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REACHING OUT TO MASSES
My father wanted me to read a letter by a reader in a Tamil Daily Dinamalar which wondered as to why there are no idols of Adi Sankaracharya in Saivaite temples much as there are Idols of Saint Ramanuja in every Vaishnavaite temple. Sankaracharya has a wider recognition as a philosopher par excellence and as the founder of Advaita sect of philosophy. In his time, Hindu religion was facing challenges from Buddhist and Jain religions which were enjoying patronages from Kings and Emperors. Sankara took upon himself this as a challenge and engaged scholars of other faiths in debates and defeated them squarely. His conquest of Mandana Mishra is a folklore in Indian Philosophy.
On the contrary Ramanuja was the propounder of Vishishtadwidham which acknowledges existence of two distinct identities one in human form as Jeevatma and the other in celestial form, the Paramatma.Life , he advised is a journey towards integration of the jeevatma with the Paramatma. He was not known for his scholarly battles and he spoke the language of the commoner.
The basic difference between these two revered Acharyas was that Ramanuja was a leader of the masses., He reached out to even those people who were declared out castes and taught them the ways to attain salvation in simple method of surrender to the God. The scholar in Sankaracharya could not identify Shiva in incognito appearance of a Chandala, an outcaste whom he ordered to give way to him. It was when the outcaste asked him as to whom he wanted to give way to him, the body of him or his atman, he realised the vanity of his vainboasting. But Ramanuja was altogether simple and reached out to masses, cared for their well being and taught them philosophy in simple terms.
This perhaps explain as to why there are no idols of Sankara in Shiva temples whereas Ramanuja Idols adore all Vishnu temples.
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