Ramanuja | |
|---|---|
 Painting of Ramanuja | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Iḷaiyāḻvār[1][2][3] 1077 (trad. date 1017)[a] |
| Died | 1157(1157-00-00) (aged 79–80) (trad. date 1137)[a] |
| Parents |
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| Honors | Emperumānār,Udaiyavar,Yatirāja (king ofsannyasis)[8] |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Denomination | Vaishnavism |
| Philosophy | Vishishtadvaita |
| Sect | Sri Vaishnavism |
| Religious career | |
| Guru | Yadava Prakasa |
Influenced by | |
Influenced | |
| Part ofa series on | |
| Hindu philosophy | |
|---|---|
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| Orthodox | |
| Heterodox | |
Sub-schools | |
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Ramanuja ([ɾaːmaːnudʑɐ];Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam;Classical Sanskrit: Rāmānuja;c. 1077 – 1157, trad. date 1017-1137[a]), also known asRamanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and social reformer. He is one of the most important exponents of theSri Vaishnavism tradition inHinduism.[8][9] His philosophical foundations for devotional practice were influential in theBhakti movement.[10][11][12][13]
Ramanuja'sguru wasYādava Prakāśa, a scholar who, traditionally, is said to have belonged to theAdvaita Vedānta tradition,[14] but probably was aBhedabheda scholar.[15] Sri Vaishnava tradition holds that Ramanuja disagreed with his guru and the non-dualistic Advaita Vedānta, and instead followed in the footsteps of TamilAlvārs tradition, the scholarsNāthamuni andYamunāchārya.[10] Ramanuja is famous as the chief proponent ofVishishtadvaita school ofVedānta,[16][17] and his disciples were likely authors of texts such as theShatyayaniya Upanishad.[14] Ramanuja himself wrote influential texts, such as Sanskritbhāsyas on theBrahma Sutras and theBhagavad Gita.[18]
HisVishishtadvaita (qualifiednon-dualism) philosophy has competed with theDvaita (theistic dualism) philosophy ofMadhvāchārya, andAdvaita (non-dualism) philosophy ofĀdi Shankara, together the three most influential Vedantic philosophies of the 2nd millennium.[19][20] Ramanuja presented theepistemic andsoteriological importance ofbhakti, or the devotion to apersonal God (Vishnu in Ramanuja's case) as a means to spiritual liberation. His theories assert that there exists a plurality and distinction betweenĀtman (soul) andBrahman (metaphysical, ultimate reality), while he also affirmed that there is unity of all souls and that the individual soul has the potential to realize identity with the Brahman.[20][21][22]
Ramanuja was born into aTamil Brahmin community, in a village calledSriperumbudur (present-day Tamil Nadu) under theChola Empire. His followers in the Vaishnava tradition wrote hagiographies, some of which were composed centuries after his death, and which the tradition believes "at face value."[9]
The traditional hagiographies of Ramanuja state he was born to mother Kānthimathi and father Asuri Keshava Somayāji,[4] inSriperumbudur, near modernChennai, Tamil Nādu.[6] He is believed to have been born in the month ofChithirai under the star Tiruvadhirai.[23] They place his life from 1017–1137, yielding a lifespan of 120 years.[24] However, based on 11th- and 12th-century temple records and regional literature outside the Sri Vaishnava tradition, modern era scholars suggest that Ramanuja might have lived from 1077–1157.[4][6][7] Paul syndor notes that "reconstructing his 'historical life' is nearly impossible," and such efforts as Carman's datings (1077-1157), although "well-reasoned," are speculative and "ultimately unverifiable."[9]
Ramanuja married, moved toKānchipuram, and studied with Yādava Prakāśa as his guru.[11][14][25] Ramanuja and his guru frequently disagreed in interpreting Vedic texts, particularly theUpanishads.[4][26] Ramanuja and Yādava Prakāśa separated, and thereafter Ramanuja continued his studies on his own.[9][25]
He attempted to meet another famed Vedanta scholar of 11th-century Yamunāchārya, but Sri Vaishnava tradition holds that the latter died before the meeting and they never met.[9] Ramanuja was the great-grandson of Yamunāchārya through a granddaughter.[27] However, some hagiographies assert that the corpse of Yamunāchārya miraculously rose and named Ramanuja as the new leader of Sri Vaishnava sect previously led by Yamunāchārya.[9] One hagiography states that after leaving Yādava Prakāśa, Ramanuja was initiated into Sri Vaishnavism by Periya Nambi, also calledMahapurna, another Vedānta scholar. Ramanuja renounced his married life, and became aHindu monk.[28] However, Katherine Young states that evidence on whether Ramanuja led a married or renunciate life is uncertain.[29]
Ramanuja became a priest at theVaradharāja Perumal temple (dedicated to the deityVishnu) atKānchipuram, where he began to teach thatmoksha (liberation and release fromsamsara) is to be achieved not with metaphysical,nirgunaBrahman, but with the help of personal god andsaguna Vishnu. Ramanuja believed that when scriptures such as the Vedas declare god asnirguna, they should be interpreted as saying that qualities such as pain, sorrow, mortality and age are absent in god.[25][30][31] Ramanuja has long enjoyed foremost authority in the Sri Vaishnava tradition.[32]
A number of traditional biographies of Ramanuja are known, some written in 12th century, some written centuries later such as 14th and 15th century, whereas some as far as the 17th or 18th century, particularly after the split of theŚrīvaiṣṇava community into theVadakalais andTeṉkalais, where each community created its own version of Ramanuja's hagiography based on earlier primary writings.[29][33] TheMuvāyirappaṭi Guruparamparāprabhāva by Brahmatantra Svatantra Jīyar represents the earliestVadakalai biography, and reflects theVadakalai view of the succession following Ramanuja.Ārāyirappaṭi Guruparamparāprabhāva, on the other hand, represents the Tenkalai biography. Other biographies include theYatirajavaibhavam by Andhrapurna, who was the direct disciple of Ramanuja.[29]
Ramanuja grew up in the Tamil culture, in a stable society during the rule of theChola dynasty.[34] This period was one of pluralistic beliefs, where Vaishnava, Shaiva, Smarta traditions, Buddhism and Jainism thrived together. In Hindu monastic tradition, Advaita Vedānta had been dominant,[14] and Ramanuja's guru Yādava Prākāsha belonged to this tradition.[25] Prior to Ramanuja, theSri Vaishnava sampradaya was already an established organization under Yamunāchārya, and bhakti songs and devotional ideas were already a part of Tamil culture because of the twelveAlvārs.[35] Ramanuja's fame grew because he was considered the first thinker in centuries that disputed Shankara's theories, and offered an alternative interpretation of Upanishadic scriptures.[34]
When Ramanuja and his guruYadava Prakaasa parted ways due to their differences in interpreting theVedic literature, Ramanuja became a devotee of theVaradaraja Perumal temple inKanchi. During this period, Ramanuja's discourses and fame reached far and wide.Yamunacharya, the Vaishnavite acharya and the religious head of theRanganathasamy temple atSrirangam had been closely following Ramanuja from a very young age. When it was time to pass on the legacy, the acharya sent Mahapurna, a disciple assisting him in temple affairs, to Kanchi to invite Ramanuja to Srirangam.[36]
When Mahapurna met Ramanuja and informed him of his guru's desire, Ramanuja was overjoyed and they both immediately left for Srirangam. But bad news awaited them at Srirangam and they both learned that Yamunacharya had died. Heart-broken, Ramanuja then left for Kanchi and refused to worship Sri Ranganatha for he held him responsible for taking away Yamunacharya from this world. As for Mahapurna, he began to assist Tiruvaranga Araiyar, the son of Yamunacharya in managing the temple affairs. But as time passed by, Tiruvaranga Araiyar and other senior members of the Vaishnavite order felt that there was a vacuum after Yamunacharya's demise and that they lacked a person who could interpret the Vedas and Sastras like Yamunacharya. So it was finally decided that Sri Mahapurna should once again go and invite Ramanuja to Srirangam.[37]
Meanwhile, in Kanchi, Ramanuja regularly met withKanchipurna, a fellow devotee. Ramanuja decided that he would become Kanchipurna's disciple, but Kanchipurna politely refused, saying he was not of the same caste and that Ramanuja would find a more appropriate guru.[37] Kanchipurna then left forTirupati to worshipVenkateswara and returned after six months. Upon his return, he conveyed that Lord Varadaraja (a form of Vishnu) wished Ramanuja to go to Srirangam and find solace in Mahapurna.[36][38]
After it was decided that Mahapurna would go and invite Ramanuja toSrirangam, the acharya left for Kanchi with his wife. While on his way to Kanchi, Mahapurna and his wife decided to take some rest atMaduranthakam, a place that is located 40 km from present dayChennai. As fate would have it Ramanuja, who was on his way to Srirangam, arrived at the same place and to his joy found Mahapurna. They soon embraced each other and Ramanuja requested that he waste no time in initiating him into the Vaishnavite order. Mahapurna immediately obliged and Ramanuja received the Panchasamskaras (the five sacraments).[38]
Some hagiographies, composed centuries after Ramanuja died, state that a Chola king,Kulothunga II,[39] had immense hatred towards Sri Vaishnavism. He was called Krimikanta Chola or "worm-necked Chola", so named because the king is said to have suffered from the cancer of the neck or throat.[40][41] HistorianNilakanta Sastri identifies Krimikanta Chola withAdhirajendra Chola orVirarajendra Chola.[42][43] Knowing the evil intentions of the king, Ramanuja's disciple,Koorathazhwan persuaded Ramanuja to leave the Chola kingdom. Ramanuja then moved to Hoysala kingdom, where he spent 14 years. During this period, he converted a Jain king, Bitti Deva, to Hinduism after miraculously healing his daughter. Bitti Deva changed his name toVishnuvardhana. King Vishnuvardhana assisted Ramanuja in building a temple of Lord Thirunarayanaswamy atMelukote, which is now a temple town inMandya district ofKarnataka. Ramanuja later returned on his own to Tamil Nādu after the death of Krimikanta Chola.[39] According to Sastri, Krimikanta or Adhirajendra Chola was killed in a local uprising of the Vaishnavas.[43][44]
According to "Koil Olugu" (temple records) of theSrirangam temple,Kulottunga III was the son of Krimikanta Chola or Karikala Chola.[45] The former, unlike his father, is said to have been a repentant son who supported Vaishnavism.[46][47] Ramanuja is said to have made Kulottunga III as a disciple of his nephew,Dasarathi. The king then granted the management of the Ranganathaswamy temple to Dasarathi and his descendants as per the wish of Ramanuja.[48][49] Some historians hold that Krimikanta, who persecuted Ramanuja, had a personal animosity towards Ramanuja and did not persecute Vaishnavites.[50]
The Sri Vaishnavite order prior to Ramanuja was not averse to people from other castes as both Kanchipurna and Mahapurna were non-Brahmins.[37] When Ramanuja revolted against the discrimination that had crept into the caste system, he was following the same lines as theAlwars, helping those considered untouchables (dasa, dasulu, dasu), to be absorbed into the Sri Vaishnava Bhakti Movement, and encouraging them to attain Spiritual enlightenment by teaching them Sri Alwar Divyaprabandham. He called these downtrodden classes asTirukulattar, meaning "of noble descent" inTamil, and was instrumental in admitting them into the temple atMelukote.[51][52]
Ramanuja's liberal views also led to the reorganization of rituals in Srirangam and the involvement of non-Brahmin people in the Vaishnava worship. This policy change contributed to the enhancement of social status for artisanal and other non-Brahmin caste groups, especially the weavers (Sengunthar Kaikola Mudaliyar), who were one of the chief beneficiaries. After Ramanuja's period, the Sri Vaishnava community split on this issue and formed the Vadakalai (northern and Sanskritic) and Thenkalai (southern and Tamil) sects.[53] Both sects believe in initiation intoSri Vaishnavism throughPancha Samskara.[54] This ceremony or rite of passage is necessary for one to become a Sri Vaishnava. It is performed by Brahmins and non-Brahmins in order to become Vaishnavas.[55]
There were multiple attempts on Ramanuja's life. When he was a student under Yadava Prakasa, the latter grew jealous of Ramanuja's rise to fame. So Yadava Prakasa tried to get rid of Ramanuja during a tour to the Ganges in northern India. Govinda, Ramanuja's cousin (son of his mother's sister),[27] learned of this plot and warned Ramanuja who then left the group and escaped to Kanchi with the help of an elderly hunter couple. Later Yadava Prakasa realised his folly and became a disciple under Ramanuja.[56][57]
Later another attempt was made on Ramanuja's life while he was about to take charge of the temple affairs inSrirangam. The head priest of theRanganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam did not like Ramanuja and decided to kill him. Accordingly, he invited Ramanuja to his house for having food and planned to kill him by poisoning his food. However, when Ramanuja arrived, the priest's wife saw the divine glow of Ramanuja and immediately confessed her husband's plan. This did not deter the priest who then made another attempt when Ramanuja visited the temple. He poisoned the templeTheertham (holy water) and served it to Ramanuja. To the priest's great surprise Ramanuja, instead of dying, began to dance with joy. The priest realised his mistake and fell at the feet of Ramanuja.[58]
The Sri Vaisnava tradition attributes nine Sanskrit texts to Ramanuja –Vedarthasamgraha (literally, "Summary of the Vedas's meaning"),Sri Bhashya (a review and commentary on theBrahma Sutras),Bhagavad Gita Bhashya (a review and commentary on theBhagavad Gita), and the minor works titledVedantadipa,Vedantasara,Gadya Trayam (which is a compilation of three texts called theSharanagati Gadyam,Sriranga Gadyam, and theVaikuntha Gadyam), and theNitya Grantham.[59]
Some scholars have questioned the authenticity of all other writings except the three of the largest works credited to Ramanuja — Sri Bhashya, Vedarthasamgraha, and the Bhagavad Gita Bhashya — and the Gadya Trayam he composed in Srirangam.[60][61]
Ramanuja's philosophical foundation was qualifiedmonism, and is calledVishishtadvaita in the Hindu tradition.[20][62] His ideas are one of three subschools inVedānta, the other two are known as Ādi Shankara's Advaita (absolute monism) and Madhvāchārya's Dvaita (dualism).[20]
Rāmānuja's epistemology ishyperrealistic or similar tonaïve empiricism.[63] The first two sources of knowledge are perception and inference, and they are trustworthy notwithstanding general human subjection to "beginningless ignorance." Knowledge is always of the real, even in dreams, and error is a disordered perception or faulty inference concerning what is really there. The third source of knowledge is the testimony of scripture, or more strictly,śabda ("eternal sound"), which helps to establish much that is uncertain on the basis of sense perception and inference, notably the existence and nature of the ultimate reality (brahman). Though unlike some proponents of naïve empiricism, Rāmānuja does not think that it suffices to intermittently have an acquaintance with objects of knowledge. Knowledge (jñāna) only occurs when there is direct perception of an object. Unlike proper empiricists, Rāmānuja does not restrict knowledge to that which can be gathered from the senses.[64][65][25] Rāmānuja asserts that knowledge about God comes exclusively from the Vedic scriptures, particularly the Upanisads, rather than from sensory perception or logical inference.[66]
Rāmānuja was unique in his view thatbhakti or devotion is itself anepistemic state. He says that whenbhakti takes firm root in an individual, it turns intoparabhakti, which is the highest form ofbhakti and thatbhakti is the direct awareness of Brahman's nature and thus is a kind of knowledge (jñāna).[67][68]
Being a realist, Rāmānuja firmly opposed the notion ofmāyā (illusion). In his understanding, three distinct realities exist: a vast expanse of material objects, countless conscious souls within material bodies, and the transcendent Brahman. Each of these categories possesses a different degree of awareness, from the non-aware material world to the fully-aware Brahman, but they are all equally real. In Rāmānuja's interpretation of advaita (non-dualism), it is not a form of advaita as proposed byShankara. Rāmānuja's conception of bhakti maintains that there must always be a separation between the lover (the soul) and the beloved (Vishnu), for true love cannot exist without distinct identities. His stance suggests aqualified non-dualism, where both the souls and the material world, though deeply interconnected with Brahman, eternally remain different from Brahman.[69]
In Rāmānuja's philosophy, the foundational concept of the soul-body model revolves around the idea that the entire universe, including both souls (jivas) and matter (prakrti), serves as the body (sarira) of God, referred to as "sarira-sariri-bhava", where "sarira" means body and "sariri" means the indwelling soul or consciousness. This concept is rooted insruti passages likeBrihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.7.3-23:[70]
"This soul of yours who is present within but is different from all beings, whom all beings do not know. whose body is all beings, and who controls all beings from within - he is the Inner Controller, the immortal one" -Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.7.14
According to Rāmānuja, the highest good lies in realizing our true nature and of understanding the true essence of Brahman.Moksha, or spiritual liberation, is seen as the joy of contemplatingBrahman (rather than release from the life-death-rebirth cycle),[25] and that joy is the result of devotion, praise, worship and contemplation of divine perfection. Knowledge ofBrahman consists in liberation, for Rāmānuja, mainly because of the character ofBrahman.[71] According to Ramanuja, Brahman encompasses everything but is not uniform in nature. It includes elements of plurality, allowing it to manifest in a diverse world. Ramanuja views Brahman as a personal god who rules over a real world filled with his spirit. He believes Brahman to have the attributes of “omnipotence, omniscience and infinite love”.[31] He writes:
"Entities other thanBrahman can be objects of such cognitions of the nature of joy only to a finite extent and for limited duration. ButBrahman is such that cognizing of him is an infinite and abiding joy. It is for this reason that theśruti [scripture] says, `Brahman is bliss’ (Taittirīya Upaniṣad II.6.) Since the form of cognition as joy is determined by its object,Brahman itself is joy."[72]
Rāmānuja clarifies that mere theoretical knowledge ofBrahman‘s nature is insufficient for attaining moksha.[68] According to Rāmānuja,bhakti yoga, the discipline of devotion or worship, is the effective means for liberation.[72] In his interpretation,moksha is not a negative separation from transmigration, or a series of rebirths, but rather the joy of the contemplating the divine perfection. This joy is attained by a life of exclusive devotion (bhakti) to Brahman, singing his praise, performing adulatory acts in temple and private worship, and constantly dwelling on his perfections. In return, Brahman will offer his grace, which will assist the devotee in gaining release.[73][74][25]
Ramanuja's ethical framework asserts that morality has both intrinsic and instrumental value. Intrinsically, morality mirrors the divine nature of God, who is morally perfect and needs no external reasons to be moral. Instrumentally, morality serves as a means to alleviate the karmic burdens of past wrongdoings and to appease the divine, thus facilitating spiritual liberation. Ramanuja emphasizes that while detachment throughjnana yoga is possible in theory, it is impractical for most. Instead, he advocateskarma yoga, which involves fulfilling duties based on individual capabilities and nature, making morality accessible and suited to individual lives.[75]
Ramanuja argued thatShankara's interpretation of theUpanishads had serious errors.[76] He had four major objections:
Ramanuja accepted that the Vedas are a reliable source of knowledge, then critiqued other schools of Hindu philosophy, including Advaita Vedānta, as having failed in interpreting all of the Vedic texts.[78] He asserted, in hisSri Bhāshya, thatpurvapaksin (previous schools) selectively interpret those Upanishadic passages that support their monistic interpretation, and ignore those passages that support the pluralism interpretation.[78] There is no reason, stated Ramanuja, to prefer one part of a scripture and not other, the whole of the scripture must be considered on par.[78][79] One cannot, according to Ramanuja, attempt to give interpretations of isolated portions of any scripture. Rather, the scripture must be considered one integrated corpus, expressing a consistent doctrine.[78] The Vedic literature, asserted Ramanuja, mention both plurality and oneness, therefore the truth must incorporate pluralism and monism, or qualified monism.[78]
This method of scripture interpretation distinguishes Ramanuja from Ādi Shankara.[79] Shankara's exegetical approachSamanvayat Tatparya Linga withAnvaya-Vyatireka,[80] states that for proper understanding, all texts must be examined in their entirety, and then their intent established by six characteristics. These include studying what the author states as his goal, what he repeats in his explanation, what he states as his conclusion, and whether it can beepistemically verified.[81][82] Not everything in any text, states Shankara, has equal weight and some ideas are the essence of any expert's textual testimony.[79] This philosophical difference in scriptural studies helped Shankara conclude that thePrincipal Upanishads primarily teach monism with teachings such asTat tvam asi, while helping Ramanuja conclude that qualified monism is at the foundation of Hindu spirituality.[78][83][84]
Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita shares the theistic devotionalism ideas withMadhvāchārya's Dvaita.[85] Both schools assert that Jīva (souls) and Brahman (as Vishnu) are different, a difference that is never transcended.[69][86] God Vishnu alone is independent, all other gods and beings are dependent on Him, according to both Madhvāchārya and Ramanuja.[87] However, in contrast to Madhvāchārya's views, Ramanuja asserts "qualified non-dualism",[88] that souls share the same essential nature of Brahman,[88] and that there is a universal sameness in the quality and degree of bliss possible for human souls, and every soul can reach the bliss state of God Himself.[69][89] While the 13th- to 14th-century Madhavāchārya asserted both "qualitative and quantitative pluralism of souls", Ramanuja asserted "qualitative monism and quantitative pluralism of souls", states Sharma.[90]
Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita school andShankara's Advaita school are bothnondualistic Vedānta schools,[25][91] both are premised on the assumption that all souls can hope for and achieve the state of blissful liberation; in contrast, Madhvāchārya believed that some souls are eternally doomed and damned.[92][93] Shankara's theory posits that only Brahman and causes are metaphysical unchanging reality, while the empirical world (Maya) and observed effects are changing, illusive and of relative existence.[30][62] Spiritual liberation to Shankara is the full comprehension and realization of oneness of one's unchanging Ātman (soul) as the same as Ātman in everyone else as well as being identical to thenirguna Brahman.[19][91][94] In contrast, Ramanuja's theory posits both Brahman and the world of matter are two different absolutes, both metaphysically real, neither should be called false or illusive, andsaguna Brahman with attributes is also real.[62] Ramanuja views Brahman as the inner ruler, all knowing, and the “essence of the soul”. He describes Brahman as the source of intelligence, truth and bliss, and as the controller of the world.[31] God, like man, states Ramanuja, has both soul and body, and all of the world of matter is the glory of God's body.[25] The path to Brahman (Vishnu), asserted Ramanuja, is devotion to godliness and constant remembrance of the beauty and love of personal god (saguna Brahman, Vishnu).[25][30][62]
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Harold Coward describes Ramanuja as "the founding interpreter ofSri Vaisnavite scripture."[95]Wendy Doniger calls him "probably the single most influential thinker of devotional Hinduism".[11]J. A. B. van Buitenen states that Ramanuja was highly influential, by giving "bhakti an intellectual basis", and his efforts madebhakti the major force within different traditions of Hinduism.[25]
Modern scholars have compared the importance of Ramanuja in Hinduism to that of scholarThomas Aquinas (1225–1274) in Western Christianity.[96][97][98]
Ramanuja reformed theSrirangam Ranganathaswamy temple complex, undertook tours across India, and expanded the reach of his organization.[32] The temple organization became the stronghold of his ideas and his disciples.[99] It was here that he wrote his influential Vishishtadvaita philosophy text,Sri Bhashyam.[100]
Ramanuja not only developed theories and published philosophical works, but also organized a network of temples for Vishnu-Lakshmi worship.[11] Ramanuja established centers of studies for his philosophy during the 11th and 12th centuries by traveling throughout India in that era, and these influenced generations of poet saints devoted to the Bhakti movement.[11] Regional traditions assert that his visits, debates, and discourses triggered conversion of Jains and Buddhists to Vaishnavism in the Mysore and Deccan region.[11][62]
The birthplace of Ramanuja near Chennai hosts a temple and is an active Vishishtadvaita school. His doctrines inspire a lively intellectual tradition, and his religious practices continue in major Vaishnava centres like theRanganātha temple inSrirangam and theVenkateswara Temple inTirupati.[25]
TheStatue of Equality inHyderabad, planned byChinna Jeeyar, is dedicated to Ramanuja.[101] It was inaugurated by Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on 5 February 2022.[102]
Ramanuja is also known asŚrī Rāmānujāchārya, Udaiyavar,Ethirājar (Yatirāja, king of monks), Bhashyakara (Bhashyakarulu inTelugu),[103]Godāgrajar, Thiruppavai Jeeyar,Emberumānār and Lakshmana Muni[1]
his name 'Ramanuja' (the name of Lakshmana in the Ramayana) was done into Tamil as 'Ilaiyalvar.'
Hence, says the AK, "On the twelfth day, during the naming ceremony which was preceded by giving him the divine signs, they gave him the name Ilaiyalvar
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