Preface

Great saints and devotees of the Lord give purpose to this material world and its history by their presence; their absence renders this world useless and its history a chronological record of nonsense. By providing another glimpse into the ways that pure devotees transform the lives of materialistic people and alter the course of history, Naimisaranya Prabhu has done great service to all English readers, especially Vaisnavas and aspiring Vaisnavas. Without such information, people tend to doubt or forget that another plane, beyond the mundane, exists and even controls the destiny of that mundane plane. In the examples they set in their lives, however, saintly persons help us to see the path to Krsna consciousness. "Example is better than precept" The philosophy of Krsna consciousness remains inaccessible except by the mercy of the pure devotees whose behavior gives three dimensions to such philosophy.
Only the hearts of unfortunate persons will not melt upon reading or hearing this moving depletion of the life of Srila Ramanujacarya. The nectarean subject matter and the competent rendering by Naimisaranya Prabhu combine to produce genuine spiritual effects within the mind. I hope Naimisaranya Prabhu will continue producing such illuminating accounts of the lives of great devotees.

-Jagadisa Gosvami

Foreword

It is the desire of all teachers working in our gurukulas to give the children an acute awareness of the great Vaisnava tradition that they will inherit when initiated into our sampradaya. We hear frequently that the Krsna Consciousness movement is propounding the highest form of religion found anywhere in the world, but, living in the western culture, we sometimes find it hard to be constantly aware of the true position of Vaisnavism. In the West Vaisnavas are frequently looked upon as strange fanatics enacting bizarre rituals or some residual leftover from the hippy days of the sixties and early seventies. Therefore it is very important that all devotees, and the children in particular, become conversant with the centuries old religious tradition that our movement today represents.
It was for these reasons I felt it imperative to start a course on the history of Vaisnavism when I began teaching a class of older boys at the Bhaktivedanta Village Gurukula in California. From studying Srila Prabhupada's books I was aware that Ramanuja was one of the great Vaisnava acaryas, but I knew little of his life and teachings. Therefore I set about researching the subject, using various books that I was able to obtain from India and the university libraries in Los Angeles. At this point I began to learn the wonderfully instructive stories contained in this book. As I recounted them to my students, 'History of Vaisnavism' quickly came to be our most popular class.
From this point, with the encouragement of other devotees working in gurukula, it seemed natural to begin writing down the subject matter as I was teaching it. There is, of course, a great need at the present time to provide suitable reading material for the hungry young minds eager to employ the reading skills we have taught them in their early years in gurukula. It is therefore my hope and expectation that this book will be the first of many as we build up a full library of books for our older students, in addition to the publications for younger children that have been provided by Bala Books.
Although this book was originally written for our older gurukula students-and for this reason the emphasis is on pastimes rather than philosophy - I am confident that all devotees will like to read about the life of this great acarya and gain inspiration from the wonderful example he set. In addition, I think that parents of younger children, for whom the style of writing may be too advanced, will find that their sons and daughters will relish these stories if they are read aloud to them.
The main source for the life of Ramanuja is a book called the Prapannamrta, written in Sanskrit by Anantacarya, a descendant of Andhrapurna. There is some controversy about the date of this work. Some scholars have tried to show that it was written as late as the seventeenth century, but most authorities agree the author was a junior contemporary of Ramanuja's and therefore able to compile the material from first-hand sources. There are 126 chapters in the Prapannamrta, the first 68 of which describe the life of Yamunacarya. The remaining 58 chapters deal with the lives of Yamunacarya, Nathamuni, and other south Indian Vaisnavas. It is this book to which Srila Prabhupada refers when he mentions the life of Ramanuja in his purports to the Caitanya Caritamrta.
Another important work on the life of Ramanuja is the Divya-suri-charitai, a book written in Tamil by Garudavaha, who was also probably a contemporary of Ramanuja, although again this fact is disputed by some authorities. In addition, there is the Guru-parampara-prabhavam by Perumal Jiyar, written in the early part of the fourteenth century and Lokam Jiyar's Ramananujacarya-divya-charitai.
The main pastimes are the same in all these works, but it is frequently found that they vary quite considerably in the detail. For this reason I have occasionally had to use my own discretion in choosing between the different versions. The names of the various characters described also vary, depending mainly on whether they are given in Tamil or the Sanskrit equivalent. By and large I have used the Sanskrit form of the names where I could find them, as I considered that these might sound more familiar to the reader.
One further point that I feel should be mentioned at this stage is the debt that all Vaisnavas owe to Ramanujacarya, whether they be within or outside of his direct disciplic succession. As Gaudiya Vaisnavas, most of our philosophical doctrines come from the writings of the six gosvamis of Vrindavana, in which they transcribed the teachings that had been given orally by Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself. However, any devotee who studies the philosophical teachings of Ramanuja, and Yamunacarya also, will quickly realize how much we have inherited from him in our basic philosophical conclusions. Particularly in the refutation of the mayavada ideas of Sankara, the works of Ramanuja play a key role. As Srila Prabhupada explains: "The statements of the Sankara philosophy, which are the teeth of the mayavadi philosopher, are always broken by the strong arguments of the Vaisnava philosophers such as the great acaryas, especially Ramanujacarya."
Finally I would tike to offer my most humble obeisances at the feet of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, without whose mercy the glories of the Vaisnava acaryas would still be a closed subject to the Western world. I would also like to thank all the devotees who have helped and encouraged me in devotional service over the years. I am well aware that there are many discrepancies and shortcomings in this presentation, but I am praying that all the Vaisnavas will display their characteristic generosity towards me and try to overlook these deficiencies.

- Naimisaranya dasa,
Los Angeles,
January 1986.

Introduction

RAMANUJA'S PHILOSOPHY OF VISISTADVAITA


Ramanuja is well-known as the great philosopher and acarya of the Sri Vaisnava sampradaya. However, it should not be misunderstood that he was the founder of the Sri Vaisnavas. Originally started by Laksmidevi Herself, the Sri sampradaya contained many exalted devotees prior to Ramanuja's appearance to whom he admits his debt in his writings. In their expressions of devotion to the Supreme Lord, all South Indian devotees were influenced by the nine Alvars, who lived several hundred years before the birth of Ramanuja. Despite some minor philosophical differences, it is plain that the themes of devotion and surrender to God, which are essential to Ramanuja's teachings, are based to a large extent on the writings of the Alvars.
In terms of philosophy also Ramanuja was undoubtedly influenced by the teachings of previous Vaisnava acaryas, most notably Yamunacarya and Bodhayana, the commentator on the Vedanta sutras. In many ways the major achievement of Ramanuja as an acarya was to establish a solid philosophical basis for the devotional sentiments that had been expressed in the hymns of the Alvars. In order to do this it was first essential that he refute the impersonalist teachings of Sankara's advaita-vada and large sections of his philosophical writings are dedicated to this task. To combat the teachings of the nondevotional monists, Ramanuja attacked them on their own ground, rarely expressing devotional sentiment and for the most part citing the Upanisads and Vedanta-sutras as scriptural evidence, rather than the overtly Vaisnava sastras. It is for this reason that Ramanuja, unlike Madhva, does not use the Srimad-Bhagavatam to support his teachings. The main philosophical works of Ramanuja are his commentary on Vedanta-sutra (Sri Bhasya), the Vedartha-samgraha, the Vedanta-sara and his commentary on the Bhagavad-gita.
Three hundred years before Ramanuja, Sankaracarya had attempted to establish his doctrine of absolute oneness, a concept bearing many similarities to the Buddhist philosophy. According to Sankara, nothing exists anywhere except Brahman, which is formless, changeless, eternal, and devoid of all attributes. Therefore the variety that we perceive in this world is simply an illusion and does not in reality have any existence. Because the living being is covered by ignorance (avidya or maya) he perceives variety and changes; but when enlightened by pure knowledge, he will realize that everything is in fact Brahman and that his previous perceptions were simply illusion. Obviously, in such a philosophy devotion is also ultimately meaningless because the distinction between God and His devotee is also illusory.
In his commentary on Vedanta-sutra, Ramanuja strongly attacks Sankara's ideas. He states that the concept of Brahman as being indeterminate, without qualities or changes, is meaningless. Any reality that cannot be perceived, known, thought of, or even spoken about is simply fiction. The cosmic manifestation with all of its varieties may be temporary, but that does not mean it is unreal. Illusion is to perceive something as different from its real nature and not, as Sankara states, to perceive something that does not in fact exist. When one mistakes a shell for silver, both the silver and the shell are real, but the illusion is mistaking one thing for the other. Therefore the universe is real, but the illusion is to accept it as the all in all, and not consider the underlying basis of existence, which is God.
In commenting on the the second aphorism of the Vedanta-sutra, janmady asya yatah, Ramanuja establishes that all manifestations from the Supreme Reality must also be real. The sutra states that Brahman is that from which everything else has come into being. Because it does not state that Brahman is that from which the illusion of manifestation arises, it must be accepted that the manifestation are not illusory.
The philosophy Ramanuja presented as a logical alternative to that of Sankara is called Visistadvaita-vada, or qualified oneness. It is accepted that there is an underlying unity to all existence, but this oneness of Brahman is qualified by variety. Three categories are recognized , which are distinct from one another , but together comprise a unity. These are cit , the individual living beings, acit, inert matter and Isvara, the controller-God. Cit and acit are seen as the body of God and thus are dependent upon Him, just as the body is dependent on the soul and cannot exist without it. This idea of matter and living beings comprising the body of God is essential for understanding the relationship between them. There is unity between the body and soul, yet a real distinction is recognized.
Transformation takes place within the world, and this cannot be dismissed as illusion. Sankara tried to established that nothing exists except for the one undifferentiated, changeless Brahman. Transformation is real, but it pertains only to the cit and acit; Isvara remains eternally changeless. Just as transformation affects the body although the soul is unaffected, so the universe and the living beings, the body of God, are subject to various transformations; He remains eternally changeless. The distinctions between the three categories are real; but, because the cit and acit are dependent on Isvara, they cannot be looked upon as being separate from Him. The living beings are inseparable from Brahman, though they are substantive realities and thus qualify Brahman as the body qualifies the soul. This is the meaning of Visistadvaita, or qualified oneness.
In describing the individual soul, Ramanuja followed closely the teachings given by Yamunacarya in the Siddhi-traya. Although atomic in size, the soul spreads the consciousness throughout the body, like the rays coming from the lamp. As the body of God, the individual living beings are totally dependent on Him, but He allows them the free will to act as they desire. In fact He creates the facility that enables them to enact their various desires. Thus complete dependence on God does not interfere with the free will of the individual. The only exception to this general rule are with regard to those who are particularly devoted to God and those particularly inimical towards Him. For the devotees, Hi manifests His grace by generating within them such desires that they adopt actions by which they may easily win Him. Within those who are particularly opposed to Him, He generates desires that lead to actions that take the individual further away from Him. Though originally pure, the self becomes afflicted with worldly desires through contact with matter. Ignorance of one's real nature, which gives rise to so many material desires, is a result of association with matter. When this ignorance is removed, then the soul can be liberated from the bondage of material existence.
Sankara had contended that all religious duties are dependent upon a perception of variety and, therefore, ultimately illusory. Ramanuja refuted this argument by stressing that devotion is the only true path to liberation. All religious duties should be seen as a means to increase one's devotion to God; they are never to be given up. In the state of liberation, the individuality of the self is not negated as Sankara had contended. What is negated is the false sense of independence from God, which is the essence of the individual's illusion. This can be achieved only by the grace of God, which is realized by the practice of bhakti, or devotion. Knowledge alone, without devotion, is insufficient to free the soul from material bondage. The state of pure devotion is one in which the mind is fixed constantly on the Lord in a mood of profound love. Surrender to the will of God (prapatti) is essential for the achievement of His grace. In the context of devotion and surrender to the will of God, considerations of caste and social status are irrelevant; devotion is enacted from the platform of the soul.
Ramanuja differed from Yamunacarya by stating that the existence of God cannot be demonstrated by inference in observing the cosmic manifestation. Although the universe must certainly have a cause, it cannot be presumed that the cause is God. It could equally be accepted that the universe was created in different parts at different times by different personalities. When we see a large number of pots, it is certain they have a creator; it cannot be presumed they were generated simultaneously by a single personality. From observing the universe one can conclude it is a product of intelligence, but there is nothing to show whether it was brought about by one creator or many. As God is by nature transcendent and beyond the range of the senses, it is impossible to find proof of His existence through the method of observation.
Having thus disposed of the ascending processes of acquiring knowledge of God, Ramanuja concludes that the existence of God can be known by the testimony of the scriptures alone. All other proofs of the existence of God may be countered by opposing logical arguments. Because the scriptures are of divine origin, their version must be accepted as absolute. On this basis Ramanuja states that Isvara is Lord Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as is revealed in the Vedic scriptures. The descriptions of God contained therein are factual and authentic and must be accepted as being beyond the range of mundane argument.
Anyone who is familiar with the Gaudiya-Vaisnava tradition will surely recognize the vast amount of common ground that exists between visistadvaita and the acintya-bhedabheda philosophy of simultaneous, inconceivable oneness and difference expounded by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In fact it has been pointed out by some commentators that acintya-bhedabheda is the natural conclusion that resolves the difficulties inherent in some of the ideas of visistadvaita.
The major problem with Ramanuja's philosophy arises when he attempts to define the exact relationship between the living beings, the universe, and God. The idea of qualified oneness gives only a vague explanation how the unity of all beings with God is reconciled with the eternal differences between them. The concept of oneness also leads one to question how God remains changeless and free from the contamination that affects His integral elements in the form of the individual souls.
To overcome this difficulty Ramanuja uses the soul/body analogy to explain the relationship of qualified oneness. However, there are shortcomings in this analogy, for the body is completely inert and is controlled absolutely by the soul. Therefore, just as the soul is responsible for the actions of the body-if the analogy were followed to its logical conclusion - it would appear that God would be held responsible for the actions of all beings, who would be completely devoid of free will.
Philosophically, the relationship between the living entities and God is indescribable. This understanding is signified in the Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy by the word acintya, inconceivable. From certain of his statements it would appear that Ramanuja accepts the idea of oneness and difference, while at the same time stating that he feels it to be inadequate as an explanation of the relationship between God and the individual souls. Because it is impossible to define the idea of oneness and difference in terms of pure logic, Ramanuja attempted to employ the soul/body analogy to more accurately explain this relationship. However, because of the difficulties we have noted in completely accepting this definition, a study of the philosophy of Ramanuja inevitably draws one to the conclusion of inconceivable oneness and difference - acintya-bhedabheda-tattva.

I. Yamunacarya

In the south of India many great devotees have appeared to spread the glories of the Lord. Of all these devotees, perhaps the most famous is Sri Ramanujacarya, whose life is the subject of this book. However, just before Ramanuja there lived another great Vaisnava whose life and teachings had a tremendous influence on Ramanuja, although in fact the two of them never met. This was Sri Yamunacarya, also known as Alabandara - "The Conqueror." It is appropriate in considering the life of Ramanujacarya that we should first look briefly at this great soul, the illustrious writer of the famous Stotra-ratna.
Yamunacarya was born around AD 918 in the city of Madurai in south India, which was then the capital of the mighty Pandya kings. His grandfather was a well-known scholar and devotee known as Nathamuni, who was also famous for his mystic abilities and expertise in the practice of astanga yoga. It was Nathamuni who first compiled the songs of Nammalvara, a famous south Indian devotee, and had them set to music.
Nathamuni's son was a handsome, intelligent young man named Isvaramuni, who married a beautiful young wife. Shortly after the wedding, Isvaramuni traveled with his wife and parents to visit the holy places of pilgrimage in northern India, including Vrndavana, the birthplace of Lord Krsna. Just a few months after their return from this pilgrimage, Isvaramuni's wife gave birth to a baby boy, and, in memory of the sacred river which flows through Vrndavana, Nathamuni named him Yamuna.
However, the joy of the young couple was but short-lived, for just a few years after the birth of the child Isvaramuni passed from this world, leaving his young wife a widow.
Nathamuni was so distressed by the untimely death of his son that he decided to have no more to do with the affairs of this world. He left his wife and relatives to take up the life of a renounced sannyasi, totally dedicating himself to the worship of Lord Visnu. Thus at a very young age Yamunacarya was left to be brought up by his mother and aged grandmother, living a life of great poverty.


THE CHALLENGE

When he was five years old, Yamunacarya went to study at the school of Bhasyacarya and quickly won his teacher's affection, both for his sweet nature and his ability to learn quickly. He studied hard, and by the time he was twelve years old he was Bhasyacarya's best student.
In those days in India, great scholars used to challenge one another to see who was the more learned in Vedic scriptures and more skilled in the science of logic. While Yamunacarya was studying at the school of Bhasyacarya, there was a great scholar who lived at the court of the Pandya king. His name was Kolahala, and he was a great favorite of the king because he could defeat any other scholar in a debate. In fact, the king had passed a law decreeing that every scholar who had been defeated by Kolahala must pay a tax to him every year - if anyone refused he would be put to death.
Now Yamunacarya's teacher, Bhasyacarya, had also been defeated by Kolahala, and so he too was obliged to pay this tax. However, because he was a very poor man, he had not been able to pay for the past two years. One day, when Bhasyacarya was away on business and all the other students had gone home, Yamunacarya was left alone in the school. At that time one of Kolahala's disciples came there to collect the overdue tax from Bhasyacarya.
"Where is your teacher?" he demanded in imperious tones when he saw that Yamunacarya was alone in the school.
"Might I know, sir, who has sent you here?" replied Yamunacarya in a very gentle voice, anxious not to give any offense.
"What!" exclaimed the disciple, "do you not know that I am a disciple of the greatest and most erudite scholar in all of India? Kolahala is the terror of all other scholars, and even the great Pandya king is his obedient servant. All those scholars defeated by the great Kolahala must pay a yearly tax or else forfeit their lives. Has your teacher become insane that he dares to withhold payment for two years? Or is it that he intends to challenge my master again, just as a moth rushes into a blazing fire."
Yamunacarya was by nature very kindhearted, and he hardly ever quarreled with his fellow students. However, he also had great love and respect for his teacher. Therefore, when he heard Bhasyacarya being spoken of in that contemptuous manner, he felt such pain at heart that he could not restrain himself and replied very strongly to Kolahala's messenger. "How foolish you are and how foolish your teacher is as well, for who but the greatest fool would train his disciple to possess such monumental pride, instead of removing such qualities from his heart. Why should my noble teacher waste his time debating with such a man? Go and tell your master that the lowest disciple of the great Bhasyacarya challenges him to a debate. If he dares to face me, let him send his reply at once."


PREPARATIONS FOR THE DEBATE

Kolahala's disciple was so astonished and indignant that he could not think of anything to say, but left in a furious rage to inform his teacher of this insult. When Kolahala heard what had happened, he could not help but laugh on hearing the age of his rival. The Pandya king decided to send another messenger to the boy to see whether he was insane, and, if he was serious about the debate, to bring him immediately. When the royal messenger came and told Yamunacarya of the king's command, the boy replied, "I will certainly obey the command of his majesty the king; but if I am to be accepted as a proper opponent of the great Kolahala, then surely a conveyance should be sent to bring me to the palace"
After discussing Yamunacarya's reply, the king and his courtiers agreed that the boy's statement was fitting and sent a costly palanquin and one-hundred soldiers to conduct him to the palace. In the meantime news of these events had spread all over the city of Madurai, and Bhasyacarya heard the whole story as he was returning home. He was very unhappy to learn of the danger his favorite student was facing, for though the king was generous by nature, it was well known that he dealt very severely with anyone who insulted the court pandita.
Yamunacarya, however, was not in the least concerned. "There is no reason, revered sir, for you to be alarmed," he consoled his teacher when he returned to the school, "for you can be certain that, by your grace, I will smash the pride of Kolahala."
While they were thus talking, the king's men arrived at the school with the palanquin. Yamunacarya worshipped the feet of his guru and calmly climbed into the palanquin, preparing himself for the great debate that was about to take place. A large crowd of people had gathered along the way, for it was unheard of that a twelve-year-old boy should challenge the court pandita and everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the wonderful child. The brahmanas, many of whom had already been defeated by Kolahala, offered him blessings, saying, "May you defeat this insolent pandita, just as Visnu in the form of a dwarf brahmana displaced Bali Maharaja, the king of the asuras."
Meanwhile, in the royal court a difference of opinion arose between the king and queen about Yamunacarya. The king said, "Just as a cat plays with a mouse, so will Kolahala defeat and destroy the boy". But the queen was more thoughtful, realizing that Yamunacarya was no ordinary child. "Just as a small spark," she said, "can turn a mountain of cloth to ashes, so will this boy destroy the mountain-like pride of Kolahala."
"How can you really believe that this is possible?" exclaimed the king in amazement. "If you truly have faith in the child, then you must make a wager to back your words". "Very well," replied the queen, "I will make a wager. If the boy does not defeat and humble the proud Kolahala, I will become the servant of your maidservant."
"This is certainly a mighty wager," said the king, "but I will match it. If the boy defeats Kolahala, as you say, then I will give him half of my kingdom." While the king and queen were thus exchanging wagers, the palanquin arrived and Yamunacarya entered the palace. When Kolahala saw him, he looked at the queen and smiled sarcastically. "Ala-bandara," he said, meaning, "Is this the boy who will conquer me?"
"Yes," replied the queen quietly, "Ala-bandara. This is he who has come to conquer you."


THE CONTEST

When the contestants were seated, Kolahala began the debate by putting simple questions on Sanskrit grammar to Yamunacarya. When, however, he found the boy could answer them with ease, he began to pose really difficult grammatical problems; but still, Yamunacarya replied to them all without difficulty.
He then spoke to the great pandita with a playful smile on his lips. "Because I am just a boy, you are insulting me by asking these simple questions. Remember that Astavakra was no older than myself when he defeated Bandi at the court of King Janaka. If you judge a person's learning by his size, then surely it follows that the water buffalo will be a greater scholar than yourself."
Although Kolahala winced at these words, he controlled his anger and replied smilingly, "Well answered. Now it is your turn to put questions to me".
"Very well," Yamunacarya responded, "I will put three propositions before you, and, if you can refute them, I shall accept defeat." Kolahala agreed and prepared to refute Yamunacarya's statements. "My first proposition is this," Yamunacarya spoke out clearly and boldly, "that your mother is not a barren woman. Refute this if you can."
Hearing this, Kolahala remained silent. "Had my mother been barren, my birth would not have been possible," he thought. "How can I refute his statement" Seeing Kolahala as silent as a dumb man, all the courtiers were astonished. Although the great pandita tried to conceal his anxiety, he could not prevent a flush from crossing his cheeks.
Yamunacarya spoke again, "Sir, if in spite of your all-conquering intelligence you are unable to refute my first proposition, then please hear my second. It is this, that the Pandya king is supremely righteous. Refute this if you can." On hearing this Kolahala, was deeply disturbed, sensing his imminent defeat. With the king seated there in front of him, how could he deny the boy's statement? Again he remained silent, the color draining from his face as he was scarcely able to control his anger.
Yamunacarya spoke again, "Here is my third proposition-that the queen of the Pandya king is as chaste and faithful to her husband as was Savitri. Refute this if you can."
Seeing how he had once again been trapped by the intelligent boy, Kolahala could no longer restrain his anger. "You rascal," he screamed, "how can any loyal subject say that his king is unrighteous or his queen unfaithful to her husband? It is true I have not replied to your statements, but that does not mean I am defeated. First you must refute your own propositions, and, if you cannot, you should be put to death, for the implications of your words are treason against your king and queen."
When Kolahala shouted out these words, all his disciples and supporters cheered; but all those who favored Yamunacarya cried, "No, Kolahala is defeated. He is simply letting forth his anger, because he could not refute the statements of Yamunacarya as he promised to do."
Thus an argument broke out in the palace, but in the midst of the contention Yamunacarya quieted them all by saying, "Please stop this argument, for it is unnecessary. I shall refute all my propositions one by one. Please hear me" At this everyone fell silent and turned their attention to Yamunacarya, wondering how he could possibly do this and yet not offend the king and queen.
"My first statement," he continued, "was that our great pandita's mother was not a barren woman. However, it is stated in the Manusamhita that a woman who has only one child is to be considered barren. As your mother gave birth to only one son, even though he is a man of such merit as yourself, according to the sastra, she must be considered barren. Secondly, I stated that the king of the Pandyas is a most righteous man. However, the Manu' samhita states that a king enjoys the benefit of one sixth of the religious acts of his subjects, but also has to bear the burden of one sixth of their sinful deeds. Because in the present age of Kali men are more prone toward sinfulness than piety, it must follow that our king, although flawless in his own character, is bearing a heavy burden of unrighteousness. And now to my third proposition, which stated that our queen is as chaste and faithful as was Savitri. But again, if we consult the laws of Manu, it is said that the king is the representative of Agni, Vayu, Surya, Candra, Yama, Kuvera, Varuna, and Indra. Therefore, the queen is married not just to one man, but to these eight demigods as well. So how can it be said that she is chaste?"
On hearing these wonderful answers, all the people were filled with amazement and the queen joyfully cried out, "Alabandara! Alabandara!- He has conquered! He has conquered!"
The king immediately came forward and embraced Yamunacarya. "Just as on the rising of the sun," he said, "all the insignificant stars fade away, so you, 0 learned Alabandara, have conquered the proud Kolahala by your learning and skill. This fellow just a short while ago was demanding your death, now you may deal with him as you see fit. I have also promised to give you half my kingdom as a prize for this victory, and that promise I will certainly fulfill."
Of course, Yamunacarya forgave Kolahala, and, although he was but a boy of twelve years, he began at once to rule the kingdom he had won. Thus his days of poverty were over.


YAMUNACARYA AS A KING

When Yamunacarya became the ruler of half the kingdom of the Pandyas, some of the neighboring kings saw this as a fine opportunity to invade and plunder his lands. When he learned of this from his spies, the boy king marched against them with a strong army before they were prepared, and they were all forced to surrender to him.
In this way he enlarged his domain and began to rule the kingdom. Unfortunately, although he was a shrewd and righteous monarch, he became distracted from his spiritual understanding by political dealings and the sense pleasures that go along with a high position. He forgot that this life is but a temporary stage in our eternal existence and gradually gave up his acts of devotion to Lord Visnu.


RAMA MISRA'S SCHEME

Meanwhile, Nathamuni, Yamunacarya's grand-father, passed from this world to return to the lotus feet of the Lord. He had always loved Yamunacarya very dearly, and he was filled with sorrow to hear how his grandson had abandoned the path of devotion for the sake of enjoying sensual pleasures. Therefore, when he was on his deathbed, he called for his chief disciple, Rama Misra, and made a last request of him: "My dear grandson, Yamunacarya, who is known as Alabandara, has forgotten the greatness and glory of Lord Visnu, being attracted by the temporary pleasures of this material world. Now I am preparing to give up my life, and I can do nothing more to deliver him. Therefore my last request to you is that you save my grandson from the darkness of nescience in which he is now sunk. I leave him to your care."
Rama Misra, being a dutiful disciple, never forgot this last instruction of his guru-maharaja. Therefore, several years later when Yamunacarya was thirty-five years old, he went to his palace seeking an interview. However, when he arrived there, he saw that the gateway to the palace was crowded with the chariots and soldiers of different kings. Even powerful noblemen had to wait for a long time before they were able to gain an audience with the mighty Alabandara. As a poor sannyasi beggar, Rama Misra realized that there was little chance of his ever getting to see Yamunacarya and that he would have to think of a plan by which to accomplish his mission.
As well as being a great devotee and preacher, Rama Misra was also learned in the science of Ayur-veda. There is a certain type of spinach, known as tuduvalai, that grows in South India. This tuduvalai is famous for developing the qualities of goodness in a man, making his mind peaceful and serene. Rama Misra found some of these plants growing near the palace. Collecting the green leaves, he brought them to the chief cook in the royal kitchen.
When the cook came to see him, Rama Misra addressed him as follows, "May Lord Narayana bless you. I beg you to please serve these tuduvalai leaves to the king every day, for it is well known that he is a pious man. By eating this herb he will be able to develop his qualities of goodness and also increase the duration of his life. Every day I will bring some here to you." As it happened the cook was a pious man who knew the value of the tuduvalai plant and he happily agreed to Rama Misra's proposal.
Thus, every day for two months Rama Misra brought the green leaves of the tuduvalai plant to the royal kitchen, and every day they were served to Yamunacarya, who very much appreciated them. When Rama Misra heard this, he deliberately stayed away one day; when the king found that the tuduvalai preparation was absent from his plate, he called for the cook. "Why did you not cook that spinach preparation for me today?" he asked.
"Your majesty," the cook replied, "the sadhu who usually brings the spinach did not come today."
"Who is this sadhu and what price does he ask for his service?" asked Yamunacarya.
"My Lord," replied the cook, "I do not know the name or dwelling place of that sadhu. He will accept no payment at all for his service and renders it only out of love and regard for your majesty."
On hearing this Alabandara told the cook, "If this man comes again, show him due respect and bring him to me."
The next day Rama Misra again brought tuduvalai leaves to the kitchen door, and the cook at once brought him to Yamunacarya. Seeing that pious brahmana before him, the king was delighted and said, "Holy sage, I am your servant. Please accept my obeisances at your feet. I have heard that every day you gather and bring tuduvalai for me and will accept no payment for this service. Is there anything that I can do for you?"
Hearing this Rama Misra said, "I have something very important to tell you, but it must be in private". When the cook had been dismissed, he went on. "Some years back your grandfather, the renowned Nathamuni, left this world and returned to Vaikuntha. Before he departed, however, he left in my care a great treasure to be given to you at the right time. Now I am asking you to accept this treasure."
Yamunacarya was very pleased to hear these words, for at that time he was preparing a campaign against a rebellious king and was in great need of money. Knowing what a wonderful person his grandfather had been, he readily believed the sadhus words. In great delight he said to Rama Misra, "Sir, you are certainly a most saintly person, being so renounced that you have not kept this treasure for yourself. Now please tell me where it is to be found."
Rama Misra answered, "If you follow me I will take you there. It is kept within seven walls, between two rivers, guarded by a great serpent. Every twelve years a demon from the south goes to inspect the treasure, which is guarded by mantra. Through the power of mantra the treasure will be revealed to you."
In fact the treasure that Rama Misra was describing was the beauty of Lord Ranganatha, the Deity who resides within a seven-walled temple on an island in the Kaveri River. The serpent is the bed of Ananta-Sesa, on whom the Lord is reclining. It is said that this Deity was first installed by Vibhisana, the brother of Ravana, and that every twelve years he goes to Rangaksetra to worship the Lord. The powerful mantra is the holy name of the Lord, for by chanting the holy name one is able to gain the transcendental vision by which one can appreciate that the Deity is non-different from the Lord Himself.


YAMUNACARYA’S CONVERSION

However, Alabandara could not understand the real meaning of Rama Misra's words, and, being anxious to acquire the treasure, he said, "I am ready to go there immediately along with four divisions of my army. Please be our guide"
"It is better if we go alone," replied Rama Misra, "for it is not advisable for many people to assemble there."
The king accepted this proposal, and, having made arrangements for the management of the kingdom in his absence, he prepared to set out with the sadhu. Leaving the city of Madurai behind them, they traveled in a northerly direction. At noon, while they were resting from the heat of the sun, Rama Misra began to chant the verses of the Bhagavad-gita.
It was many years since Yamunacarya had read and studied this great scripture, and while he had ruled as a king the sublime teachings of the Gita had been far from his heart. But now, as he listened to Rama Misra's sweet voice bringing forth the words of Sri Krsna, he began to realize the illusory nature of his position as a king and to see how he was neglecting the real goal of life. When Rama Misra had finished chanting all the eighteen chapters, Yamunacarya fell down at his feet and begged, "Please accept me as your servant, so that I may be able to continually relish the sweet nectar of Sri Krsna's words. Now, as I hear from you, all the pleasures of my worldly life seem pale and insignificant."
At this Rama Misra smiled and said, "If you have the time to spare, then why not stay here for a few days and study the Gita with me."
Now that a taste of the real value of life had begun to reawaken in the heart of the king, his concern over material affairs was diminished. "Whatever duties I may have in this world," he replied, "certainly the most important duty for every man is to understand the true meaning of the Bhagavad-gita. "
Thus, the two of them remained in that solitary place for almost a week, and every day Rama Misra spoke on the sublime teachings of the Gita, while Yamunacarya listened with rapt attention. With every word that the sadhu spoke, the king's attachment for his material opulence was diminished. This is natural, for once one becomes truly aware of the glory and sweetness of the Supreme Lord, Sri Krsna, the pleasures of this world seem worthless in comparison. When Rama Misra reached the eighth verse of the twelfth chapter, he sang in a voice choked with tears,

mayy eva mana adhatsva
mayi buddhim nivesaya
nivasisyasi mayy eva
ata urdhvam na samsayah

"Just fix your mind upon Me, the Personality of Godhead, and engage all of your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always without a doubt."
When he heard this wonderful verse, Yamunacarya was filled with remorse and cried out, "Alas! Alas! All these years I have wasted my life, with my mind and intelligence absorbed only in thoughts of lust and wealth. When will that day come when I will be able to remove such useless things from my heart and fix my mind completely on the lotus feet of Sri Krsna?"
Hearing this pure sentiment, Rama Misra consoled the king, saying, "Your majesty, your pure mind rests always on the lotus feet of the Lord. Just for a short time it has been captivated by worldly desires, as a small cloud obscures the sun's rays for a short time. Now that cloud has almost gone, and the sun will shine again and dispel the darkness from your heart."
At this point Alabandara decided that he wanted no more to do with material life, and so he told Rama Misra, "Now, all I desire is to become your disciple, and so I have no need of the wealth left by my grandfather."
"But I gave my word to Sri Nathamuni," replied Rama Misra, "and so I must deliver the treasure to you to keep my vow intact. Now let us continue our journey together."
After walking for four days, they reached the banks of the Kaveri River and the next day crossed over to the island on which stands the sacred temple of Sri Ranganatha. Rama Misra led Yamunacarya through the six outer gates, until they stood before the doors of the temple room itself. Then Rama Misra said, "In front of us lying on the bed of Ananta-Sesa is the treasure that was your grandfather's only property - Sri Ranganatha, the Lord of Laksmidevi, the most beautiful of all personalities."
Hearing these words, Yamunacarya ran forward and fell unconscious at the feet of the Deity. From that day he had no desire to resume his royal position. He took initiation from Rama Misra and spent the rest of his days totally absorbed in service to Sri Ranganatha. Part of his kingdom was returned to the Pandya kings, and a part of it he gave for the service of Lord Ranganatha. He received from his guru the mantra of eight syllables - om namo narayanaya and by chanting this mantra he attained the topmost platform of loving devotion to the Lord. On the order of Rama Misra he learned the art of mystic yoga and meditation from Sri Kurakanatha, who had been instructed in that science by Nathamuni himself.
After the disappearance of his guru, Alabandara was accepted as the head of the Vaisnava community. Whilst he was the acarya at Sri Rangam, he wrote four books of Vaisnava philosophy, as well as many prayers in glorification of the Supreme Lord. In particular he was devoted to the writings of his ancestor Nammalvara, which he recited constantly and taught to all of his disciples. Eventually the king of the Cholas and his queen were also converted, and they dedicated themselves to the worship of Lord Visnu. All the devotees in south India adored Yamunacarya for his renunciation, learning, humility, and steadfast devotion.

II. Ramanuja's Student Life

One of Yamunacarya’s chief sannyasi disciples was Sri Sailapurna. He had two sisters, the elder named Kantimati and the younger named Diptimati. Kantimati was married to a very pious brahmana known as Asuri Kesavacarya. Because of his expertise in the performance of all five kinds of fire sacrifice, he was also known as Sarvakratu.
Years passed by, and the couple lived happily in the village of Bhutapuri, but, because they still had no children, Kesavacarya became disturbed at heart. He decided to perform a fire sacrifice to please the Lord and thus beg Him for the gift of a son. For this purpose he journeyed with his wife to the temple of Sri Partha-sarathi on the shores of the ocean, in what is now the city of Madras. There they performed sacrifices together, begging the Lord to be merciful to them and grant them the benediction of a son.
Certainly Lord Visnu was pleased by their prayers, for about one year later Kantimati gave birth to a baby boy, who bore all auspicious marks on his body. This was in the year AD 1017, and it was this child who grew up to be renowned all over the world as Sri Ramanujacarya, the great devotee of Lord Narayana.
At about the same time, Kantimati's younger sister, Diptimati, also gave birth to a son. On hearing the news of the births of his two nephews, Saila-purna, the intimate disciple of Yamunacarya, came to visit them. He was astonished to see all the auspicious marks on the body of Kantimati's son, and he gave him the name Ramanuja, a name of Laksmana which means the younger brother of Rama. To Diptimati's son he gave the name Govinda.


MEETING WITH KANCIPURNA

As Ramanuja grew, the brilliance of his intellect soon became apparent. When he began to attend school, he could easily remember anything he was taught, even after hearing it only once. All the teachers in the school loved the boy, not only because he was a brilliant scholar, but also because of his gentle, courteous nature.
At that time there was a famous devotee of the Lord named Kancipurna, who lived in the nearby city of Kancipuram. He was a disciple of Yamunacarya, and, although he was born in a sudra family, his intense devotion to the Lord was so apparent that even strict brahmanas would offer him all respect. Every day he would travel from the city of Kanci to the village of Poonamalle to worship the Deity there. As Bhutapuri was midway between the two places, he would daily pass by Ramanuja's house.
One evening as Ramanuja was returning home from school, he met Kancipurna face to face and was immediately attracted by the demeanor of this holy man. With great humility Ramanuja invited Kancipurna to come to his house for a meal, and the great devotee readily agreed, being very much attracted to this gentle brahmana boy.
After his guest had finished his meal, Ramanuja began to massage his feet. At this Kancipurna protested, "I am nothing but a low-born sudra and am thus your servant. It is not proper for a brahmana like you to deal with me in such a way."
Ramanuja replied, "If my position as a brahmana prevents me from worshipping a great soul such as yourself, then I consider my birth to be the most inauspicious. Is it just the wearing of a cheap thread that makes one a brahmana? Only that person who is fully devoted to Lord Visnu is a real brahmana, no one else."
Kancipurna was filled with wonder and delight to hear the boy's firm faith in devotional service. Long into the night the two of them sat up discussing topics about the Lord and the ways of devotion. That night Kancipurna stayed at Ramanuja's house and proceeded on his journey the next morning. From that day forth both of these great devotees were bound together by the love that each bore for the other.


MOVING TO KANCIPURAM

When Ramanuja was only sixteen years old, his father, Asuri Kesavacarya, wanted to get him married. Accordingly, he selected a beautiful young girl to be his son's bride and made all the arrangements for the wedding celebration. The festivities lasted for an entire week and all the poor people of the neighborhood were satisfied by the distribution of large amounts of prasadam. After the couple had been married for only one month, however, tragedy struck the family - Kesavacarya left this world. Kantimati was afflicted with terrible grief, and for Ramanuja also it was a time of great sorrow. Now that Kesavacarya had left them, Bhutapuri was no longer a happy place for the family, and they decided to move to the city of Kanci. Ramanuja went first to construct a residence for them, and when it was completed they all moved there.


AT THE SCHOOL OF YADAVAPRAKASA

At that time a very learned scholar was living at Kanci. His name was Yadavaprakasa, and the fame of scholarship had attracted a large group of disciples to him. Being desirous of understanding the Vedic literatures, Ramanuja also became his student, and his pleasant nature and quick intelligence soon endeared him to the great pandita. However, this relationship did not last for very long, for despite his learning and knowledge of the scriptures, Yadavaprakasa was a firm adherent of the mayavada philosophy of absolute oneness. He taught that the all-pervading Brahman was the Absolute Truth and that the personal God, Lord Visnu, was illusory. Ramanuja was a pure devotee of the Lord, and so he was pained to hear the statements of Yadavaprakasa, that denied the supremacy of his beloved Lord. Out of humility and respect for his guru, Ramanuja would not point out the defects in these impersonalist teachings, but the situation gradually became impossible to tolerate.


THE FIRST CONFRONTATION

One day when the other students had gone home to take lunch, Yadavaprakasa asked Ramanuja to massage his body with oil. At that time one of the other students returned to the school to discuss with his teacher a passage from the Chandogya Upanisad they had been studying that morning. In particular he inquired about the word kapyasam, which occurs in the first chapter, part six, verse seven. Therein it is stated, kapyasam pundarikam evam aksini.
Following Sankaracarya's interpretation, Yadavaprakasa began to explain that kapyasam referred to the rear-end of a monkey and that the whole passage meant that the Supreme Lord had eyes like lotuses as red as a monkey's rear-end.
On hearing this horrible explanation of the appearance of his beloved Lord, Ramanuja, who was still massaging his guru, was filled with such intense grief that hot tears immediately began to pour from his eyes. When Yadavaprakasa felt the touch of these tears, he looked up in surprise. Seeing Ramanuja's distress, he asked what was causing him such pain. To this inquiry Ramanuja replied, "0 master, it causes me such suffering to hear this terrible explanation from a great soul like yourself. How sinful it is to compare the beautiful lotus eyes of the Lord to the posterior of a monkey. I never expected to hear such a thing from my teacher."
Yadavaprakasa was angered by this challenge from one of his own students, and he replied sharply, "I also am very aggrieved. Impudent words from an inferior are never praiseworthy. If you have become so proud that you think yourself a better teacher than me, then let us hear your explanation of the passage."
"By your mercy everything is possible" replied Ramanuja.
Yadavaprakasa smiled derisively. "Now we are going to see this boy outdo the great Sankaracarya," he said.
Ramanuja remained peaceful, and when he spoke it was in a very humble way. "Instead of understanding the posterior of a monkey from the word kapyasam, " he said, "another meaning is possible. Ka-pi can be taken as kam jalam pibati, that which drinks up the water, or, in other words, the sun. The word asam also means to blossom, so the whole word kapi-asam can be understood as that which blossoms under the sun, or, in other words, the lotus flower. Thus we can understand the mantra of the Upanisad to mean that the Lord has eyes as beautiful as the lotus flower."
Yadavaprakasa was very surprised to hear such a clever explanation from one of his own students and he realized that Ramanuja was a staunch adherent of the devotional philosophy of dualism. The devotees understand that the perfection of life is to worship Lord Visnu without any personal desire, and so they never aspire for oneness as the mayavadis do. This philosophy was directly opposed to the teachings of Yadavaprakasa and after this incident his affection for Ramanuja began to wane.


MORE CONFLICTS AT SCHOOL

A few days later when Yadavaprakasa was instructing his students from the Taittiriya Upanisad, he made the statement that the Supreme Brahman is Truth, Knowledge, and Infinity. On hearing this impersonal idea of God, Ramanuja could not contain himself. He immediately objected to his teacher’s explanation, saying, "No, this verse means that the Supreme possesses Truth, Knowledge, and Infinity, but still He has His own existence beyond these attributes."
Angered by this unexpected interruption, Yadavaprakasa replied, "You presumptuous child, if you won't accept my explanations, then why do you come here? Why not go home and start a school of your own?" When he had composed himself somewhat, he went on more quietly, "Your explanation is not in accordance with Sankaracarya or any of the previous acaryas, so kindly keep your impertinence to yourself."
By nature Ramanuja was humble and meek, and so he tried to avoid such confrontations with his teacher. However, he was also absolutely devoted to knowledge of the truth: thus, when he heard the misleading monist interpretations being put forward by Yadavaprakasa, he was sometimes unable to contain himself. In the presence of the other students Yadavaprakasa used to make light of these challenges, but in his heart there began to arise a growing fear and hatred for the boy. "As he grows older," he contemplated, "this boy will strongly establish the dualistic philosophy of devotion. This must not be allowed to happen. I will do whatever is necessary to protect the doctrine of monism, even if it means that I have to kill him."


YADAVAPRAKASA'S PLOT

Actually, Yadavaprakasa was very envious of Ramanuja, seeing in him both a purer heart and a greater intellect than his own. One day, therefore, he called all his other students to a secret meeting. There he addressed them, "My dear children, none of you has ever found fault with my teachings, but this impudent Ramanuja has repeatedly challenged my explanations. He may be an intelligent boy, but all his ideas are based on the false doctrine of dualism, seeing a difference between the self and God. He is a complete heretic who will cause havoc in society through his teachings. We must find some way to be rid of him."
"Sir, surely you could just forbid him from coming to the school," suggested one student.
"But then our master's worst fears would be realized," responded another, "for he would open his own school and go on propagating his falsehoods all the more. Already he has written a commentary on the mantra: satyam jnanam anantam brahma, which contradicts everything we have learned from our teacher." This was true, for Ramanuja had effectively refuted Sankara's explanations: and his writing had been widely read and appreciated by Vaisnavas in south India, including Yamunacarya at Rangaksetra.
After discussing the matter for some time, they all agreed the only way to stop Ramanuja was to kill him. They then began to consider how this could be done secretly without anyone discovering their crime. Eventually Yadavaprakasa made a proposal, "Let us all go on pilgrimage to bathe in the Ganges. On the way there are many remote areas, where we can put an end to this heretic without anyone knowing anything about it. By bathing in the sacred Ganges we will free ourselves from the sin of killing a brahmana and when we return we will simply say he felt sick and died on the journey."
All the disciples readily accepted their teacher's suggestion and set out to induce Ramanuja to accompany them on their journey. Ramanuja was delighted at the idea of bathing in the Ganges and happily accepted their invitation. Govinda, Ramanuja's cousin, was living with his aunt in Kancipuram at this time, and he also studied at the school of Yadavaprakasa. When Ramanuja announced that he was going on pilgrimage to North India, Govinda immediately decided to go with his beloved friend and relative.


DANGER IN THE FOREST

Kantimati was unhappy at the prospect of being separated from her son for so many months, but, understanding the meritorious nature of such a venture, she gave him her permission to go. So it was that, at an auspicious moment, the band of disciples, headed by Yadavaprakasa, started out on the pilgrimage. After a few days traveling they came to a desolate region near the Vindhya Hills. Yadavaprakasa considered that this would be a suitable place to put his evil plan into operation, and he told his disciples to prepare themselves. However, while they were discussing the final preparations, Govinda was in the forest nearby, and he heard everything they said. As soon as he had the opportunity, he informed Ramanuja of the great danger he was in.
When he understood the wicked intentions of his teacher and fellow students, Ramanuja left the party and fled into the forest. When his absence was noticed, Yadavaprakasa sent some of the boys into the forest to search for him, but when no one replied to their calls, they concluded that Ramanuja must have been killed by some wild beast. Although secretly very pleased by this apparent turn of events, because of Govinda's presence, they all pretended to be very much aggrieved. Yadavaprakasa spoke to Govinda, instructing him about the temporary nature of the body and bodily relationships, thus revealing his cunning and treacherous nature.


MEETING WITH THE HUNTER

When Ramanuja heard from Govinda of the plot that was threatening his life, he was at first stunned and completely bewildered, it was just half an hour before nightfall: he was a young man of only eighteen years, alone and friendless in a land far from his home. Then suddenly he felt great strength and courage enter his body. "Why should I be afraid?" he considered, "Is Lord Narayana not the protector of His devotees? Therefore what have I to fear from the darkness of the forest?" Thinking like this, he turned his face resolutely towards the south and began walking quickly through the forest. Sometimes he thought he could hear faint voices calling him in the distance, but he never hesitated and continued on his course.
He travelled for most of the night, until eventually, exhausted by hunger and fatigue, he rested beneath a large tree. He awoke the following day, refreshed and vigorous once more. Already it was afternoon, and so he prepared to continue on his journey. While he was considering which direction he should take, he saw a fowler couple approaching him. The hunter's wife said to him, "Is it because you have lost your way that you are sitting here alone in the forest? You look like the son of a brahmana. Where is your home?"
"My home is far from here," replied Ramanuja, "way to the south. Have you heard of a place called Kancipuram?"
"How is it that you are so bold as to journey alone through this dense forest, which is infested with robbers and wild animals?" asked the hunter. "I know Kancipuram very well, and, as it happens, we are also going in that direction" Ramanuja was very surprised to hear this, and so he asked, "Where are you from and for what reason are you going to Kanci?"
"We are forest dwellers," came the reply, "and live in a small village near the Vindhya Mountains. Because we have made our livelihood by catching birds, we are now going on pilgrimage to Ramesvaram and Kancipuram to free ourselves from the reactions to so many sinful activities. It seems that the Supreme Lord, who gives shelter to everyone, has brought you to us for protection."
At first Ramanuja was a little afraid of the tall, dark-skinned stranger, but there was something about the affection in his face and the sweetness of his words that quickly dispelled all the misgivings from the young brahmanas mind. As it was by now almost evening time, the fowler said, "Let us go quickly through this forest region, and then we can camp for the night near an underground river that is not too far from here"
They set off at once and about an hour later came to the banks of the river. The fowler collected some pieces of wood and lit a fire. Then he prepared a camp site, so that they could spend the night there. Just before he fell asleep, Ramanuja heard the fowler's wife say to her husband, "My dear, I am feeling very thirsty. Can you look for some water for me?"
"Now the night has come," said the fowler, "and it would be foolish to leave the shelter of the firelight. Tomorrow you will be able to quench your thirst with the cool waters of a well that is just near here."


THE LORD PROTECTS HIS DEVOTEE

Early the next morning they rose and continued on their journey. Soon they came to the well the fowler had spoken of, and Ramanuja went down the steps to collect water for the wife of the fowler. Three times he brought water to her, but still her thirst was not satisfied. When he came back for the fourth time, there was no trace of the couple to be seen. They had completely disappeared. It was only then he realized They were in fact Laksmi and Narayana, who had taken the forms of a fowler and his wife just to protect Their devotee and guide him through the dangerous forest.
Seeing the towers of temples and a cluster of houses nearby, Ramanuja asked a passerby, "Sir, what is the name of this town?"
The man looked at him in amazement. "Can't you recognize the reputed city of Kancipuram?" he replied. "Why are you speaking like a stranger? I know that you are one of Yadavaprakasa's students, and I have seen you many times in the city."
Saying this the man continued on his way without waiting for a reply. At first Ramanuja was taken completely by surprise at this unbelievable news, but gradually he began to realize how Laksmidevi and Lord Narayana had bestowed their mercy upon him. Then his heart became filled with the ecstasy of divine love, and with tears rolling down his cheeks he began to offer prayers:

namo brahmanya-devaya
go-brahmana hitaya ca
jagad-dhitdya krsnaya
govindaya namo namah


RAMANUJA'S RETURN

For over an hour Ramanuja remained at the well, rapt in ecstasy, reciting Queen Kunti's prayers from the Srimad-Bhagavatam in glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Eventually three women carrying water pitchers approached the well, and, upon seeing them, Ramanuja controlled his emotions and proceeded on towards Kancipuram.
Ever since her son had set off on the pilgrimage to northern India, Ramanuja's mother, Kantimati, had been in a state of constant lamentation, shedding tears of separation. Thus, when he suddenly appeared at the doorway of the house, she could not at first believe it was actually him. Only when he paid obeisances and spoke to her was she fully convinced. Then she was filled with happiness and began to inquire from him, "My dear child, how is it that you have returned so soon? Where is Govinda? I thought that it would be at least six months before you returned from your pilgrimage to the holy Ganges"
When the whole story had been related to her, Kantimati was horrified by the evil intentions of Yadavaprakasa, but also delighted to hear of the great mercy the Lord had shown her son. At that moment Ramanuja's aunt, Diptimati, the mother of Govinda, came to the house along with Ramanuja's young wife. They were also overjoyed to see he had returned safely. They then began to cook offerings for Lord Narayana, and, just as they were serving prasadam, Kancipurna, who had heard of Ramanuja's arrival, came there. The two devotees warmly embraced one another, and Ramanuja invited Kancipurna to take prasadam as their honored guest. That night the feelings of joy in that small house were practically unlimited.


STUDIES RESUMED

Ramanuja continued to study the scriptures at home, and he asked his mother and aunt to tell no one about Yadavaprakasa’s treacherous dealings. Some months later the acarya returned to Kancipuram along with all his disciples, except for Govinda. When Diptimati asked Yadavaprakasa about her son, he told her that after Ramanuja's disappearance they had journeyed to Benares, where they took darsana of Lord Visvanatha and bathed in the Ganges. They had stayed there for two weeks. One day whilst taking bath in the river, Govinda had discovered a Siva linga in the water. Seeing this as the will of the Lord, Govinda had immediately begun to worship Lord Siva in this form.
As he continued his worship, day by day his devotion to Lord Siva had become more and more fixed. Thus, when they arrived at Kalahasti on the return journey, he told his teacher and the other students that he no longer wanted to return to Kancipuram. He had decided to stay in that holy shrine of the Saivites and dedicate his life to the worship of Lord Sankara.
Diptimati was not an ordinary woman, and, rather than feeling distress at hearing this news, she became completely joyful, considering herself blessed to have such a saintly son. Soon after this she went to Kalahasti to visit Govinda, and, on seeing how he was completely absorbed in worship of Lord Siva and freed from material hankering, her happiness increased many times over.
At first Yadavaprakasa was fearful when he saw that Ramanuja was still living, but he thought the young man must be unaware of the plot he had made to kill him. In the presence of Kantimati he pretended to be overwhelmed with joy at finding her son safe and sound. "You cannot imagine," he told her, "the suffering and anguish all of us underwent when we were unable to find him in the forest."
In actuality the teacher was feeling very ashamed of his wickedness now that he saw Ramanuja's humble behavior. Turning to the young man, he spoke affectionately, "My child, from this day you should come once more to study with me. May the Lord continue to shower His blessings upon you." From that day on Ramanuja resumed his studies with Yadavaprakasa.


YAMUNACARYA'S PRAYERS FOR RAMANUJA

A few days later the venerable Alabandara, accompanied by many disciples, came to Kancipuram to see Lord Varadaraja. While he was returning from the temple, Yamunacarya saw Yadavaprakasa walking with his disciples, his hand resting on Ramanuja's shoulder. Seeing this handsome, effulgent young man, the Vaisnava saint became curious and inquired from his followers as to his identity. When he learned this was the same Ramanuja who had written the wonderful commentary on the Upanisadic mantra, satyam jnanam anantam brahma, he was very pleased. But at the same time he was disturbed to see him under the guidance of such an ardent mayavadi as Yadavaprakasa. He then prayed to Lord Varadaraja for Ramanuja's deliverance from such unfortunate association:
"I take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by whose mercy the deaf may hear, the lame may arise and walk, the dumb may speak, the blind may see, and barren women may bring forth children.
"0 lotus-eyed one, husband of Laksmi, please bestow your full mercy upon Ramanuja, so that he will be able to worship you fully, without any hindrance."
Yamunacarya longed to approach Ramanuja and converse with him, but he was unwilling to associate with a nondevotee like Yadavaprakasa. At this time Alabandara was over one hundred years old and was the leading acarya among all the Vaisnavas in south India. He realized that, if Krsna desired it, he would one day have the chance to meet with Ramanuja alone. Thinking like this, he returned to Sri Rangam.


DELIVERANCE OF THE PRINCESS

Apart from his great learning in the science of Vedanta, Yadavaprakasa was also expert in magical arts, particularly in driving out ghosts and evil spirits. Once it so happened that the princess of Kancipuram came to be possessed by a fearful brahma-raksasa ghost. As Yadavaprakasa's expertise in dealing with such situations was widely known, he was at once summoned to the palace.
However, despite all his mantras, the ghost that was possessing the girl remained completely unmoved. Laughing in a hideous shrill voice, the ghost within the princess called out, "Yadavaprakasa, of what use are all your mantras You are wasting your time. Go back home" Determined not to be defeated, Yadavaprakasa continued with his attempts to exorcise the evil spirit, but to no avail. Again the brahma-raksasa spoke. ‘Why do you waste your strength in vain? Your power is much inferior to mine. The only way that you will be able to force me to leave the body of this beautiful princess is by bringing here your youngest disciple, the devoted Ramanuja. His purity is the only force that can overcome my potency".
Yadavaprakasa then sent word for Ramanuja to come to the palace without delay. When that great devotee of Lord Visnu arrived there and understood the situation, he spoke to the evil spirit, asking it to leave the body of the princess. The brahma-raksasa replied, speaking through the girl, "I will leave this body if you kindly place your lotus feet on my head." Such was the purity of Ramanuja's devotion that even this evil fiend could understand the benefit of taking shelter of such a great soul.
With the permission of his teacher, Ramanuja placed both of his feet on the girl's head, saying, "Now leave this place at once and give us some sign by which we may know in truth that you have departed."
The ghost replied, "Look now, I am leaving this beautiful body, and as a sign I shall break the topmost branch of the nearest banyan tree." At once the highest branch of the banyan tree cracked and felt to the ground, while the princess began to look around her in amazement, like one who has just awakened from sleep. When she was informed by her maidservant of all that had taken place, she hung her head in shame and hurried away to the inner apartments of the palace.
When the King of Kanci heard of his daughter's complete recovery, he hurried to worship the lotus feet of Ramanuja and express his gratitude. From that day on Ramanuja's fame spread throughout the kingdom, and his name was on everyone's lips. Yadavaprakasa, however, was not at all pleased by the turn of events, seeing that his position had been minimized by one of his own students. Now everyone was aware that Ramanuja was far greater in spiritual potency than Yadavaprakasa, and this was not at all to the liking of the proud mayavadi.
In addition, Ramanuja's intense devotion to Lord Visnu was completely incompatible with the dry monistic doctrines expounded by his teacher. Therefore, it seemed that conflict between the two was inevitable.


RAMANUJA'S EXPULSION FROM SCHOOL

The final confrontation was not long in coming. Only a few weeks after Ramanuja's deliverance of the princess, all the students were assembled to hear Yadavaprakasa lecture on the mantras, sarvam khalv idam brahma - 'everything is brahman' and, neha nanasti kincana-'there is nothing else in this world'. He was presenting the impersonalist philosophy in such an expert way that all his students were captivated by his explanations of the oneness of the jiva soul and the Supreme Brahman. Only Ramanuja showed any signs of unhappiness at the acaryas statements.
At the end of the class he spoke up, saying, "The words sarvam khalv idam brahma do not mean that the Supreme Absolute Truth is nothing but the sum total of all creation. Rather, it is seen that the universe comes from the Supreme as His energy, is maintained by Him and, in the end it dissolves back into Him. He maintains His own separate identity, although everything is indeed a part of His expanded energy. The words neha nanasti kincana do not mean that there is no variety at all in this world. Rather, we should understand that all the varieties of creation are held as one, just as separate pearls are held on one thread, although they are still individual entities. Thus, we can see how everything is both one and separate at the same time."
On hearing his teachings nullified by Ramanuja in this way, Yadavaprakasa became very angry and he spoke harshly, "If you do not like my explanations of the scriptures, then do not come to me any more".
"As you wish, sir" Ramanuja replied. He then worshipped the feet of his teacher and left the school, never to return again.


KANCIPURNA

The next day as Ramanuja was sitting at home studying the scriptures by himself, Kancipurna came to visit him. As we have heard before, Kancipurna was a pure devotee of the Lord, who was respected by the most aristocratic brahmanas, though he himself took birth in a sudra family. From his very childhood he had absorbed himself in devotional service to the Deity of Sri Varadaraja. On hot summer days he would serve the Lord by providing cooling breezes with fans dipped in water, and he was always anxious to obtain the very best fruits and flowers to offer to the Lord.
All the people of Kanci loved him for his simple devotion and gentle behavior. Wherever he went all bad feelings and misunderstandings seemed to vanish. Sometimes he would stop in the middle of the road as if stunned, staring into the distance with an expression of great happiness on his face. It was said that he conversed with Lord Varadaraja Himself and that the Lord made His intentions known through the words of Kancipurna. Despite his birth in a sudra family, most of the brahmanas in Kancipuram recognized his exalted devotional qualities and offered him all respects. Only a few, who were very proud of their high birth and knowledge of the scriptures, said he was insane or an imposter. One of these, as you might imagine, was Yadavaprakasa.


INSTRUCTIONS FROM KANCIPURNA

Thus, it was with great happiness that Ramanuja received this wonderful devotee as a guest in his house. Offering him a nice sitting place, he said, "Your coming here is my great good fortune and can only be seen as part of the limitless mercy of Lord Varadaraja, who has sent you here to guide me. You must have heard of my expulsion from the school of Yadavaprakasa. Now I can see that this is not to be regretted, for I will accept you as my guru and teacher."
"Ramanuja, this cannot be," replied Kancipurna gently, "for I am a sudra and an ignorant man, with no knowledge of the scriptures. I simply pass my life rendering a little service to Lord Varadaraja. As a brahmana you are my master, and I am your servant".
"Sir, you are the wisest man I have ever known," said Ramanuja, "and if knowledge of the scriptures brings only pride instead of devotion, then what is its value? By your humble service to the Lord, I can see that you know perfectly the conclusions of all the scriptures."
On saying this Ramanuja fell down to pay his obeisances at the feet of the devoted Kancipurna. That saintly person instantly raised Ramanuja to his feet and told him, "I feel blessed to have seen your deep devotion for the Lord. Every day you should bring a jar of water to the temple for the service of Sri Varadaraja. In this way you will quickly receive His mercy, and all of your desires will be fulfilled."
Having given this advice to the young devotee, Kancipurna left to go and worship Lord Varadaraja. Ramanuja, accepting his instruction, engaged in the service of the Lord by bringing water to the temple of Lord Varadaraja from the sacred well where he had seen the Lord in the form of a fowler.


YAMUNACARYA'S ILLNESS

Ever since the day he had seen Ramanuja in Kancipuram, the aged Yamunacarya had been thinking of him and praying to Lord Visnu for his deliverance. He longed for the day on which Ramanuja would give up the association of Yadavaprakasa and take full shelter of the Vaisnavas. It was with this hope in mind that he composed his wonderful prayer known as the Stotra-ratna, which is adored by devotees even to this day.
A few days after the composition of the Stotra-ratna, Yamunacarya fell gravely ill and was unable to rise from his bed. However, even in this precarious position, hovering between life and death, he continued to preach the glories of the Lord. Fearing the imminent departure of their guru, various disciples put questions before him. Tiruvaranga asked, "If Lord Narayana is beyond mind and speech, how is it possible to serve Him?"
Yamunacarya replied, "The best way to serve Lord Narayana is to serve His pure devotees. In addition you should serve the Deity form of the Lord, even as the blessed Kancipurna serves Lord Varadaraja. All problems are resolved by the statement of the Mahabharata, mahajano yena gatah sa panthah -'Just follow the example set by the great devotees'." Looking into the eyes of his dear disciple, Alabandara continued, "For myself, my only refuge now is the lotus feet of Tirumangai, that noble mahatma who served Lord Ranganatha so perfectly in ancient times."
On hearing these words from his guru, Tiruvaranga's eyes filled with tears and he spoke again in a voice choked with grief, "Have you decided without doubt to leave this world now?"
Alabandara smiled slightly and replied softly, "How is it that such a wise man as yourself is to be seen lamenting for that which is inevitable? Do you not yet understand that everything happens only by the will of Lord Narayana. Our position is to simply accept whatever mercy He bestows upon us, giving up the dualities of happiness and distress."
At that moment two other disciples decided they would commit suicide as soon as Yamunacarya left this world. These two were Mahapurna and Tirukkotiyurpurna.
Another disciple came forward shedding tears and crying out, "Where will any of us go for shelter after your disappearance? Whose sweet words will inspire us to acts of greater devotion?"
Yamunacarya placed his hand on the disciple's head, saying, "My child, there is no need for anxiety, for Lord Ranganatha is there. He has given you shelter in the past, He is giving you shelter now and will continue to protect you in the future. Always go and pray before Lord Ranganatha and sometimes go to see Venkatesa at Tirupati and Varadaraja at Kanci. In this way how will you be without shelter?"
When Tiruvaranga asked whether the body should be buried or cremated, Alabandara gave no reply, for his mind was fixed on the lotus feet of Lord Narayana.


LORD RANGANATHA SAVES HIS DEVOTEES

The next day there was a special procession in Rangaksetra, and the Deity of Lord Ranganatha was carried from the temple on a palanquin. Huge crowds of people had gathered from all the surrounding villages to see the Lord as He passed along the road. The disciples of Yamunacarya were also in attendance. Suddenly one of the pujaris serving the Lord seemed to go into a trance, as if possessed. He spoke out, clearly addressing Mahapurna and Tirukkotiyurpurna, "Give up your resolution to commit suicide. It is not approved by Me."
After this wonderful event, all the disciples quickly returned to the bedside of Yamunacarya to tell him what had happened. He then gave them further instructions. "To commit suicide is a great sin, and to save you from such an act Lord Ranganatha Himself has spoken to you. Such is His boundless mercy." Alabandara then fell silent, and his eyes closed as he seemed to go deep into meditation. After a while he spoke again. "This is my final instruction to all of you. Offer flowers at the lotus feet of the Lord and always try to follow your gurus order. Destroy all false ego by serving the Vaisnavas". Then he gave all his disciples over to the care of Tiruvaranga and fell silent once more.


MAHAPURNA IS SENT TO KANCI

However, Yamunacarya did not depart from the world at this time, and a few days later, to everyone's surprise, he seemed to recover from his illness. He left his asrama and took darsana of Lord Ranganatha, just as he had done previously. Everyone was inspired to hear him talk again about the glories of Lord Visnu.
One day two brahmanas from Kancipuram arrived to see Yamunacarya, having heard of his imminent departure from the world. They were surprised to find the great acarya sitting up and discussing the scriptures, apparently fully recovered from his sickness. When Yamunacarya learned the two brahmanas were from Kancipuram, he immediately inquired from them about the welfare of Ramanuja. They told him he had now given up hearing from Yadavaprakasa and was studying the scriptures alone. Yamunacarya was very pleased to hear that the young devotee was now freed from the dangers of hearing mayavada philosophy, and there and then he composed eight verses glorifying the mercy of the Lord upon His devotees.
He then instructed Mahapurna, one of his senior disciples, "Please go to Kanci and bring Ramanuja here, for I long to see him in the midst of our company of Vaisnavas." Mahapurna offered obeisances at the feet of his guru, and that same day he departed to carry out his order.


DISAPPEARANCE OF YAMUNACARYA

A few days after the departure of Mahapurna, Alabandara's body was afflicted with sickness once more. Despite the intence pain he had to undergo, he still took his bath and went to the temple to see Lord Ranganatha, the Lord of his heart. He took a little maha-prasada and then returned to the asrama, where he called for all of his householder disciples to come to him.
First of all, in a mood of great humility, he begged them to forgive any offense that he might have made towards them. He then asked them to take care of the brahmacari and sannyasi disciples who were living at the asrama. Finally, Yamunacarya gave his last instruction to his householder disciples. "Every day you should rise early and go to the temple to worship Lord Ranganatha, smelling the flowers that have been offered to His lotus feet. In this way your mind and intelligence will become purified, and you will become fixed in your devotion to Lord Narayana. In addition you should always be devoted to your spiritual master and be attentive in serving guests."
When the householder disciples had left, Alabandara sat in a lotus position and concentrated his mind on the feet of Lord Hari. The remaining disciples began to chant the holy name of Lord Narayana in congregation, accompanied by the sweet sounds of the flute and other instruments. As Yamunacarya became even more deeply immersed in thoughts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, tears of ecstasy ran down his cheeks and his body began to tremble. In this ecstatic state of devotional love the great acarya gave up his body and returned to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, his eternal, beloved master.
Immediately the kirtana stopped, and many of the disciples began to cry aloud in lamentation, while others fainted and fell unconscious to the ground. After some time the sannyasis and Yamunacarya’s son, Purna, collected themselves and began to make preparations for the funeral ceremony. The body was washed and dressed in new clothes before being placed on a decorated palanquin. Then, in slow procession, they carried the palanquin down to the banks of the Kaveri River, followed by almost all the inhabitants of Sri Rangam. There, amidst great lamentation, the body of the pure devotee was buried, as is the custom for those who have achieved the perfectional stage of devotional service.


MEETING WITH MAHAPURNA

Meanwhile, on the order of his guru, Mahapurna journeyed to Kancipuram and arrived there after travelling steadily for four days. He immediately went to the temple to see Lord Varadaraja, and as he was leaving he happened to meet Kancipurna, who invited him to spend the night at his asrama. The two devotees passed the evening in discussing topics about the Lord.
Early the next morning they set out together for the holy well and, as they approached, saw Ramanuja coming with a water jug on his shoulder to perform his daily service for Lord Varadaraja. Kancipurrna said, "I must leave you now to worship the Lord in the temple. Here is Ramanuja; go and tell him of your intentions."
Mahapurna was very happy to see the effulgent young devotee coming towards him, appearing so pure and free from the vices of this world. Instinctively he began to chant prayers from Yamunacarya’s Stotra-ratna. Hearing these beautiful hymns in praise of Lord Narayana being sung in such a sweet voice, Ramanuja stood silently, listening intently to the verses. Then he approached Mahapurna and inquired, "Sir, who has composed these wonderful verses, that so sweetly praise the qualities of the Supreme Lord? Just by your singing this morning my heart has been uplifted."
"These hymns were composed by my spiritual master, the venerable Yamunacarya," Mahapurna replied.
Ramanuja was very pleased to hear the name of the famous devotee, but he inquired in a concerned voice, "I had heard that the great Alabandara was afflicted by illness. Is he now recovered? How long is it since you were in his presence?"
"It is but five days since I left the side of my guru-maharaja," replied Mahapurna, "and at that time he had just recovered from his sickness."
Ramanuja was relieved to hear this news, and, being anxious to associate further with the saintly Mahapurna, he invited him to stay at his house. Then Mahapurna explained the purpose of his coming to Kancipuram. "I have come to this holy city at the request of the great soul Yamunacarya, simply to meet with you and invite you, on his behalf, to come to Rangaksetra, so that we may have your association."
Ramanuja could hardly believe such an exalted devotee was even aware of his existence, let alone being desirous of his association. However, Mahapurna reassured him by saying, "My master wishes to see you, and it is for this purpose alone that I have come here. His health has been much impaired by repeated illness, and, although he now seems a little better, I think that we should start immediately if you wish to fulfill his desire."
Ramanuja was so pleased by this unexpected news that he could only ascribe his good fortune to the mercy of Lord Varadaraja. Excitedly he said to Mahapurna, "Please wait here for a short while until I have delivered this water to the temple and taken the Lord's permission to leave."
Saying this he hurried off towards the temple. Just a short time later he returned, all ready to start on the journey. Mahapurna asked, "What about your family? Should you not first inform them of your intentions?"
"Obedience to the order of the guru is more important than any considerations of household life," replied Ramanuja. "Let us depart at once, for I am eager to see Sri Yamunacarya."


ARRIVAL IN SRI RANGAM

Thus, they set out on their journey southwards towards the holy city of Sri Rangam. Each evening they would stop for the night at the home of some pious brahmana devotee, and during the day they would travel with all possible haste. In this way they arrived at the banks of the Kaveri River in four days and immediately crossed over to Sri Rangam. They had intended to go straight away to the asrama of Yamunacarya, which was close to the temple of Lord Ranganatha, but they found the road blocked by a large crowd of people. When Mahapurna asked the reason for this great assembly, one man replied, "Sir, what can I say? The earth is now bereft of its most beautiful gem, for Mahatma Alabandara has returned to the abode of the Lord."
When he heard these words, Ramanuja immediately fainted and fell to the ground unconscious, while Mahapurna cried aloud in anguish, beating his forehead with the palms of his hands. After some time, Mahapurna composed himself, and, seeing Ramanuja still lying unconscious on the ground, he fetched some water and sprinkled it over the young man's face. When Ramanuja slowly opened his eyes, he heard these words of consolation, "Do not be overwhelmed by grief, for we can be sure that everything is taking place by the will of Lord Narayana. Now let us go and see that pure form before it is interred."


RAMANUJA'S THREE VOWS

Ramanuja followed Mahapurna to the banks of the Kaveri. When they saw the body of Yamunacarya, Mahapurna fell at his feet, bathing them with tears, while Ramanuja stood still, looking at the great Vaisnava. Although the life air had passed from the body, Alabandara's face was still serene and untouched by the shadow of death. Ramanuja stood there transfixed, just gazing, as if in a trance, at the face of that great devotee. Suddenly the crowds fell silent and turned to look at Ramanuja, for it seemed that somehow he was able to transcend the barrier of death and be fully in the presence of Sri Yamunacarya.
After a while Ramanuja said, "I see that three fingers of Alabandara's right hand are folded and clenched tight. Were they like that during his lifetime?"
The disciples who were close by replied, "No, his fingers used to remain straight. We cannot guess why they are like this now."
Ramanuja then declared aloud, "Remaining fixed in devotion to Lord Visnu, I shall free the people from illusion by spreading the glories of the Lord throughout the land" As these words were spoken, one of the fingers relaxed and became straight.
Ramanuja spoke again, saying, "To establish that there is no truth beyond Lord Visnu, I shall write the Sri-bhasya commentary on the Vedanta-sutra." At this the second of Yamunacarya's fingers became straight.
Ramanuja declared again, "In order to show respect to the sage Parasara, who has so wonderfully described the glories of the Lord in the Visnu Purana, I shall name one learned Vaisnava after him." With this final statement, the last of Alabandara's fingers relaxed and became straight.
When they saw this wonderful occurrence, everyone there was filled with amazement. They could now understand that Yamunacarya's three tightly held fingers represented his three unfulfilled desires, namely, to preach the glories of the Lord all over India, to compile a complete Vaisnava commentary on the Vedanta-sutra, which would nullify the atheistic doctrines of the impersonalists, and to honor the sage Parasara by naming a disciple after him. Now, Ramanuja's statements confirmed that he would complete the work Alabandara had begun.


RETURN TO KANCI

Before the body was buried in the samadhi tomb on the banks of the Kaveri, Ramanuja had left Sri Rangam to return to Kancipuram. Yamunacarya’s disciples had asked him to take darsan of Lord Ranganatha, but he had refused, saying, "I do not wish to see this cruel form of the Lord, who would not grant my most cherished desire and who has taken away the lord of my heart." Then, he had departed without speaking another word to anyone.
From that day on Ramanuja's personality changed and he became much more grave and serious. He was now even more reluctant to spend time in the company of nondevotees. For long periods he would remain alone, studying the scriptures, and he found true happiness only in the company of Kancipurna.

III. Sannyasa

About six months before the disappearance of Yamunacarya, Ramanuja's mother, Kantimati, had left this world. Now, Raksakambal, the wife of Ramanuja, was the mistress of the house. She was as beautiful as an apsara, devoted to her husband and very strict in her cleanliness and observance of ritual. Unfortunately, she had been unable to imbibe her husband's pure love of God and was more attached to the external features of religious ritual. She was unhappy to see her husband becoming more and more absorbed in devotional sentiments after his return from Sri Rangam, though she tried to conceal her inner feelings.
Ramanuja now passed a lot of his time in the company of Kancipurna. Ramanuja was generally in a serious mood and still unhappy at heart due to feelings of separation from Yamunacarya. Understanding his mind, Kancipurna told him one day, "You should not be troubled at heart. Just remain fixed in your devotion to Lord Varadaraja and continue to serve him in every possible way. Alabandara has now returned to the abode of Lord Narayana, and it is your duty to fulfill the promises you made before Him"
When he heard these words of instruction, Ramanuja bowed before Kancipurna and said, "Please allow me to be your disciple. Please allow me take shelter of your lotus feet"
Immediately, Kancipurna raised Ramanuja, saying, "You are a brahmana and I am sudra. How can I initiate and receive obeisances from one who is my master? Just have faith in the Lord, and sooner or later He will surely send someone who is fit to be your guru."
Having said this, Kancipurna left to worship Lord Varadaraja. Ramanuja thought to himself, "He is refusing to accept me because he knows how my heart is devoid of all devotional sentiments. How can birth or caste affect a person who is the intimate associate of Lord Varadaraja? Merely by his merciful glance, Kancipurna can elevate a dog-eater to the level of a brahmana. Therefore, if I am able to taste the remnants of his food only once, then I will gain immeasurable benefit."


RAKSAKAMBAL'S FOLLY

Later that day, Ramanuja went to persuade Kancipurna to take lunch at his house the next day. Eventually Kancipurna agreed, saying, "Tomorrow I shall break free from the modes of nature by receiving food at the house of a pure devotee."
The next morning, Ramanuja instructed his wife, Raksakambal, that she should cook the very best preparations to honor their exalted guest, Sri Kancipurna. At once she began to cook and before noon had prepared many different types of food. Seeing this Ramanuja was very pleased, and he set out for Kancipurna's asrama to bring him to take prasadam.
Kancipurna could understand all Ramanuja's intentions, and so he came by another way to his friend's house. When he arrived, he said to Raksakambal, "Mother, today I have to go to the temple very quickly. Please serve me with whatever is immediately available, for I cannot stay here for more than a few minutes."
"My husband has gone to your house to bring you here," Raksakambal replied. "If you wait for a short time he will soon return."
"I am afraid I cannot wait here for a moment," said Kancipurna. "How can I neglect my service of Lord Varadaraja just for the sake of my stomach?"
So Raksakambal arranged a sitting place for Kancipurna and then with great attention served him all the different preparations she had cooked. As soon as he had finished eating, Kancipurna stood up and cleaned the place where he had been eating with water mixed with cow dung. He offered his obeisances to Raksakambal and then quickly left the house, taking his leaf plate with him to discard at a distant place. Raksakambal gave away all the remaining prasadam to a sudra woman and then, after taking a bath, began to cook again for her husband.
In the meantime Ramanuja returned home and was very surprised to find his wife still cooking. "Did Kancipurna not come here?" he asked. "Why are you cooking again? Where is all the prasadam that you prepared this morning?"
"Mahatma Kancipurna came here" replied Raksakambal, "but he said that he could not wait for you, as he had service to perform in the temple. Therefore, I served him his lunch and then gave whatever was left to a sudra woman. How could I serve you with the remnants of a sudras meal?"
Ramanuja was very disturbed to hear his wife speak in such a way. "You foolish woman! " he exclaimed. "How can you think of Kancipurna as no more than a sudra. Because of you I am now unable to take the prasada of that pure-hearted devotee, and this is my great misfortune" Having said this, he sat down unhappily with his head in his hands.


KANCIPURNA'S VISIT TO TIRUPATI

Meanwhile, Kancipurna was praying to Lord Varadaraja while fanning Him, "My Lord, what are You trying to do to me? My only desire is to pass my life peacefully in Your service and the service of Your devotees, but now You are trying to make me into a famous acarya. Even Your pure devotee, Ramanuja, now bows down before me. I do not want to become an object of worship, so please give me permission to leave Kanci and go to Tirupati, where I can worship You in the form of Balaji."
Lord Varadaraja gave His permission, and so Kancipurna went to Tirupati. He stayed there for six months, fully absorbed in the service of Sri Balaji, the form of Lord Visnu who resides in the temple there. Then one night Lord Varadaraja appeared to him in a dream, saying, "I am suffering from the severe heat here in Kancipuram. Why don't you come back and fan me again?"


LORD VARADARAJA'S
INSTRUCTIONS TO RAMANUJA

The next day Kancipurna arose and set off at once to return to Kanci. When Ramanuja heard of his return, he went to visit his friend. The two devotees felt great pleasure in regaining one another's association after such a long period of time. After they had been talking for several hours, Ramanuja fully revealed his mind to Kancipurna. "Since I left the school of Yadavaprakasa" he told him, "I have continued to study the scriptures alone. But there are certain points I cannot understand, and this is causing a great disturbance to my mind. Please beg the Lord to enlighten me, for I know Sri Varadaraja will never deny any request that comes from your lips." Kancipurna agreed to Ramanuja's request.
The next day when the young brahmana came to visit him, he spoke very confidentially, "Last night Lord Varadaraja spoke to me and told me I should reveal the following six truths to you. These are the four verses the Lord spoke to me:

aham eva param brahma jagat-karana-karanam
ksetrajnesvaror bhedah siddha eva mahamate

moksopayo nyasa eva jananam muktim icchatam
mad-bhaktanam jananam ca nantim asmritir isyate

dehavasane bhaktanam dadami paramam padam
purnacaryam mahatmanam samasraya gunasrayam

iti ramanujarya mayoktam vada satvaram

"'Firstly, I am the Supreme Brahman, the cause of material nature, from which this universe has come into being. Second, the separate existence of the jiva souls and the Supreme Lord is an eternal truth. Third, surrendering to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord is the only true path for those who desire liberation. Fourth, devotees will certainly be liberated even if by chance they fail to remember Me at the time of death. Fifth, as soon as My devotees give up their present bodies, I bring them to My supreme abode. Sixth, you should immediately take shelter of Mahatma Mahapurna, the reservoir of all good qualities. These are My instructions for Ramanuja."'
When Ramanuja heard these words, he began to dance in ecstasy. He had not revealed his six doubts even to Kancipurna, but now the Lord had supplied the answers to all of them. Having offered obeisances to Sri Varadaraja and to Kancipurna, he returned home and prepared to depart for Sri Rangam. There he hoped to find Mahapurna, one of Yamunacarya’s disciples, and take initiation from him.


MAHAPURNA IS SENT
TO KANCI AGAIN

After the disappearance of Sri Yamunacarya, none of his disciples was able to discourse on the scriptures in the same wonderful way that he had done. Tiruvaranga was now in charge of the asrama, but he lacked the ability to expound the meaning of the scriptures as his master had done. Everyone admired his devotional qualities and noted the fact that he spent so much of his time worshipping the Lord, but still the atmosphere in the asrama was not what it had been before.
At that time both the married and unmarried devotees used to live together in the asrama, while the wives would live in separate quarters outside in the city. Their time was passed for the most part in worship of the Deity and the chanting of bhajans glorifying the Lord.
In this way a year passed by uneventfully. On the anniversary of Alabandara’s disappearance all his disciples gathered together, and Tiruvaranga addressed the assembly. ‘It is now one year’, he began , ‘since our guru-maharaja , Sri Yamunacarya, left us to return to the abode of Lord Narayana. While he was with us it was our great fortune that every day we were able to hear his nectarean words. However, since his disappearance no one has been able to describe the glories of the Lord in such an exquisite manner or expound all the subtle points of the scriptures as he was able to do. Although he instructed that I should take over his position at the asrama, I have to admit that I am incapable of properly executing this duty.
‘All of you may recall how, just prior to his departure, our master desired to see Sri Ramanuja of Kancipuram and sent Mahapurna there to fetch him. It is that great soul alone, the intimate friend of Kancipurna, who, having been choosen by Sriman Alabandara himself, is competent to take on the responsibility as acarya for this asrama. Therefore, let one of us go to Kancipuram and, after initiating him, bring him here ton Sri Rangam. He will spread the teachings of Yamunacarya all over the India, as he promised to do whilst looking at the body of our preceptor.’’
All the assembled devotees unanimously accepted Tiruvaranga’s proposal, and Mahapurna was chosen to go to Kancipuram to initiate Ramanuja and bring him to Sri Rangam. He was told, ’’ If at present he is reluctant to abandon the association of Kancipurna, then do not press the matter. You may remain in Kanci for one year, instructing him in all the bhakti-sastras. He need not to be told that your purpose is to bring him to Sri Rangam.’’


RAMANUJA’S INITIATION

Being thus instructed, Mahapurna , along with his wife, set off for Kancipuram. After four days they reached the town of Madurantakam, where there is a Visnu temple with a lake in front of it. While Mahapurna and his wife were resting beside that lake, Ramanuja suddenly appeared there offering obeisances at his feet. Mahapurna was both surprised and delighted by this unexpected turn of events, and he immediately rose to embrace Ramanuja.
‘This is certainly a surprise,’’ he said. ‘Anything can be accomplished by the grace of Lord Narayana. For what reason have you come here?’’
‘This must certainly be the plan of Lord Narayana,’’ Ramanuja replied,’’ for it was only to find you that I left Kancipuram. Varadaraja Himself has instructed me to accept you as my guru. Please bestow your mercy upon me by initiating me at once.’’
Mahapurna agreed to this request, saying, ‘Let us go to Kancipuram so that the ceremony can be performed before Lord Varadaraja.’’
However , Ramanuja was insistent. ‘You know that death makes no distinction between the timely and the untimely," he said. "Do you not recall with what high expectations I went with you to meet Sri Yamunacarya? Providence cheated me then, so why should I trust him now by allowing any delay? Please give me shelter at your lotus feet right at this very moment"
Mahapurna was pleased by Ramanuja's words, and there on the banks of the lake in the shade of a flowering bakula tree he lit a sacrificial fire. In that fire he placed two metal discs, one bearing the sign of Lord Visnu’s cakra and the other that of His conch. When the two discs were hot, Mahapurna pressed them onto Ramanuja's right and left arms, thus marking them with the signs of Lord Visnu. Finally, meditating on the lotus feet of Yamunacarya, Mahapurna whispered the Vaisnava mantra into Ramanuja's ear. When the initiation was thus completed, Ramanuja returned to Kancipuram, accompanied by his guru and his guru’s wife.
When they arrived, they were welcomed by Kancipurna, who took great pleasure in associating with Mahapurna. At Ramanuja's request, Mahapurna then also initiated Raksakambal. Half the house was given over to Mahapurna and his wife, and every day Ramanuja would study the Vaisnava scriptures in his association.


RAKSAKAMBAL'S PRIDE

Six months passed by quickly, while Ramanuja felt great satisfaction in hearing all the truths of Vaisnava philosophy from Mahapurna. One day, while both Ramanuja and Mahapurna were away from home, Raksakambal went to the well to get water. It so happened that Mahapurna's wife was drawing water at the same time, and while so doing a few drops from her pitcher felt into that of Raksakambal, who immediately flew into a rage. "Are you blind?" she shouted. "Look what you have done! By your carelessness a whole pitcher of water is wasted. Do you think that you can sit on my shoulders just because you are the gurus wife? Just remember that my father's family is of a superior lineage to yours, so how can I use water that has been touched by you? But why should I blame you, for having fallen into the hands of this husband of mine all my caste and position is lost."
When she heard these harsh words, Mahapurna's wife, who was by nature calm and modest, begged forgiveness from Raksakambal. However, being very disturbed by the woman's anger, she set down her pitcher and began to weep quietly.
When Mahapurna returned and found his wife in that distressed condition, he asked her what was the cause of her unhappiness. When he learned of everything that had taken place at the well, Mahapurna became thoughtful. Eventually he said, "It is no longer the will of Lord Narayana that we should remain here, and for this reason he has caused you to hear these unkind words from the mouth of Raksakambal. Do not be sorry over this matter, for whatever the Lord ordains is for our good. Because we have not worshipped the lotus feet of Lord Ranganatha for a long time, He now desires that we go back to Him."


DEPARTURE OF MAHAPURNA

Without waiting for Ramanuja to return, Mahapurna and his wife then collected together their few possessions and departed for Sri Rangam. While Mahapurna was staying with him in Kancipuram, Ramanuja had been very happy, looking upon his guru as the representative of Lord Narayana. During those six months they spent together, Ramanuja had studied about four thousand verses composed by the great Vaisnavas of south India. That morning he had gone out to purchase fruit, flowers, and new cloth with which to make an offering to his guru, but, when he returned to his house, he found Mahapurna's quarters deserted.
After searching all over the house, he inquired from a neighbor, who told him that Mahapurna and his wife had left Kanci to return to Sri Rangam. Anxious to discover what could have caused his guru’s abrupt departure, Ramanuja went to speak to Raksakambal. She told him, "I had a quarrel with the wife of your guru when we went to fetch water from the well this morning. I hardly spoke any harsh words to her at all, but the great man was so enraged that he left here almost immediately. I had heard that a sadhu is supposed to have given up all feelings of anger, but it must be that he is a new sort of sadhu. I offer millions of obeisances at the feet of your sadhu."
Ramanuja could hardly believe his ears when he heard his wife speak in such a contemptuous and sarcastic way about Mahapurna, and he could not restrain his feelings. "0 sinful woman," he cried out, "it is a great sin even to look at your face" Having said this, he left the house and went to the temple to offer the fruits and flowers he had purchased to Lord Varadaraja.


RAMANUJA'S PLAN

A short time later, a lean and hungry brahmana came to Ramanuja's house to beg for something to eat. Raksakambal was still shocked by her husband's words, and, when the brahmana disturbed her, she immediately became angry and shouted at him in a shrill voice, "Get out of here. Go somewhere else. Who do you think will give you rice here?"
Hurt by these harsh words, the brahmana turned away and began to walk slowly towards the temple of Lord Varadaraja. On the way he met Ramanuja, who was returning home, having made his offering to the Lord. Seeing the brahmanas dejected features and undernourished body, Ramanuja felt compassion and said to him, "0 brahmana, it seems that you have not eaten today."
"I went to your house to ask for a little prasadam, but your wife became angry and turned me away," replied the brahmana.
Ramanuja was shocked to hear that a guest had been so badly mistreated at his house. He was thoughtful for a few moments, and then he said, "Please go back to my house. I will give you a letter, and I want you to tell my wife that you have been sent by her father to deliver it to me. When she hears this, you can be certain she will feed you with great attention."
Ramanuja then wrote out a letter as follows:-

My Dear Son,
My second daughter is to be married soon. Therefore please send Raksakambal to my house with this man. If you have no pressing business at present, I would be very pleased if you could come as well. However, it is very important that Raksakambal comes here as soon as possible, as it will be very difficult for your mother-in-law to cater for all the guests alone.

Promising that he would be well rewarded for his services, Ramanuja sent the brahmana to his house with this letter. When he arrived there, the brahmana told Raksakambal, "Your father sent me here."
She was delighted to hear this and received the brahmana with great courtesy, feeding him and offering him water for bathing. In the meantime, Ramanuja returned home. "My father has sent this letter for you," Raksakambal said modestly and gave it to him.
Ramanuja read the letter out loud and then said to her, "I have some urgent business to attend to at present, so you must go alone. If I get finished quickly, then I will try to come later on. Please convey my greetings to your father and mother." Raksakambal accepted his words, and, after preparing herself for the journey, she offered obeisances to her husband and set out for her father's house, escorted by the brahmana.


TAKING SANNYASA

When she had left, Ramanuja walked back to the temple of Lord Varadaraja, praying constantly to the Lord within his mind, "0 Lord Narayana, please allow this servant of yours to take full shelter at Your lotus feet." When he reached the temple, he bowed down before the Deity and prayed, "My dear Lord, from this day I am Yours in every way. Please accept me."
Then he obtained saffron-colored cloth and a staff that had been touched by the lotus feet of Sri Varadaraja. He went outside the temple and, after bathing, lit a sacrificial fire on the banks of the lake there. At that time Kancipurna, being inspired by Lord Varadaraja, approached him and gave him the name Yatiraja. Ramanuja then accepted the tridanda of Vaisnava sannyasa, which symbolizes, the surrender of thoughts, words, and deeds to the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When the ceremony was completed, Yatiraja, in his saffron robes, appeared as
effulgent as the rising sun.


RAMANUJA BEGINS HIS TEACHING

All the people of Kancipuram were very surprised to hear that Ramanuja had taken sannyasa. He was still a young man, and his wife was extremely beautiful. Some considered him insane, but many others began to compare him to great devotees of the past; from all around people came to see him. The Vaisnavas who stayed at the asrama at Kanci made him their acarya, for his good qualities and understanding of the scriptures were well known.
Gradually, by ones and twos, disciples began to gather around him. His first disciple was Dasarathi, his nephew, who was famous for his knowledge of the Vedas. The second was a young man named Kuresa, who had a wonderful memory.


YADAVAPRAKASA BECOMES A VAISNAVA

One day, when the elderly mother of Yadavaprakasa came to the temple to see Lord Varadaraja, she noticed Ramanuja instructing his disciples outside the asrama. Being captivated by his gracefulness and scholarship, she considered that if her son were to become the disciple of such a wonderful personality, then his life would be perfect. Ever since his mistreatment of Ramanuja, Yadavaprakasa had been very disturbed at heart, and his mother knew this. She considered that the best thing for her son would be to take shelter at the feet of this effulgent young sannyasi.
When she returned home, she begged her son to go and become a disciple of Ramanuja, but Yadavaprakasa would not hear of surrendering to one who had previously been his own student. Still, however, his mind remained disturbed. Once he happened to meet with Kancipurna and he inquired from him, "Sir, I am very troubled at heart and can find no peace. As you are well known as the one through whom Lord Varadaraja gives instructions, please tell me what I must do."
"Go home now," replied Kancipurna. "Tonight I wilt pray to Lord Varadaraja. If you come to me tomorrow, I will tell you His instructions."
When they met the following day, Kancipurna immediately began to describe the greatness of Ramanuja and the benefits one might derive from becoming his disciple. On hearing this, Yadavaprakasa decided he would go to visit Ramanuja at the asrama and discuss the scriptures with him.
That night Yadavaprakasa found it hard to sleep. He lay awake for several hours, considering the different points over and over again. Eventually he dozed into a light sleep, and while he slept, he had a wonderful dream. It seemed that an effulgent person appeared before him and began to give him instructions. Again and again he told Yadavaprakasa that he should become the disciple of Yatiraja.
When Yadavaprakasa awoke, the effects of the dream were still with him, and he was struck with wonder. However, he was never a man to act solely on the basis of his emotions, and in his mind there still lingered doubts about Ramanuja's philosophy.
That afternoon he went to the asrama and, as soon as he saw Yatiraja, he was struck by the young acaryas purity and effulgence. Ramanuja received his former teacher with courtesy, offering him an elevated sitting place. After they had exchanged greetings, Yadavaprakasa began to express his doubts about the Vaisnava philosophy that Ramanuja was so expertly presenting. "My child," he said gently, "I am very pleased by your scholarship and humble behavior. I can see from the markings of tilaka and the emblems of the lotus and cakra on your body that you are a devotee of Lord Visnu and consider the path of bhakti alone to be proper. But what evidence can be found in the scriptures to support such a point of view?"
To this inquiry Yatiraja replied, "Here is Kuresa, who is most learned in all of the revealed scriptures. Place your question before him."
Thereupon, as Yadavaprakasa looked towards Kuresa, the young disciple of Ramanuja began to speak. He cited numerous verses from many different scriptures - the Vedas, Upanisads, Puranas, etc. - which confirmed that loving devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the perfection of spiritual life.
On hearing this torrent of evidence from the scriptures, Yadavaprakasa was dumbfounded and fell silent. Different thoughts passed quickly through his mind - his previous outrageous behavior, the words of his mother, and the advice that had been given to him by Kancipurna. Suddenly he threw himself down at the feet of his former disciple, crying out, "0 Ramanuja, blinded by pride, I could not see your true qualities. Please forgive all my offenses and become my guide to deliver me from the miseries of this material world. I take shelter of you alone."
Yatiraja then raised Yadavaprakasa to his feet and embraced him with warm affection. With his mother's blessings, that same day Yadavaprakasa accepted sannyasa from Ramanuja and considered himself greatly fortunate. He was given the name Govinda dasa, and from that day on he was like a different person. He now fully embraced the Vaisnava philosophy and gave up all pride in his scholarship. Tears of humility now decorated his eyes as he engaged in acts of devotion to the Supreme Lord. On hearing of this extraordinary transformation, everyone praised the influence of Ramanuja, and his fame spread far and wide.
Seeing the devotional sentiments in his former guru, Yatiraja once addressed him, saying, "Now your mind has become free from all contamination. To remove the sins of the past, you should write a book delineating the duties of a true Vaisnava. By rendering this service you will attain full perfection."
Accordingly Yadavaprakasa wrote a wonderful book called Yati-dharma-samuccaya, which he offered at the feet of his guru. At this time Yadavaprakasa, or Govinda dasa as he was now known, was over eighty years old. A short time after the completion of the book, he passed from this world.