श्री भाष्यम्: Shri Bhashyam (An Old and Rare Book)

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Revered Acarya Ramanuja has written nine works which are considered to be the nine gems of Visistadvaitic literature. Among them Sribhasya, the magnum opus of Ramanujacarya is the well known commentary on Brahmasutras of Badarayana, severely argumentative, highly technical and terse.

The Brahmasutras are an exigesis of the Upanisads explaining meanings, reconciling seeming inconsistencies and establishing basic propositions. Acarya Badarayana, the author of the Sutras is in our tradition regarded as the same as Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa. It would seem that several Acaryas before Badarayana had also compiled aphorisms. However only the Badarayana’s sutras are available for study.

Although framed in a grand design, the Brahmasutras are difficult to comprehend. A seeker of knowledge who wishes to enter their subject matter has necessarily to be led by the hand through its intricacies with’ the help of the guides’ lucid commentaries. Many Acaryas have performed this service by virtue of their intellectual and spiritual powers. The earliest of the commentaries, among those available in the present day, is that of the most revered, Shankaracharya. He refers to an earlier Acarya by name Dramida. Similarly other commentators refer to other Acaryas. Clearly, many schools of vedanta were generated by the Brahmasutras. In the days of Sri Shankaracharya the distinguished school propounded by him towered above all others. During Sri Ramanujacharya’s time the beginnings of the Savisesa school, which blossomed as the Visistadvaita system, were already present.

However it is Sri Ramanujacharya’s monumental work that consolidated the positions of Visistadvaita school of philosophy and provided the impetus for the advent of Srivaisnavism. It stands even today as the central pillar of support to that system. Sri Ramanujacharya’s commentary on the Brahmasutras utilises a dispassionate examination of Srutis, Smrtis, Puranas and Itihasas. In the form of 156 Adhikaranas comprising 545 Sutras, it is a magnificent treatise on a vast and intricate subject.

Sankarabhasya propounds Advaita which incorporates the concept of Nirvisesa Brahman. The commentary of Bhaskaracharya is based on the concept of association of Upadhis with Brahman. Acarya Ramanuja in his Sribhasya establishes a system of Advaita with the concept of Savisesa Brahman, modifying the concept of Nirvisesa Brahman. He has based himself on a cogent appreciation of the strengths and weak- nesses of the various alternative schools of thought, and yet the comprehensive sweep of his analysis has the markings of personal religious experience. Consequently his exposition of the Brahmasutras is not only most rational but also highly appealing to the heart.

With a view to facilitate the seekers of knowledge in their study of Sri Ramanujacharya’s works, the Academy has taken up publication of critical editions of his nine works. In this series, Sribhasyam has already been published in four volumes with compendious notes and appendices. Another work Veddrtba- sangraha is to be released shortly.

Meanwhile Academy had cherished a desire to publish the bare texts of the original works of Visistadvaita as they are out of print. Such publications will be useful for repeated reading of the original. We are glad to place before our readers this Sribbdsyam - original text with variations in reading. This is the second publication in this series, the first being the Vedantasara. It is hoped that the work will find a ready welcome.

Our thanks are due to Sri U.Ve. Vidvan P. M. Chakravarthi-acharya Swamy who has contributed a scholarly introduction to this work. We are sure that it adds to the value of this work.

Our thanks are due to contributors whose generosity has helped printing of this Sribhasyam. We request them to support us in all our future ventures in the same way. We are also thankful to the scholars of the Academy without whose help publication of this work would have been impossible.