Publisher's Synopsis
This text is a foundation of Ramanuja's philosophy. It can quickly expand your understanding of reality multifold. Ramanuja, like a true master, reconciles the apparent differences among various Vedanta texts in the best possible way. For example, some descriptions of the Supreme Being say that he is omniscient, almighty, etc. and others mention him as attributeless, shapeless, devoid of hunger, death, etc. Nondualists say that the Supreme Being cannot be both attributeless and with attributes simultaneously. To resolve this inconsistency they say he is attributeless and when he comes in contact with nature, he gathers some attributes.
Ramanuja discards this standpoint and says there is no contradiction among various descriptions. He shows that the same Supreme Being can have attributes like knowledge, power, etc., and can be devoid of negative properties like hunger, death, etc. When we say the Supreme Being is attributeless, it only means that he is devoid of natural defects like others; his attributes are beyond nature and without any imperfection. He, on the basis of scriptures, shows Narayana as the Supreme Lord of the universe. There are three types of fundamental realities - the Supreme Being, individual souls, and nature. Supreme Being pervades them all. Just as the embodied soul is not affected by the defects of the body during childhood, youth, etc. in the same way, the imperfections due to living and non-living beings (matter) do not affect the Supreme Being.
