The Views of Ramanuja on Brahman and God (274 Words) !
According to Samkara, Brahman is the transcendental reality and Ishwara is only an empirical reality. Thus Samkara postulates a distinction between Brahman and Ishwara.
But according to Ramanuja, Brahman and Ishwara are one. According to Samkara, Brahman is without qualities, but Ramanuja conceives of this absence of attributes in the sense that Brahman does not possess any impure attributes originating in prakriti, but does otherwise possess attributes.
He is the perfect personality, ‘purusottama’. He is possessed of perfect and eternal attributes such as truth, knowledge and happiness. He is eternal and unchanging. There is no difference between the attributeless Brahman and the attributed Brahman.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Brahman is eternal, all-pervading, subtle, omniscient, without end, omnipotent and possessed of innumerable attributes. He is the basis of the entire uiniverse. He is its material as well as its efficient cause. He is the Lord (Ishwara). He is the highest good. He rewards all. He directs all activity.
He is the protector of worshippers. He is of the nature of unending knowledge and happiness. He is eternal, unlimited, innumerable, without designation, incomparable and completely pure. He is the soul dwelling in all. He is the link leading to immortality. He is eternal, immortal and a unity.
He possesses the knowledge and power to create, sustain and destroy the world. He possesses power, excellence, independence, action and concentration. He gives knowledge to the ignorant, power to the weak, pity to the suffering, forgiveness to the criminal or guilty, energy to the dimwitted, simplicity to the crooked, goodness to the bad and reward to the worshippers. His body is glorified by the six attributes—knowledge, power, excellence, virility, energy and glory.