The Guru is a saint-philosopher and a quintessentially humanist social reformer. Born in Chempazhanthi in the northern suburb of Thiruvananthapuram,in a cultural rural milieu,the boy showed spiritual bias from the beginning.He gained sound knowledge in Sanskrit classics early. The youth then led a wandering life. He visited many holy places in the south, learning at the feet of scholars and religious teachers. He also had spells of austerities and meditation at secluded spots.
After the spiritual quest, he lived among the common folk, learning about their existential hurdles. Slowly the Guru-role emerged. His fame as a Sanyasin(saint) spread far and wide. An organization to propagate the Dharma(law) of Sree Narayana Guru came into being. He was its patron and spiritual guide. It worked for social reform. Other social groups followed its example. Their joint endeavours moulded modern Kerala, which is a model for the rest of the nation.The Guru is the most outstanding Keralite of the century.
One of the epoch-making acts of the Guru is the Sivaprathishta(consecration of Loard Siva's idol) at Aruvippuram. He, a non-Brahmin consecrated the Lingam(phallic symbol of Loard Shiva). It was a courageous, non-violent move against priestly privilege and its attendant exploitation. Later, he consecrated many temples in the West Coast. His dearest prathishta(consecration of an idol) is that of the Benign Mother, Sarada Devi, the deity of knowledge, Truth and Beauty, at Sivagiri Mutt, his head-quarters at Varkala. Two other prathishtas, that of a Lighted Lamp and that of a Mirror, deserve attention. The Lighted Lamp symbolizes the ever-burning Flame of Consciousness. The Mirror is to help Know Thyself, tat tvam asi.
The Guru wrote sublime hymns and philosophical verses in Malayalam, Sanskrit and Tamil.The Darshanamala in Sanskrit aphoristically expounds his philosophical perspective. Atmopadesa satakam, written in simple and elegant Malayalam , describes the path to Self-Knowledge.
As a social reformer, he exhorted people to imbibe the ideals of love, brotherhood and service. He sounded the clarion call for one species, one religion and one God for humanity.He pi-pointed education, unity and hard work.
The great Malayalam poet, Kumaran Asan, is the Guru’s precious find. The disciple did much, through his magnificent poems, to popularize the Guru’s Dharma, which, with its emphasis on One Religion, is of immense relevance today.
(coutesy: Dr K Sreenivasan)