Guru

On 26th August 1856 Srimati Kuttiamma, the wife of Shri Madanasan, a well known and respected scholar in Sanskrit, Tamil, Malayalam as also an adept Ayurveda vaidyan and resident of Vayalvaran veedu in Chempazhanty village in Trivandrum District gave birth to a boy who was named “Narayanan” but his parents, relatives and neighbours endearingly called him “Nanu”. Narayanan (Nanu) studied in Chempazhanti and later on shifted to Varanappally for higher studies under Kummampilly Raman Pillai Asan where he learnt Sanskrit Literature and Vedanta. As a little child he realized that social discrimination exists everywhere – at the class room, school, play ground, society and even in interactions between different sets of people; though little Nanu never understood its depth and ramifications. After the higher education, Nanu became Nanuasan to a lot of children. Social and domestic obligations forced him to lead a materialistic life but ultimately decided to leave his home for ever to lead a life of celibacy. To realize the ultimate truth Nanuasan chose a cave near Pillathadam under the foothills of Maruthwa Malai in Kanyakumari District and remained there in intense penance for a long time. He came out of the cave duly enlightened with “Brahmagnanam” after long and hard tapas.

After attaining the “Brahmagnanam” he chose Aruvippuram as his first karmabhumi and decided to initiate steps, one by one, to eradicate the discriminations being practiced between different segments of the society based on caste, creed, religion and job which was prevalent under the “chaturvarnam and promoted by higher caste. For a beginning, the young Brahmagnani consecrated a Shivlinga on a flat rock in Aruvippyuram on the Sivaratri day on 12th March 1888 and asked the assembled devotees to recite ‘aum namah sivaye’ and declared the place open to all kinds and types of devotees. The name and fame of the young Brahmagnani spread every nook and corner of Southern India which led the King of Travancore bestow him with the title Guru and he became Narayana Guru. Subsequent to the Aruvippuram Shivalinga consecration and many such pratishtas of different Hindu deities like, Lord Ganesh, Lord Shiv, Lordess Devi, the light of Lamp at Karamukku and ultimately ‘Aum inscribed on a Mirror at Kalavamkode, Chertala, Sree Narayana Guru advised his followers to stop constructing temples but concentrate on construction of schools to gain vidya. The three most preferred pratishtas / institution by Gurudev are – a) Shivalingam in Aruvippuram, b) Lordess Sharadadevi in Sivagiri Madom and the Adwaidasramam in Aluway. During Gurudev’s lifetime, Gurus 64 literary works can be broadly divided into three categories - Mystical Hymns, Philosophical and simple teachings for the common folks are so important in its literary value that one would fail to grade them the best amongst in all as each work was excellent pieces of literature. Sree Narayana Guru attained Mahasamadhi on 20th September 1928 but lives through endless devotees, believers and institutions the world over. Guru’s Darshanam and Vachans are as important today as a century plus back and will remain so in the coming years and centuries ahead.