An important preceptor of medieval India and the proponent of the Visishtadvaita school of thought, Ramanuja established the supremacy of the Sri Vaishnava dimension of Hinduism. Indira Parthasarathy’s play, originally written in Tamil and published in 1997, is based on the life, ideas, and beliefs of Ramanuja. Retrieving its subject from the shackles of establishment, the play foregrounds, Ramanuja’s open-mindedness and spiritual equality. The ideas and beliefs of Ramanuja hold ground even after 900 years, and the play brings to light one of his most progressive social measures–initiate everyone into spiritual knowledge. The English translation by T. Sriraman captures the tone of the Tamil original and makes the world-view of Ramanuja accessible to a wider audience. The reader’s perception of the historico-social context of Ramanuja’s life and mission is enhanced by C.T. Indra’s critical introduction and extensive commentary. The play and the critical apparatus will appeal to students and scholars of literature in general and Tamil literature in translation in particular, as also those interested in cultural and religious studies and the history of medieval India.
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