Sri Rāmānujāchārya (1017–1137, CE), Indian polymath philosopher, exegete and founder of the Viśiṣṭādvaita school of philosophy, which is part of the Vaishnava Sri-Sampradāya. He wrote commentaries on the Upanishads, Brahmasutras and the Bhagavad-Gitā.
The ideas developed by Rāmānuja were echoed in the process theology developed 900 years after him by the 20th century's greatest mathematician and logician Arthur North Whitehead.
Rāmānuja was born in the village of Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.
His philosophy is centred on the following question: How can the Infinite contain the finite (the limited)? He masterfully shows how the Infinite contains endless finite forms within itself. While the Infinite in some sense never changes, in another sense it takes the form of limited worlds and beings. He describes the Infinite as full of divine qualities, as the 'ocean of compassion' (करुणामृतसागर).
For spiritual practice, Rāmānuja's main emphasis was 'prapatti' (प्रपत्ति) --- when the finite mind surrenders itself to the Infinite, then the Infinite is seen within the heart.
He passed away at Srirangam, the temple of his beloved Ishtadevatā (chosen Deity) Bhagavān Vishnu.
