Shed your ego

Ramanujacharya is a gigantic reservoir from which, all present-day schools of thought that advocate Equality, have flowed out as creeks, rivulets and tributaries. This is a historical fact.

It's been over a thousand years that this divine personality sanctified the earth by his presence. The world is advocating his ideology, without giving credit to him. His name remains in the shadows. So, the magical essence is missing, and values are disappearing in society.

The world identifies Bharat with casteism, not realizing that it began as a division based on vocations. It's unfortunate that untouchability burst forth as an issue.

In the times of Ramanujacharya, temples were the centres of administration, under the control of one section of society, one particular caste. Ramanujacharya, encouraged inclusiveness by allotting 50% of tasks to persons belonging to the rest of the castes. That's the reason, from then on, there are no restrictions based on caste, to enter temples.

However, the relapse of casteism occurred during the foreign rule in Bharath. Caste was used as a ploy to divide and rule. Over the 75 years of independence, casteism has been made into a cancerous growth in Indian society. The very purpose of The Statue Of Equality is to provide a panacea for it. Let the rulers and society be inspired.

Ramanujacharya ensured equality among all castes. He shared the Mantra with everyone – irrespective of the caste. The only qualification he wanted was their being devoted and eager to learn.

He made sure that people from all castes had a role to play in the upkeep of temples, the sources of inspiration. Note that temples were the hub of knowledge, employment and culture, in those days … they were the universities, shopping centres, meeting points.

Equality across social status

Ramanujacharya was born in a brahmin family, but he was desirous of having the leftover food of a great devotee from Kanchi, called Kanchipurna, though he was from a lower social status. He said, social status is not a barrier when you truly enjoy and cherish the companionship of people with a common goal.

He gave importance, at par with the Vedas, to the songs sung by alwars about the glory of the Divya Desams. Some of these alwars were of the lower castes, but their songs were made mandatory in the temples.

In his old age, Ramanujacharya, while going for a bath to River Kaveri, would take the support of a bramhin scholar Dasaradhi. However, while returning he used to lean on the shoulder of Dhanurdas, a low caste by birth. This talks volumes about the importance he gave to devotion over physical status by birth.

Equality across gender

There was a time, women were not even allowed to pray, chant God's name!!!! Unimaginable, but true! They were not taught scriptures, rituals , slokas . We are talking about 1000+ years ago, the time when scriptures were the primary source of education in Vedic culture. Girls were denied this! Can you believe that men did not learn in front of the women so as to keep the knowledge secret!!! Today, though women have broken through many glass ceilings, we are still talking about gender equality.

Ramanujacharya showed his concern for women in those tough days and opened learning channels for women. This is 1000+ years ago. It was a single Acharya who sensed the need to educate all, so that everyone could experience knowledge irrespective of their gender.

Invisible, but invincible, walls have been built, dividing society. Equality has become just another name. The need of the hour is the effulgence of Sri Ramanuja's ideology.