Why 20th-century social reformer Narayana Guru is caught in a very contemporary row in Kerala

What did Vijayan say?

Speaking at a gathering in connection with the Sivagiri pilgrimage to Narayana Guru’s samadhi in Varkala, Kerala, Vijayan said there was an organised effort to portray Guru as the face of Sanatan Dharma. “Guru was never a propagator or practitioner of Sanatan Dharma. Instead, he was someone who tried to reconstruct Sanatan Dharma for the new age,” he said.

Vijayan added that the essence of Sanatan Dharma lies in its Varnashrama system, which Guru explicitly challenged. “Guru was someone who stood against casteism. His new age dharma was not something defined by religion but rooted in the betterment of people, irrespective of their religion… Tying (him) within the framework of Sanatan Dharma would be a sin against Guru.”

Vijayan’s remarks followed his support to the suggestion by Sivagiri Mutt president Swami Sathchidananda that temples end the practice of making male devotees remove their shirts before entering temples.

What has the BJP said?

The BJP accused Vijayan of “disrespecting” Hindu faith, and of exploiting Guru’s legacy for political gain. Former Union minister and BJP leader V Muraleedharan said the CM had insulted the entire ‘Sree Narayaneeya’ community, a reference to the OBC Ezhavas, who are traditionally pro-Left and comprise about 23% of Kerala’s population.

“Vijayan’s comment is a continuation of the remark of DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin that Sanatan Dharma needs to be eradicated,” Muraleedharan said.

He also referred to the controversies related to the entry of women of all ages to Sabarimala temple and Thrissur Pooram festival, involving the Vijayan government. “In both, Vijayan tried to challenge the Hindu faith,” Muraleedharan said.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the Left in Kerala felt “the Congress had overtaken it in vote bank politics, and to get back that extremist vote bank, they are throwing abusive insults at Hindu faith and Sanatan Dharma”.

Trying to catch up on the debate, Congress leader V D Satheesan criticised Vijayan for drawing a parallel between Sanatan Dharma and Varnashrama, describing the latter as an inflexible set of responsibilities based on the adherent’s caste-based social station. Sanatan Dharma, in contrast, the Kerala Leader of the Opposition said, professes “universal welfare” and is “the collective culture of India”.

Who was Sree Narayana Guru?

Highly regarded across Kerala for blending spiritualism with a commitment to social reform, Guru’s teachings and philosophy – dating back to the early part of the last century – have come to be known as Advaita Vedanta. It is a doctrine of “non-duality”, in which Guru says that the “ultimate reality” or “Brahman” is singular and indivisible, and that the “individual self” or “Atman” is one with this universal essence.

It is “ignorance” or “Maya” that creates an illusion of “duality”, leading to divisions based on caste, religion and other superficial identities, Guru said. His teachings call for individuals to turn inwards, recognise their “divine nature”, and embrace “the interconnectedness of all beings”.

His simple, but revolutionary, proclamation was “One Caste, One Religion, One God for Man”, and he encouraged throwing open of consecrated temples to all castes.

At Ardhanareeswara Temple in Karamukku, for example, Guru installed in 1927 a ‘Belgium mirror’ purchased from Kochi, inscribed with the word “OM” and virtues like “Sathyam (truth)”, “Dharmam (righteousness)”, “Daya (compassion)”, and “Shanthi (peace)”, instead of a conventional idol. This underlined his belief that spirituality lay in self-reflection, not in ritualistic idol worship.

Why does he remain relevant?

While he died in 1928, nearly a century ago, Guru’s influence can be seen in his statues across Kerala, the same as for B R Ambedkar in other parts. For the Ezhavas, he is a revered figure, with the community’s main outfit, Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), carrying a lot of political heft.

For long, the SNDP headed by Vellappalli Natesan has been supportive of the ruling regimes in Kerala. However, his son Thushar Vellappally, the national president of the SNDP’s political wing BDJS (Bharath Dharma Jana Sena), backs the BJP. For the CPI(M), which fears it has already lost a significant upper caste Hindu vote to the BJP, this is worrying.

The BJP has long been trying to make a base among the Ezhavas, and the CPI(M) started featuring Guru in its campaigns only after the national party began doing so while presenting him as the ‘Guru’ of Kerala.

What do scholars say?

As the controversy plays out, scholars of Guru’s teachings and writings have largely stayed away. Off the record, they say Vijayan’s words are “reflective of the CPI(M)’s internal struggles with religion” and “lack honesty”.

“Pinarayi’s speech was all about the Marxist party’s negotiations with religion in recent years. They should reveal their stand first, whether they have belief in God or not,” said a Guru scholar associated with Sivagiri.

Another scholar associated with both Sivagiri and Narayana Gurukula in Varkala said the Left is trying to mould Guru into a figure that fits their template of a mere social reformer. “They want a Periyar. But Guru wasn’t a Periyar,” he said, pointing to Guru’s blend of spirituality and social reform in action.

B Rajeevan, who has written extensively on Guru, said: “Guru was not rejecting Sanatan but capturing it from the majority to make it accessible to the oppressed… Making it compatible for them, to use as a weapon for their resistance, is what Guru did with Sanatan,” Rajeevan said.

He also believes that the ground prepared by Guru paved the way for Communist parties in Kerala. “Guru’s disciples who entered politics, such as C Kesavan, C V Kunjiraman, Sahodaran Ayyappan, had Left, socialist leanings,” he said.

While also criticising the RSS or Hindutva groups for trying to “appropriate Guru with their Hindutva ideology”, Rajeevan warned that statements such as Vijayan’s “indirectly strengthen the BJP”. “As long as the Indian Left keeps rejecting Indian heritage and traditional paths, you cannot fight the BJP.”