Narayana Guru

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Nārāyana Guru (नारायण गुरु,നാരായണ ഗുരു) (1855 - 1928), also known as Sree Nārāyana Guru Swami, was a prophet^[1][2], saint, sage and social reformer of India. Nārāyana Guru was born into an Ezhava family, in an era when the Ezhava community faced much social injustice because of its precarious position between the upper and lowest strata in the caste to non-caste social hierarchy. Gurudeva, as he is fondly known to his followers, revolted against casteism and worked on propagating new values of freedom in spirituality and of social equality, thereby transforming the society in Kerala.

Nārāyana Guru is revered by admirers for his Vedic knowledge, poetic proficiency, openness to the views of others, non-violent philosophy and his unrelenting resolve to set aright social wrongs. Nārāyana Guru was instrumental in setting the spiritual foundations for social reform^[3] in the current State of Kerala (erstwhile states of Travancore, Kochi, Malabar district of British India) and coastal Karnataka and was one of the most successful social reformers who tackled caste in India. He demonstrated a path to social emancipation without invoking the dualism of the oppressed and the oppressor.

In contrast to certain other reformers who criticised Brahmins and other upper caste Hindus for the conditions of the non-caste, Nārāyana Guru stressed the uplift of a community through its own efforts by the establishment of schools and temples. In the process he brushed aside the Hindu religious conventions based upon Chaturvarna. His transformation of the social face of Kerala relied on emphasizing, yet re-evaluating, the Advaita philosophy of Sankara.

Contents 1 Family and Early life 2 Transformation as master, yogi and seeker of truth 3 Married life 4 'Parivrajaka' (A Spiritual Wanderer) 5 Enlightenment and its poetic expression 6 Consecration of Siva Lingam at Aruvippuram 7 Nārāyana Guru’s philosophy 8 The Guru's influence on other social thinkers 9 Public acceptance, honours and veneration 10 Tolerance of rationalism and atheism 11 Om Sahodaryam Sarvatra (The Brotherhood of All) 12 Final Ceylon Journey 13 Message to Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam 14 Sivagiri pilgrimage 15 Passing Away of Guru 16 Guru's Famous Teachings 17 Saint Disciples Of Guru 18 Works 18.1 In Malayalam 18.2 In Sanskrit 18.3 In Tamil 18.4 Translations 19 See also 20 Notes 21 Footnotes 22 Bibiliography / References 23 External links

[edit] Family and Early life

Nārāyana Guru was born circa 1856 in the village of Chempazhanthi north-east of Trivandrum. His mother was Kutti Amma and his father was Maadan Asān of the Valyalvārathu house, by and large a farming family. The boy was named Nārāyanan (dotingly called Nānu in short). Maadan was not only a farmer, but also an Asān - meaning 'Achāryan'or teacher. He was learned in Sanskrit and had mastered Astrology and Ayurveda, the system of native medicine in India. As per Nataraja Guru, the people of the village highly respected him. As Maadan was learned in Sanskrit, he knew well the great epics Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Maadan used to give discourses on these epics, in simple language, to people of the village gathered in his house. As a boy, Nānu too would sit in to listen with interest. As time passed, and in Maadan's absence, Nānu took on the task to deliver the talks himself. Nānu’s uncle Krishnan Vaidyan was a reputed Ayurvedic physician and Sanskrit scholar. Nānu is said to have been initiated into traditional formal education Ezhuthinirithal under Chempazhanthi Pillai, a local schoolmaster and village officer. Besides schooling, young Nānu continued to be educated at home, under the guidance of his father and his uncle Krishnan Vaidyan, where he was taught basics of the Tamil and Sanskrit languages and traditional subjects such as Siddharūpam, Bālaprobhodhanam and Amarakośam.

Biographical accounts describe Nānu as a reticent and intelligent boy who was intensely drawn to devout worship at the Manackal temple adjacent to the Valyalvārathu home. The boy Nānu is also said to have many a time criticised his own relatives for social discrimination and the apartheid-like practice of segregating children of, supposedly, lower castes in his times. He is also said to have preferred solitude for meditation and to have shown a strong aptitude for poetics and reasoning, composing hymns and singing them in praise of God. He lost his mother around the age of 15. Nānu is thought to have spent most of his adolescent years and early youth assisting both his father, in tutoring, and his uncle in the practice of Ayurvedic medicine whilst giving the rest of the time to himself for intense devotional practices at temples nearby.^[4]

[edit] Transformation as master, yogi and seeker of truth

Authors of Narayana Guru biographies, mention of the young Nanu being slim, active and clever whilst also having good physique. Many biographies say, he showed great interest and excelled his companions both in studies and in games, and his writing was correct and easy to read. Impressed by this his uncle sent him for further education under an eminent scholar Kummampilli Rāman Pillai Āśān of Karunagapalli, a village fifty miles away from his home, at the age of 21. Living as a guest in a prominent family house Varanapallil near Kayankulam, Nānu, along with other students, was tutored by this scholar in subjects of advanced Sanskrit Language and Poetry, Drama and Literary Criticism, and Logical Rhetoric. He studied the Vedas and the Upanishad's. He started teaching in a school near-by.He became famous as Nanu Asan. His knowledge earned him the respect of many.

At around the age of 25, Nanu returned home to see his father, who was on his death bed. His father was overjoyed and proud to see his son who had also become an Asan they had not seen each other in a very long time. He addressed him as a Vidwan (scholar). He also desired to be fed by his sacred hands. He then was intermittently involved in running a village school for children. Whilst teaching and continuing his quest for Truth, through self-study and his own experiences, Nānu Āśān walked to places in the area, often spending time in the confines of temples, writing poems and hymns and lecturing to villagers on philosophy and moral values.

[edit] Married life

Very little is known about the married life of Nanu Asan. In a nearby village called Chirayinkizhu, a doctor (Visha vaidyar)who used to cure snake bites and scorpion stings,lived. He had a daughter Kaliamma. Nanu's sisters made him agree to marry this girl. The marriage was a simple affair. Nanu was not at all interested in it, He was more interested in reciting the Ramayana and explaining it to others. The sisters themselves invested the bride with the 'Thaali' (emblem of wedding) on his behalf. The bride stayed away in her parents house, since Nanu asan became a wanderer then.

[edit] 'Parivrajaka' (A Spiritual Wanderer)

After the death of his father and his wife Nanu Asan continued his life of a wandering Sanyasin. He became a 'Parivrajaka' (one who wanders from place to place in quest of Truth). During his meandering days, at the house of another Sanskrit scholar and his friend, Perunalli Krishnan Vidayar, Nānu Āśān got introduced to many learned men and peers, including Kunjan Pillai, who later came to be known as Chattampi Swamikal. Kunjan Pillai, who discovered and appreciated Nānu Āśān’s philosophical genius and passion for Yoga, introduced him to a master of Yogic practices by the name of Thycaud Ayyavu. Under the Yogi, Nānu Āśān mastered various Yogic practices including Hatha Yoga. The exposure gained from this scholastic experiences had a lasting impact on the later life and philosophy of Nārāyana Guru.

Guru did 'Tapas' in Pillathadam Cave in Maruthvaamalai, near Kanyakumari ( Cape Comorin). This lonely life of intense meditation, lasted for 7-8 long years.

[edit] Enlightenment and its poetic expression

It is uncertain as to when precisely Nānu Āśān moved to his hermitage deep inside the hilly forests of Maruthwāmala, where he is said to have subjected himself to the most austere life immersed in meditative thought, other rigorous yoga practices and extreme sustenance rituals. After an unpretentious life of over thirty years abounding in knowledge and harsh experiences, this epoch is considered the culmination of the meditative recluse; the point at which Nārāyana Guru is believed to have attained a state of Enlightenment.

Nārāyana Guru’s later literary and philosophical masterpiece Atmopadeśa Śatakam (one hundred verses of self-instruction, written in Malayalam circa 1897) is considered a fertile poetic expression, encapsulating the Guru’s philosophy of egalitarianism, emanating from the author’s attainment of an experienced state of primordial knowledge and quintessence of the Universe; and his ensuing ability to view the human race, from a dignified and elevated perspective, as nothing but one of a genus, in unqualified equality and without any racial, religious, caste or other discriminations whatsoever.

[edit] Consecration of Siva Lingam at Aruvippuram

Learning from the sacred books and the practice of Yoga did not give peace of mind to Gurudevan. He continued his wanderings in quest of Truth. By and by, he came to a beautiful place called Aruvipuram. It was a forest area. There were hills around. A gurgling rivulet (of river Neyyar) also flowed there. As more people sought him out for healing or advice, he and his disciples felt the need for a regular temple for worshipping Shiva. At a beautiful spot near the river, he had his followers build a small canopy of coconut leaves and mango leaves over an altar on a rock jutting out in the water. The year was 1888. They improvised lamps with shells and arranged them in rows. They were lighted at dusk and a piper began to play devotional tunes. The whole place was soon filled with pious village folk. Gurudevan, who had been sitting apart and meditating all night, stood at midnight and walked into the river. As thousands watched silently (If silence had music, the atmosphere was filled with it, wrote one correspondent) he descended into the river and then reemerged, holding an idol of Shiva. He stood beneath the canopy with it in his arms for three hours, totally lost in meditation, tears flowing down his cheeks. Finally, at three in the morning, he installed the idol on the pedestal. His action was the Keralite equivalent of overturning the tables of the money changers, or refusing to give up a seat on the bus. From the beginning of time, so far as anyone knew, only Brahmins had ever installed an idol. Yet when Gurudevan performed the sacred rite it appeared so natural for him to pick up a small rock and install it. To those who questioned the timing of the consecration saying it was not an astrologically auspicious time, he replied: Horoscope is to be cast after the birth of a child, not before. He instructed to place a plaque containing a motto on the temple wall which read as:

Devoid of dividing walls of Caste

Or hatred of rival faith,

We all live here

In Brotherhood,

Such, know this place to be!

This Model Foundation!

A new phase began in the Guru's life in 1904. He decided to give up his wandering life and settle down in a place to continue his Sadhana (spiritual practice). He chose Sivagiri, twenty miles north of Thiruvananthapuram. Goddess 'Amba' became his deity of worship.

Next, he started a Sanskrit school in Varkala. Poor boys and orphans were taken under his care. They were given education regardless of caste distinctions. Temples were built at different places - Thrissur, Kannur, Anjuthengu, Tellicherry, Calicut, Mangalore. A temple was built for Sharada Devi in 1912, at Sivagiri. Worship at such temples helped reduce to a large extent superstitious beliefs and practices.

In 1913, he founded the Advaita Ashram at Alwaye. This was an important event in his spiritual quest. This Ashram was dedicated to a great principle - Om Sahodaryam Sarvatra (all men are equal in the eyes of God). This became the motto of the new Ashram.

When Nārāyana Guru attained the age of sixty, his birth day was observed throughout the west-coast from Mangalore to Sri Lanka. Between the years 1918 and 1923 he visited and taught in Sri Lanka. In 1921, a Conference of Universal Brotherhood was held at Alwaye. Again in 1924, a conference of all religions was held at Alwaye. The Guru stressed the need for a Brahma Vidyalaya for a comparative study of different religious faiths.

Sree Nārāyana Guru had many followers and disciples. Nataraja Guru, a notable disciple of Sree Nārāyana Guru, introduced Guru's visions and ideals to the western world. He established Narayana Gurukulam in 1923 at the Nilgiris with the blessings of Nārāyana Guru.

[edit] Nārāyana Guru’s philosophy

Since Adi Shankara, Sree Nārāyana Guru was the greatest proponent and re-evaluator of Advaita Vedanta and hailing from the same region, i.e., present day Kerala. Nārāyana Guru’s philosophy, which is fundamentally of Advaitic and non-dual wisdom in principles, further extended Advaita concepts into practical modes of self-realisation through spiritual education, compassion and peaceful co-existence among the human race, whilst promoting social equality and universal brotherhood. His philosophy of non-violence and ahimsa strongly denounced discrimination in the name of caste or religion, and emphasised focusing on education and private enterprise for the ongoing uplift of the quality of life. The Guru’s philosophy emphasised the consistency between true existence of the "common reality" on Earth and one Divine behind the creation and sustenance of the Universe, dismissing any concepts of illusory worlds.

The Guru’s philosophy is exemplified in his mystical writings that are truly interchanging warps and wefts of ethics, logic, aesthetics and metaphysics woven into masterpieces of silken rich poetry. The Guru’s literary works are in Malayalam, Sanskrit and Tamil languages, and these works are of a conceptual and aesthetic quality at par with the Upanishads.

At the time of its conception, Nārāyana Guru’s philosophy was in many respects ahead of its time and focused on a futuristic world order that could be shaped from his philosophical connotations that are underlain with transcendental aesthetics and logic embodied in knowledge and pure reason. Most of the serious scholars of Nārāyana Guru’s philosophy have been from generations beyond his lifetime; and this list keeps growing.

[edit] The Guru's influence on other social thinkers

Concerning the caste system, Gandhi said the following to Nārāyana Guru: "The caste-Hindus and the low caste-Hindus are both the sons of Hinduism. The caste-Hindu is the elder brother who shoulders responsibility, and he therefore exercises certain privileges. The low caste-Hindu is his younger brother who is to be cared for. If the elder brother turns out to be somewhat rough and aggressive that should not make the younger brother a runaway from his mother Hinduism."^[5] Nārāyana Guru, however, disagreed, and voiced his tolerance for those who converted to other religions, with the argument that one should follow what one truly believes in. He also questioned the logic of Gandhi's argument, arguing that caste in India was a socio-economic issue.

[edit] Public acceptance, honours and veneration

Since his lifetime Nārāyana Guru has been conferred formal recognitions and honours by the State, intelligentsia and society. In 1901 the State Census Manual of Travancore recorded Sree Nārāyana as a revered "Guru" and an erudite Sanskrit scholar. A sharp drop in the statistics of the commission of crime was also attributed to the correcting and moralizing influence of Nārāyana Guru on the society. In 1904 the then Maharajah of Travancore exempted Nārāyana Guru from personal appearances in court, an honour recognizing the Guru as a distinguished living personality.

The first statue of the Guru was conceived by Moorkoth Kumaran and sculpted by an Italian sculptor Prof. Tavaroli whilst the Guru was still alive. The bronze statue, which took 14 months to complete, was installed at the Jaggannaatha temple at Thalassery and unveiled on 13th March 1927, after the consecration of the statue by Bodhananda Swamikal, the disciple and then spiritual successor-designate to Nārāyana Guru.

On the Guru's Mahasamadhi (passing away), the famed Jnanapith award winner poet Mahakavi G. Sankara Kurup paid tribute to Nārāyana Guru by writing a Malayalam verse venerating the Guru as The Second Buddha. Sree Nārāyana Guru's legacy continues to be revered at esteemed levels within social, intellectual and spiritually organised communities worldwide.

All across the State of Kerala, and outside of the State, hundreds of small chapel-like Guru Mandirams are devoted to the reverence and worship of Sree Nārāyana Guru. Most recently, a distinctively styled iconographic statue of Nārāyana Guru named the Jnana Vigraham was conceived and created by a team of artists, as a suggestive model for the future, to improve the aesthetic quality of statues of Nārāyana Guru kept in homes and placed in Guru Mandirams worldwide.

At the turn of the 21th Century, Sree Nārāyana Guru was named as The Malayalee of the Century by Kerala's leading daily Malayala Manorama. The full cover-page spread of the newspaper was dedicated to Nārāyana Guru in its last issue of the Century on 31 December 1999. So also Nārāyana Guru was featured first among the "100 great lives" nominated by Malayala Manorama on the occasion of Malayala Manorama's centenary celebrations in the year 1988.

[edit] Tolerance of rationalism and atheism

Although Nārāyana Guru built a number of temples and composed many poems in praise of popular Hindu deities, he had many followers who were atheists. This shows the Guru's tolerance of personal views and his love for humanity as a whole which was irrespective of any faith based affiliations. Some of his atheist followers in fact considered him as their icon of righteousness, whilst duly acknowledging that Narayana Guru was himself an unblemished believer in God³. For instance, one of his prominent disciples Sahodaran Ayyappan was a militant atheist and one of the founders of Yukthivadi, the first rationalist/atheist magazine in Malayalam. When Sahodaran Ayyappan modified Nārāyana Guru's famous catchphrase, Oru Jati, Oru Matham, Oru Daivam Manushyanu (One Caste, One Religion, One God for Human Beings) and rewrote it as Jati Venda, Matham Venda, Daivam Venda Manushyanu (No Caste, No Religion, No God for Human Beings), the latter did not protest².

Casteism in the first half of 20th century was so rabid that upper caste people refused to have food along with the people belonging to lower caste and "untouchable" communities. When Sahodaran Ayyappan, inspired by Narayanaguru's message of caste-less and creed-less society, launched what is called "Panthibhojanam" or community feasts participating people belonging to various castes and communities, the Ezhava lords called him "Pulayanaiappan" (Pulaya was used as a derogatory term for having feast with the Pulayas, an "untouchable" community in the caste-hierarchy of Hinduism) and tried to forcibly prevent the feast. It was in this context that Nārāyana Guru came out in support of Sahodaran Ayyappan and sent the message reproduced alongside. Translated into English, the message reads: "Whatever be one's religion, costume, language etc, since their caste is the same, there is nothing wrong in having inter-marriages and community feasts". It is this message of Narayanaguru, which transgresses the established canons of religion, that makes him a rationalist icon.

To avoid attempts made by a section of his followers to identify him with the caste of the family he was born into, Nārāyana Guru was forced to state explicitly that he did not belong to any particular caste or religion. Through a message he sent in the year 1916, he proclaimed : It is years since I left castes and religions. Yet some people think that I belong to their caste. That is not correct. I do not belong to any particular caste or religion.

[edit] Om Sahodaryam Sarvatra (The Brotherhood of All)

In 1913, the Guru founded an Ashram at Alwaye. It was called Advaita Ashram. This was an important event in the life of the Guru in his spiritual quest. That Ashram was dedicated to a great principle - Om Sahodaryam Sarvatra (all human beings are equal in the eyes of God). This became the motto of the new Ashram. In 1921, a Conference of Universal Brotherhood was held at Alwaye. Again in 1924, a conference of all religions was held at Alwaye. The Guru stressed the need for a Brahma Vidyalaya for the comparative study of various religious faiths. An institution called Narayana Gurukula was established at the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu by Bodhananda Swamikal and later handed over to Nataraja Guru. Some time around 1914 the following happened in a temple (owned by Ezhava community) festival. A small group of people sat apart from the others at a distance. They were considered untouchables. The Guru's eyes turned towards them. He then asked the speaker to stop for a while who was welcoming Gurudevan for the occasion. He beckoned two children sitting among the 'untouchables' and asked them to sit by his side, and said to himself. These are also God's children as everyone else is. He was giving an important message to world; all human beings are equal in the eyes of God.

[edit] Final Ceylon Journey

Gurudevan visited Ceylon again in 1926. He had some moving experiences while travelling in Tamil Nadu in connection with his journey to Ceylon. While he was in Sree Ganapathi temple in heavy rain he said, "If there is anyone writing my biography, these experiences should not be missed, they should be recorded."After that journey to Ceylon, Gurudevan did not want to return. He went back only after repeated requests of his disciples and devotees.

[edit] Message to Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam

In a message to the SNDP Yogam in 1926 Gurudevan declared, No community can make progress except through organization. He further said in that message, The name Ezhava does not denote a caste or a religion. Therefore people can be admitted to this organization without paying heed to differences of caste.

On June 14, 1927 Sree Narayana Guru consecrated a mirror in a temple in Kalavankode - perhaps his last prathishta in a temple. The prathishta of the mirror is symbolic. Advaita philosophers interpret the mirror as the visible symbol of the unity of the Finite and the Infinite. When he arrived in Kalavankode one K C Kutten approached him. There was local opposition to the consecration of a deity, Kutten informed Gurudevan. Bring a mirror. Narayana Guru instructed him. In its centre scrape out the surface to read Om shanti. He did no more prathishtas. Schools rather than temples are to be preferred, he exhorted in a dramatic shift of focus. Gurudevan participated in the anniversary of the SNDP Yogam held at Palluruthi in 1927. It was a splendid meeting which demonstrated the sincere, devout faith of the people in Gurudevan. T. K. Madhavan was one of the chief architects of this meeting. In 1928 Gurudevan took part in the special meeting of the SNDP Yogam at Kottayam and gave away registration certificates to the branch organizations.

[edit] Sivagiri pilgrimage

Sivagiri pilgrimage was conceived by Vallabhasseri Govindan Vaidyar and T K Kittan Writer. It was duly approved by Gurudevan on January, 1928. The setting was SNDP's Nagambadam Shiva temple. It was 3 pm and Gurudevan was resting under a mango tree when the two presented the concept of Sivagiri pilgrimage. Before giving its his blessings he set out the goals of such a pilgrimage. He said: "Let the pilgrims congregate at the beginning of the European New Year. It should be Dhanu 16-17 in Malayalam calendar. Let the pilgrims observe 10 days'self-purification according to Sri Buddha's principles of five purities (pancha dharma) - body, food, mind, word, deed.

He ruled that pilgrims could wear yellow clothes - the colour of the garments Sri Buddha wore. Let no one purchase yellow silk because we have recommended yellow garments. Not even new clothes are required on the pilgrimage. A pilgrim can dip a white garment in turmeric water and wear after drying. The pilgrimage should be conducted with simplicity and preferably be accompanied by the chanting of hymns. There should be no shouting and pilgrims should scrupulously avoid trappings of ostentation.

To Govindan Vaidyar and Kitten Writer, Gurudevan counted on his fingers the goals of the pilgrimage, explaining how to achieve them. The goals were the promotion of

• 1. Education
• 2. Cleanliness
• 3. Devotion to God
• 4. Organisation
• 5. Agriculture
• 6. Trade
• 7. Handicrafts
• 8. Technical training

He advised them to organise a series of lectures on the themes with experts conducting them. The lectures should be listened to attentively. More important, the principles should be put into practice. Success must accompany efforts. Only then will the country and the people benefit. this must be the core purpose of Sivagiri pilgrimage.

The Palluruthi event in 1927 was the last anniversary of the Yogam which Gurudevan attended. It was also the last public function Gurudevan attended.

Gurudevan went to Vellur Mutt at Vaikom to rest. There he was taken ill. He went to Alwaye and later to Trichur for treatment. Dr. Krishnan took Gurudevan to Palghat. From there Gurudevan travelled to Madras for treatment.

[edit] Passing Away of Guru

The Guru became seriously ill in September 1928. He could not leave the bed for sometime. Devotees came in huge crowds to have the last Darshanam. In the same year, his devotees in many places, mostly in Kerala, Madras, Mangalore and Simhala celebrated the birthday of the Guru. The Guru's birthday was celebrated in that distant city of Europe also. On the twentieth of September, the Guru died at Varkala, a place which was very dear to him. His followers felt a great loss. The world too lost a truly great saint.

Thus Nanu,who became 'Chattambi','Assan', 'Yogi', 'Social Reformer', 'Guru'and 'Gurudevan' found his final resting place. Thousands of his disciples who followed him with absolute faith derived peace, spiritual strength and satisfaction.

[edit] Guru's Famous Teachings

• One in kind, one in faith, One in God is man Of one same womb, one there is at all.
• All are of one Self-fraternity Such being the dictum to avow,In such a light how can we take life And devoid of least pity go on to eat
• Whichever the religion It suffices If it makes a better man.
• Ask not, Say not Think not caste
• Acts that one performs For one's own sake Should also aim for the good Of other men
• Love of others is my happiness, Love that is mine is happiness for others. And so, truly, deeds that benefit a man Must be a cause for other's happiness too.
• Grace, Love, Mercy -all the three - Stand for one same reality- Life's Star. He who loves is who really lives.
• Whatever may be the difference in men's creed, dress, language etc. because they all belong to the same kind of creation, there is no harm at all in their dining together or having marital relation withone another.
• Liquor is poison Make it not Sell it not Drink it not.
• Devoid of dividing walls Of caste or race Or hatred of rival faith We all live here In Brotherhood

[edit] Saint Disciples Of Guru

• Sree Bodhananda Swamikal
• Sad Guru Shivalingadasa Swamikal
• Satyavrata Swamikal
• Chaitanya Swamikal
• Nataraja Guru
• Swamy Ananda Theerthan
• Swamy Dharma Theerthan
• Swamy Ernest Kerk
• Govindhananda Swami
• Dharma Thirthar Swami
• Atmananda swami
• Sankarananda Swami
• Sreenarayana Theerthar

[edit] Works

Part of a series on Hindu philosophy

Schools Samkhya · Yoga · Nyaya · Vaisheshika · Purva Mimamsa · Vedanta (Advaita · Vishishtadvaita · Dvaita · Achintya Bheda Abheda)

Persons Ancient Valmiki · Kapila · Patañjali · Gotama · Kanada · Jaimini · Vyasa · Markandeya Medieval Adi Shankara · Ramanuja · Madhva · Nimbarka  · Swaminarayan · Vallabha · Madhusudana · Namdeva  · Tukaram · Tulsidas · Kabir · Vasugupta · Chaitanya Modern Gandhi · Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan · Vivekananda · Ramana Maharshi · Aurobindo · Nisargadatta Maharaj · Sivananda · Coomaraswamy · Pandurang Shastri Athavale · Prabhupada · Asaramji Bapu · Sai Baba of Shirdi

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[edit] In Malayalam

1. Swanubavageethi
2. Atmopadesa Śatakam
3. Advaitha Deepika
4. Arivu
5. Daiva Desakam Play Now
6. Jeevakarunya Panchakam
7. Anukamba Dasakam
8. Jathi Nirnayam
9. Jathi Lakshanam
10. Sadacharam
11. Chijanda Chinthakam
12. Daiva Chintanam - 1 & 2
13. Athma Vilasam
14. Shiva Satakam

[edit] In Sanskrit

1. Darsana Mala
2. Brahmavidya Panchakam
3. Nirvruthi Panchakam
4. Slokathrayi
5. Vedantha Suthram
6. Homa Manthram
7. Municharya Panchakam
8. Asramam
9. Dharmam
10. Charama Slokangal
11. Homa Mantram
12. Chidambarashtakam
13. Guhashtakam
14. Bhadrakaliashtakam
15. Vinayaka Ashtakam
16. Sree Vasudeva Ashtakam
17. Genani Navamanjari

[edit] In Tamil

1. Thevarappathinkangal

[edit] Translations

1. Thirukural
2. Isavasyo Upanishad
3. Ozhivil Odukkam

[edit] See also

• Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham
• Sivagiri, Kerala
• Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam
• Sree Dharma Paripalana Yogam
• Temples built by Narayana Guru
• M. C. Joseph
• C. V. Kunhiraman
• Mithavaadi Krishnan

[edit] Notes

1. Matha virodhathinte Matham - The Religion of Irreligiousness BY M.C.Joseph (Page 322-325 in Narayanaguru: Ed: P.K.Balakrishnan, March 2000 (First Edition 1954) , Kerala Sahitya Academy
2. See article by T.N.Jayachandran in Yukthireka (August 2004) and the book Charithrathe Aghadhamakkiya Guru by K.P.Appan (May 2005)
3. See bilingual image (on the right) quoting observation by T.N.Jayachandran in his article in Gurupadhom published by Kerala Kaumudi on Guru's 150th birth anniversary celebrations(August 2004).

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] Bibiliography / References

• Sree Narayana Gurudeva Krithikal – Sampoorna Vyakyanam – G Balakrishnan Nair- (Works of Sree Narayana Guru with Complete Interpretations – ten parts compiled in two volumes) published by The State Institute of Languages, Kerala.
• The Word of the Guru : The Life and Teaching of Guru Narayana : Nataraja Guru, D.K. Printworld, 2003, New Delhi, ISBN 81-246-0241-7
• Guru - Kumaranasante Drushtiyil : DC Books, Kottayam, Kerala
• Srinarayana Guruvinte Sampoorna Kruthikal (Complete Works of Sri Narayana Guru): Mathrubhoomi Publishers, Kozhikode, Kerala
• Sri Narayana Guruvinte Mathavum Sivagiriyum (Sivagiri and the Religion of Sri Narayana Guru): K. Maheshwaran Nair
• Guru: K. Surendran (Biographical novel published in 1992, won the 1994 Vayalar Ramavarma Sahitya Award for the best literary work in Kerala): DC Books, ISBN 81-7130-253-X
• Sri Narayana Guru - Jeevitham, Darsanum, Kruthikal: Editor: K.N.Shaji, Current Books, Trissur, Kerala
• Narayanaguru- Editor: P.K.Balakrishnan (A collection of essays in Malayalam):March 2000, (First Edition 1954), Kerala Sahitya Academi, Trichur, Kerala.
• Narayanam: Perumpadavom Sreedharan (Biographical novel on Sree Narayana Guru published in 2004): Distributors: Current Books. ISBN 81-240-1427-2
• The Philosophy of Narayana Guru: Swami Muni Narayana Prasad, D.K. Printworld, 2003, New Delhi, ISBN 81-246-0236-0.
• Yukthirekha August 2004 (Special issue commemorating the 150th Birth Anniversary of Sri Narayana Guru) - Dhanuvachapuram Post, Trivandrum-695503, Kerala.
• Charithrathe Aghadhamakkiya Guru : K.P.Appan -DC Books, Kottayam -686001 (ISBN 81-264-1025-6)
• Sreenarayanaguruswamy Jeevacharithram by K. Damodaran, 2nd ed., 2003. Publisher: Kaumudi Public Relations. (in Malayalam)
• Maharshi Sreenarayanaduru by Dr. T. Bhaskaran. Publisher: Cultural Publication Department, Govt of Kerala, Trivandrum-14 (in Malayalam)
• Sreenarayanaguru by Koyikkal Jacob, MA. (in Malayalam)

[edit] External links

• Shree Narayana Guru Mission of the UK
• Biography of Sree Narayana Guru by Dr.S.Omana at SNDP Website
• Narayana Gurukulam
• Narayana Guru
• Sree Narayana Kendra, Delhi
• Darsana Mala
• Sivagiri
• The Sree Narayana Effect
• A genius and saint