What is the Appearance Day of Sri Ramanujacarya?
In 1017 a great Vaishnava acarya appeared at Sriperumbudur in South India. Devotees honour him on the Appearance Day of Sri Ramanujacarya, which in 2027 falls on Sunday, 11 April.
Significance
Sri Ramanujacarya taught visistadvaita, or qualified non-dualism. In this teaching the living entity is a tiny part of the Supreme Person, eternally His servant and never His equal. With it Ramanuja answered the impersonal idea that the soul and God are one. His disciplic succession is the Ramanuja-sampradaya, and its followers are known as the Sri Vaishnavas.
When his spiritual master, Srila Yamunacarya, left this world, Ramanuja vowed to protect people deluded by impersonalism, to write a commentary on the Vedanta-sutra establishing the Supreme Person, and to honour Parasara Muni by naming a learned disciple after him. Later, on His tour of South India, Lord Caitanya met Ramanuja's followers. The Caitanya-caritamrta records the meeting:
At Devasthāna, Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited the temple of Lord Viṣṇu, and there He talked with the Vaiṣṇavas in the disciplic succession of Rāmānujācārya. These Vaiṣṇavas are known as Śrī Vaiṣṇavas.
Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 9.77
How to observe it
Devotees honour Ramanujacarya by hearing about his life, especially how he held fast to devotion for Lord Narayana when powerful teachers opposed him, and by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Srila Prabhupada also records that Venkata Bhatta of Ramanuja's line hosted Lord Caitanya, and that Venkata Bhatta's family gave the Gaudiya line Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami of Vrindavan.
Questions
When is Ramanuja Jayanti in 2027?
Ramanuja Jayanti, the Appearance Day of Sri Ramanujacarya, falls on Sunday, 11 April 2027, according to the Vaishnava calendar for Kurukshetra.
Who was Sri Ramanujacarya?
Sri Ramanujacarya was a great Vaishnava acarya who appeared at Sriperumbudur in 1017. He taught that the soul is eternally a servant of Lord Narayana, the Supreme Person, and his followers are known as the Sri Vaishnavas.
What is visistadvaita?
Visistadvaita, or qualified non-dualism, is the philosophy Ramanujacarya taught. It holds that the soul is one with the Supreme in quality but always different in quantity, a servant who can never become the Lord.
Who was the spiritual master of Ramanujacarya?
Srila Yamunacarya of Sri Rangam was Ramanujacarya's spiritual master. After Yamunacarya left this world, Ramanuja fulfilled the three wishes his guru had left unfulfilled.
Reviewed by ISKCON Kurukshetra · Updated
Key facts
- Date
- Sunday, 11 April 2027
- Line of succession
- Ramanuja-sampradaya (Sri Vaishnavas)
- Philosophy
- Visistadvaita (qualified non-dualism)
- Spiritual master
- Srila Yamunacarya
Seva for this day
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