SWĀMĪ ĀDIDEVĀNANDA asked me to write a Foreword to his translation of the Yatindramatadipika and I gladly comply with his request for the main reason that the publication of the work is sure to satisfy a long-felt need for a suitable text-book on the Essentials of Visiṣṭādvaita.
The Yanindramatadipika was composed by Srini- vāsārya, a well-known Visiṣṭādvaitic philosopher who lived in Tirupati, Chittoor District, about the begin- ning of the seventeenth century. It is a compendious exposition of the teachings of Visiṣṭādvaita in its aspects of metaphysics, morals and religion, familiarly known as tattva, hita and puruṣārtha. The book is called Yatindramatadipikā, or the Light of the System of Yatindra, or Śrī Rāmānuja. Śrī Rāmānuja like other Vedantins deduces his philosophy from the Sastra; but gives a comprehensive and synthetic interpretation of it by recognizing the validity of Pañcaratra as the word of God and accepting the equal value of the teachings of Rsis and the Alvārs in the scheme of Ubhaya-vedānta. Viṣiṣṭādvaita accepts the reality of experience in all its levels including dreams and illusions. Its tattva com- prises the three entities, God, souls and matter which however are inseparable. God is defined as the saririn or Self of souls and matter, as these two live and move and have their being in Him. God exists in five forms as the Eternal beyond the perishing world, the infinite in and beyond the finite, the Immanent, and the Incar- nations, historical and permanent.
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The soul has unique monadic being and is yet a mode deriving its essence from God. It is both substance and attribute. Bhakti and prapatti form the chief means of liberation or mukti. Prapatti as absolute surrender to God is available to all souls. Mukti is the attainment of the Absolute beyond the world of space-time; and then the liberated self enjoys the eternal bliss of Brahman. Spirituality and service go together as the vertical and horizontal ways of expressing love.
The work faithfully brings out the main teachings of Śrī Rāmānuja as summarized above and it mediates between monism and monotheism. The present work eminently succeeds in its laudable attempt to present a readable account of the text and serves as an excellent introduction to the study of Visiṣṭādvaita. I
am sure this transaltion which is so far the best in the field will have a good reception.
August 20, 1949
P. N. SRINIVASACHARI
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