|
|
Srirangam Tradition
The temple of Sri Ranganathaswami
at Srirangam belongs to the Vaishnava tradition. Among the many sanctuaries
dedicated to Vishnu it presents an outstanding example of unbroken activity
continued up to the present time, and if only on this account it is
worthy of interest.
It is also of interest because of the eminent role it played in the
mediaeval and modern periods of the religious history of India, and
which it continues to play today. It is a living temple whose history
goes back almost a thousand years, attracting countless pilgrims, and
preserving local traditions intact for posterity.
Its importance and role can only be understood in the context of the
Vaishnava cult. It may be recalled that, for the adepts of this cult,
Vishnu is the source of the universe and of all things in it. His abode
is in the midst of the, primeval Ocean, where he reclines on the thousand-hooded
Serpent of Eternity, Sesha. When the god Brahma (born on the pericarp
of the lotus which grew out of the navel of Vishnu) had created the
world, Vishnu awoke to rule over the upper layer of the divine world,
the Vaikuntha. His sacred mount (vahana) is the bird Garuda his chief
consort the goddess Lakshmi.
Vishnu became incarnate ten times in “descents to the world of
men”. or avatara each time in the form of an animal or a human
being.
From the begining of the Christian era the worshippers of Vishnu in
his more specific manifestation as Krishna, oriented the Vaishnava religion
towards theism; and in the mediaeval period this doctrine received a
philosophy. It was among the Tamils that theism reached its fullest
expression: devotion or faithful adoration (bhakti) glorified in the
most ancient texts, was .a sign of respect towards the deity rather
than a feeling of love. The Tamil texts speak of the god’s intense
love for man, and the equally intense love of the devotee for his god,
who is no longer transcendental buf has become immanent. Throughout
the history of religious thought in India, this is the idea which comes
nearest to Christian charity.
This movement was founded by Sankaracharya (Eighth-Ninth Centuries),
and continued and developed by his disciple the Brahman Ramanuja (second
half of the Eleventh century-c.1137), an outstanding figure of Vaishnavism
who actually taught in the temple of Sri Ranganatha at Srirangam, and
fundamentally reformed its organization. He preached the need to observe
ritual; salvation through devotion to Vishnu (bhaktiyoga) in which the
worshipper comes to the realization that he is part of the god and entirely
dependent On him; self-surrender into the hands of the god and to his
will; and the confident expectation of his divine favor. Ramanuja taught
that the god is a personal god, full of love and grace, and that he
needs man, as man needs him; the individual soul, created by the god
from his own essence, returns to the god and lives eternally in full
communion with him, while remaining distinct from him.
Ramanuja’s doctrine-which deeply influenced the whole of India
and produced countless schools of thought - is still today the basis
of Vaishnava theology as conceived and practised ‘in the temple
of Srirangam. The worshippers of Vishnu believe that he exists in five
different forms. As a transcendental deity, he is known as Paravasudeva
or Paramapadanatha (1) and dwells in heaven Vaikuntha, attended by the
goddesses Sri Devi (Lakshmi) and Bhu Devi (The Earth) and votaries who
have become immortal. (nityasuri) In his emanation (vyuha) he is Mahavishnu
(2) and rests on the Serpent of Eternity, Adisesha, attended by the
same gods and votaries. But he is invisible (3). He comes near to man
in his incarnations (avatara) but these are now part of the past; the
faithful can only worship him and await hopefully his future incarnation
as Kalki. In the form of Antaryami, he dwells in each individual “like
water in the depths of the earth”. His presence can only be vaguely
felt by the individual, and fully realized by only a chosen few. Lastly,
in the material aspect shown by images (murti), he appears and dwells
in his sanctuaries, which traditionally number 108. His Tamil worshippers
consider that his chief sanctuary is that of Srirangam, thus bearing
out its name: Koil, “the temple par excellence”.
One cannot attain to the god; one cannot see him; one can only hope
for his future manifestation; with certain exceptions, one cannot have
full knowledge of him; but it is possible to venerate him in his shrine.
This is the deep significance of a pilgrimage to Srirangam.
|
|
|
