Bhaktamal | Shri Narayana Guru
Real Name - Narayanan
Other Name - Nanu, Shri Narayana Guru Swami
Aradhya - Bhagwan Shiv
Guru - Raman Pillai Asan
Birth Date - 20 August 1856
Birth Place - Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Marital Status - Unmarried
Language - Sanskrit, Malayalam, Tamil, English
Father - Madan Asan
Mother - Kuttiyamma
Philosophy - Advaita Vedanta
Famous - Kerala reformation movement
Sree Narayana Guru was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led the reform movement against injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala to promote spiritual enlightenment and social equality.
One of his quotes that defined his movement was "One caste, one religion and one God for all men." From an early age he was attracted towards penance. He lived as a hermit in the forest for eight years. He learned the Vedas, Upanishads, literature, logical terminology of Sanskrit, Hatha Yoga and other philosophies.
He is the author of the Advaita poem Daiva Dasakam, one of the most commonly used poems for community prayer in Kerala. In 1888, he built a temple dedicated to Bhagwan Shiva in Aruvippuram which was against the caste-based restrictions of the time. He wrote various books in different languages. On 21 August 1967, an Indian postage stamp was issued in honor of Narayana Guru. The Reserve Bank of India and the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India issued two sets of commemorative coins bearing the Guru's image on the occasion of his 150th birth anniversary, each worth ₹5 and ₹100 respectively.
He became one of the greatest proponents and revaluers of Advaita Vedanta, the doctrine of non-duality propounded by Adi Shankara. He died on September 20, 1928 and that day is celebrated as Sree Narayana Guru Samadhi in Kerala.