Sri Bhashya

The Sri Bhashya (Sanskrit: श्रीभाष्य, romanized: Śrībhāṣya) is the most famous work of the Hindu philosopher Ramanuja (1017–1137). It is his commentary on Badarayana's Vedanta/Brahma Sutra.^[1]

Painting of Ramanuja, Hutchinson's History of the Nations

Description

In his commentary, Ramanuja presents the fundamental philosophical principles of Vishishtadvaita based on his interpretation of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and other Smriti texts, the previous acharyas, and the Vedanta-sutra itself.^[2] This is done by way of refuting Shankara's Advaita Vedanta and in particular his theory of maya. In this work, he describes the three categories of reality (tattvas): God, soul, and matter, which have been used by the later Vaishnava theologians such as Madhva. He explains the relationship between the body and the soul.^[3] The principles of bhakti as a means to liberation (moksha) were also developed. Ramanuja wrote the Vedanta-Dipa and Vedanta-Sara^[4] to aid in the overall understanding of the Sri Bhashya.^[5][6]

See also

• Gita Bhashya
• Vedarthasamgraha
• Shatadushani

References

1. Sri Ramanuja, M. Rangacharya (1899). Sri Bhashya English Translation by M Rangacharya, MB Varadaraja Aiyangar 3 Vols. sanskritebooks.org/.
2. Isayeva, Natalia (1993-01-01). Shankara and Indian Philosophy. State University of New York Press. p. 243. ISBN 978-1-4384-0762-3.
3. Vemsani, Lavanya (2016-06-13). Krishna in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names. ABC-CLIO. p. 293. ISBN 978-1-61069-211-3.
4. Seshachalam, C. (1974). Visishtadvaita Philosophy and Religion: A Symposium by Twenty-four Erudite Scholars. Ramanuja Research Society. p. 82.
5. Clayton, John (2006-11-25). Religions, Reasons and Gods: Essays in Cross-cultural Philosophy of Religion. Cambridge University Press. pp. iii. ISBN 978-1-139-45926-6.
6. Chari, S. M. Srinivasa (1999). Advaita and Viśiṣṭādvaita: A Study Based on Vedānta Deśikā's Śatadūṣaṇī. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. p. 8. ISBN 978-81-208-1535-3.

Sources

• Hajime Nakamura and Trevor Leggett, A History of Early Vedānta Philosophy, Vol 2, New Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass (1983)
• Advaita Ashrama (2003). Brahma-Sutras According to Sri Ramanuja. ISBN 81-7505-006-3

External links

• Overview of Sribhashya by S.S. Raghavachar
• Translation of Sribhashya by George Thibaut
• Sruta Pradipika, Sanskrit commentary on Sribhashya by Sudarsana Suri with detailed English introduction