Life Of Sri Ramanujacharya - Part 9

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Ramanuja returned to Srirangam from Tirupati and spent a joyful time in his monastery, training his disciples and sharing his immense knowledge and wisdom with the people. One day, while narrating the life of the great Yamuna Muni to his disciples, he remembered the 3 vows he had taken at the deathbed of the saint (see part4 for the story of the 3 vows). On seeing that the 3 fingers on the Muni's hand were clenched even after death, Ramanuja had vowed to write a commentary on the Brahma Sutras from the Sri Vaishnava perspective and to refute the non-dualistic schools.

Ramanuja felt that the time had now come to fulfil that vow. He told his disciples that he would be going to the North to search for a rare treatise written by Maharshi Bodhayana called Bodhayana Vritti. Bodhyana is said to have arrived at similar conclusions on the nature of the soul and Ramanuja felt that this treatise would be of immense help in strengthening his viewpoints and writing the Sribhashya.

The manuscript however had fallen into disuse and was not easily available anywhere in the South. However, a copy was known to have been preserved at the temple of Saradapitha in Kashmirapura (known as Kashmir today), which was considered as the seat of Goddess Sarada or Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge.

Ramanuja set out for Saradapitha with his disciple Kuresa who was famous for his prodigious memory and knowledge of scriptures. Travelling for over 3 months, they reached Kashmirapura and stayed at Saradpitha. The scholars and philosophers living IN Saradapitha were filled with wonder on seeing this saintly duo, proficient in the Sastras and steeped in devotion. The scholars honoured them and looked after them with much care, treating them as divine guests.

There are two different versions of how Ramanuja is said to have obtained a copy of the rare manuscript of the Bodhyana Vritti. One version of the story is that when Ramanuja mentioned the Bodhayana Vritti and requested for a copy of it, the scholars grew anxious that Ramanuja would refute the non-dualistic schools with the help of the Vritti. Hence, they decided not to give the manuscript to the two 'dangerous dualists' from the South and told them that the manuscript had been destroyed by worms.

Heart-broken at the news about the manuscripts, Ramanuja was distressed that he would never be able to complete the Sribhashya without the help of the Vritti. One night, the Goddess of Knowledge herself appeared in front of him and presented the manuscript to him and instructed him to leave the place immediately before the hostile scholars got hint a of it.