Some Commonalities Between the Lives of Shri Ram and Bhaghvat Ramanuja

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha!

Sriman V. Narasimhan, my close relative, a great scholar and friend has taken a unique subject by comparing Sri Rama with Shri Ramanuja and has shown in his essay some salient points acceptable to us.

Sri Rama was born long, long ago to establish Dharma in this world and Ramanuja was born 1000 years ago as a preceptor and as a messenger for renovating Shri Vaishnavite philosophy (The "Visishta Dvaitam).

Some salient points he compared are:

a. Rama was born by performing Putra Kameshti Yagnya by King Dasharata at the banks of Sarayu river in Ayodhya while the same kind of Yagnya was performed by Ramanujas’ father, Sriman Sarva Krutu Kesava Sowmiyaji at the sea shore opposite to Sri Parthasarathy Swami Temple at Triplicane.

b. Rama was the disciple of Vasishta, Vishwamitra and several other rishis to gain his general knowledge but Ramanuja had studied his Sastras and Puranas from his father initially and later on for some time he was the student of Yadava Prakasha and his cousin brother Embar followed him.

c. Rama conquered Ravana by killing him and thereby established Dharma over the Adharma. Shri Ramanuja has conquered all the other prevailing religions through his philosophic arguments (Vaada), from the scripts (Sastras, Vedas and Puranas, Bhagavat Gita and others).

d. While Rama had three brothers to establish his different paths of life - Lakshmana the devotee, Bharata his representative and Kshatrugna the follower of Bharata, Ramanuja had also four close disciples like Embar, Kurathazhwan and Mudhaliandan who closely followed him.

e. Shri Ramanuja earned the essence of Sri Ramayana through his maternal uncle, Shrishaila Poorna at Tirupati by serving lord Venkateshwara at Thirumalai Hills.

This will be a unique comparison attracting the followers of Ramanuja and also to an extent the children to study and compare Ramayana and Ramanuja. I appreciate the presentation and pains taken by the author to narrate the whole Vaibhavams of Shri Ramanuja as compared to the incarnation of Vishnu and Sri Rama Avatar.

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