Heavenly Stars rarely descend on Earth and Sri Ramanuja was one such human manifestation who lit the path of equality and bhakthi. Born in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, in 1017 A.D, dedicated His entire life for reformism and left no stone unturned in dispelling darkness from the minds and lives of people. His ultimate objective was to inculcate vedic way of life into society. He was a saint who propagated universal brotherhood. He embraced the untouchables and treated them on par with the elite. Seeing His compassion towards the oppressed, His delighted guru honoured him with the coveted title “ Em-perum- anar” you are ahead of us. Sri Ramanuja named subjugated classes Thirukkulathar-Born Divine.
It would not be wrong to acclaim Him as a legendary personality who revolted against the inhuman practices inflicted on the less privileged. He gave the secretly guarded mantra to the oppressed and allowed them to enter temples at a time when it was strictly forbidden! He was a great visionary and free thinker, who revived society on the grounds of universal salvation through Bhakti, compassion, humility, equality and mutual respect! He spread the Divine message of God to the common man, irrespective of caste, gender or creed.
The Sri Vaishnavam Sampradaya is a genius system designed as a dissoluble tie by Ramanujacharya to unite the heterogeneous population of the universe through mutual respect, equality and thereby, the whole world in one spiritual bond. The social philosophy of Ramanujacharya was designed to cross the boundary of caste system and embrace the whole of humanity. He has thus been acclaimed as a great religious and social genius, and has been rightly given the title “Bhagwad”.
He disclosed the secret, quintessential knowledge and true essence of the Vedas to the common man from temple tops. He established the correct procedures for rituals performed in temples throughout India, the most famous being Tirumala and Srirangam. He composed numerous commentaries on our Vedic scriptures. He was a great philosopher-Saint, theologian, social reformer and chief exponent of the Visishtadvaita School of Vedanta or qualified non-dualism.
Bhagawad Ramanujacharya made strenuous journeys in His lifetime, to distant places across the Indian subcontinent and taught that the social order is actually a moral order (rule of conduct) and the crux of all values is man’s desire for the better. 2017 marks the 1000th year since Bhagawad Ramanujacharya’s birth. To honor His contributions to society and India as a whole, a 216 feet tall statue will be erected and consecrated.
