Ramanujar – Administrator par Excellence (Last Part)

In the previous post we witnessed the greatness of the Vaishnava philosopher Sri Ramanujar as an able administrator through some of his deeds.

Here is a continuation of that post:

4. Elevating the importance of Tamil in temples

Up until the time of Ramanujar, most of the verses chanted in Vaishnava temples were in Sanskrit (with the possible exception of Nammazhwar’s Thiruvaimozhi  which was in Tamil). Ramanuja brought in the practice of reciting the entire Dhivyaprabandam (4000 Tamil verses) that included verses from the other 11 other Azhwars to be recited at par with the Vedas.
He had the images of Azhwars enshrined in temples for worship. He also initiated philosophic discourses and quoted the Azhwars heavily citing that these verses were Dravida vedas (Vedas in Tamil). To increase the reach of these pasurams (verses), he had them recited rather than sung which made it easy for people to learn them. Thus he ensured that those who are unable to learn or chant Vedas can also attain salvation by chanting pasurams from Dhivyaprabandam.

5. Construction of water bodies

The Hoysala King Bitti Deva’s daughter who was possessed got cured by the powers of Ramanujar. Because of this the king who was a Jain follower became a Vaishnavaite assuming the name of Vishnuvardhana. It is at this time that Ramanuja constructed the lake at Thondanur, the then capital of Hoysalas. That master plan is helping in irrigating thousands of acres of land in Karnataka and supplying drinking water to nearby places including Melkote even today. It is believed that this lake has never dried up in the last 1000 years. We need to realize that Ramanuja was neither a ruler nor a public official but still he thought of the well-being of the people around.

6. Empowerment of Women

Ramanujar was a visionary when it came to empowerment of women. In Dhivyaprabandam,  the verses of Andal (the only women Azhwar) were his favourite. In one of her verses, she vowed to offer large portions of butter and sweet offerings to the Lord at Tirumaliruncholai (Madurai). Ramanuja who was unsure whether she had the time and wherewithal to do that, took it upon himself to fulfill that promise.  This ritual is still continuing in Azhagar temple at Madurai. Legend has it that for this gesture, Andal called Ramanuja her brother (‘Kovil Annan‘).
In his work, Saranagati Gadyam he requests Goddess Lakshmi to intercede on behalf of mortals to the Lord for salvation. He says forgiveness, tolerance and persistent patience come more easily to women than to men. There was also an instance in his life where he prostrated in front of a little girl because he saw an aspect of Andal in her.

7. Establishment of mutts

With a view to safeguard religious traditions, Ramanuja appointed 74 Simhasanadhipathis (dignitaries) who held special offices of ministry. In addition to the above 74, there were 700 Jeeyars and over 12,000 volunteers who were given the task of spreading his philosophy. He inducted Lakhs of people into the path of Bhakti and disciplined life by giving initiation to them.

8. Time Management

Ramanujar was very adept in time Management. He was known to get up in the early hours and retire late at night without taking any break during the day. His schedule was such that after his morning rituals to Lord Varadaraja, he used to visit and inspect temples, deliver lectures on the scriptures and also write books expounding the intricate Vedantic philosophies. In total, he has written a total of 9 books including commentaries for Brahma Sutras, Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. Even at the ripe old age of 120 he did his daily rituals with assistance from his disciples.

Sri Ramanujar’s entire life is a case study in itself on management principles. His management style was based on evaluative judgement, validated data, deep conceptual understanding, appropriate delegation, feedback mechanisms and back-up planning. He lived in an era that easily preceded  the  time after which Western management principles were conceived. Ramanuja set the standards for all not only in the areas of religion, but also in the areas of administration and social reform. Swami Vivekananda referred to Ramanuja as a ‘saint of the heart.’

The below quote from Sri Ramanujar aptly summarizes his philosophy.

“Let thy mind not dwell upon their (Lord’s devotees) birth or any other detracting element, but look upon them as beings sent for you to serve and follow”

References
https://www.dailyo.in/variety/ramanuja-1000-years-mann-ki-baat-vishishtadvaita-vaishnavism/story/1/17021.html
https://satyavijayi.com/sri-ramanuja-personality-re-established-values-hindu-society/