Guest guest Posted August 2, 2004 Report Share Posted August 2, 2004 GOD AND GOD-MEN IN VEDANTA (10) Swami Ashokananda Shankara, for example, was a great philosopher, probably the greatest born in India, and at the same time he was a very great saint; he was a unique combination of the highest spiritual experience and the highest philosophical genius. Yet he is looked up not as an Incarnation, but as a saint with authority, one who was born for the good of mankind. He lived just thirty-two years, and then, his mission fulfilled, he passed on. Ramanuja, who is not considered equal to Shankara in importance, fulfilled a similar function - that is, he is considered to be a man with spiritual authority. Greater saints may have been born in India, but they have not enjoyed the same authority as has Ramanuja. Unlike Shankara, he was a theist, that is to say, a devotee of God. Although Shankara was also a devotee of God, at the same time he was a monist, feeling that he himself and every other being was identical with God. Ramanuja, on the other hand, emphasized the soul's devotional relationship with God, and so he described God in one particular way. Later on, I shall have occasion to refer to his view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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