Birth of Ramanuja
Born to Asuri Kesavapperumal and Kantimati at Sriperumbudur, south of Kanchipuram.
The Life of
Bhagavad Sri Ramanujacharya
रामानुजाचार्य
1017 — 1137 CE
Adapted for modern readers from Alkondavilli Govindacharya’s 1906 biography, edited by JET volunteers and offered with the blessings of HH Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji. Thirty-six chapters, one URL each.
Begin Reading →37 of 37 chapters available
The Life in Time
A Thread Through One Hundred and Twenty Years
Twenty-one canonical turning points in the Acharya’s life, linked to the chapters that tell them in full. Dates follow the traditional Sri Vaishnava chronology and are indicative, not modern-scholarly.
1017 CE·Sriperumbudur 1017 CE·Sriperumbudur Birth of Ramanuja
Born to Asuri Kesavapperumal and Kantimati at Sriperumbudur, south of Kanchipuram.
c. 1033 CE·Kanchipuram Studies under Yadava Prakasa
Enrolls in the school of the Advaitin Yadava Prakasa; protests misreadings of Upanishadic passages.
c. 1033 CE·Kanchipuram Studies under Yadava Prakasa
Enrolls in the school of the Advaitin Yadava Prakasa; protests misreadings of Upanishadic passages.
c. 1036 CE·Vindhya Forest Deliverance on the Kashi Pilgrimage
On a pilgrimage to Kashi, a plot on Ramanuja's life is foiled; he returns to Kanchi alone.
c. 1036 CE·Vindhya Forest Deliverance on the Kashi Pilgrimage
On a pilgrimage to Kashi, a plot on Ramanuja's life is foiled; he returns to Kanchi alone.
c. 1038 CE·Kanchipuram Service at the Varadaraja Temple
Takes up daily service carrying water for Lord Varadaraja and becomes close to the devotee Kanchipurna.
c. 1038 CE·Kanchipuram Service at the Varadaraja Temple
Takes up daily service carrying water for Lord Varadaraja and becomes close to the devotee Kanchipurna.
c. 1040 CE·Kanchipuram Alavandar's Visit — Unspoken Succession
Alavandar of Srirangam comes to Kanchi, sees Ramanuja from afar, and silently marks him as his successor.
c. 1040 CE·Kanchipuram Alavandar's Visit — Unspoken Succession
Alavandar of Srirangam comes to Kanchi, sees Ramanuja from afar, and silently marks him as his successor.
c. 1042 CE·Srirangam Passing of Alavandar
Yamunacharya passes before meeting Ramanuja; his three unfulfilled wishes pass to the young seeker.
c. 1042 CE·Srirangam Passing of Alavandar
Yamunacharya passes before meeting Ramanuja; his three unfulfilled wishes pass to the young seeker.
c. 1049 CE·Madhurantakam Initiation by Mahapurna
Mahapurna journeys from Srirangam and formally initiates Ramanuja at the Eri-Katta-Perumal shrine.
c. 1049 CE·Madhurantakam Initiation by Mahapurna
Mahapurna journeys from Srirangam and formally initiates Ramanuja at the Eri-Katta-Perumal shrine.
c. 1049 CE·Kanchipuram Acceptance of Sannyasa
Ramanuja takes the vows of a sannyasin before Lord Varadaraja at Kanchi.
c. 1049 CE·Kanchipuram Acceptance of Sannyasa
Ramanuja takes the vows of a sannyasin before Lord Varadaraja at Kanchi.
c. 1050 CE·Srirangam Call to Srirangam
Summoned by the devotees of Srirangam to succeed Alavandar as the head of the Sri Vaishnava community.
c. 1050 CE·Srirangam Call to Srirangam
Summoned by the devotees of Srirangam to succeed Alavandar as the head of the Sri Vaishnava community.
c. 1052 CE·Srirangam Dvaya Mantra from Mahapurna
Receives the Dvaya mantra — the essence of surrender to Sriman Narayana — from his guru Mahapurna.
c. 1052 CE·Srirangam Dvaya Mantra from Mahapurna
Receives the Dvaya mantra — the essence of surrender to Sriman Narayana — from his guru Mahapurna.
c. 1053 CE·Tirukkoshtiyur Ashtakshara from Goshtipurna
After eighteen journeys to Tirukkoshtiyur, Goshtipurna entrusts Ramanuja with the Ashtakshara — which he at once proclaims from the temple tower for all to hear.
c. 1053 CE·Tirukkoshtiyur Ashtakshara from Goshtipurna
After eighteen journeys to Tirukkoshtiyur, Goshtipurna entrusts Ramanuja with the Ashtakshara — which he at once proclaims from the temple tower for all to hear.
c. 1060 CE·Srirangam Ministry and First Pilgrimage
Ramanuja's formal ministry begins; he sets out on his first great pilgrimage through the southern holy places.
c. 1060 CE·Srirangam Ministry and First Pilgrimage
Ramanuja's formal ministry begins; he sets out on his first great pilgrimage through the southern holy places.
c. 1070 CE·Srirangam Composition of the Sri Bhashya
With Kuresa as scribe, Ramanuja composes the Sri Bhashya on the Brahma Sutras — the charter text of Visistadvaita.
c. 1070 CE·Srirangam Composition of the Sri Bhashya
With Kuresa as scribe, Ramanuja composes the Sri Bhashya on the Brahma Sutras — the charter text of Visistadvaita.
c. 1075 CE·Across Bharat Great Pilgrimage Across Bharat
Travels the length of the land — from Tirupati to Badrinath — teaching Surrender, winning the title Bhashyakara.
c. 1075 CE·Across Bharat Great Pilgrimage Across Bharat
Travels the length of the land — from Tirupati to Badrinath — teaching Surrender, winning the title Bhashyakara.
c. 1098 CE·Srirangam The Chola's Persecution
A Saivite Chola king demands Vaishnavas sign away their faith; Kuresa dons the Acharya's robes in his place, and Ramanuja is spirited away to the west.
c. 1098 CE·Srirangam The Chola's Persecution
A Saivite Chola king demands Vaishnavas sign away their faith; Kuresa dons the Acharya's robes in his place, and Ramanuja is spirited away to the west.
c. 1099 CE·Thondanur Karnataka and the Hoysala King
Casts out the demon afflicting the Hoysala king Bitti-deva's daughter; the king is renamed Vishnuvardhana and embraces the Vaishnava faith.
c. 1099 CE·Thondanur Karnataka and the Hoysala King
Casts out the demon afflicting the Hoysala king Bitti-deva's daughter; the king is renamed Vishnuvardhana and embraces the Vaishnava faith.
c. 1100 CE·Melkote (Yadugiri) Uncovering of Sri Narayana at Melkote
Guided by a dream, Ramanuja unearths the hidden mula-murti of Sri Narayana on the Yadugiri hill and finds the sacred white tiruman clay.
c. 1100 CE·Melkote (Yadugiri) Uncovering of Sri Narayana at Melkote
Guided by a dream, Ramanuja unearths the hidden mula-murti of Sri Narayana on the Yadugiri hill and finds the sacred white tiruman clay.
c. 1100 CE·Delhi Recovery of Ramapriya
Travels north to the Sultan's capital and recovers the stolen utsava-murti of Lord Ramapriya, who is said to have followed him home.
c. 1100 CE·Delhi Recovery of Ramapriya
Travels north to the Sultan's capital and recovers the stolen utsava-murti of Lord Ramapriya, who is said to have followed him home.
c. 1118 CE·Srirangam Return to Srirangam
After about twenty years in the Mysore country, Ramanuja returns to Srirangam on the death of the persecuting Chola and is reunited with the blind Kuresa.
c. 1118 CE·Srirangam Return to Srirangam
After about twenty years in the Mysore country, Ramanuja returns to Srirangam on the death of the persecuting Chola and is reunited with the blind Kuresa.
c. 1120 CE·Srirangam Reconsecration and Temple Administration
Reconsecrates temples defiled in his absence, reorganises the Srirangam temple's service, and hands daily administration to Dasarathi.
c. 1120 CE·Srirangam Reconsecration and Temple Administration
Reconsecrates temples defiled in his absence, reorganises the Srirangam temple's service, and hands daily administration to Dasarathi.
1137 CE·Srirangam Passing of Ramanuja
Anoints Parasara-Bhattar as his successor, takes leave of the Lord of Srirangam, and lays his head in Embar's lap for the last time — in his one hundred and twentieth year.
1137 CE·Srirangam Passing of Ramanuja
Anoints Parasara-Bhattar as his successor, takes leave of the Lord of Srirangam, and lays his head in Embar's lap for the last time — in his one hundred and twentieth year.
The Thirty-Six Chapters
Foreword
Foreword — A Message from HH Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
HH Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji introduces Bhagavad Ramanuja as the thousand-year-old savior whose philosophy of Visishtadvaita and selfless compassion transformed the world.
- 01Chapter I — Sri Nathamuni and the Recovery of the Divya PrabandhamThe story of Sri Nathamuni, who rediscovered the lost four-thousand-verse Tamil hymns of the Alvars, set them to celestial music, and established the lineage that would lead to Bhagavad Ramanuja.
- 02Chapter II — Uyyakkondar and Manakkal-NambiHow Pundarikaksha earned the name Uyyakkondar through his radical humility, and how his foremost disciple Manakkal-Nambi (Sri Ramamisra) carried forward the lineage until the birth of Alavandar.
- 03Chapter III — The Rise of AlavandarThe precocious boy Yamunacharya defeats the proud royal pundit Akkiyazhvan in a public debate and becomes co-ruler of half a kingdom — earning the name Alavandar, 'He Who Came to Reign.'
- 04Chapter IV — Alavandar's SpiritualizationSri Ramamisra draws the royal Alavandar away from worldly power into the service of Lord Ranganatha at Srirangam, and Alavandar in turn spreads the faith — but worries that no worthy successor has yet appeared.
- 05Chapter V — Ramanuja's Birth and Early StudiesThe birth of Bhagavad Ramanuja at Sri Perumbudur, his studies under the monist teacher Yadava Prakasa, his courageous protests against misinterpreted Upanishadic passages, and his miraculous deliverance from Yadava's murderous plot.
- 06Yadava, Govinda, and RamanujaAfter their failed plot in the Vindhya forest, Yadavaprakasa and his disciples reach Kashi — while Alavandar hears of Ramanuja in Srirangam and travels to Kanchi to see him.
- 07Ramanuja — Controversies and MiraclesRamanuja exorcises a demon that Yadava could not — and when their philosophical quarrel reaches a breaking point, he leaves his teacher to serve Lord Varadaraja.
- 08Alavandar's Last Days and Last WordsAs Yamunacharya nears the end of his life, he gives his disciples their final teachings on surrender and the nature of a true prapanna — and passes into the eternal realm.
- 09Alavandar and RamanujaMahapurna reaches Kanchi to fetch Ramanuja — but by the time they arrive at Srirangam, Yamunacharya has passed. Gazing on the sage's form, Ramanuja makes three vows that transform his life.
- 10Ramanuja and Kanchi-PurnaRamanuja invites Kanchi-purna home for a meal that goes awry — and in answer to six unspoken doubts, Lord Varadaraja Himself sends Ramanuja His guidance through Kanchi-purna.
- 11Ramanuja's Call to SrirangamAfter Alavandar's passing, the devotees of Srirangam seek a successor. Mahapurna meets Ramanuja at Madhurantakam and formally initiates him, and Ramanuja takes the vows of a sannyasin at Kanchi.
- 12Ramanuja's Chief Disciples and His Arrival at SrirangamKuresa and Dasarathi join Ramanuja as disciples, Yadavaprakasa himself is converted and renamed Govinda-jiyar, and Ramanuja is at last summoned to Srirangam to take charge of the Temple of Sri Ranganatha.
- 13Kuresa Joins RamanujaThe wealthy Kuresa of Kura, moved by Lord Varada's notice of his open charity, renounces everything and walks with his wife Andalamma through the forest to Srirangam to live beside Ramanuja.
- 14Govinda Reclaimed from KalahastiTirumalai Nambi (Srisailapurna) patiently draws his Saiva nephew Govinda back to the Vaishnava fold at Kalahasti through silent hints, cryptic dialogue, and the recitation of Nammazhvar's Tiruvaymozhi.
- 15Ramanuja and the Sacred MantrasRamanuja receives the Dvaya-mantra from Mahapurna, the Ashtakshara-mantra from Goshthipurna after eighteen journeys, and the Charama-sloka in secret — then transmits them to Kuresa and Dasarathi.
- 16Ramanuja's InterpretationsRamanuja studies the Tiruvaymozhi with Tirumalai-Andan (Maladhara) and surprises him with new readings that turn out to be Yamuna's own. He then learns the final truth of the Panchamopaya — the Guru as God — from Araiyar.
- 17Ramanuja's Ministry BeginsBhagavad Ramanuja completes his formal learning, writes his first works, survives a plot on his life, and wins the great debater Yajna-murti to the Vaishnava fold.
- 18Ramanuja's First PilgrimageSri Ramanujacharya sets out on his first great tour, humbling the rich and uplifting the poor, worshipping at Kanchi and Tirupati, and gaining the faithful servant Govinda.
- 19The Character of GovindaGovinda's humility, one-pointed devotion, and heroic purity show what a true disciple looks like, earning him the affectionate name Embar.
- 20Devarat: The Shadow of the MasterDevarat (Arulalapperumal Emberumanar), unwilling to be confused with his master, pulls down his own monastery and settles at Sri Ramanujacharya's side as his faithful shadow.
- 21The Sri Bhashya and the Great WorksWith Kuresa as his scribe, Sri Ramanujacharya composes the Sri Bhashya and fulfils one of the three great wishes of his master Yamunacharya.
- 22Ramanuja's Great Pilgrimage Across BharatSri Ramanujacharya tours the length of Bharat, teaching Surrender, overcoming opponents, honoring a Chandala devotee, receiving the title Bhashyakara from Saraswati, and winning Tirupati for the Vaishnava faith.
- 23The Birth of Parasara Bhatta and Vyasa BhattaTwo sons are born to Kuresa and Andalamma by the grace of Sri Ranganatha, and in naming them, along with little Parankusa-Nambi, Sri Ramanujacharya fulfils the remaining wishes of his Great Guru Yamunacharya.
- 24Bhattarya: The Child Prodigy of SrirangamThe luminous boyhood of Parasara Bhattarya, son of Kuresa, whom Sri Ranganatha and Lakshmi adopted as their own child — his wit, brilliance, and the divine solving of his marriage.
- 25Dhanurdasa: Love Turned from a Maiden to the LordHow a Srirangam athlete, besotted with his beautiful beloved, had his gaze lifted from her eyes to the eyes of Sri Ranganatha — and how he and his wife Kanakamba became Bhagavad Ramanuja's most beloved disciples.
- 26Dasarathi and Maraneri Nambi: Grace Beyond CasteWhy Bhagavad Ramanuja kept Dasarathi as the equal of his sacred staff, how a Sudra devotee of Yamuna was honored with Brahmana funeral rites, and the silent initiation of a dumb man that made Kuresa long to have been born mute.
- 27The Chola's Persecution and the Flight NorthKuresa dons Bhagavad Ramanuja's robes to take the blow of a bigoted king; the Acharya escapes across trackless wilds to Melkote, is reunited with his disciples in the night, and finds Kongil Piratti guarding his sandals in a forest village.
- 28Karnataka: Saligrama, Thondanur, and the Defeat of the JainsBhagavad Ramanuja wins over a Saivite village, converts the Hoysala king Bitti-deva — renamed Vishnuvardhana — by casting out a demon from his daughter, and subdues twelve thousand Jains by revealing his thousand-headed form.
- 29Melukote: The Buried Narayana and the Princess Who Loved HimAt Melukote, Bhagavad Ramanuja unearths the hidden image of Sri Narayana, finds sacred white clay for the tilaka, journeys to Delhi to recover the stolen utsava-murti Ramapriya — followed home by the Sultan's daughter — and opens the temple gates to the Tirukkulattar.
- 30Chola's Persecutions — Kuresa and Mahapurna Lose Their EyesFar from Srirangam, Ramanuja learns how his beloved disciples Kuresa and Mahapurna were blinded by the Saivite king Krimikantha-Chola — and how their faith, unshaken, bore witness to the true God.
- 31Ramanuja's Return to SrirangamThe death of the tyrant Chola opens the way home. After twenty years in the Mysore country, Sri Ramanuja takes leave of Lord Narayana at Melukote and makes his long-awaited return to Srirangam — and to the blind Kuresa.
- 32Short Excursions, Temple Administration, and Kuresa's Prayer for SightSri Ramanuja reconsecrates temples defiled by the Chola, hands the Srirangam administration to Dasarathi, and at last persuades Kuresa to pray Lord Varada for the return of his sight — with a result touched by one final act of forgiveness.
- 33Vatu-Purna — The Disciple Who Saw Only His MasterVatu-Purna, also known as Andhra-Purna, embodied the Fifth Path — Acharya-abhimana — by placing his entire faith in the living Saviour. His single-hearted devotion to Sri Ramanuja became the living illustration of a great doctrine.
- 34Ananta-Suri — The Gardener of Lord SrinivasaAnantacharya served Lord Srinivasa at Tirupati with his own hands. His stories — of the boy who helped his pregnant wife, of the cobra bite, of the flower garlands — show a devotion so fierce that God Himself laughed, bled, and yielded before it.
- 35Kuresa Passes Away — The Elder Brother Goes FirstAsking a boon of Lord Ranganatha, Kuresa requests release from the body — so that he may reach Vaikuntha first and welcome his master when the master's time comes. Sri Ramanuja parts with his dearest disciple in grief and final blessing.
- 36Ramanuja's Last DaysBhagavad Ramanuja anoints Parasara-Bhattar as his successor, gives his final teachings, takes leave of the servants of Lord Ranga, and lays his head in the lap of Embar for the last time. A testimony of his greatness, drawn from scripture, saints, Azhvars, acharyas, and God Himself, closes the book.