Ramanujacharya – Biography - ebooks - ISKCON desire tree

ahmana? Only that person who is fully devoted to LordVisnu is a real brahmana, no one else."Kancipurna was filled with wonder and delight to hearthe boy's firm faith in devotional service. Long into thenight the two of them sat up discussing topics about theLord and the ways of devotion. That night Kancipurna stayedat Ramanuja's house and proceeded on his journey the nextmorning. From that day forth both of these great devoteeswere bound together by the love that each bore for theother.MOVING TO KANCIPURAMWhen Ramanuja was only sixteen years old, his father,Asuri Kesavacarya, wanted to get him married. Accordingly,he selected a beautiful young girl to be his son's bride andmade all the arrangements for the wedding celebration. Thefestivities lasted for an entire week and all the poorpeople of the neighborhood were satisfied by thedistribution of large amounts of prasadam. After the couplehad been married for only one month, however, tragedy struckthe family - Kesavacarya left this world. Kantimati wasafflicted with terrible grief, and for Ramanuja also it wasa time of great sorrow. Now that Kesavacarya had left them,Bhutapuri was no longer a happy place for the family, andthey decided to move to the city of Kanci. Ramanuja wentfirst to construct a residence for them, and when it wascompleted they all moved there.AT THE SCHOOL OF YADAVAPRAKASAAt that time a very learned scholar was living atKanci. His name was Yadavaprakasa, and the fame ofscholarship had attracted a large group of disciples to him.Being desirous of understanding the Vedic literatures,Ramanuja also became his student, and his pleasant natureand quick intelligence soon endeared him to the greatpandita. However, this relationship did not last for verylong, for despite his learning and knowledge of thescriptures, Yadavaprakasa was a firm adherent of themayavada philosophy of absolute oneness. He taught that theall-pervading Brahman was the Absolute Truth and that thepersonal God, Lord Visnu, was illusory. Ramanuja was a puredevotee of the Lord, and so he was pained to hear thestatements of Yadavaprakasa, that denied the supremacy ofhis beloved Lord. Out of humility and respect for his guru,Ramanuja would not point out the defects in theseimpersonalist teachings, but the situation gradually becameimpossible to tolerate.21