Vishishtadvaita

Vishishtadvaita, one of the principal branches of Vedanta, a system (darshan) of Indian philosophy. This school grew out of the Vaishnava (worship of the god Vishnu) movement prominent in South India from the 7th ce century on. One of the early Brahmans (members of the priestly class) who began to guide the movement was Nathamuni (10th century), head priest of the temple at Srirangam (in modern Tamil Nadu state). He was succeeded by Yamuna (11th century), who wrote philosophical treatises but no commentaries.

Yamuna’s successor, Ramanuja, or Ramanujacharya (“Master Ramanuja,” c. 1017–1137), wrote commentaries on the Brahma-sutras (the Shribhashya, “Beautiful Commentary”) and on the Bhagavadgita and a treatise on the Upanishads, the Vedarthasamgraha (“Summary of the Meaning of the Veda”). Ramanuja was the first of the Vedanta thinkers to make the cornerstone of his system the identification of a personal God with the brahman, or Absolute Reality, of the Upanishads and the Vedanta-sutras. As a personal God, brahman possesses all the good qualities in a perfect degree, and Ramanuja does not tire of mentioning them. For him the relation between the infinite and the finite is like that between the soul and the body. Hence, non-duality is maintained, while differences can still be stated. Soul and matter are totally dependent on God for their existence, as is the body on the soul.

God has two modes of being, as cause and as product. As cause, he is in his essence qualified only by his perfections. As product, he has as his body the souls and the phenomenal world. There is a pulsating rhythm in his periods of creation and absorption. For Ramanuja, release (moksha) is not a negative separation from transmigration, or a series of rebirths, but rather the joy of the contemplation of God. This joy is attained by a life of exclusive devotion (bhakti) to God, singing his praise, performing adulatory acts in temple and private worship, and constantly dwelling on his perfections. In return, God will offer his grace, which will assist the devotee in gaining release.

Vishishtadvaita flourished after Ramanuja, but a schism developed over the importance of God’s grace. For the northern, Sanskrit-using school, known as the Vadakalai (“Monkey”) school, God’s grace in gaining release is important, but a human individual should make the best possible effort, as a baby monkey must hold fast to its mother. This school is represented by the thinker Venkatanatha, who was known by the honorific name of Vedantadeshika (“Teacher of Vedanta”). The southern, Tamil-using school, known as the Tenkalai (“Cat”) school, holds that God’s grace alone is necessary, just as a kitten need do nothing when the mother cat carries it.

The influence of Vishishtadvaita spread far to the north, where it played a role in the devotional renaissance of Vaishnavism, particularly under the Bengal devotee Chaitanya (1485–1533). In southern India the philosophy is still an important intellectual influence.