Sree Narayana Guru

Abstract

Sree Narayana Guru (b. 1856?–d. 1928), a member of the Īzhava caste, a low-caste group in the fourfold caste system of Kerala, and a pioneer in socioreligious reform in early-20th-century Kerala, was born in Chempazhanthi, Kerala, possibly on August 20, 1856. A learned man, he was fluent in Malayalam, Sanskrit, and Tamil. From 1876 to 1879 he studied Sanskrit at Puthupalli in Karunagapally taluk, and was broadly trained in various traditions, including vyākarṇa (grammar), nyāya (logic), Vedānta, kāvya (poetry), nātaka (drama), and alaṁkāra (rhetoric), in addition to Ayurveda and astrology. After his formal education, he was more interested in finding the truth about the self and its relation to the Ultimate Reality. Once he had attained aṟivu (self-knowledge), he returned to his village and became an itinerant sanyāsin, recognized as a saint, and people from all strata of the caste-oriented Kerala society—Nāyars, Īzhavas, Christians, and Muslims—sought his teachings and blessings. In his teachings Guru emphasized the knowledge of self as essential to his notion of oneness. He claimed that oneness depends on consciousness of the self in relation to others and plays a significant role in spiritual and social emancipation. Guru, who at one point in life was a devotee of Viṣṇu, after attaining self-realization, emphasized the concept of “one God” and the unity of all being in a singular divinity. This oneness was not confined to his concept of God, but he considered the whole world to be of one family—vasudhaiva kudumbakam. In 1903 Guru founded the Śrī Nārāyaṇa Dharma Paripālana Yōgam (SNDP), with its manifesto, “One Caste, One Religion, One God for Mankind,” which directed the many Hindus of Kerala from belief in many gods to belief in one God. Narayana Guru had the support of Dr. Palpu, a medical doctor and social revolutionary, and Kumaran Asan, a disciple and poet, and founding secretary of the SNDP. The oneness of God and unity of all humankind became apparent when Narayana Guru propelled religious and social reforms in Kerala. More importantly, his exposure to the inhumane condition of people in the lower castes and his education in the various philosophical schools, especially Advaita Vedānta, or nondualism, served as a foundation for his literary works and social and religious reforms in Kerala. On September 20, 1928, Guru attained samādhi (liberation upon death). Since his death, the SNDP organization has continued to function, propelled by those who follow Guru’s teachings, who hold regular meetings and worship services affirming Guru as a divine being.