Brief Biography of Jagath Guru
SREE NARAYANA GURUDEV
Sree Narayana Guru was born at 6-15 a.m on August 28, 1855 (1031 chingom 14 / M.E) in “Vayalvaram Veedu” at Chempazhanthy, a village near Trivandrum in a community which possessed no rights and privileges and was totally neglected for far centuries. The then society was laden with many evils like caste system, untouchability and unapproachability. They were denied of freedom even to walk through public places and roads, and educational institutions, places of worship, government services and the like were prohibited to them. They were always persecuted and tortured in the name of caste. During the boyhood days itself Guru could realise this miserable condition of the people. He was very clever at his studies and took a keen interest in reading religious and educational literature. He learnt Sanskrit and became very proficient in it which enabled him teach it to many others. He took a decision to offer himself to redeem the downtrodden and the society as a whole.
He left home and retired in the forests of Aruvippuram, in the Trivandrum District, where he lived in the midst of wild animals and reptiles. Occasionally when he came out from the thick forest, people flocked at him as they considered him a divine man, a wonder worker and a great healer. He did effect several miraculous cures. He also displayed extraordinary powers on many occasions. A mystic of dynamic temper, a practical yogi, Sree Narayana Guru went far and wide in his spiritual search for the answer to the problems of life. He studied India’s most sacred books and grew stronger on his will and finally emerged himself as one of the greatest of modern Saints.
Having obtained yogic powers and transcendental vision as a result of the penance of arduous and intense austerities,Gurudevan instead of retiring to solitary place as traditional Indian Sanyasins, slowly began to reform the society, keeping in mind the oneness and divinity of mankind and unity in their life. For that he first resolved to bring about a revolution in the methods of worship in temples. He strove to bring up the low caste people on a par with the highest class of people. Guru formulated the fundamental and essential message of Adwaitha Vedanta a practical philosophy of day to day life as “ONE CASTE, ONE RELIGION, ONE GOD FOR MAN ” and declared it on August 28, 1921.
THE ARUVIPPURAM PRATHISHTA
On the night of Sivarathry day in February 1888 A.D. Sree Narayanana Guru plunged himself in the bottom of a river flowing near the Aruvippuram Asramom, took out a rubble resembling Siva-linga and consecrated it on a raised rocky platform. This Sivalinga Prathishta was a revolutionary act in the annals of Indian social, religious and spiritual history. It reformed the degraded, downtrodden people’s domestic and social life, abolished superstitions and bad customs and wasteful ceremonies, created a yearning in them for knowledge, made their lives in all ways purer, more devotional and stronger. With this consecration Guru’s reputation spread throughout Kerala and outside alike. People for the first time visualised in the Indian spiritual order, a yogi who attained revelation engaged in uplifting and reforming the society.
On the wall of the consecrated temple at Aruvippuram, Guru inscribed the divine proclamation of oneness of man based on the fundamental principle of the nonduality as: “This is the model abode where all men live in brotherhood devoid of dividing walls of caste or race or hatred of rival faith” - Actually it is a nucleus of universal brotherhood of humanity without distinction of race, creed, caste or colour. This was Guru’s first act for inter - religious -tolerance, fraternization and the act against caste and priest-craft.
AN AVATHAR
After, Swamiji finally settled at Sivagiri in Varkala, 50 K.M. north of Trivandrum. Sivagiri today has become one of the most sacred centres of pilgrimage for the people from all walks of life irrespective of caste, creed, religion or language. Gandhiji came here thrice - while Swamiji was alive, Gandhiji came to Sivagiri on12-3-1925 and stayed a day in the Asramom, and after Swamiji’s Samadhi twice . Acharya Vinobabhave visited Sivagiri in 1925 and proclaimed later that the Guru is an ‘Avathar’. He said, “Sree Narayana Guru is considered as one of the five or ten avathars that have appeared in India during the last 100 years. I had the opportunity to meet him in 1925 when I went to Kerala in connection with Vaikom Sathyagraha. In those days he was residing at Varkala. There I had talked to him for an hour or two. My humble respects to the memory of the great sage”.
SREE NARAYANA DHARMA PARIPALANA YOGAM
(S.N.D.P.YOGAM)
Guru then started the other campaigns for educating and strengthening the people with the watch words “Obtain freedom through Education and obtain strength through Organization”. The practical demonstration of the above ideal was the establishment of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam on May 15, 1903. The Guru wanted to unite the unorganized masses through this organisation and make them a self confident and self respecting community. He succeeded in raising the entire suppressed and oppressed people in the esteem of their fellowmen and giving them a place among the foremost communities of the country. Subsequent to that whatever happened in Kerala had an associated idea directly or indirectly of the Guru and reformation of Kerala was made possible by the guidance and effort of the Guru. The SNDP Yogam has been engaged in many activities for the promotion of educational, cultural and social endeavours for the upliftment of weaker and downtrodden sectors of the society.
Sree Narayana Guru is revered and remembered by millions in India and abroad as a great Savant and a Seer, an exemplary model of human compassion and truly a Jeevan Mukta Karma Yogi.
Sarada Mutt
Sivagiri where the Great Saint, Sree Narayana Guru lived and where he attained Samadhi is the head quarters of his order of monks. In 1912 Swamiji consecrated Sarada Mutt, a temple dedicated to “Goddess of learning”. It is from here he guided and led till the end of the socio-religious rehabilitation movement.
SREE NARAYANA DHARMA SANGHOM TRUST
SREE NARAYANA GURU, founded the sree narayana Dharma Sanghom on January 11, 1928 with head quarters at Sivagiri, Varkala. As approved by the Hon’ble High Court of Kerala, on 26-3-1959, it became a Public Trust called the “Sree Narayana Dharama Sanghom Trust,” the members of which are the monastic order of Sanyasin disciples nominated as the trustees, under the will executed by Sree Narayana Guru, who shall be the GURU OF THE SANGHOM.
This is a Public Trust consisting of people who believe and follow the teachings of Sree Narayana Guru. The main objects of the Trust are -
i). To disseminate and propagate the teachings and principles of Sree Narayana Guru such as “ One Caste, One Religion and One God for man” and to do service to the humanity as conceived by the Guru and to perpetuate the monastic order of the members to achieve the objects of the sanghom
ii). to hold and administer and develop the movable and immovable properties, i.e., Mutts, temples and other religious institutions and places of worship, educational, cultural and charitable institutions and all properties appurtenant thereto, including those which may accrue in future.
The Sree Narayana Dharma Sanghom Trust has been running several mutts, temples, educational institutions, hospitals etc. at different parts of the country.
Sivagiri Pilgrimage
A few months before Guru’s Samadhi in 1928, while he was camping at Nagampadam temple at Kottayam, a couple of his ardent disciples namely Vallabhassery Govindan Vaidyan and Kittan writer hesitantly broached to him the idea of an annual “Pilgrimage to Sivagiri”. Swamiji enthusiastically approved the suggestions then and there, and suggested certain norms as well as modalities to be observed. Swamiji directed that the pilgrims should reach Sivagiri in saffron robes, after following a brief ten day austerity based on Sree Budha’s Five purities of Body, Word, Mind, Food and Deed. He underlined the need for educational, cultural and moral purity for the yearly meet. The festival he said “should be so planned to focus attention on Education, Cleanliness, Piety, Organised Endeavour, Agriculture, Trade, Handicrafts and Technical training. Guru’s closing words had a prophetic and visionary ring. He said, “ These are the subjects. Experts should be invited to lecture on them. With discipline pilgrims should listen attentively. They should practice what they have learnt. This will ensure the people and to the land, prosperity. This should be the main goal of the pilgrimage to Sivagiri”, he concluded. The first pilgrimage started on 25-12-1933 with five devotees and has been conducting on 30th, 31st December and January 1, every year. Today Sivagiri Pilgrimage is not an ordinary one. It leads one to a greater life and instils in millions of downtrodden, the hope of a better tomorrow. Now steps are being taken to celebrate the 78th Sivagiri Pilgrimage.
Sree Narayana Guru attained Mahasamadhi on September 20th 1928 at 3 p.m. No other great spiritual preceptor ever accomplished his missiom so peacefully. His was a mission which by its won purity and universality - rose above all distinctions and discriminations of caste, race and creed and appealed to the soul in man.
SOME TEACHINGS OF GURUDEVAN
1. In essence all religions are the same.
2. Man must progress; whatever be his religion
3. Ask not,say not, think not, caste.
4. Whatever one does for one’s own happiness should also aim at the good of other men.
5. All are one self fraternity.
6. Whatever may be the difference in man’s creed, attire; languages etc. as they all be long to the same kind of creation, there is no harm at all in their dining together or having inter - marital relations with one another.
7. He who loves is who really lives.
8. One Caste One Religion One God for Man.
Tribute of Great Personalities to the Guru
Shri. Rabindranath Tagore, the great Indian poet paid a visit to Sivagiri on 22-11-1922 and had an hour long meeting with Swamiji. He said “ I have been touring different parts of the world. During these travels I have had the good fortune to come into contact with several saints and maharshies. But I have frankly to admit that I have never come across one who is spiritually greater than Swami Sree Narayana Guru of Malayalam nay a person who is on a par with him in spiritual attainment.
I am sure, I shall never forget that radiant face illumined by the self- effulgent light of divine glory and those yogic eyes fixing their gaze on a far remote point in the distant horizon”.
Jnanin of action
Romain Rolland the French Philosopher hailed Swamiji as a “Jnanin of action”, a grand religious intellectual, who had a keen living sense of the people and of social necessities. He has contributed greatly to the elevation of the oppressed classes in South India and his work has been associated at certain time with that of Gandhi”.
“I feel it as the greatest privilege in my life to have visited the beautiful state of Travancore and to have a darshan of venerable sage Sree Narayana Guru. I had the fortune to stay one day in his holy Ashramam. Her Excellency the Regent empress also spoke to me about the greatness of Guru Swamy. I fervently hope that you would enforce his lofty ideals”.
- Mahatma Gandhi, 1925 March 13.
Jawaharlal Nehru the first Prime Minister of India on his visit to Sivagiri on April 29, 1958 wrote. “ In order to get a casteless- society, what are we to do? Many things have to be done. But the general approach which I presume is Sree Narayana Guru’s approach - the approach through the mind and heart and not of a compulsion and coercion .Where there is not this turning of heart and mind, all other things are likely to be superficial’.