Initiated into Vaishanvism
During these days of conflict with his Guru, YamnAcArya would visit Kanchipuruam and come to know of Ramanuja. He recognized in this young Ramanuja a promising visionary, saliently shining among the students of YAdava PrakAsha. He also heard of the existing disagreement between both of them. In YamnAcArya there developed a burning desire to groom young Ramanuja into his successor, though Ramanuja himself wholly unaware of this.
Ramanuja would spend his days at the Vishnu temple in HasthasilA by doing service, and engaging in scholarly discussions upon the scriptures. After having learned of YamnAcArya from his uncle MahApUrna, both set out for sriRangam to see him in person. But before arriving, YamnAcArya had breathed his last. Upon their arrival, Ramanuja’s critical eyes noted that three fingers of his corpse pointed unusually straight and he immediately conjectured that they must indicate the three unfulfilled desires of YamnAcArya’s life.
They were:
- To propagate the idea of intense devotion and self-surrender (Prapatti) as a legitimate means to attain God, as taught by the AlvArs.
- To write a commentary on the Brahmasutras from the standpoint of Vaishnavism.
- To write books promoting the Vaishnava Cult.
Ramanuja decides to fulfil these desires of this Great Seer.
Ramanuja then returned to Kanchipuram where he continue to study under KAnchIpUrna, who was a modest man only wished to serve God, belonged to a lower caste, did not desire to fill the role of Guru for Ramnuja. Instead he sent him to SriRangam, to meet Mahapurna, who formally initiated Rmanuja into Vaishnavism.
Guru role Begins
At the age of 32, he went to Varadaraja Temple, sending his wife back to her parents and ordained himself a Samnyasin in the presence of Lord Varadaraja (Maha Vishnu) and Kancipurna, his former teacher.
Kanchipurna spontaneously dubbed him
“Yati RAja”-King of ascetics, an epithet he would become well known by.
Soon his former teacher YAdava PrakAsha became his disciple. He also defeated yajnamUrti, a scholar of Advitha Vedanta, on scriptural disputes, converting also into his disciple.
Jnana saram and
Premaeya Saram are two important books of YajnamUrti in Tamil Language.
It was during this period that famous disciples would congregate around Charismatic Ramanuja. Filling the ranks were such great scholars as Bhakta-Grama-purna, Maruta-Grama-Purna, Anantarya, Varadacarya and Yajnesha.
Gadya- Trayi was his first book. After writing the commentary on the Brhma Sutras, named
Sri- Bashya, Ramnuja travelled across Indian sub-continent, visiting holy places and defeated many a debating opponents. During this time he founded various centres for religious studies and temples at different places across the continent. The Sri Ranganatha temple itself came under his complete authority after he converted its chief administrator to Vaishnavism.
By this time Ramanuja had become a leader, a powerful influential personality and moreover a
Saint in Sandhana Dharma.
Acarya Ramanuja purportedly lived to age of 120years.
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