25th August 2010 - Birth Anniversary of Sri Narayana Guru

By Muddu Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Muddu Moodubelle

Mangalore, 25 August 2010: “One Caste, One God, One Religion”,  “Education is Liberation”, “Unity is Power.”  These are the simple phrases with ever shining message of  Brahmashree Narayana Guru Swami. He had been the champion  of downtrodden. He was the religious and social  reformer from Kerala, one who had strived for  liberation and betterment of the  whole mankind  in true sense.

During the later part of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries, India was experiencing some sort of  social development. There was gradual development in the fields of economy, education and social reforms. But the so called elite rich-privileged classes were using the opportunities to strengthen their own status in the society and were denying the benefits of the changes reaching the poor classes. It was under these circumstances that some well intentioned social reformers tried to bring some sort of social justice to the suppressed classes.  Sri Narayana Guru was the foremost social reformer who attempted to  give self respect and honour to the depressed classes.

Sri Narayana Guru was born on the 3rd day of Onam  in the year 1854 in an Ezhava family at Chempuzanthi, a place 12 miles away from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala as the youngest among five children of  Kutti Ammal and Madan Asan. The Ezhavas of Kerala and the Billavas of Karnataka belonged to the same caste. He was born in an age when people from backward communities like the Ezhavas faced much social injustices in the caste-ridden Kerala society.

Since an early age, Narayana began to realise differences among the people on the basis of high and low castes and the sufferings of  people belonging to lower castes. He developed sympathy towards the suffering and marginalised people belonging to his own community. As he was inclined towards spiritualism, Narayana took up Sanyasam at the age of 20 and went to Maruthwamalai for meditation.  After 10 years he returned to Aravipuram and started a Shiva Temple which was open to one all, without any distinction of caste or creed.

Sri Narayana Guru dedicated himself for the service of the community. He travelled to different parts of Kerala and  other places and personally attended untouchables  and poor and gave them  simple messages  like “One God., Ones Caste, One religion”; “liberate through Education, strengthen through Organization..” and so on. In the beginning, with the support of his disciples and followers, Sri Narayana Guru started around 73 temples and places of worship  in Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka and  Sri Lanka. Some of the prominent temples  include: Sri Gokarnanatha Kshetra at Kudroli, Mangalore established in 1912.

Later, realising the importance of education as a liberating and empowering force, Sri Narayana Guru established educational institutions and vocational centres. To manage these activities  Sri Naryana Guru started  “Sri Narayana Dharma Sangham” in 1903.

 

Being a great scholar in Sanskrit and Malayalam, Sri Naryana Guru has written masterpieces like “Athmopadesha Shathakam”, “Darshanamaala” etc. Great leaders like Mahathma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave, Tagore, Annie Beseant, and Dr.Radhakrishnan and others who had met Sri Narayana Guru were very much impressed by this great spiritual exponent and social reformer.

Sri Narayana Guru  took ‘Samaadhi’ on 28 September 1928, at Shivagiri, which was centre on his later spiritual and social activities. His simple message on equality  and  humanity has been admired by one and all. In the memory of this great saint, the Government of India had  issued Postal Stamps in 1969 and again in 2008.
 
This year the birth anniversary of Sri Narayana Guru falls on Nakshathra Shathabhisha which is on 25 of August, being the  third day of Onam. The birth anniversary of Sri Narayana Guru  is celebrated in many parts of the world with great respect including in Udupi and D.K. districts.

Sri Narayana Guru was instrumental in setting the spiritual foundations of social reform. He was one of the most successful social reformers who tackled caste in India. He showed a path to social liberation without invoking  the dualism of the oppressed and the oppressor. Sri Narayana Guru’s messages and way of life are more relevant even during these days of hatred and crime in the name of caste and class and religion.

(Muddu Moodubelle is a prolific writer in Kannada and Tulu. He has also done research in Tulu folk culture and has written a number of books and articles on the subjects. Many of his story books and collection of poems both in Kannada and Tulu have been published.  Presently he is working in All India Radio, Mangalore as Senior Announcer. Bellevision team welcomes Muddu Moodubelle  as a valuable contributor to www.bellevision.com)