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XIX] Soul according to Rāmānuja and Venkaṭanātha
Visiṣṭā-dvaita doctrine of Soul according to Rāmānuja and Venkaṭanatha.
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The existence of souls as separate self-conscious entities, in contradistinction to the doctrines of other systems, had been established by Yamuna, as we have shown in some detail in our section on his doctrine of soul. The soul is atomic in its size, as we have already found stated by Yamuna. Barada, Vişņu Miśra and Venkatanatha held that in the ordinary phenomenal state its knowledge expands and contracts. At the time of emancipation it has its highest expansion in which it pervades the whole world. The cause of its contraction and expansion is its karma, which is also called avidyā. Rāmānuja, in his Vedānta-dīpa, indulged in the simile of the ray of a lamp in explaining the rise of knowledge in different parts of the body, despite the atomic soul being located in only one part. The soul exists in one part of the body and spreads out its knowledge over all other parts of the body, like the rays of a lamp. Rāmānuja says that Isvara allows the individual selfconscious souls to perform whichever action they have a desire to attempt. Movement is possible only through the approval by Isvara of the desires of individual souls. The self-conscious souls desire things according to their own free will, and in this they are not hampered by Isvara; Israra always allows the individual souls to act, i.e. to move their limbs according to their desires. This is a sort of occasionalism, which holds that, in every action which I am performing, I am dependent on Isvara's will. I can move my limbs because He wishes it. Apart from this general law that Isvara is a supporter of all actions, there are some exceptions of particular favour and disfavour. To those who are particularly attached to Him He is more favourably disposed, and by His grace generates in them such desires that they adopt actions by which they may easily win Him. Into those who are particularly opposed to Him He imports such desires that they are led farther away from Him1. Isvara exists in us all as the inner controller. This inner controller is represented by our individual soul. This individual soul is free in all its desires, knowledge, and attempts2. This freedom of will, knowledge, etc., is given to us all by Isvara, and He also arranges that the movements in the material world may take place in ac
1 See Varavara's commentary on the Tattva-traya. 2 See Rāmānuja's Bhāṣya, II. 3. 40, 41.
