Life of Sri Ramanuja - Part 6

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Even an insignificant incident in the life of a great soul can have long-lasting repercussions on the society and the people around. Sri Ramanuja was such a mahatma whose life and teachings had a revolutionary impact on Indian society and its spiritual traditions, particularly so in Tamil Nadu. This moving incident from his life will serve as an eye-opener:

During Ramanuja's time, the Tamil Brahmin community was known for its orthodoxy and social rigidity, with practices like untouchability and caste discrimination commonly accepted as a part of tradition.

One of the tragic consequences of this social rigidity was the confinement of the profound knowledge of Vedanta in the hands of a few who considered themselves to be divinely ordained to preserve this sacred knowledge. It was passed on to select disciples who were often initiated into esoteric practices like mantra diksha (initiation to chanting of sacred syllables). Often, such spiritual practices were kept out of bounds for women and the lower castes.

The argument offered by the priests for the above mentioned exclusivist tendency was that the general public was not eligible for receiving or understanding such high philosophy. Just as a nuclear scientist today would guard against misuse of his technology, so did the priests fear corruption and abuse of sacred knowledge.

But the large-hearted Ramanuja, out of his deep compassion and love for the spiritual welfare of human beings, broke many rules of orthodoxy to reach out to the masses and to spread the divine knowledge to one and all irrespective of caste or other considerations.

Mahapurna, the teacher from whom Ramanuja learnt the Divya Prabhandham and other scriptures, advised him to get initiated into the sacred Narayana Mantra (an eight-lettered mantra invoking the grace of Narayana). Mahapurna directed him to receive the mantra initiation from a great scholar and pious Vaishnava called Goshtipurna who lived in the town of Thirukoshtiyur (located 10 km from Tirupattur and Siva Gangai in Tamil Nadu). Mahapurna regarded Goshtipurna as a worthy teacher who could not only give the mantra to Ramanuja but also explain its esoteric meaning to him.