Ramanuja

Ramanuja (died 1137 )
Brahmin (member of the Hindu priestly caste) from southern India, whose teachings inspired the bhakti devotional school. He identified Brahman (the supreme soul) with the god Vishnu, whose worship he then encouraged on pilgrimages throughout India. His preaching that the visible world is real and not illusory and that God should be worshipped devotedly, built a bridge between philosophy and popular bhakti religion.