This extract has been taken from a write-up on Ramanujacharya at: http://www.iep.utm.edu/ramanuja/
Ramanuja’s Ethics
Ramanuja’s substantive ethics has two sources. Like other orthodox Hindu thinkers, Ramanuja holds that the primary source of moral knowledge is the Vedas. This is particularly true of the earlier portion of the Vedas, which sets forth prescribed and optional works (karmas) that constitute dharma. The importance of dharma, derived from the Vedas, is stressed in all three of Ramanuja’s major works. Like other orthodox Hindu thinkers, Ramanuja also holds that the venerable tradition, or smriti literature, supplements the Vedic texts’ account of dharma. The most important of the smriti texts, for Ramanuja, is the Bhagavad Gita.
The Gita emphasizes the importance of adopting a deontological attitude (concern for duty for duty’s sake and not for its consequences) in order to perfect the execution of prescribed duties, particular to one’s place in society. But the Gita also emphasizes the importance of certain virtues. The Gita praises being a friend (mitra) and showing compassion (karuna) to all creatures (Bhagavad Gita XII.13), and enumerates ahimsa, or non-injury, as one of the virtues essential to having jnana.
On what is to be done when the requirements of virtues conflict with prescribed duties, Ramanuja is uncompromising. For Ramanuja, dharma, as set forth in the Vedas, is inviolable. This puts Ramanuja in the awkward position of having to defend the propriety of animal sacrifices, sanctioned and prescribed in the earlier portion of the Vedas. Shri Vaishnava Brahmins, as a rule, are vegetarians. Ramanuja was, in all likelihood, himself a vegetarian. However, his general inclination to positively endorse the Bhagavad Gita’s disavowal of animal cruelty did not stop him from affirming the propriety of animal sacrifices. In this respect, Ramanuja agrees with his Advaitin predecessor, Shankara, who held that while violence in general is evil, ritual slaughter is not any ordinary act of violence: because it is sanctioned by the Vedas, it cannot be evil. Ramanuja however goes further and argues that ritual slaughter is not only not evil; it is also not really a form of violence. Rather, it is a healing act like a physician’s procedure, which causes temporary pain but is ultimately to the benefit of the patient. The sacrificed animal, on Ramanuja’s account, is more than compensated in the next life for being ritually slaughtered.
In this passage we find that ramanuja was strong believer of fulfilling his duties as mentioned in the holy scripts like vedas and the bhagvad gita of which he was a strong and determined follower even if he had to sacrifice some morals and ethics for it
ReplyDeleteThe passage has 3 paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteThe author intends to bring forth Ramanuja's ethics by citing, firstly, his basis of beliefs, secondly, his beliefs and lastly, the contradiction developed because of his beliefs.
In the first paragraph, the author refers to the Ramanuja's basis of belief as the VEDAS and its sister works. The author puts emphasis on DHARMA as Ramanuja's strongest belief.
In the second paragraph, the author introduces the virtues(friendship and compassion) that Ramanuja believes in which is mostly derived from the Smriti literature Gita.
In the last paragraph, the author introduces the contradiction developed in certain circumstances between Ramanuja's beliefs of duties versus virtues, in which case dharma holds the highest ground for Ramanuja. He exemplifies this by showing that Ramanuja, a vegetarian, supports ritual slaughter as it is written in the Vedas.
Ramanuja, A man of uncompromising Ethics!
Ramanaja has his source of ethics in the vedas and the gita, in that particular order. The vedas endorse the importance of following the path of dharma and the gita is a source if various virtues like Ahimsa , karuna etc. In case of conflicts in the teachings of vedas and the gita , as in the case of ritual slaugher, Ramanuja as always, sides with the vedas and argues to make his case.
ReplyDeletewht does d line above 'a' in vishishtadvaita signify???
ReplyDeleteRamanuja's ethics have 2 sources , the vedas and the smriti texts (ex: bhagwad gita) which are 2 primary sources of knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThe gita says we should do our work but should not expect something in return for it.It also praises having virtues such as being frienldy,compassinate,and non-violent.
The vedas state that dharma cannot be violated .Ramanuja himself is a vegetarian but supports animal-sacrifice ,since it is approved by the vedas.He states its not bad to slaughter an animal as the purpose is good and the animal is more than compensated in his next life.