Like Adi Sankaracharya, Sree Narayana Guru (whose birth anniversary was yesterday) propagated Advaita (non-duality) in the early 20th century. He believed that enlightened souls should utilise their energy for the common good of society at large. One can achieve this if one follows the three ways emphasised in the Gita: Union through action (Karma Yoga), union through devotion (Bhakti Yoga) and union through knowledge (Jnana Yoga).Guru was born in 1856 and attained samadhi in 1928 at 72. He was born in the middle rung of the innumerable castes of Kerala in a family of Ayurveda physicians and Sanskrit scholars, six miles north of Trivandrum. Right from early childhood, he showed understanding of the suffering masses and resolved to emancipate them. He sacrificed his wordly life for them. He was tall and handsome with a beaming radiant face. He did yoga and meditation. he did approximately five years’ strong tapasya at Maruthva Malai (mountain) and achieved enlightenment. From Maruthva Malai, he went down to Aruvipuram, 12 miles near Trivandrum. In those days, it was mostly Tamils and a few Nairs who honoured him. Ezhavas, his own caste people, except Dr Palpu’s family, never respected him. He used to mix with Nadars, Channans, Christians and Muslims (including their priests), apart from the fishermen with whom he lived. Slowly, people from all walks of life flocked to him. A certain Shivarathri day was a milestone in Guru’s life, when he came down to his people, awakened them, united them and led them to a peaceful revolution. He succeeded in removing social taboos one by one, which culminated in the dawn of an entirely new social order. In achieving this, Guru not only got cooperation and help from low caste people but also from people of high castes. Similarly, he awakened not only low caste people but also high caste people, leading them to self-introspection and correction.An important dictum of Guru was ‘‘Educate so that you may be free’’. Here ‘educate’ does not necessarily mean mere addition of several academic degrees to one’s name. Instead, it means that the knowledge one acquires from education should be utlised for betterment of society at large.As part of Guru’s contribution in social and political advancement of oppressed and depressed classes of India, he first prevailed upon the government for representation to repressed classes in the assembly for redressal of their grievances. Through such a person chosen by him as representative, Guru succeeded in including two items of agenda for discussion in the All India Conference of Indian National Congress Committee: (1) Entry into temples for all; and (2) Upliftment of Harijans. They later found place in the Indian Constitution. The rest is history.
