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Life of Sri Ramanuja - Part 6
Even an insignificant incident in the life of a great soul can have long-lasting repercussions on the society and the people around. Sri Ramanuja was such a mahatma whose life and teachings had a revolutionary impact on Indian society and its spiritual traditions, particularly so in Tamil Nadu. This moving incident from his life will serve as an eye-opener:
During Ramanuja's time, the Tamil Brahmin community was known for its orthodoxy and social rigidity, with practices like untouchability and caste discrimination commonly accepted as a part of tradition.
One of the tragic consequences of this social rigidity was the confinement of the profound knowledge of Vedanta in the hands of a few who considered themselves to be divinely ordained to preserve this sacred knowledge. It was passed on to select disciples who were often initiated into esoteric practices like mantra diksha (initiation to chanting of sacred syllables). Often, such spiritual practices were kept out of bounds for women and the lower castes.
The argument offered by the priests for the above mentioned exclusivist tendency was that the general public was not eligible for receiving or understanding such high philosophy. Just as a nuclear scientist today would guard against misuse of his technology, so did the priests fear corruption and abuse of sacred knowledge.
But the large-hearted Ramanuja, out of his deep compassion and love for the spiritual welfare of human beings, broke many rules of orthodoxy to reach out to the masses and to spread the divine knowledge to one and all irrespective of caste or other considerations.
Mahapurna,
the
teacher
from
whom
Ramanuja
learnt
the
Divya
Prabhandham
and
other
scriptures,
advised
him
to
get
initiated
into
the
sacred
Narayana
Mantra
(an
eight-lettered
mantra
invoking
the
grace
of
Narayana).
Mahapurna
directed
him
to
receive
the
mantra
initiation
from
a
great
scholar
and
pious
Vaishnava
called
Goshtipurna
who
lived
in
the
town
of
Thirukoshtiyur
(located
10
km
from
Tirupattur
and
Siva
Gangai
in
Tamil
Nadu).
Mahapurna
regarded
Goshtipurna
as
a
worthy
teacher
who
could
not
only
give
the
mantra
to
Ramanuja
but
also
explain
its
esoteric
meaning
to
him.
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