Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya And Sri Ramanujacharya Birth Anniversary:
Prime Minister has paid tributes to Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya and Sri Ramanujacharya on his birth anniversary and on his Jayanti.
Ramanujacharya:
Ramanujacharya, born in 1017 in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, is widely respected as a Vedic philosopher and social reformer.
- He is renowned for advocating social equality and justice, which was revolutionary for his time, and for his propagation of the Bhakti movement, which inspired other Bhakti schools of thought.
- He was instrumental in reviving the Vishishtadvaita subschool of Vedanta philosophy, which posits non-dualism of the qualified whole.
- Ramanujacharya wrote nine scriptures known as the navaratnas and composed numerous commentaries on Vedic scriptures, including the Vedanta Sutras and the Bhagavad-Gita.
- His teachings emphasized the need for harmony with nature and compassion, humility, equality, and mutual respect among all people.
- He advocated the concept of “vasudhaiva kutumbakam,” which translates to “all the universe is one family.”
- Ramanujacharya embraced the socially marginalized and condemned them and asked royal courts to treat them as equals.
- He liberated millions from social, cultural, gender, educational, and economic discrimination with his belief that every human is equal regardless of nationality, gender, race, caste, or creed.
- Because of his work to promote social equality, the 213-feet tall statue of Ramanujacharya in Hyderabad is known as the Statue of Equality.
Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya:
Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya, born in the 8th century AD in Kerala, is one of the most revered philosophers in Indian history.
- He is considered to be the founder of the Advaita Vedanta school of philosophy, which emphasizes the ultimate unity and oneness of all existence.
- Shankaracharya is credited with reviving Hinduism and restoring its philosophical and spiritual foundation.
- He was a prolific writer, composing commentaries on the Vedas, Upanishads, and other important texts.
- His most significant works include the commentary on the Brahma Sutras (Bhashya), Bhajagovinda Stotra, Nirvana Shatakam, and Prakaran Granths. Shankaracharya was also a social reformer and worked to eliminate caste-based discrimination and promote social equality
