A book on 'seven appropriates'

A good book is more beautiful than any beauty so called. Two such books written in Sanskrit make the beauty limitless. The two books are Sapta Saamanjasi prakaranam by Araiyar SriRama Sarma and Thrisankhu, a book of modern poetry in Sanskrit by the poet Sri D D Bahulikar. The second I will write about later. Now the first -

Sri Araiyar SriRama Sarma of Melkote has written Sapta SaamanjasI Prakaranam. It deals with a theme related to Sri Bhashya of Sri Ramanuja.

In Visishtadvaitic philosophy or even in Vedantic parlance in general there is a way of expressing the ultimate import of theology as such in terms of Five Major Themes called Artha Panchaka. Those five themes are the Transcendent Ultimate Reality, the Soul, the Way that should be trodden by the Soul to reach the Ultimate Goal, the Final Goal to be realised by the Soul and the Impediments that block the attainment of the Soul. In short we can say Brahman, Jivan, Upaya, Upeya and Virodhi are the five topics of Theology. The whole Sri Bhashya, which is the commentary of Sri Ramanuja on the Brahma Sutras of Veda Vyasa explicates in various ways how the Five Topics are sufficiently and precisely explained by the Sastras be it Upanishads or the Brahma Sutras.

Araiyar SriRama Sarma concentrating mainly on these five topics and their relevant places of conclusive elucidations signified by the use of the phrase 'Saamanjasam' (i. e. a traditional way of denoting that the said point has been sufficiently and precisely dealt with hereby). In addition to these five places there are two other places in Sri Bhashya where Sri Ramanuja explicitly uses the expression Saamanjasam denoting that the point explained has been sufficiently dealt with. Araiyar Ji has taken care to formalise his whole exposition and narration of all these seven places, where the Great Commentator has expressed openly about the sufficiency of elucidation. And it is really a feast for any serious student of theology in general and Visishtadvaitic Theology in particular.

'atra sarIraka mImAmsa samAkyE brahmasUtrE, arthapanchakam pramEyam kutra katam nirUpitam asti iti srI bhAshyasUktibhi: Eva nirUpaNam saptasaAmanjasI prabandhasya uddEsyam'

'here the intent of this treatise is to provide proof of how the Five Topics of Theology (Arthapanchakam) have been proved to be the subject matter of the whole Sariraka Mimamsa called by the name Brahma Sutras' (translation mine)

This forms the intent and purpose of Araiyar SriRama Sarma Ji. And I was so much gladdened by the simple and beautiful style of Araiyar Ji, the Sailee as it is called in Sanskrit circles.

He is not exposed to modern book presentation formats or styles of presentation. He has been a traditional right from his own boyhood days of learning at the feet of Guru. But the way he has presented his treatise so much matches the modern style. He states specifically what he intends and in what way he is going to present his matter, everything at the outset and prepares the reader for what follows. And he is very much awake to his initial promise right through out.

Academy of Sanskrit Research, Melkote has done a wonderful thing by bringing out this valuable book. And for all that the price is a mere Rs forty four. Sapta SaamanjasI Prakaranam, by Araiyar SriRama Sarma, Academy of Sanskrit Research, Melkote, 571431,

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