PARASARA BHATTA HIS CONTRIBUTION TO VISISTADVAITA | Dr S. PADMANABHAN Department of Sanskrit University of Madras Madras Publisher SRI VISHISHTADVAITA RESEARCH CENTRE 66, Dr. Rangachari Road, Madras-600 018 1995Copyright with publisher First Edition 1995 This book is published with the financial assistance from T.T.D. under the scheme aid to publish religious books. Laser Typeset and Printed by: V.K.N. ENTERPRISES 8/1, Dr. Rangachari Road, Madras-4' FOREWORD I have very great pleasure in acceding to the desire of my colleague and student Dr S. Padmanabhan to write a foreword to the printed version of his doctoral thesis on the Life and works of Sri Paraéara Bhatta. Parasara Bhatta is one of the key figures in the evolution of the Visistadvaita school of thought and one of the most distinguished preceptors in the guruparampara of this school. Although one may say of this school that it is more theological than philosophical in the thought content of its preceptors, yet one has to reckon with the fact that in the Indian Philosophical tradition, the goal of philosophical speculation is to be attained through religious observance. In the evolution of the great school of Visistadvaita, | the moving hymns of the Alvars played a notable role. The adoration of the Lord in all His numerous manifestations filled the Alvars with an awesome intensity of joy. One can imagine the fervour of their contemplation of the Lord and their eagerness to have the profoundest experience of Him as the goal of all living and being in this world. Sri Ranganatha Muni, Ramanuja, — Yamunacarya, Paraéara and Vedanta Desika to name only a few of the celebrated founders and speculative thinkers of this school—