Sri Ramanuja,
the great saint, teacher and founder of the philosophical school known
as Visishtadvaita was born in A.D. 1017 at Sriperumbudur near Chennai
in South India. He is known as the greatest exponent of Visishtadvaita
Vedanta.
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He
systematically expounded philosophical truths and synthesised Bhakti
and Jnaana, the two folds of characters possessed by the Alwars
and Acharyas, the saints and the sages. He called it the 'Bhaktirupapanna
Jnanam'.
Sri Ramanuja's maternal uncle Tirumala Nambi is believed to have
been the first citizen of Tirumala. He was also one of the five
Acharyas of Sri Ramanuja and taught him Mahabharata and Ramayana
from the angle of Visishtadvaita.
The
Alwars visited and glorified in song several holy places.
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Sri Ramanuja went on a pilgrimage to all those places and introduced reforms
in the rituals of worship and the mode of administration of the temples.
His chief aim was to make religion reach the common man.
He climbed
the holy hills of Tirupati on his knees for fear of desecrating them with
his feet.
As he crossed the seven hills he enjoyed the
charming panorama of nature and he was blessed with the vision of the
blissful image of Srinivasa within, the God whom he had so long cherished
in his heart. He stretched himself before his God, and stood up before
the holy image with hands raised and folded. There is a traditional story
that Sri Ramanuja gave Lord Venkateswara His divine discus and the conch
(Chakram and Sankham).
Sri Ramanuja spread devotion
and discipline in society through his nine works lauded by scholars as
'Navaratnas'. He attained the lotus feet of the Lord after a full lifespan
of 120 years.
Srividya
Ganapati
The Veda Vedanta Gurukula
Mahavidyalaya in Swetha Sringachalam is a unique school dedicated
to the cause of propagating and perpetuating Vedavidya in the
Gurukula system. There is a murti of Srividya Ganapati in the
Vidyalaya. Srividya Ganapati is a very rare aspect. He is endowed
with twelve hands, Chandrakala (crescent) and He has feminine
features. Hence He is worshipped in the female aspect.
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