Context

Recently, the Prime Minister of India has paid tributes to SreeNarayana Guru on his Jayanti. 

Who was SreeNarayna Guru?

• SreeNarayana Guru was a catalyst and leader who reformed the oppressive caste system that prevailed in society at the time.
• His philosophy always advocated social equality, education for all, and spiritual enlightenment. The caste system was rampant in Kerala at that time.
• Caste: Born in the Ezhava caste.
• Narayan Guru had experienced discrimination from the upper caste of society.
• One of his famous sayings in Malayalam was ‘One caste, one religion, one god for all.’

Contribution in anti-caste revolution

• Narayana Guru consecrated the first temple of Lord Shiva in 1888 where an idol was ordinated by a non-brahmin in Aruvippuram village of Kerala.
• His step sparked off the anti-caste revolution against the upper-caste Brahmin communities.
• In 1903, he established the SreeNarayana Dharma ParipalanaYogam (SNDP) as the founder and president.
  • The organization continues to mark its strong presence to this day.

Contribution to National Movement:

• He was in the forefront of the movement for universal temple entry and against the societal ills like the social discrimination of untouchables.
• He provided the impetus for Vaikom agitation, which was aimed at temple entry in Travancore for the lower castes.
• He captured the essence of Indianness in his poems, which highlighted the unity that lies beneath the world’s apparent diversity.

Literary Works:

• He wrote various books in different languages. Few of them are: AdvaithaDeepika, Asrama, Thevarappathinkangal, BrahmavidyaPanchakam etc.

Philosophy of SreeNarayana Guru:

• SreeNarayana Guru became one of the greatest proponents and re-evaluators of Advaita Vedanta, the principle of non-duality put forward by AdiShankara.
• In 1913, he founded the Advaita Ashram at Aluva. This was an important event in his spiritual quest.
• This Ashram was dedicated to a great principle – Om SahodaryamSarvatra (all men are equal in the eyes of God).