Sree Narayana Guru

Sree Narayana Guru

News: The 169th birth anniversary celebrations of Sree Narayana Guru had recently commenced at Chempazhanthy in Thiruvananthapuram.

Who was Sree Narayana Guru?
• Sree Narayana Guru was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer from Kerala, India.
• He belonged to the Ezhava community, which was considered as ‘avarna’ or lower caste by the orthodox Brahmins.
• He learned Vedas, Upanishads, literature, logical rhetoric of Sanskrit, Hatha Yoga and other philosophies.
• In 1903, he established the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), a charitable society as the founder and president.
• He became one of the greatest proponents and re-evaluators of Advaita Vedanta, the principle of nonduality put forward by Adi Shankara.
• He also has many contributions during freedom struggle of India.

His important works include:
• Against Caste Injustice - He gave the famous slogan “One Caste, One Religion, One God for All” (Oru Jathi, Oru Matham, Oru Daivam, Manushyanu).
• In 1888, he built a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva at Aruvippuram which was against the caste-based restrictions of the time.
• In one temple he consecrated at Kalavancode, he kept mirrors instead of idols. This symbolised his message that the divine was within each individual.
• He taught equality but felt the inequalities should not be exploited to carry out conversions and therefore generate strife in society.
• He organized an All-Region Conference in 1923 at Alwaye Advaita Ashram, which was reported to be the first such event in India. This was an effort to counter the religious conversions Ezhava community was susceptible to.
• Contribution to National Movement - A remarkable social reformer, he was in the forefront of the movement for universal temple entry and against the societal ills like the social discrimination of untouchables.
• Impetus for Vaikom Agitation - He provided the impetus for Vaikom agitation which was aimed at temple entry in Travancore for the lower castes. It drew nationwide attention and appreciation from Mahatma Gandhi.
• Unity through his Poems - He captured the essence of Indianness in his poems which highlighted the unity that lies beneath the world’s apparent diversity.

Which are some of the books written by Sree Narayana Guru?
• Atmopadesa Satakam, Darsana Mala, Jati Nirnayam, Daiva Dasakam.
• Sree Narayana Guru also wrote many other books, such as Advaitha Deepika, Asrama, Thevarappathinkangal, and others. He was a prolific writer and a profound thinker who enriched the literature and culture of Kerala and India