Sree Narayana Guru: Life, Teachings and Reforms

Sree Narayana Guru (mid-1850s–1928) was a Kerala saint, philosopher and social reformer whose work against caste discrimination changed the society of his time. Born into the Ezhava community, which was then barred from the temples of the upper castes, he consecrated a Shiva image at Aruvippuram in 1888, founded temples and schools open to all, and inspired the founding of the SNDP Yogam in 1903. His teaching is summed up in the saying attributed to him, "one caste, one religion, one God for humankind".

Early life

Nanu was born at Chempazhanthy, near Thiruvananthapuram, to Madan Asan and Kuttiyamma. He studied Sanskrit, Malayalam and Tamil, and the classical texts, and taught for a time, which earned him the name Nanu Asan ("teacher"). As a young man he left home to live as a wandering ascetic, spending long periods in meditation.

Caste in his time

In the Travancore of his youth, people of the Ezhava community and of castes counted lower still were barred from the temples used by the upper castes, kept off certain roads near them, and largely excluded from education and government service. This was the society in which his reform work took place, and he spoke against these practices throughout his life.

The Aruvippuram consecration (1888)

On the night of Shivaratri in February 1888 he consecrated a Shiva linga at Aruvippuram, on the Neyyar river. In the custom of the time, consecrating a temple image was reserved for Brahmin priests. His act showed that worship and consecration were not the monopoly of one caste, and it is remembered as a turning point in Kerala's social reform. He went on to found or consecrate many more temples open to everyone, and in some of them he installed a lamp, a mirror or an inscription in place of an image.

The SNDP Yogam and Sivagiri

The Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP Yogam), an organisation for the social and educational advancement of the Ezhava community, was founded on 15 May 1903 with Dr. Padmanabhan Palpu as a leading organiser and the Guru as its first president. He urged followers to "become enlightened through education and strengthened through organisation", a saying widely attributed to him.

He made Sivagiri, near Varkala, the centre of his work, and founded an ashram at Aluva in 1913. On 11 January 1928 he established the Sree Narayana Dharma Sanghom, an order of monks, at Sivagiri. He supported the Vaikom Satyagraha of 1924–25 for the right of all castes to use the roads around the Vaikom temple, and Mahatma Gandhi met him at Sivagiri in 1925.

Teachings and works

His philosophy was Advaita (non-dualism): the one reality in all beings. He drew from it the conclusion that divisions of caste have no basis, and he stressed education, cleanliness, temperance and honest work for social progress.

He wrote in Malayalam, Sanskrit and Tamil. His best-known works are:

• Daiva Dasakam ("Ten verses to God"), a short prayer composed around 1914, recited daily in many Kerala homes and schools.
• Atmopadesa Satakam ("One hundred verses of self-instruction"), a Malayalam poem setting out his Advaita teaching.

English translations of these works were published by his disciple Nataraja Guru, among them in The Word of the Guru (1952).

How his legacy is understood

Sree Narayana Guru is honoured by Hindus as a saint and an Advaita teacher, and his temples, and the Sivagiri pilgrimage, follow Hindu forms of worship. His saying "one caste, one religion, one God for humankind" and his practice of opening worship and education to all are also read as a universal message above any single religion. Followers, scholars and political movements in Kerala emphasise these sides differently. HinduTone includes him in its Famous Hindus section because he worked within Hindu worship and philosophy; that is not meant to narrow a message he addressed to all people.

Remembrance

His birth anniversary, Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti, falls on the Chathayam star in the Malayalam month of Chingam (August or September) and is a public holiday in Kerala. The anniversary of his death, Mahasamadhi Day, is also observed. The Sivagiri pilgrimage each year at the end of December draws large numbers of pilgrims to his samadhi at Varkala.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Sree Narayana Guru?

A Kerala saint, Advaita philosopher and social reformer (mid-1850s–1928) who worked against caste discrimination.

What happened at Aruvippuram in 1888?

On Shivaratri night in February 1888 he consecrated a Shiva linga there, showing that consecration was not reserved for Brahmin priests.

What is the SNDP Yogam?

The Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, founded on 15 May 1903 for the advancement of the Ezhava community, with the Guru as its first president.

What is the Daiva Dasakam?

A ten-verse prayer he composed around 1914, still widely recited in Kerala.

When did Sree Narayana Guru die?

On 20 September 1928, at Sivagiri, Varkala.

Sources

• DT Next (PTI), "From Nanu to Sree Narayana Guru: A journey that changed Kerala's social landscape" (1 December 2024).
• The Mooknayak, "'One Caste, One Religion, One God for Humanity': Remembering Sri Narayana Guru".
• Nataraja Guru, The Word of the Guru: The Life and Teaching of Guru Narayana (1952; reprinted by D. K. Printworld).
• INFLIBNET e-PG Pathshala, Indian Religion and Philosophy module on Sree Narayana Guru (Aruvippuram consecration and the reform movement).

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.

Related: Famous Hindus · Swami Vivekananda · Swami Dayananda Saraswati · Advaita, Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita