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XV11] Arvārs' controversy with Sri-vaisnavas 89 at the same time for the interest of the devotee, because of the intense delight he enjoys by being a servant of God. The illustration of lost objects discovered by the master does not hold good, because human beings are conscious entities who suffer immeasurable sorrow which is removed by realizing themselves as servants of God. Though the devotee abnegates all the fruits of his actions in a selfsurrender, yet he enjoys his position in the servitude of God and also the bliss of the realization of Brahman. Thus, those who take the path of knowledge (upāsaka) attain Brahma knowledge and the servitude of God, and those who take the path of self-surrender (prapatti) also attain Brahma knowledge and the servitude of God. In the state of salvation (mukti) there is no difference of realization corresponding to the variation of paths which the seekers after God may take?. Again, in the Arvār school of thought, besides the four ways of scriptural duties, philosophic wisdom, devotion to God and devotion to teachers, there was a fifth way, viz. that of intense selfsurrender to God, i.e. prapatti. But the Aragiyas thought that apart from prapatti there was only one other way of approaching God, namely devotion, bhakti-yoga. Rāmānuja and his followers maintain that karma-yoga and jñāna-yoga only help to purify the mind, as a preparation for bhakti-yoga. The devotion to the preceptor is regarded only as a form of prapatti; so there are only two ways of approach to God, viz. bhakti-yoga and prapatti?
Further, Srī occupies an important position in Sri-vaisnavism. But as there are only three categories in the Sri-vaisnava system, a question may naturally arise regarding the position of Sri in the threefold categories of cit, acit and parameśvara. On this point the view of the older school, as described in Ramya-jāmāts muni's Tattva-dipa, is that Sri is to be identified with human souls and is therefore to be regarded as atomic in nature3 Others, however, think that Srī is as all-pervasive as Vişnu. Filial affection (vātsalya)
na muktasya; yad vā phalam kainkaryam tat parā-rtham eva na svā-rtham; para-tantra-daśā-krtam kainkaryam sva-tantra-svämy-artham eva. Aștādaśabheda-nirnaya, p. 2.
1 Ibid. p. 3.
? ataḥ prapatti-vyatirikto bhakti-yoga eka eve' ti. Ibid. p. 4.
8 Ibid. In the next section it is urged that, according to some, Nārāyana and not Śrī is the only agent who removes our sins, but others hold that sins may be removed also by Sri in a remote manner, or, because Sri is identical with Nārāyana; as the fragrance is with the flower, she has also a hand in removing the sins. Ibid. p. 5.
lakşıyā upāyatvam bhagavata iva sākṣāt abhyupagantavyam. Ibid.
