The three Vedantic Darsanas - Dvaita, Advaita and Vishishtadvaita

There is sufficient proof to show that Vishistadvaitha existed for at least 1000 years before the time of Ramanuja as it can be found from the references Ramanuja makes on yester year acharyas who wrote Vyakyanams to Brahma Sutra – Tanka, Dramida and Bodhayana to name a few. It is Bodhayana’s work that Ramanuja used to reestablish Vishitadvaita. Ramanuja in his works calls his darsana as Savisesha Advaita – it is much later after Ramanuja’s time it came to be known as Visistadvaitha. 

It was Alavandar (Yamanucharya -Ramanuja’s perceptors Perceptor) who indirectly inspired Ramanuja in to writing Sri Bhashyam a large work on Brahma Sutram. Before completing Sri Bhashyam, Ramanuja had written two shorter versions of Bhashyams for Brahma sutram –Vedanta Deepam and Vedanta Saram. 

In Sri Bhashya Ramanuja dedicates most of his time in objecting Advaita and Sankhya. Ramanuja tries to create a synthesis between seemingly conflicting orientations present in the vedas and upanishads. While Shankara completely rejects the Purva Mimamsa (ritualistic), Ramanuja accepts it and makes it as a stepping stone for one to reach the vendantic fold. 

While Shankara relies on the advaitic (non-dualistic – abheda) passages in upanishads and Madhva relies on dualistic (bhedha) statements of upanishads, ramanuja focusses on integrating all of them through passages that talk integrate both dualism and non-dualism (these are called ghataka sruthis). Antaryaami brahmanam in Brihadaranyaka upanishad forms the basis for his arguments. According to Ramanuja the entire universe is body of Brahman and the matter and souls (jiva) are his limbs (angas). This is called as shareera shareeri bhava. He thus integrates the dualistic and non-dualistic aspects of vedic passages in to a non-dualistic brahman yet with attributes. 

Ramanuja travelled the country two times and popularized bhakti – Several Vaishnava traditions and bhakti cult sprung up all over India due to his works and the works of teachers who came in his lineage. Besides Bhakti Ramanuja lays lot of stress on Service to God and humanity and he set up a lineage of 74 acharyas to carry over service and to spread vaishnavism. During his time, Ramanuja had a wide following of 700 sanyasis and 11,000 well learned acharyas and several thousands of commoners. Ramanuja is also known for his social reforms. 

Ramanuja has written 9 works – 3 Gadyams [Sharanagadi, Sri Ranga and Vaikunta], Gita Bhashyam, Sri Bhashyam, Vedartha Sangraha, Vedanta Deepa, Vedanta Sara and Nitya Grantha.