number 7 in your makeup, the negative aspects of the number may be apparent. The chief negative of 7 relates to the limited degree of trust that you may have in people. A tendency to be highly introverted can make you a bit on the self-centered side, certainly very much self-contained. Because of this, you are not very adaptable, and you may tend to be overly critical and intolerant.
8 (8, 17/8, 26/8, 35/8, 44/8, 53/8)
The number 8 Destiny suggests that the direction of growth in your lifetime will be a move up the ladder of attainment in the material world, to achieve financial security, and status amongst your peers. The positive 8 Destiny produces individuals that are very ambitious and goal-oriented. If you are expressing the positive qualities of 8, you are an outstanding manager because you can plan, initiate, and complete projects; you are very dependable and determined.
The 8 Destiny makes you well-equipped to develop and grow in a managerial sense.
You have outstanding potential for organizational and administrative responsibilities.
You have the potential for considerable achievement in business or other powerful positions such as government leadership roles. You have the skill and abilities to establish or operate a business with great efficiency.
You can expect to receive the financial and material rewards. You have good judgment when it comes to money and commercial matters, and you understand how to build and accumulate material wealth.
Much of your success must come due to your ability to judge character. With the number 8 Destiny, you must exercise sound judgment in most of your affairs; you must be realistic and practical in your approach to business matters.
No one has any more energy that a person with the 8 Destiny who has a plan laid and is starting to work. No one has any more self-confidence, either.
If you have too much of the 8 energy in your makeup, you may express some of the negative attitudes. A negative 8 can be very rigid and stubborn. Ambition sometimes has a way of becoming over-ambition, and you may express an unreasonable impatience with the lack of progress. If your negative side is showing, you may be too exacting, both of yourself and of others. Sometimes this can even becomes a case of intolerance. The Destiny 8 is on a quest for status and power. Neither of these drives are inherently negative unless they are taken to an extreme. You must avoid the tendency to strain after money, material matters, status, or power, to the detriment of the other important factors in your life.
9 (9, 18/9, 27/9, 36/9, 45/9, 54/9)
The number 9 Destiny suggests that the direction of growth in your lifetime will be in benevolent activities, in compassion, and in worldly understanding. You are living up to and growing toward your Destiny when you follow your feelings and sense of compassion, and allow yourself to be sensitive to the needs of others.
You must be willing to help others as you were intended to be the "big brother or big sister" type. You must work well with people, for you have the potential to inspire.
Creative ability, imagination and artistic talent (often latent) of the highest order are present in this Destiny. Career fields in which you can excel are many and include advisory roles, medicine, legal fields, artistic fields, diplomacy, and religion.
Friendships, affection, and love are extremely important. Your personal ambitions must be maintained in a very positive perspective, never losing sight of an interest in people, and preserving a sympathetic, tolerant, broad-minded and compassionate point of view. If you are able to achieve the potential of your natural Destiny in this life, you are capable of much human understanding and have a lot to give to others.
Undeveloped or ignored, the negative side of the 9 Destiny can be very selfish and self-centered. If you do not actively involve yourself with work that benefits others, you may tend to express just the opposite characteristics. It is your role to be very involved with other people and their needs, but it may be difficult for you achieve this role. Aloofness, lack of involvement, and a lack of sensitivity mark the low road of this Destiny.
LIFE PATH NUMBER
With the help of a simple equation, anyone can discover their Life Path number, a single-digit number that is said to reveal who you are, your deepest values, and the challenges you may have to face. In order to find your Life Path number, simply take your birthdate and reduce it down to its numerical value.
The Life Path is the sum of the birth date. This number represents who you are at birth and the native traits that you will carry with you through life. The most important number that will be discussed here is your Life Path number. The Life Path describes the nature of this journey through life.
The Life Path number is established from the date of birth. First, add the Month, day, and year together to arrive at a total. Next, reduce this four digit number to a single digit.
Example: If a person was born on October 23, 1972 (10-23-1972*), add the month 10 to the day 23 plus the the year 1972 arriving at a total of 2005. Then add the digits in 2005 arriving at the Life Path number 7.
The "master numbers, " 11, 22, and 33, have been incorporated within the corresponding single digit number readings.
If you choose to consider the master numbers, you can stop reducing the compound numbers when you arrive at the master numbers, 11 or 22. Example: Bill Gates, born 10-28-1955, has a birth date that adds up to 1993. 1993 reduces to 22, so he would a good example of the 22/4.
*Be sure to add the full year, not just the last two digits, i.e. 1969, not 69.
1 (10/1, 19/1)
The Life Path 1 suggests that you entered this plane with skills allowing you to become a leader type rather easily. Your nature is charged with individualistic desires, a demand for independence, and the need for personal attainment. Many of our military generals, corporate leaders, and political leaders are men and women having the Life Path 1. When you display positive 1 traits your mind is capable of significant creative inspiration, and it possesses the enthusiasm and drive to accomplish a great deal. You are very good at getting the ball rolling; initiating new projects is your forte. You are at your best when confronted with obstacles and challenges, as you combat these with strength and daring. This is both the physical and inner varieties of strength. With this strength comes utter determination and the capability to lead. As a natural leader you have a flair for taking charge of any situation. You have a tendency to do this, even if, at times, it is not appropriate for you to do so.
Highly original, you may have talents as an inventor or innovator of some sort. In any work that you choose, your independent attitude can show through. You have very strong personal needs and desires, and you feel it is always necessary to follow your own convictions. You tire of routine and highly detailed tasks rather quickly.
You are ambitious and assertive in promoting yourself. Although you may hide the fact for social reasons, you can be self-centered and demand to have your way in many circumstances. That said, for the most part, you are considered very good company, friendly, good-natured, and a wonderful conversationalist. People like you and are drawn to you. It is a good thing they are, because you are very sensitive to disapproval and you don't handle it very well.
There are several ways that the negative side of the 1 can show up. The 1 always has the potential for greatness as a leader, but they may fail as a follower. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to follow for a while before you are allowed to lead and this can be a difficult time. When the 1 Life Path person is not fully developed and expressing the negative side of this number, the demeanor may appear very dependent rather than independent, particularly in the early years. If you are expressing this negative trait of the number 1, you are likely to be very dissatisfied with your circumstances, and long for self-sufficiency. This might be defined as the weak or dependent side of the negative 1 Life Path. On the strong side of this negative curve, the 1 energy can become too self-serving, selfish and egotistical. Avoid being too bossy and demanding.
2 (11/2, 20/2)
The Life Path 2 suggests that you entered this plane with a spiritual quality in your makeup allowing you to be one of the peacemakers in society. Your strengths come from an ability to listen and absorb. You are a fixer, a mediator, and a very diplomatic type of person using persuasive skills rather than forcefulness to make your way in the world. When you embrace and exhibit the strenghth of your spiritual side, you are intuitive, avant-garde, idealistic, and visionary. These extremes make you interesting with much to offer society. You have the potential to be a deep-thinker, and no doubt interested in understanding many of life's mysteries and more intriguing facets.
If you are living with the positive attributes of the number 2 Life Path, you are apt to have the most delicate ability to be balanced and fair. You clearly see the full spectrum of viewpoints in any argument or situation, and because of this, people may seek you out to be a mediator. In this role you are able to settle disputes with the most unbiased flair. There is sincere concern for others; you think the best of people, and want the best for them. You are honest and open in thought, word and deed. You excel in any form of group activity where your expertise in handling and blending people can be used effectively. Manners and tact mark your way with others, and you are not one to dominate a group or situation. You are the master of compromise and of maintaining harmony in your environment. As the ultimate team member, you never demand praise or recognition.
In many ways, you are a creature of habit and routine, and you like your path and pattern well worn and familiar. Your ability to analyze and render accurate judgments is a wonderful natural trait you bring to the business world. You strive for complete accuracy and even perfection in your work. Perhaps you are not a leader, but you are a visionary and a very talented idea person.
On the negative side of the 2, nervous energy is a trait often observed in the 2. Because of this, you may be seen as an extremist who is sometimes the zealot in expressing likes and dislikes. Nervous tension can bring the normally easygoing 2 into a state of emotional outrage, which to those around you, may seem so out of character. Indeed, the 2 can sometimes become oversensitive. In some instances, the strength of the 2 can also become its weakness. You may find it hard to decide what to do at times. Twos often struggle against indecisiveness. Making decisions and getting your life in gear, so to speak, may be a challenge. There is a tendency for the many 2s to harbor feelings of uneasiness, and dissatisfaction with accomplishments and personal progress in life. The biggest obstacle and difficulty you may face is that of passivity and a state of apathy and lethargy. The negative 2 can be very pessimistic. When this sets in to any degree, you are able to accomplishes very little. If living on the negative side of the 2, you may lack common sense, and you are quite often unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality.
Even the more positive individuals with the 2 Life Path will prefer a more amiable and less competitive environment, often shunning the business world. You can best serve society in endeavors utilizing your skills of counseling and guidance. Much of your idealism is people oriented and quite humanitarian in nature. You expect a great deal of yourself.
3 (3, 12/3, 21,/3, 30/3)The Life Path 3 indicates that you entered this plane with a strong sense of creativity and with wonderful communication skills. Achievement for you most likely comes through engaging your ingenious expression. A truly gifted 3 possesses the most exceptional innovative skills, normally in the verbal realm, writing, speaking, acting, or similar endeavors. Here we are apt to find the entertainers of the world, bright, effervescent, sparkling people with very optimistic attitudes. The bright side of this path stresses harmony, beauty and pleasures; of sharing your inventive talents with the world. Capturing your capability in creative self-expression is the highest level of attainment for this life path.
Life is generally lived to the fullest, often without much worry about tomorrow. You are not very good at handling money because of a general lack of concern about it. You spend it when you have it and don't when you don't.
The 3 loves connecting with people. The characteristics of the 3 are warmth and friendliness, a good conversationalist, social and open. A good talker both from the standpoint of being a delight to listen to, but even more importantly, one who has the ability to listen to others. Accordingly, the life path 3 produces individuals who are always a welcome addition to any social situation and know how to make others feel at home. The approach to life tends to be exceedingly positive. Your disposition is almost surely sunny and openhearted. A happy and often inspired person, you are constantly seeking and needing the stimuli of similar people.
There is a remote side to your 3 Life Path, as well. This comes as a surprise to the native and to those who think they are well acquainted. The 3 is actually a very sensitive soul. When hurt, you can easily retreat to a shell of morose silence for extended periods. Nonetheless, the 3 eventually copes with all of the many setbacks that occur in life and readily bounces back for more. It is usually easy for you to deal with problems because you can freely admit the existence of problems without letting them get you down for too long. Because of your own sensitivity to hurt, you have a caring disposition and seem to be very conscious of other people's feelings and emotions.
In romance, the 3 is a very ardent and loyal lover. Affairs that don't go well can leave scares that seem to linger. Emotional experiences of all sorts tend to deeply touch the 3 and the drama may take some time to play out. Regrettably, the giving disposition of the 3 often attracts demanding partners. As with most of life's issues for the 3 Life Path, balance in relationships is illusive.
Your big test with a 3 Life Path is controlling your highs and lows. You won't survive very well in any routine environment or when you are placed under dominating management. Slow thinking and overly contemplative people tend to frustrate you, and you don't function too well with this type whether you are working for, with, or under them. Your exuberant nature can take you far, especially if you are ever able to focus your energies and talents.
For the few living on the negative side of this Life Path, a 3 may be so delighted with the joy of living that the life becomes frivolous and superficial. You may scatter your abilities and express little sense of purpose. The 3 can be an enigma, for no apparent reason you may become moody and tend to retreat. Escapist tendencies are not uncommon with the 3 life path, and you find it very hard to settle into one place or one position. Guard against being critical of others, impatient, intolerant, or overly optimistic.
4 (4, 13/4, 22/4, 31/4, 40/4)
The Life Path 4 suggests that you entered this plane with a natural genius for planning, fixing, building, and somehow, with practical application and cerebral excellence, making things work. You are one of the most trustworthy, practical, and down-to-earth of individuals; the cornerstone members of society. Indeed, as a Life Path 4, you are a builder of society. The cream of the crop in this Life Path can be a master builder in society. if you are among these highly talented people, you have an idealistic nature which is grounded in practical terms, allowing you to conceive grandiose, far-reaching schemes and carry them through to the end. If you desire and are willing to work for it, you can achieve enormous success, prestige, and fame. Obviously, everyone with a 4 Life Path does not become famous.
All with this Life Path have the ability to take orders and to carry them out with dedication and perseverance and many 4s live and work happily in this context. But so often, the 4 Life Path is the entrepreneur and manager in the community. In either role, you always demand as much from yourself as you do from others, and sometimes a lot more.
You have the kind of will power that is often mistaken for sheer stubbornness. You don't think of yourself as dogged, but your honest beliefs and that ever direct speech makes you come across as completely unremitting. Once a decision is made, it will be followed through to the conclusion, right, wrong, or indifferent. You are very set in your ways and determined to handle things the way you are so certain that they should be handled. Your tenacity of purpose and ability to get the job done borders on obsession. You are a wonderful manager with a great sense of how to get the job done.
You are an excellent organizer and planner because of your innate ability to view things in a very common sense and practical way. This stems from a strong desire to be a perfectionist in your labor. Planning is necessary to avoid errors. It's very likely that a 4 Life Path person invented the to-do list, because it is the rare Life Path 4 who doesn't have one by her side at all times. Your life is programed in an orderly fashion permitting you to catalog and manage the flow of ideas and activities that fill your day. Indeed, you seem to function best when you are under the gun and facing a tough set of problems.
Loyal and devoted, you make the best of your marriage, and you are always the good provider. Friends may be few in number, but you are very close to them and once friendships are made, they often last a lifetime.
The number 4 is solidly associated with the element of earth from which it gains its strength and utter sense of reality. You are one of the most dependable people you know. If patience and determination can ever win, you are sure to achieve great success in life. Often, you are called on to take care of others; to finish what they have started. It may not seem fair and probably isn't, but it may be the key to your accomplishment and reputation.
The negative side of the 4 can prove dogmatic to an excess, narrow-minded, and repressive. A lot of skin-deep people turn you off, and you lack the tact to keep your feelings from being totally clear to all around. Additionally, the negative 4 has a bad tendency to get caught up in the daily routine of affairs, missing the big picture and major opportunities that come along once in a while.
5 (5, 14/5, 23/5, 32/5)
The Life Path 5 suggests that you entered this plane with a highly progressive mindset, with the attitude and skills to make the world a better place. The key word for your Life Path is freedom. In the pursuit of freedom, you are naturally versatile, adventurous, and advanced in your thinking. You are one of those people who is always striving to find answers to the many questions that life poses. The byword for the positive Life Path 5 is constant change and improvement. You want to be totally unrestrained, as this is the number most often associated with the productive use of freedom.
You may be one of the most compassionate of people as the 5 is surely the most freedom-loving and compassionate Life Path. Your love of freedom extends to humanity at large, and concern for your fellow man, his freedom and his welfare, may be foremost in your mind. A great Life Path 5 American President, Abraham Lincoln, issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and ended slavery in America. As the ultimate progressive thinker type, your potential in government, the law, and other positions of authority is unlimited.
You are a good communicator, and you know how to motivate people around you. This may be your strongest and most valuable trait. Because of this skill, and your amazing wit, you are a truly natural born salesman. This ability to sell and motivate extends to any sort of physical product all the way through to whatever ideas or concepts you may embrace.
You abhor routine and boring work, and you are not very good at staying with everyday tasks that must be finished on time. On the average, the number 5 personality is rather happy-go-lucky; living for today, and not worrying too much about tomorrow. It is also important for you to find a job that provides thought-provoking tasks rather than routine and redundant responsibilities. You do best dealing with people, but the important thing is that you have the flexibility to express yourself at all times. You have an innate ability to think through complex matters and analyze them quickly, but then be off to something new.
A love of adventure may dominate your life. This may take the form of mental or physical manifestation, but in either case, you thrill to the chance for exploration and blazing new trails. Surely you belong to a group considered the most worldly and traveled. Clearly you are not one to pass up a good venture. You have quite a lot of the risk-taker in your makeup. If you aren't putting your money at stake, you are surely open to a wide variety of risks in your everyday life. Taking the conservative approach is just not in your nature.
In romance, you hate to be tied down and restricted. This doesn't necessarily mean that you are unfaithful or promiscuous, but it does mean that a good partner for you needs to understand your nature. A relationship based on jealousy and having tight reigns is not going to work at all for you. A partner who understands your need to be free and trusted will find you trustworthy, even if you aren't constantly available and totally dutiful. It is important for you to mix with people of a like mind, and to try to avoid those that are too serious and demanding.
If you are living on the negative side of the Life Path 5, you are apt to be multitalented, but suffering from some lack of direction, and there is confusion surrounding your ambition. Restless, discontent, and impulsive, you may bounce from one job to the next without accomplishing much at all. A negative Life Path 5 can become very irresponsible in tasks and decisions concerning the home and business life. The total pursuit of sensation and adventure can result in your becoming self-indulgent and totally unaware of the feelings of those around you.
6 (6, 15/6, 24/6, 33/6)
The Life Path 6 suggests that you entered this plane with tools to become the ultimate nurturer, and a beacon for truth, justice, righteousness, and domesticity. Your paternal, or maternal, as the case may be, instincts with a 6 Life Path exceed all others by a considerable margin. Whether in the home or in the work place, you are the predominant caretaker and family head. While the 6 may assume significant responsibilities in the community, the life revolves around the immediate home and family, for this is the most domestic of numbers. Conservative principles and convictions are deeply ingrained and define your character.
You are idealistic and must feel useful to be happy. The main contribution you make is that of advice, service, and ever present support. You are a humanitarian of the first order. It is your role to serve others, and you start in the home environment. You are very human and realistic about life, and you feel that the most important thing in your life is the home, the family and the friends.
This is the Life Path related to leadership by example and assumption of responsibility, thus, it is your obligation to pick up the burden and always be ready to help. If you are like the majority with Life Path 6, you are one who will willingly carry far more than your fair share of any load, and you are always there when needed. In doing so, you take ownership and often become an authority over the situation.
In romance, the 6 is loyal and devoted. A a caretaker type, you are apt to attract partners who are somewhat weaker and more needy than yourself; someone you can care for and protect. The main ingredient that must prevail in the relationship is complete harmony. You don't function well in stressful relationships that become challenges for you to control. It is the same with friends, you are loyal and trustworthy. But there is a tendency for you to become dominating and controlling.
It's likely you feel compelled to function with strength and compassion. You are a sympathetic and kind person, generous with personal and material resources. Wisdom, balance, and understanding are the cornerstones of your life, and these define your approach to life in general. Your extraordinary wisdom and the ability to understand the problems of others is apt to commence from an early age. This allows you to easily span the generation gap and assume an important role in life early on.
The number 6 Life Path actually produces few negative examples, but there are some pitfalls peculiar to the path. You may have a tendency to become overwhelmed by responsibilities and a slave to others, especially members of you own family or close friends. It's easy for you to fall into a pattern of being too critical of others; you also have a tendency to become to hard on yourself. The misuse of this Life Path produce tendencies for you to engage in exaggeration, over-expansiveness, and self-righteousness. Modesty and humility may not flow easily. Imposing one's views in an interfering or meddling way must be an issue of concern.
The natural burdens of this number are heavy, and on rare occasions, responsibility is abdicated by persons with this Life Path 6. This rejection of responsibility will make you feel very guilty and uneasy, and it will have very damaging effects upon your relationships with others.
7 (7, 16/7, 25/7, 34/7)
The Life Path 7 suggests that you entered this plane with a gift for investigation, analysis, and keen observation. You are a thinker of the first order. You evaluate situations very quickly, and with amazing accuracy. As a result, you are thorough and complete in your work, the perfectionist who expects everyone else to meet a high standard of performance, too.
A Life Path 7 person is a peaceful and affectionate soul. But you guard your connection to people carefully. It's easy for you to detect deception and recognize insincere people, and you avoid them. You aren't one to have a wide circle of friends, but once you accept someone as a friend, it's for life. It's as if you must get to know someone a lot better before you allow the wall surrounding you to be penetrated. Chances are you are a very charming and refined individual with great poise and a quick wit. Nonetheless, there is an exclusiveness about you. You probably aren't a very social person. Your reserve is often taken to be aloofness, but actually, it's not that at all. It is merely a cover up for your basic feeling of insecurity. There's no rush, It takes time for you to warm up to new friends. Clubs and organizations hold little interest for you; you are not a joiner.
You actually like being alone and away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. In many ways, you would have fit in better in much earlier times when the pace of life was less hectic. You need a good deal of quiet time to be with your own inner thoughts and dreams. You dislike crowds, noise, distractions, and confusion.
The overwhelming strength of the number 7 is reflected in the depth of thinking that is shown; you will garner knowledge from practically every source that you find. Intellectual, scientific, and studious, you don't accept a premise until you have dissected the subject and arrived at your own independent conclusion.
This is a very spiritual number and it often denotes a sort of spiritual wisdom that becomes apparent at a fairly early age. A built in inner guide providing a strong sense of intuition may set you up as being a law unto yourself. Whatever spiritual position you take, whether traditional or bizarre, you will cling to it with fervor. Once you have decided an issue, it is almost impossible to get you to revisit the question. Adaptability is not your style, and change for you is a rarity.
You rely heavily on your experiences and your intuition, rather than accepting advice from someone. Your hunches usually prove to be very accurate, and knowing this, you follow the directions they seem to guide.
In the most negative use of the 7 energies, you can become very pessimistic, lackadaisical, quarrelsome, and secretive. A Life Path 7 individual who is not living life fully and gaining through experiences, is a hard person to live with because of a serious lack of consideration for others. There is such a negative attitude. Indeed, operating on the negative side of the 7 can produce a very selfish and spoiled individual and living with one can be a challenge. This may be why some 7s actually prefer living alone. If you have any of the negative traits they are very difficult to get rid of because you tend to feel that the world really does owe you a living or that in some way you are not being fairly treated.
Fortunately, the negative 7 is not the typical 7, at least not without some mitigating positive traits. This number is one that seems to have some major shifts from highs to lows. Stability in feelings may be elusive for you.
8 (8, 17/8, 26/8, 35/8)
The Life Path 8 suggests that you entered this plane armed to lead, direct, organize and govern. You are very ambitious and goal-oriented. You will want to use your ambitions, your organizational ability, and your efficient approach to carve a satisfying niche for yourself. If you are a positive 8 you are endowed with tremendous potential for conceiving far-reaching schemes and ideas, and also possessing the tenacity and independence to follow them through to completion. In short, you were born to be an executive.
You know how to manage yourself and your environment. Your ability to judge the character and potential of the people around you is an asset used to your advantage. A large part of your success in life comes from how hard you work. This Life Path is the most prone to producing workaholics. But your ability to spot good people and engage them in your endeavors is a special trait not to be overlooked. There is an inspirational quality in your makeup which allows you to become a great leader. You are practical and steady in your pursuit of major objectives, and you have the courage of your convictions when it comes to taking the necessary chances to get ahead.
With the Life Path of the number 8 you are focused on learning the satisfactions to be found in the material world. The Life Path 8 produces many powerful, confident and materially successful people. Most of your concerns involve money and learning of the power that comes with its proper manipulation.
This Life Path is perhaps the one that is the most concerned with and desirous of status as an ultimate measure of success. You want to be recognized for your hard work and achievements. The attainment of honors and acceptance into the club of executive leadership is all important. For this, you may find yourself very well suited to compete in the business world or in the political arena.
In relationships, you are frank, honest, and steadfast. You may be very much in love, but watch that you are not too busy and preoccupied to show it. Being the lavish provider is not always an adequate substitute for showing your devotion and affection in more personal ways. You have a great need for close personal relationships to mitigate and somehow soften your nature. You must find the time for love and keep it as an important project in your life.
The negative 8 can be dictatorial and often suppresses the enthusiasm and efforts of fellow member of the environment. Often, the strength of their own personality excludes close feelings for other people with whom they come in contact. Material gains and rewards often become issues of utmost importance, even to the neglect of family, home and peace of mind. Dedication to success can become an obsession. Emotional feelings are often suppressed by the negative 8, resulting in isolation and loneliness. All Life Path 8 people must avoid discounting the opinions of others.
9 (9, 18/9, 27/9, 36/9)
The Life Path 9 suggests that you entered this plane with an abundance of dramatic feelings coupled with a strong sense of compassion and generosity. The key to the nature of a Life Path number 9 person is found in their humanitarian attitude. Even the very average of those with life path 9 possess extremely compassionate tendencies.
Usually this number produces an individual that is very trustworthy and honorable, and one unlikely to harbor any sort of prejudice. Obviously, this is a rather tall order, but you are, in fact, a person that feels very deeply for individuals less fortunate than yourself, and if you are in a position to help, you certainly will. The 9, being the highest of the single digit numbers, holds an elevated position in terms of responsibilities to mankind.
Material gains are not overly important, although the quality of some life path 9 people is such that they are materially rewarded in very significant ways. In this, however, the 9 Life Path is not apt to get rich since they are very generous, sometimes to a fault, and usually have an easy come, easy go attitude about money. The rare 9 life path has a totally selfless attitude, giving up of material possessions for the common good.
The 9 Life Path indicates you have a commanding presence. You have the ability to make friends very easily, as people are attracted to your magnetic, open personality. The term "hail-fellow" may have been coined to describe a 9 Life Path, as you may indeed be one of those who is generally upbeat and heartily friendly and congenial. You meet people easily and are quickly befriended because of your openness and amiable demeanor. Your genial ways often put you in the lead in whatever field of endeavor you pursue.
Relationships can be difficult for you because it is hard to strike a balance that will work effectively. If your partner is one sharing your giving attitudes, the relationship will be happy and lasting. On the other hand, if you choose a partner whose focus is on material issues, problems will arise quickly.
You tend to be quite sensitive, as you see the world with much feeling. The number 9's very deep understanding of life is sometimes manifested in the artistic and literary fields. If drama and acting is not your forte, it will surely be an area of great interest and potential. Likewise, you may be able to express your deep emotional feelings through painting, writing, music, or other art forms.
The purpose of life for those with a 9 life path is often of a philosophical nature. Judges, spiritual leaders, healers and educators frequently have much 9 energy. The number is less inclined to the competitive business environment and may find this a struggle.
As do all the life path numbers, the 9 has its negative side. Because of the demanding nature of the truly positive 9, many tend to fail in this category. It is not uncommon for persons with the 9 life path to fight the realities and challenges of purpose imposed here because selflessness is not an easy trait. You may have difficulty believing that giving and a lack of personal ambition can be satisfying. It must be realized and accepted that little long-term satisfaction and happiness is to be gained by rejecting the natural humanitarian inclinations of this path.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Sripada SRI RAMANUJACHARYA'S LIFE HISTORY
SRI RAMANUJACHARYA'S LIFE HISTORY
Sri Ramanuja (1017 - 1137 CE), the most important philosopher-saint of Sri Vaishnavam and one of the most dynamic characters of Hinduism. He was a philosophical as well as a social reformer, displaying a catholicity that was nearly unparalleled in Hindu religious history before him. He revitalised Indian philosophy and popular religion so much that nearly every aspect of Hinduism has been influenced by his work. His life and works show a truly unique personality, combining contemplative insight, logical acumen, catholicity, charismatic energy, and selfless dedication to God.
The less known fact even among Srivaishnavas about this well known Acharya by whose name Srivaishnava philosophy is called 'Ramanuja Darsanam' and who is hailed as "Sri Vaishnava Siddhanta Nirdhaarana Saarva bouma" is that he was a 'Vadama' by birth.(Authority :" Periya Thrumudi Adaivu, Pazhanadai Vilakkam and Visishtaadvaita Catechism" - quoted in GLE)
HIS AVATARA AND EARLY DAYS
Ilaya Perumal was born to Kesava Perumal Somayaji Dikhsitar and Kanthimathi Ammal at Sriperumpudur. Just as Sage Vasishta on seeing the brilliance in the face of the child named him as Lakshmana saying "Lakshmano Lakshmi Sampannaha", Periya Thiru malai Nambi struck by the Tejas of the child, named him after Lakshmana as Ilaya Perumal. (PPM) aka Ilayalwar.
There is a sloka in Yadhavaachala Mahatmyam which says:
Ananthah Prathamam Roopam Lakshmanascha Tathah Parah | Balabadram Thritheeyasthu Kalou Kaschit Bhavishyathi ||
(meaning) It is the same who was Adhisesha first, Lakshmana after and Balarama in the third who is born as Sri Ramanuja in the Kali yuga. This Kaschit is taken by our Poorva Acharyas as referring to Ramanuja (PPM)
HIS BIRTH: (CHITRAI- TIRUVADHIRAI)
His date of birth is placed differently by different authorities.As per PPM, he was born in Kaliyuga year 4119 which corresponds to 1017 AD. PPM fixes even the exact date as 13th April 1017 AD, interms of English Calendar. PRA, though notes the year as 4118 Kali , maintains the year as 1017 AD only and gives additional information that the Rasi was Karkataka and the time of birth was exactly at noon.
VAC, MKS and MSR also agree on the year 1017. PTA gives a few more details like the Yogam being Ayushman, Karanam being Bhadra, Gotra being Harita, Saakha being Yajus, Sutra being Apasthambha and Sect being Vadama ( Vide p.45 of GLE).
PPM and ATA mention the year as Pingala, month Chitrai and the constellation Tiruvadirai (Ardra nakshatra). PPM adds that it was a Sukla Paksha Panchami, a Friday.
It will be for the Research minded scholars to piece together all these details to arrive at the correct date, time etc.
Vriddha Padma Purana presages his incarnation thus:-
" Long, long afterwards, the Lord himself will come down on earth as a Tridanda Sannyasin, to restore the good law. At that time heretics and men of perverted intellects will confuse the minds of the people. Aasuric Saastraas, based upon fallacious arguments and various schools of thought, very attractive and almost indistinguishable from the Vedanta, will turn away mens' hearts from Vishnu and cause them to forget His glory. That glorious incarnation will, through the good fortune of the Lord's devotees, come down upon earth, to explain and amplify the teachings of the great Sage Baadaraayana and the divine singer of the Gita. The holy one would compose a Bhaashya on the Vyaasa Sutras, to save men from the confusion and despair caused by spurious doctrines and lead them to the True faith"
While still a boy , he lost his father and was living with his mother at Kanchipuram under the protection of one 'Tiruk kachi Nambi' This Nambi was believed to converse and was on 'speaking terms' with Lord Varadaraja in the Archa form.
EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF SRI RAMANUJA
(1) Within 16 years of age, he had mastered all the Vedas and Sastras. At age 17, he married Rakshakaambaal ( Tanjammal, in Tamil) (PPM)
(2) Ilaya Perumal was placed under the Advaitic Sannyasi called YADAVA PRAKASA at Tirupput kuzhi for training in Advaita Purva Paksha Sastra of Vedanta. Once during this period, Alavandar who desired nominating Ilaya Perumal to succeed himself visited Tirupput kuzhi, met with him but had no opportunity to speak to him and had to return to Srirangam.
Very many occasions arose when the Saivite Guru clashed with Ilaya Perumal when the Guru misinterpreted Vedantic statements. Ilaya Perumal fearlessly pointed out the errors in the Guru's interpretations and corrected him. This enraged the Guru. Fearing that one day, Ilaya Perumal would demolish Advaita philosophy, he plotted to kill Ilaya Perumal by drowning him in Ganga while on a pilgrimage tour of the country with his disciples.
Learning of the design through one Govinda, another disciple who was also related to him, Ilaya Perumal slipped out into the forest at dead of night. Miraculously, an aged hunter couple appeared and guided him. As Ilaya Perumal who was in a trance, opened his eyes, he found himself at the outskirts of Kanchipuram and the couple had disappeared. He realized that it was Lord Varadaraja and Perundevi Thayar who had come in the guise of the hunter couple. He stayed at Kanchi for a while to assist Tiruk Kachi Nambi in his daily chores of service to Lord Varadaraja.
(3) News came that Alavandar was very sick and he desired to meet with Ilaya Perumal. Just as Tirukkachi Nambi and Alavandar arrived, they saw the funeral procession of Alavandar. During the last rites, they noticed that three fingers of Alavandar remained folded signifying three of his last unfulfilled wishes. As Ilaya Perumal swore
( i ) that he would write a commentary on Veda Vyasa's Brahma Sutra
( ii ) that he would perpetuate the memory of Vyasa and Parasara and
( iii ) that he would strive to propagate Visishtadvaita on the lines of the 4000 holy collects of Alwars, the fingers unfolded one by one automatically and stretched out to normal position signifying that these were his last wishes. Since he could not meet with Alavandar, he returned to Kanchi without even going into the temple at Srirangam (PPM)
(4) Tirukkachi Nambi obtained from Lord Varadaraja the famous ' Six Words ' and passed them on to Ilayalwar. The six words provided the guidelines for Ilayalwar to follow. They were:-
( i ) that Lord Narayana is the Paramatma.
(ii ) that the individual souls were different from Paramatma.
(iii) that Prapatti is the means to attain salvation.
(iv) that the last remembrance of the Lord on the part of the departing soul was not necessary.
(v) that Moksha can be obtained only on laying off the mortal coils (Videha Mukti) &
(vi) that Ilaya Perumal should take refuge at the feet of Periya Nambi.
Accordingly, he met with Periya Nambi at Madurantakam , where under the shade of Vakula tree Periya Nambi performed Pancha Samskara to him. As he was initiated into the esoteric of Dvaya Mantra at Madurantakam, the place came to be known as "Dvayam Vilaindha Tiruppathi" (PPM) Both returned to Srirangam and did Kalakshepams on Brahma Sutra etc. for sometime. It was at this time that Lord Ranganatha called him "Nammudaiyavar" (He is ours).
(5) Ilaya Perumals was not a happy married life. His wife never understood either his greatness nor appreciated his catholicity and always acted on her own wavelength and there was no compatibility as between them. Several instances are cited wherein the lady ensconced in her own in her own pet ideas of being holy or otherwise showed scant respect to Bhagavatas and this greatly annoyed Ilayalwar. When he was about 30 years of age, Ilayalwar took Sannyas with the name of 'Ramanuja Muni'. He was the king among Sannyasis. Hence, he is called ' Yati Rajar'- a honorific invested by Lord Devaathi Rajan.
(6) The seat of Acharya at Srirangam was lying vacant without a successor to take over. He was prevailed upon to assume charge. But, before doing so, he wanted to equip himself with the secrets of the three great Mantras. For this purpose, he approached one " Tiruk Koshtiyur Nambi" who made him come several times before actually instructing him. He cautioned Ramanuja that he should not give out the secrets to all and sundry and if he did so, he would go to hell.
Immediately on receiving the instructions, Ramanuja climbed up to the top of the steeple of the temple and proclaimed to the large gathering of his disciples assembled there the purport of the instruction.
The popular belief that he gave out the Mantras is not correct; What he actually gave out was that he had found out the way to attain Moksha through the three great Mantras and invited those who sincerely wished to follow him and get initiated. Also, he did not advise all and sundry as assumed by some. By the time of this episode, he had already gathered a huge following of disciples who congregated at the main entrance to the temple and he was thus addressing his own disciples (as explained in a separate posting in this series). This is another less known fact about the well known Acharya Tirukkoshtiyur Nambi was so enraged and demanded an explanation. Ramanuja replied that he did not give out the secrets and even if he had transgressed the specific warning of the Guru, only he himself would go to hell but the multitude of humanity that listened to his clarion ' wake - up' call would be saved spiritually. The Guru was overwhelmed by this reply . Embracing Ramanuja appreciating his broad mindedness, he called him 'Emperumanar'- " O! My lord" and declared that Srivaishnavism would thenceforward be known as " Ramanuja Darsanam"- ' the light of Ramanuja'
(7) Yadava prakasa, his old Guru had by then returned to Kanchi, became Ramanuja's disciple assuming the name of 'Govinda Yogi'
(8) Ramanuja used to go round the streets for his Biksha. An evil minded fellow had mixed poison in the biksha. His wife while serving the biksha fell at Ramanujas feet with tears in her eyes. Ramanuja understood that there was something wrong. When the Sishyas sorted out the biksha for cooking, they found out that poison was mixed with it. Ramanuja went on a fast with a view to cleanse the mind of the evil-doer. On hearing this, Tirukkoshtiyur Nambi rushed all the way to Srirangam. When Ramanuja heard of the coming of his Guru, he rushed to the banks of River Kaveri to receive him. It was the height of summer. Ramanuja ran towards him in the hot Sun to receive him and fell at his feet on the burning sands on the banks of river Kaveri. Nambi did not ask him to get up. Such was his Acharya Bhakti. At that time , Kidambi Aachaan, who was nearby told Nambi " Your action (in not asking Ramanuja to get up) is worse than the poison mixed in the bikshai". Such was the Acharya bhakti of Ramanujas Sishya !(Like master, like pupil !).
Tirukkoshtiyur Nambi exclaimed, " After all, now I can cast off my physical body since I have found one who would take the greatest care of Ramanuja"
(9) Ramanuja traveled throughout the country spreading the message of Visishtadvaita.
Once a votary of the ' illusion theory' Yagna Murthi by name confronted him for 16 days in endless arguments and counter arguments. Finally, he accepted defeat and became a disciple of Ramanuja assuming the name of 'Arulala Perumal Emperumanar' and wrote 'Gnana Saram and Prameya Saram'.
(10) One of the most important disciples who was totally devoted to Ramanuja was Kuresan also known as ' Kurattalwan'. Once, Kuresan participated in the shradda ceremony performed for his mother by the famous Tiruvarangathu Amudanar. This Amudanar was in charge of the Srirangam temple. When Amudanar inquired what Kuresan desired as reward for his participation, Kuresan replied that the administration of the temple should be handed over to Ramanuja. Amudanar, who had already known the greatness of Ramanuja was only too glad to hand over the key to Ramanuja. It is this Tiruvarangattu Amudanar who subsequently wrote the Ramanuja Noorrantadhi of 108 verses which was included in the holy collects to make up the total of 4,000.
(11) After Mastering the Bodhaayana Vritti of Sage Vyaasa, he wrote several works like Vedanta Sangraham explaining the various viewpoints of Sankara, Yadhava, Bhaskara and others, Vedanta Deepam, Geetha Bashyam etc.
(12) During Panguni Uttram, he did Prapatti before the Divya Dhampathi in Serthi and submitted his famous Gadhyatrayam (comprising Saranagathi Gadhyam, Sriranga Gadhyam and Sri Vaikunta Gadhyam ).
(13) Later, he wrote a Grantha called Nityam detailing the Tiruvaradhana Kramam
(14) While he was on his Sancharam, it is believed that the Lord himself appeared before him at Tiruk Kurum Kudi as a Srivaishnava got Samasrayanam from Udaiyavar
(15) When he visited Saraswati Peetam, Goddess Saraswati was so impressed with his commentary on Brahma Sutram that she named it "Sri Bhashyam" and conferred on him the title of "Bhashyakaarar". It must be noted that while the other commentaries are known by the names of their authors like 'Sankara Bashyam' written by Aadhi Sankara, the commentary of Ramanuja is always referred to with the venerable honorific 'Sri' denoting its unsurpassed quality and clarity and known as ' Sri Bashyam'
(16) When he visited Tirumala, a miracle happened. Some argued that the Lord of Tirumalai was Saiva param. It is surprising that such a claim should have arisen about the Lord who had been worshipped as Lord Vishnu by all the Alwars and Acharyas besides Elango Adigal and other Tamil Pulavars for several centuries. This was because the Lord had earlier entrusted His insignia to a King called Tondamaan. Lord desired to take back from Tondamaan, these insignia viz., Sankhu, Tiruvaazhi, Soolam, Damarukam etc. They were placed in the Sannidhi the previous night. And, when the doors were opened the next morning, the Lord gave Darshan adorning all his insignia. Ramanuja was hailed as " Appanukku Sangaazhi Alittha Perumaal" Poet Arunagiri himself sang clearing all doubts in this regard saying "Ulageenra Pachai umaiyanan, Vada Venkadathil Uraibhavan, Uyar Sanga Chakra kara Thalan"
(17) Ramanuja "was the greatest synoptic thinker which the world ever produced to systematize Visishtadvaitic philosophy, faithfully interpreting the ancient knowledge in tune with the letter and spirit of the text in the light of revelation and experience tested by stern logic"
(18) His magnum opus is his wonderful commentary on Vedavyasa's Brahma Sutram and a simpler commentary thereon called Vedanta Saram. Kuresan was very helpful in publishing his works. Thus, he fulfilled his FIRST PROMISE to Alavandar. It is this Kuresan (aka) Sri Vatsanka Misra who wrote the famous Pancha Sthava consisting of Athi Maanusha Sthava, Sri Sthava, Varadaraja Sthava, Vaikunta Sthava and Sundarabaahu Sthava.
(19) He asked Kuresan to name his two sons after Veda Vyasa and Parasara and thus fulfilled his SECOND PROMISE to Alavandar. It was this Parasara Bhattar who subsequently wrote the famous commentary on Vishnu Sahasra Nama as ordained by Ramanuja.
(20) Another disciple of Ramanuja was Pillaan. Once, when Ramanuja was alone mentally reciting a particular hymn of Tiruvoimozhi, Pillaan entered his room and inquired if he was meditating on a particular hymn. And, it was indeed the one Ramanuja was actually meditating on!. Ramanuja decided that Pillaan was the person best suited to write a commentary on Tiruvoimozhi. As ordered, he wrote the famous 'AARAAYIRAPPADI' (the commentary known as the 6000 Padi also known as Bhagavad Vishayam) and called Pillaan as 'Tirukkurugai Piraan" after the name of Nammalwar. He was also known as Kurugesar and Braathru Thozhappar. Thus, he fulfilled his THIRD PROMISE to Alavandar. He was one of the Sri Bhashya ubhaya Simhasana Adhipathis.
(21) Kulothunga Chola was a staunch devotee of Siva. He commanded Ramanuja to come to his court with a view to enlisting his support to establish the superiority of Siva over all other deities. (including Vishnu ). If the support was not forthcoming, the king was planning to kill Ramanuja. Sensing the danger, Kuresa went to the court disguised as Ramanuja along with another disciple called Periya Nambi. The king ordered him to sign a document to the effect that 'Siva is the greatest'. Kuresa added that ' Sivam was no doubt great but Dronam was greater than Sivam'- both expressions referring to units of measurement. The enraged king ordered both of them to be blinded when he came to know that he was Kuresa who was impersonating Ramanuja. Periya Nambi was tortured to death while Kuresa survived. Kuresa, though he himself was blinded, was happy that he had saved Ramanuja. It is this Kulothunga who is reported to have thrown away the idol of Govindaraja in the sea. Ramanuja recovered it and had it installed at Tirupati.
(22) While on an itinerary, Ramanuja noticed an officer of state, by name Danur daasa, a hunter by birth was over -concerned and over- protective about the beauty of his wife who was walking along on the hot sands on the banks of the river Kaveri. Ramanuja offered to show him something more beautiful than his wife and took him to the proximity of the image of Lord Ranganatha. Danur daasa was enraptured by the charm of the Lord and became a disciple of Ramanuja assuming the name of ' Uranga Villi Daasar'. Ramanuja never entertained any caste distinctions and was conferring his benedictions even on the lowliest of the lowly whom he called 'Tiruk Kulattar'.
(23) Ramanuja went to Tiru narayana puram in search of white clay paste used for applying caste marks by Vaishnavites. The idol of the temple there had been taken away by the muslim invaders and was being used at play as a doll by the muslim princess in Delhi.
Ramanuja went to Delhi and when he endearingly called ' Come on! My dear child 'Selva Pillaiye Vaarum', the idol miraculously came onto his lap. Ramanuja reinstalled it in the temple.
(24) Once some kids were playing on the road pretending to construct a temple, installing an idol of the Lord, offering fruits and flowers etc all the time using the dust on the road for the purpose. They offered some mud as prasadam to Ramanuja who was passing along , he received it with due respect. He remembered in this connection the words of Poigai Alwar who said that the Lord took whatever name and form his sincere devotees wished and in the instant case though the kids were only playing, they sincerely believed in what they were doing.
(25) Another disciple of Ramanuja was Vaduga Nambi who put the sandals of his Guru along with those of the Lord. When questioned, he replied that the Acharya's sandals were for him as holy as those of the Lord. When Lord Ranganatha was coming on his rounds on the streets of Srirangam, Vaduga Nambi remarked that the eyes that had seen the charm in the eyes of Ramanuja would not be able to appreciate the beauty of the eyes of even the Lord.-'En Amudinai Kanda Kangal Marronrinai Kaanaave.' Such was his devotion to his Acharya.
(26) Ramanuja arranged to make a lifelike idol of himself and embracing it invested it with his powers and had it installed in Tirumalai at Tirupati. The only temple consecrated in Tirumalai , other than that of Lord Venkateswara, is that of Ramanuja. The Archa moorthi of Ramanuja known as "Thaan Ugantha Tirumeni" was installed in Tirunarayanapuram.
(27) Once, when he visited Tondanoor in Hoysala State, he happened to meet a Jain king called Devarayan. His daughter was possessed by a demon and none could get rid of her predicament. When Ramanuja's SriPaada Theertham ( water consecrated by association with his feet) was sprinkled on her,she was cured of the devil. The King pleaded to be accepted as Ramanujas Sishya. Ramanuja accepted and named him "Vishnu Vardhana".
(28) Ramanuja nominated 74 Acharyas to succeed him. It is he who instituted the 13 day "iyal Goshti in Srirangam.
HIS ASCENT TO PARAMAPADAM
With his head on the lap of Embar and his feet on the lap of Vaduga Nambi, Ramanuja breathed his last in 1137 AD listening to the recitation of the Divya Prabandam.
Born in PINGALA year, he left for his heavenly abode also in PINGALA year that followed 120 years from the year of his Avatara. Thus, he lived TWO full cycles of Tamil years after his birth places the date in Saaka era 1009, Pingala, in the month of Magha, the 10 th day of Sukla Paksha under the constellation of Tiruvadirai and at noon ( as in the time of his birth).
TKG notes that Lord Ranganatha and Periya Piraatti bathed and purified themselves as relatives do.
PRA avers that he died on a Saturday
VAC places the date as 4238 Kali yuga which corresponds to 1137 AD.
PTA, however, states that he lived for 128 years and died in the year Durmati in the month of Vaisaka.
Again, Research scholars may fin ways to piece together all these information to arrive at the correct date.
His physical body is preserved even today in a sitting posture in the Sannidhi (Sanctum Sanctorum) dedicated to him on the southwest corner on the fifth round within the Srirangam temple as ordered by Lord Ranganatha himself. (see the above picture)
The whole world is aghast at the feat of preservation of the mummies of Egypt and the body of St. Xavier in Goa in India and make so much fuss about them.
Even some Srivaishnavas are not aware that here in Srirangam, their holiest place hailed as ' Bhuloka Vaikuntam' (Heaven on Earth) lies preserved the body of Sri Ramanuja in all its pristine state unostentatiously, without any fanfare or publicity and without using any of the chemical preservatives employed by the Egyptian and Goan models.
Swami Desika in Sloka 10 of his Yathiraja Saptadhi pays obeisance to Bhagavad Ramanuja thus before proceeding with his eulogy.
Pranaamam Lakshmana Munih Prathi Grihnaathu Maamakam | Prasaadhayathi yat Sookthih Svadheena Pathikaam Sruthim ||
(meaning) I beseech Sri Ramanuja whose Srisookthis claimed the acclaim of the Lord and adorned the Upanishads to kindly accept my Pranams. There is another famous Sloka which says :-
Thasmai Ramaanujaaryaaya Namah Parama Yoginae | Yah Sruthi Smrithi Sutraanaam Antharjvaramaso Samathaa ||
(meaning) I bow to that Sri Ramanuja, the great Yogi who became the very soul of Vedas, Upanishads and other Sutras.
Sripad Ramanujacarya.
In the year 1017 A.D. Sripad Ramanujacarya, a partial incarnation of Lord Ananta Shesha and Laxman appeared on the 'sasthi', sixth lunar mansion of the light fortnight in the month of Chaitra, (April-May). He made his appearance in South India, Tundiradesha, at Sriperumbudur, about half way between Kancipuram and Madras. His fathers' name was Asuri Keshava Somayaji, also known as Sarvakratu Diksitar, who it is believed was either an advaitin, or a smarta. His mother was Kantimati, the grand daughter of the great Vaisnavacarya Yamunacarya. Sri Ramanuja was given the name Ilaya Perumal, by his parents and was trained in the various studies of the Alwar saints of South Indian. His education was mostly given by his father a pandit of the time. When he was fifteen he was taken to Kancipuram, where he and his cousin Govinda were sent to study under the Advaitin Acarya Yadava Prakash. As the years went by and Ramanujas' maturity advanced. Many times there were philosophical clashes between he and his 'advaitin' teacher to the point when Yadava prakash made arrangements for Ramanuja to be killed. Still unperturbed he preached what became his "new" philosophy the Vaisnava philosophy of 'Visisthadvaita', or qualified oneness. Sripad Ramanujacarya directed his new philosophy to defeating the monistic views of Sankara. Instead of leaving understandings as some kind of impersonalistic blank, this is 'maya' or this is 'avidya', Ramanuja gave relationships to everything, that is, everything has a relationship to the Lord. He qualified everything. Sripad Ramanujacarya gives some nice points on referring to the acceptance of, or usage of 'avidya'. Though Sripad Ramanujacarya uses the word "ajnan" rather than 'avidya', the meaning is the same, ignorance. Being a personalistic worshipper of Sri Laksmi Narayana, Ramanujacarya tackles everything as a personalist would. He points out the existence of 'ajnan' (ignorance) as a positive entity and as being directly perceived in such perceptions as "I am ignorant", "I do not know myself or others". This really refers to having lack of understanding of something due to not having any, or insufficient knowledge of what it is. So in Ramanujacarya's philosophy he simply throws the blame back on the perceiver, not on the subject that the infinitesimal perceiver is trying with his limited senses to perceive, like the 'mayavadis' do. He suggests that maybe we are not seeing things fully or in the right perspective.
The 'mayavadis' simply try to blame the knife for stabbing the man to death, neglecting the chance that someone may have been holding the knife, and maybe even with some intent to do something, either consciously or not.
Once I observed one of my children, my then two year old, fall from the swing and clambering to stand up rebuked the swing, you're naughty swing. But the swing actually wasn't at fault, dare I say it was my child for not being co-ordinated.
Sri Ramanuja clarifies one rather interesting point as well. He said that if ignorance is a perceivable thing (entity or specific item), then that cannot be ignorance for it is known. Ignorance can only refer to that which is unknown, or that which one is ignorant of. Also if ignorance is unknown, how can one have ignorance standing on it's own to be perceived, one would not know? If it is argued that 'ajnan' or ignorance is 'a-visada-swarupa' (Indistinct knowledge), then again Sripad Ramanujacarya gives a good point that this is only to the fact that there is lack of distinct knowledge as to what it is. Even if their, (the 'mayavadis') philosophy of positive ignorance is admitted, it must be somehow related to something and that something must be known, which in its self is knowledge. In that way, if 'jnan' (knowledge) of any given subject such as the material world, or the Lord were there, the 'mayavadi' philosopher would have something to relate to. But they don't, therefore they are known as 'mayavadis' or 'ajnanavadis' due to their ignorance. This is understood by the Vaisnavacaryas who are in full knowledge. The opposite to black being white, the opposite to ignorance being knowledge.
Sripad Ramanujacarya clears up the theory of illusion as set by the Sankarites in the following way by saying that if one knows what is truth, one may, for a short period, be subject to illusion by which normal things appear different to what they should be. But it cannot be said that illusion has no cause other than illusion itself, or is unknown or just appears for no reason. Ramanuja goes on to say that if illusion were an inexpressible of an unidentifiable thing, again when or where would one even known it was illusion for one would be in illusion and would have nothing to compare with as real.
According to the 'avidya', 'advaitistic' philosophy of Sankara, the dream state, the wakeful state, and the state of self are all unreal and illusory. But according to Ramanujacarya there is a real character in all these three states. Even dreams are not illusion entirely. During the waking state the self is awake, and it contacts the objects of the senses externally through the mind and senses. In the dream state, the self becomes detached from the external world of the senses and their objects. The mind, however, experiences a succession of images presented from the memory without really any necessity of logic or reason. Originally the objects were seen or touched, smelt or heard through the senses, and the mind stores the information. The mind acts in this way, that's its function, so definitely it cannot be called illusion or unreal for it is just a reflection of reality that the mind has come in contact with.
Sankara says that in the case of sleep one is the witness of 'avidya' (ignorance). After waking, one says, "I slept well, I was pure spiritual consciousness, free from all material conditioning, and a witness to 'avidya'." Sripad Ramanujacarya however sheds a deeper light on this subject. He says that person who was sleeping is not only pure spiritual consciousness, but is a spirit soul, eternal servant of the Lord, and that pure spiritual consciousness is an attribute of the soul by which the soul can be perceived ('swarupopadhi'). So by this we can see that if the soul (self) did not remain conscious in sleep, then how could he then remember upon waking that he had been sleeping, or had slept well? Thus there would be a gap in his life, not knowing he had done anything what to speak of sleep, so what is this witness to 'avidya'. This is not a fact, for the soul has a sense of permanent consciousness carried by memory which tells him that he has done something or give the sense of fulfilment knowing he has taken rest for a set period.
The 'mayavadis' say that the perceptions one may have in a dream are all unreal in the same way scriptures are not real, as the written word cannot do justice to a spiritual reality. Sri Ramanuja refutes this saying, that, it is not true that dreams are unreal, but the circumstances are different, in as much as the activities may be there in a dream, and the same activities are there in a waking state. One could in fact say the activities are the same, in both states, but 'that is the only qualification to their one-ness' ('visistadwaita'). It is not that the dreams of subtle nature and the activities of the wakeful state are exactly one, however, there is a qualification to their one-ness. The activity may be of the same kind of act, and it is the same person who sees in relation with both. One could further say that the vision exists, but in the dreaming state not on a gross platform. The objects seen may not necessarily grossly exist, though certainly the objects do exist somewhere. An example may be given that one may see in a dream a golden mountain, and it is a fact that gold exists and a mountain exists, but to see a golden mountain?? Well maybe! Another example is that sometimes, due to our defective material vision, we may mistake a rope on the floor for a snake. Certainly ropes exist and snakes exists, but to fear a rope or pick up a snake, this kind of all one-ness can cause problems. The reason that one fears a snake that one sees in a dream even if it is a rope, is because of one's previous experience of the potency of snakes.
Another argument sometimes used is that of seeing silver in a pearl or that of a shell. If one has defective vision one could say that there is definitely silver in a shell or pearl. Silver is real and pearls and shells are also real, but when one's defect in vision is restored one can actually see what is actual silver and what is pearls colouration (mother of pearl in shells). Again, the perception was true but it was due to a particular circumstance. A conclusion can be drawn at this point that the qualification of oneness in different objects can be seen according to the perception of the seer. As with the pearl or shell, one can grasp what is there partially or totally depending on one's vision. So the practicality of discriminating in every day life proves that everything is not one, though due to everything having it's roots in the Lord, and the changeable nature of things in this material world one could say that, due to everything emanation from the Lord, it is one, but due to the practically unlimited varieties of temporary manifestations in the universe there has to be a qualification to the oneness, 'Visista adwaita', qualified oneness.
There are three ways of understanding the truth, out of the three ways Sripad Ramanujacarya says, one must accept 'Sruti pramana', Vedic literature without doubt. 'Anuman pramana', inference or reasoning can also be accepted if it falls in line with 'Sruti', and 'pratyaksa pramana', sensual perception can also be accepted as an authority in this matter if it falls in line with 'Sruti pramana'. Though 'anuman' and 'pratyaksa' can be debated, Sruti must be accepted as absolute truth having come down from the Supreme Lord. This in essence is the summary of Sripad Ramanujacarya's philosophy of 'Visisthadwaita', everything being based on what the Lord has said or done.
Sripad Ramanujacarya makes the statement in his Sri Bhasya commentary on Vedanta Sutra, "For those who accept God as the highest and ultimate reality, who has the power to create all of these unlimited universes whilst in a dreaming state lying in the Karana Ocean. Who is glorified through the Vedic literatures, who is omniscient and free from all defects, and is full in all good qualities personified, having a body made of eternity, knowledge and bliss, to these fortunate Vaisnavas, what can be achieved or proven simply by dull witted argument, or blunt senses? The Supreme Personality of Godhead created all the universes for His own pleasure, and the tiny living entities (the Jivas) can enjoy in this world by serving the Lord or engage in their own selfish pursuits and become criminally entangled and further conditioned in the world of birth and death. The Lord gives results of one's actions through the contact of the senses and the objects of the senses, the result being happiness or distress. Due to the action the concomitant result follows for a limited period of time."
"Thus the distinction between experiences that are contradicted (like dreams) and those that are contradicting (like wakeful experiences) is a distinction between objects of the senses that are experienced by everyone and those that are not (as in dreams)." This is an example of qualified oneness.
Sripad Ramanujacarya could not stand the way things were at the time, the so-called religion that was being practised, the cheating of priests ('Purohits') and the ignorant blind following of the people. Although he accepted the 'daivi varnashrama' system, it was not solely based on birth rite, but on quality and qualification, 'guna' and 'karma'. Some guide lines he laid down were as follows:- That a devotee, or for that matter everyone, should be like salt. That is, the same within and without, free from duplicity and cheating. He also gave an example how one should be even like a fowl, in as much as a fowl is able to pick out the wholesome things even from a stock-pile of rubbish. These are also examples used by other great teachers, 1) to take gold from a dirty place, 2) to separate milk from water, 3) to take a good wife from even a low class family and 4) even take good advice from a fool. Another famous saying of his was that one should be like a bird called the crane, who is very watchful for his prey. Expect the unexpected and don't be surprised when calamity comes.
Sripad Ramanujacarya was a great propounder of and follower of the 'Pancaratriki' system of 'Puja', Deity worship. This system is so designed to invite the personal form, or image of God to reside in the temple, and then to render all kinds of opulent services to the Lord, that otherwise one would not be able to perform, for His pleasure. By doing so one can develop further one's own personal relationship with the Supreme Person by this simple process as laid down in the scriptures by such great devotees as Narada Muni. By such worship in the temple or in the home under the guidance of 'guru', 'shastra' and the devotees one' life can become perfect. There are various 'Pancaratric' texts which he followed (and to this day are followed by his followers), but basically the principal behind 'Pancaratra' is, giving the necessary rules and regulations, for purity, punctuality and use of exclusive privacy for 'puja' and preparations for the worshiping of the personal form of the Lord. In all of his institutions great care was taken daily to see to the worship of the deity in the temple, very high standards of personal service to the Lord were always followed, cleanliness and punctuality being of the utmost.
To establish his teaching he compiled the Sri Bhasya which was his commentary on the Vedanta Sutra. Also he made a commentary of Bhagavad Gita.
We can recap how Sripad Ramanujacarya strongly attacks the philosophy of Sankara. Saying that the concept of 'Brahman' as being without qualities is meaningless or fiction as it cannot be seen, touched, spoken about or known. Sripad Ramanujacarya goes on to state that it is not a fact that this world is false, but it is a fact that it is temporary, and originally comes from God and in that way, yes, everything is one because everything is coming from the Lord, and therefore that is the only qualification to its oneness.
aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate iti matva bhajante mam budha bhava-samanvitah
"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts."(Bhagavad Gita 10:8.).
Srimad Bhagavad Gita (14:27.) says: brahmano hi pratisthaham amrta syavya yasya ca sasvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikantikasya ca
"I am the origin of the impersonal Brahman which is immortal, imperishable and eternal and is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness."
During Sankara's reign he founded the philosophical deviation, 'panchopasaka', that one can worship five kinds of Deities together equally as one, they are listed as Visnu, Shiva, Ganesha, Surya and Devi (either Durga, Laxmi or Saraswati). However, in the Padma Purana it is stated that the second offence against the Holy Name of Lord Krsna (Visnu) is "To consider the demigods such as Lord Shiva or Lord Brahma or others to be equal to or independent of the Holy Name or form of Lord Visnu." When Sripad Ramanujacarya came he very strongly challenged this bogus idea of Sankara using the teachings of Sri Narada Muni from the Narad Pancaratra to firmly establish that Lord Visnu (Narayana), is the one true and Supreme Lord without a second.
Sri Ramanujacarya said that Lord Narayana (Visnu) is supreme and that all others are subordinate. One may offer respects to any demigod as one would to any devotee, but to mis-identify the Supreme Lord with a small lord is an offence. He quotes the verses from the Srimad Bhagavatam spoken by Lord Brahma (Canto 2., Adhyayah 5., texts 15-16-17.). Wherein it is said, "The Vedas owe their existance to Narayana. The 'devas' are all tiny aspects of Narayana. all the worlds are manifestations of Narayana. All worship is inspired by Narayana alone. The term yoga is meant for gaining union with Narayana. All austerity is meant to be performed for Narayana. Knowledge is only of Narayana. The final destination or goal is the association of Narayana. I am also a creation of that Supreme One who is the Ultimate Seer, the Eternal Lord, and the Supreme Soul who accompanies all souls in this world. By His grace alone, and by His command, I have become the creator and am doing the work of creation."(Srimad Bhagavatam 2:5:15-17.)
There are many instances in Sripad Ramanujacarya's eventful life which draw us to some kind of appreciation of how hard he battled to establish Visnu as supreme, even plans were made to kill him, to stop his mission, but the Lord came to his aid. There are many wonderful pastimes which could be told, but they are too numerous to do justice to here. I personally suggest instead, that one read the very nice book by Naimasaranya dasa of ISKCON entitled "The life of Ramanujacarya," many hours of enjoyable reading.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Vani Vaibhava makes a nice statement to show how Sripad Ramanujacaya fits in to the overall plan of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
sripada ramanujaya visistha-dwaita siddhanta mahaprabhu gaudiya prema mandire bidhi swarupa
