Visishtadvaitam - Core Concepts

Several Visishtadvaitic core concepts are derived from Sharira Atma Bhavam and Seshatvam.

Quick recap on SAB and Seshatvam 

Sharira Atma Bhavam - explained in an earlier blog here implies that the Paramatma, as the antaryami is the owner of the Jeevatma, just as the Jeevatma is the owner of this human body.  This may be expressed as follows:

Human Body : Jeevatma : : Jeevatma : Antaryami

The first implication of this expression is that the Jeevatma is separate from the Human Body.  The human body is an insentient thing.  What makes it a human "being" is the Jeevatma.  When the Jeevatma leaves the human body, what is left behind is an insentient thing we call corpse.  It loses its name, identity, and its ability to respond and react.  When the Jeevatma is encased in the human body, it responds and reacts to external events.  That means, the Jeevatma is the "command control center" of this human body. It is the key decision maker.  Central Nervous System and Brain are nothing but matter - completely insentient.  What make the Brain the seat of memory and decision making is the presence of Jeevatma.  Otherwise, it should be possible to correct criminals by simply implanting a good but dead person's brain into them.  Each Jeevatma is unique. Each Jeevatma, from birth to next birth, carries with it the baggage of Karma that has resulted from its deeds in the various lifes (in various bodies - including non-human). It also carries with it "Vasana" from all its previous lifes. In the present life, Vasana can be inferred from strong likes and dislikes to strange and new things - which cannot be explained from past occurrence in present life.  For example, without any reason a person could have strong dislike or phobia for large mass of water and therefore for swimming in it.

Since the Jeevatma is the command control center of the human body, every physical part of the body is therefore its "servant".  The Jeevatma commands the body to raise the hand in response to teacher's call in the class-room, and the hand-lifts. This "servitude" is the most important characteristic of the human body.  In other words, the human body exists exclusively to "serve its master, the Jeevatma".

Similarly, looking at the right hand side of the expression above, the Jeevatma is to the Paramatma what the human body is to the Jeevatma.  Therefore the Jeevatma is the "servant" of the Paramatma.  In other words, the Jeevatma exists exclusively to "serve its master, the Paramatma". This is what we defined in a blog below as "Seshatvam".

Also, following the logic above, the Jeevatma is different from the Paramatma - in that the Jeevatma is the servant of the Paramatma, it carries karma, and vasana from its previous lives. Even though at the time of Moksha, the Jeevatma ceases to carry its karma and vasana, it still eternally remains subservient to the Lord.

Now let us look at the complete value chain - Human Body : Jeevatma : Paramatma. That means, even in day to day conversation when we call a person in front of us as "you", we are indirectly addressing first the Jeevatma, and secondly the Paramatma as the Antaryami.

Ananyaarhatvam - Exclusivity in Subservience

Having established Seshatvam, the next question that arises is, who is this "Paramatma" that this Jeevatma is subservient to?  How can the Jeevatma serve its Lord, if it cannot recognize Him? Is He One or Many?  We see temples for many Gods and Goddesses in India.  In each temple the deity is referred to "Parmatma or something equivalent".  There are six agamas - each one claiming that the Universe resulted from each of the six deities!  Which of these deities is the real Paramatma, the real, primordial being from whom the Universe came into existence?

Several pramana (proofs) from the Hindu Shastras universally proclaim that Sriman Narayana is that primordial being. It is He who existed when nothing else existed.  By sheer will, it is He that became this universe using his own body as the raw material (material cause or upadana kaarana), and the tool (supportive cause or sahakari kaarana).  Perhaps, did he use the help of somebody else (one of these other 5 deities) who had prior knowledge in creating Universes? Some Sculptor?   In common occurrence we seldom see the owner of a house building it himself - he often uses the help of an architect, landscaper etc.   The Shastras come to our help here as well, proclaiming that He was the "doer" of this action as well (Nimitta Kaarana) - that He was the architect of this Universe.

Being all the three causes it He that the Jeevatma is subservient to, and to no other!  This exclusivity is referred to in Visishtadvaitam as "Ananyaarhatvam".

Swaatantryam (Complete Independence) v. Paaratantryam (Complete Dependence)

Each individual has been given "limited" independence to make his/own decisions and choose the right way to live his/her life. Oftentimes we human beings mistake this limited independence for "complete independence" and think that we are the masters of our lives.  This leads to "Deha Aatma Abhimanam" (DAA) the most serious disease in man-kind - much more than ADD, drug addiction, and even Cancer or AIDS. It is because of DAA that the Jeevatma starts thinking that it is nothing more than the human/animal/plant body that it is encased in.  Shaastras teach us that the Jeevatma has no birth, nor death. It cannot be killed; it cannot be disrespected; it cannot be violated in any manner.  All of that is because it is eternally subservient to the Lord that owns it.  However, when it takes birth the Jeevatma, the sentient being acquires "relationship with the insentient".  This event, of the Jeevatma acquiring relationship with the insentient, is called "birth". Similary, the event of the Jeevatma relieving itself of the relationship with the insentient is called "death".  The Jeevatma takes birth in order to expend the balance of karma so that it can get Moksha and eternally reside in the Lord's world - Sri Vaikuntha. However, instead of expending its balance of karma, because of DAA, the Jeevatma starts acquiring more karma through out its life-span. Thus one of the key impediments to spiritual progress and gaining moksha is the DAA - which is why it is more deadlier than any other disease in man-kind! When we give up DAA, the real nature of the Jeevatma as being "completely dependent" on the Paramatma dawns upon it.  This "complete dependence" on the Lord is called "Paaratantryam".

Sri Vaishnava Acharyas have stated that it is Bharata that demonstrated intense Paaratantryam in Sri Ramayana - He stayed away from the Lord, and carried out His commands, as His servant - with the attitude that It was HIS kingdom he was administering FOR Him! It is Bharata's example that we Jeevatmas should emulate in the present life - living away from Him physically for His task to be accomplished - for when His task is accomplished the Jeevatma would attain Moksha.

All activities carried out with the attitude of Paaratantryam do not accrue karma.  All activities carried out with the attitude of Swaatantryam will result in accrual of karma to the baggage.

Next Post: Aakinchanyam, and Ananyagatitvam