IndiaPost.com - Narayana Guru - yogi, visionary, poet, social reformer

Sri Narayana Guru was an extraordi-nary phenomenon who strode over the spiritual firmament of Kerala like a colossus during the late 19th century and early 20th century. He left an indelible impression on those who met him including luminaries like Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.

He was a yogi, visionary, poet and a social reformer. While trying to uplift the downtrodden by fighting against the entrenched caste system, he was simultaneously pursuing truth by delving into the depth of Vedic lore.

While he had his feet firmly planted on earth to ensure social equality, he had his head in the high altitudes of Vedanta. He proclaimed that his ideal and goal was Advaita propounded by Adi Sankara. He was acclaimed as a Siddha purusha and Maharishi from the beginning of the 20th century.

Nanu, as he was known in his formative years, was recognized as a good student. He was also unorthodox much to the annoyance of his parents. Once he entered the kitchen of a Harijan family to serve rice gruel.

Also he used to touch the so-called untouchables and then go and mingle with his family members which was frowned upon. Like the Buddha, the death of a relation triggered certain sentiments in the extremely sensitive psyche of the young boy and he begun to reflect on the evanescence of life and the riddles regarding the nature of existence, death and the impermance of material objects.

Essentialy a contemplative lad, Nanu would visit temples, wear scared ash on his forehead, and was known as "Nanu devotee" by his friends. The first few steps on his journey towards God had already been taken in his boyhood.

An attack of smallpox during his teens further strengthened his devotional attitude. The verses of "Vairagyotipadakam" written by Melpathoor Narayana Bhattathri of Narayanceyam fame, were constantly on his lips and this paved the way for his renunciation or sanyasa.

A contemporary of Nanu was Chattambe Swamigal a renowned yogi. The inherent spirituality dormant in Nanu began to unfold in course of time and soon he acquired the epithet Swami. Nanuswami underwent severe penance in Maruthwamala hills confining himself in an isolated cave.

He spent days in deep meditation and obtained spiritual enlightenment. People approached him for solace and advice. Nevertheless the so-called "higher class" did not recognize his stature and instead ridiculed him.

But he had already reached the pinnacle of knowledge where all dualities dissolved into oneness. Man made differences made very little impact on his yogic even mindedness. Finally the Guru had arrived.

Sri Narayana Guru choose a beautiful location known as Aruvippuram, a little south of Thiruvananthapuram, for his sojourn and soon it became a pilgrim centre.

In the year 1888, on the holy Sivarathri day, Narayana Guru made the famous Sivalinga Pratishta, which signaled the death knell of the obscurantist and demagogic caste system and there no stopping him.

Another place, a little north of Thiruvananthapuram also attracted the attention of the guru. This was Varkala, where he established the famous Sivagiri ashram. Starting as a humble hermitage in 1903, this centre witnessed the building of a Siva temple in 1908 and the installation of the deity of Sarada in 1912.

Some of the famous temples consecrated by Sri Narayana Guru include the Jagnnatha temple at Tellichery, Sreekanteswara temple at Calicut and the one at Kalavancode near Sherthallai, where a mirror was installed at the altar to teach humanity that every being is a reflection of God. He also established an Advaita Ashram at Alwaye.

Thus he emphasized both the aspects of dual and non-dual or saguna and nirguna aspect of the ultimate Brahman. To describe the guru as a multifaceted genius, or a many splendored personality will be a gross understatement.

At the mundane level, he was struggling to uplift the downtrodden and give them some respectability in society. He had to face severe personal and institutional resistance from the ruling hierarchy and the upper castes.

But he held no grudge against his oppressors and his disarming love and catholicity slowly won the admiration of even his worst enemies and during his later days he was acclaimed as a Loka Guru by the entire state.

One landmark in the life of the guru was the establishment of the S.N.D.P. (Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana) yogana on the May 15, 1903. But the genius of the guru was not confined to the four walls of the organization and was so vast and transcendental to encompass the entire humanity.