RAS question
Ramanuja's philosophical commentary 'Shri Bhashya' is based on:
Correct answer: (B) Brahma Sutras of Badarayana.
Ramanuja's Shri Bhashya is his commentary on the Brahma Sutras of Badarayana.
Explanation
Shri Bhashya is Ramanuja's philosophical commentary on the Brahma Sutras, also called the Vedanta Sutras. Encyclopedia.com lists Sribhasyam among Ramanuja's major works and identifies it with his commentarial work on the Vedanta Sutras. The Brahma Sutras are a core Vedanta text, and Ramanuja used his commentary to set out Vishishtadvaita, or qualified non-dualism. In that position, individual souls and matter are not dismissed as unreal; they are real, but their existence and functions depend on Brahman. Shri Bhashya is based on the Brahma Sutras, not on a general theme from Ramanuja's theology.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Manusmriti is a Dharmashastra text on law and social duties, not Ramanuja's Brahma Sutra commentary tradition.
- (C) Yoga Sutras of Patanjali belong to the Yoga philosophical tradition, while Shri Bhashya is Ramanuja's Vedanta commentary on the Brahma Sutras.
- (D) Arthashastra of Kautilya is a treatise on statecraft and political economy, not a Vedanta text connected with Ramanuja's Shri Bhashya.
Concept
Vedanta philosophy belongs to ancient and medieval Indian intellectual history. RAS often uses major thinkers, doctrines and texts to check conceptual clarity rather than rote names alone.