Ramanuja Jayanthi – Day 7
Ramanujo Vijayathey – 7
Victory to Ramanuja
Swamy Ramanuja blessed us with his great 9 works
1.Vedartha Sangraham (the resume of Vedantha)
2.Shree Bashyam (Commentary on Bramha Sutras
3.Vedantha Saara ( essence of Vedantha) an appendix to Sri Bashya
4.Vedantha Deepa (the light of Vedantha) another appendix to Sri Bashya
5 Gita Bashya (his commentary of Bhagavad Geetha)
6.Nithya Grandham (About day to day activities to be performed by Sri Vaishnavas)
7.Saranagathi Gadyam (A dialogue between Ramanuja Perumal & Piratti where Swami petitions Sri Lakshmi to recommend to the lord to give him grace, both Perumal & Piratti accept Swami’s surrender)
8..Sri Ranga Gadyam (a Prayer of surrender to the feet of Sri Ranganatha)
9.Vaikunta Gadyam (describing in detail Sri Vaikutam & recommending meditating it)
Swamy Ramanuja lived full 120 yrs …that is a full Vimoshatthari Dasa Period…but why did Swami authored only 9 works…while Adhi Sankara lived 32 yrs, but did many works…? This a General Question asked by Commoners.
The Vedas are the very breath of the Supreme Brahman and their import has reached posterity through the revelations experienced by sages and rishis . Time and again, the Lord assumes the form of preceptors to propagate this Vedic tradition which is also known as Sanatana Dharma.
Swamy Ramanuja Lived during the period where society was occupied by Pashandas Charvakas, bouddhas, Jains and Mayavadhis. These Philosophies are “Nasthikavadhis” means those who don’t accept Vedas as authoritative and some were also to give wrong interpretation to Vedas” Dhaati Panchakam” answers the above question gracefully…
In Thondanoor of Mandya District, Mysore some 1000 years.ago During the Period when Swami Ramanuja left Sri Rangam and migrated to Mysore……………Around 12,000 Jainis came for an argument with Swami Ramanuja. He got a curtain drawn before him, took his real form of a thousand-headed serpent (Adisesha) and answered all their questions simultaneously with his 1000 hoods to prove that Vishistadvaitam Siddantham and the concept of Thatva Thryam (Sriman Narayana is the Paramathma, Chit and Achit are his sesha boothas./ subservient)
After witnessing this, miracle, Swami Mudaliandan rendered Dhaati Panchakam in praise of Ramanuja’s victory over other philosophies. Even today we can see ‘Dhaati Panchakam’ sloka carved on a stone at Padmavathi temple in Sravanabelahola of Mandya District, Mysore Region.
Dhaati Panchakam (which was rendered by Sri Mudaliandan at Thondanur Ref Nambi Koil Nithyanusandhanam] has been celebrated by our poorvacharyas and has been included as part of Srivaishnava Nithyanusandhanam.
Mudaliyandan was the dearest nephew and foremost of Ramanuja’s sishyas.The Thaniyan (a vandanam) or an invocatory verse which is first recited before the Stotra..Speaks about the Greatness of its Author.
यश्चक्रे भक्तनगरे धाटीपञ्चकमुत्तमम् |
रामानुजार्य सच्छात्रं वन्दे दाशरथिं गुरुम् ||..🙏
Rough Translation :-
I offer Vandanam to Swamy Dasarathi /Mudaliyandan.who composed the glorious work of 5 Stotras called ‘Dhaati Panchakam’ on Benevolent Aacharya Swami Ramanuja at Bhaktha Nagar (Thondanoor) Dhaati means “Attack’ Panchakam means 5 Shlokas..As the name shows it is made of five stotras. The word Dhaati means “attacking” – as this work shows the attack that Ramanuja carried over the other philosophies that were widespread at that time, it is an appropriate name for it..
Essence of Dhaati Panchakam which speaks aloud..How Ramanuja won over these Shunya Mathas thru his Sri Sukthis.
Ramanuja removed the Pashandas completely – like a wild forest fire going through a forest.
Ramanuja fell like a “ThunderBolt ” /Vajrayudham .. (Here Swami’s Thridhandam is compared to Vajradhandam) on Charvakas Mountains…….
Ramanuja rose like a “Sun” (Ramanuja Divakarha) to dispel the darkness called Baudha Philosophy
Ramanuja was like the Garuda whose very shadow was sufficient to destroy the serpents called “Mayavadhis”
(who state that everything is false or an illusion)
Ramanuja thus established the victory flag of Srivaishnava Sampradhayam in that most divine of places – Srirangam. Ramanuja is praised as “Srirangesha Jayadvaja” means the Victory Flag of Sri Ranganatha. Pashandas were like a great ocean. It was during the time that they were active that Swami Ramanuja appeared like the Badaba fire. (Badaba is the name of a female horse. Puranas mention that there is a female horse in the middle of the ocean; that it has a fire on its face that never goes out; it is this fire that absorbs the excess water coming into the ocean and prevents it from breaching its shores; and that during the pralays it is this fire that comes out and destroys the worlds)
Ramanuja controlled the ocean of pashandas like the Badaba fire. He exhibits the quality of fire to both create and destroy – he sheds light on the right path to the devotees while he also acts like a wildfire in destroying the other sampradhayams.Thus, Ramanuja also showed the path to liberation Shri Vishnu Loka Mani Mandapa Margadayee.
Dhaati Panchakam is recited during Avathsra Dhina Utsavams in Sri Perumbudur (video below) amd also some verses.of it are included in “Ramunaja Gattiyam”
Thus Swamy Ramanuja spent most of his life time in debating with leaders who belong to such Philosophies Those that accept Vedas and interpret them wrongly and those that don’t and rectify them into the right Vedic path and establish the Visishtadvaita philosophy that was built by Azhvars and Purvacharyas.
When the whole world, surrounded by oceans was engulfed by the darkness of Kalipurusha, Sri Ramanuja appeared and with the shining praamaaNams (proofs) from four Vedas, dispelled the darkness immediately.
Had he not done that, the world would not have known the truth of Sarva Swamithvam of Sriman Narayanan for all Jeevathmas.
Jai Ho! Ramanuja
Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan
Geetha Vasudevan
Geetha Vasudevan's Yathiraja Padhuka 