Book Description

Yamunacharya was one of the greatest philosophers of South India around the tenth century. He provided a firm foundation to Vishishta Advaita (qualified monism) by his writings. His work established the devotion or refuge in God as a central means of liberation. Later his great disciple, Ramanuja further elaborated his philosophy and spread it far and wide. Both of them explain their viewpoint with great philosophical rigour, sound logic, and flawless arguments. However, it is their deep devotion that touches a reader's heart to its core and makes their writings divine. Their work forms the basis of all other Vaishnava sects and is read with great respect.In Gitartha Sangrah, Yamunacharya has systematically discussed the implied meaning of Gita. Later, this book formed the basis of Ramanuja's classic commentary on Gita. It is one of the oldest available work on Gita. It can help a beginner to grasp the essence of Gita. At the same time, it can test the understanding of an expert as every verse is packed with profound meaning. In Vishishta Advaita (qualified monism), we primarily discuss five questions, either directly or indirectly - i) What is a soul? ii) What is a super-soul or God? iii) What is the relation between the soul and God? iv) What is to be done for salvation? v) What is blocking our salvation that should be avoided? Both the texts, Gita and Giartha Sangrah answer these five questions in detail and in short respectively.