Continuing Pages continued from page 21 Asceticism, Modernisation and Science perception or thought should be in consonance with material realities. According to the Guru, caste differentiation as manifested in the early twentieth century was contrary to the very idea of human beings as belonging to a single species. Thus Narayana was trying to critique caste and caste differentiation through the classical tradition itself by interpreting them in the light of contemporary social concerns. Such an understanding of the human beings was further asserted in his dialogue with Mohandas Gandhi where he argued that human beings are essentially the same and caste differences as only superf cial. Narayana Guru, though an ascetic was a rationalist and hence asceticism as has been manifested in the Guru was not a form of spirituality devoid of rationality. Rather asceticism was a mark of a new rationality to locate truth, a form of Puritan belief. The idea was that it was not the classical texts that perpetuated the prejudicial caste system, rather its later day deviations from the text that led to the denial of the social and ideological spaces for the Ezhavas and other subordinate castes. He therefore found within the text the means through which social assertion could be actualised. Hence, Narayana Guru, established Sanskrit schools and urged his followers to practice Ayurveda as was explained in the classical texts. At the behest of Narayana Guru was established the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam or the organisation for the establishment of Dharma or righteousness. The Dharma was about pursuing righteousness in both individual and social lives. The Dharma therefore was the essence of reform, an objective which the community set for itself for the future. The objective was aimed at reformulating the present through standards drawn from the past, which was both classical and Sanskritic, critical of it yet being part of it. Sree Narayana therefore remains a reformer and Guru, from whom the Ezhavas started a new beginning from which the past was located, the present was formulated and future was imagined. Nevertheless, it did not lead to the beginning of a new Religious faith for the community. This was because the ancient past, with its institutions and knowledge forms, hierarchies and meanings, whether imagined or real, and its re-conf guration remains signif cant in the framing of the Ezhava identity in the period under discussion and into the present. Narayana Guru’s spiritual and social reform initiatives provided the thrust for a dramatic yet peaceful social transformation starting from the days of pre-independent India and continuing to date. continued from page 17 The Guru and our ‘Collective Responsibility’ organisation, with members and initiatives in place for Corporate Social Responsibility (‘CSR’) activities. CSR is the concept whereby organisations voluntarily integrate social and environmental concerns into their normal course of operations, and also into their interaction with the civic authorities and other stakeholders. Collective Responsibility for Transparency: The ability of members and other stakeholders to act on trustworthy information is what creates successful social organisations. Even non-prof t charitable organisations tend to gain donors and sponsors when there is clarity on the source and application of funds. For the growth and effectiveness and hence the success of any Sree Narayana organisation, the transparency of the nature and results of its operations is a fundamental value to uphold. Every aspect of management of the organisation, from planning, employment, operations, commitments, f nancial transactions, 50 SNA Toronto Journal
accounting, compliance with laws and ethical guidelines, disclosure of information, etc., should be carried out in a transparent and forthright manner. The leadership and management of such social organisations represent the image and reputation of the Guru in public and thereby have the collective responsibility for transparency, and to safeguard the Narayana Guru name that they use as the ‘front’ for the organisation. Where there is transparency there will be trust, and thereby the added goodwill of the donor community. Collective Responsibility for Truth (history): The Guru was the epitome of truth, and his wisdom teachings centred on truth. Social organisations operated under the Guru’s name and involved in publishing and other activities that create historical records for future generations have the collective responsibility of ensuring that literature that is published and disseminated in the public domain are well researched and vetted. There have been various past instances of contradictory information on dates, quotes, and other assertions that are published without due care for accuracy, resulting in ambiguities about the Guru’s life and history. The source of information and its factual accuracy should be established and disclosed before the organisation endorses its name to such publications and websites. Unverifed information should not be published, or where in doubt the reservations on unestablished assertions or doubts on factual accuracy should be included as the organisation’s disclaimer. Collective Responsibility for Justice: Narayana Guru considered every human being as the extension of, and carrying the likeness of the Supreme Consciousness. Therefore every human has the right to inherent dignity and freedom, which cannot be compromised. It should be the collective responsibility of Sree Narayana organisations that in all matters of their operations and in all respects of the treatment of individuals and other entities, justice be a core value. This should include justice and fairness to employees/ offcer bearers and external entities and service providers - the opportunity to serve the organisation, based on merit as the primary criteria, and concluding the relationship with parties in full fairness of dealings within the transactional relationship. Collective Responsibility for Progress: Organisations should be on a progressive path and so should the individuals within the organisation, whether they are members, employees or voluntary service providers. Organisations carrying the Guru’s tag should shoulder the collective responsibility of ensuring that individuals progress through learning, education, vocational skills, arts and aesthetics. Charitable organisations might have situations where the human resources function is sourced by honorary positions or unpaid volunteers. Even where it is voluntary service, the organisation structure, job responsibilities, and accountability should be well defned, so that the organisation does not become chaotic in its administration. The internal progress of the organisation will refect directly on its external image and progress. The above are key points of collective responsibility that new Sree Narayana entities being set up could use as guideline to structure their organisational framework, and so also any existing Sree Narayana entity could use as reference to restructure its currently operational organisation. Essentially, the Sree Narayana name should not be used as a mere façade for organisations. Through learning about the Guru, there should arise the collective mindfulness to protect the innumerable public recognitions that Sree Narayana Guru earned from the point of being accorded the title of ‘Guru’- during his lifetime and later as a national and global symbol encompassing spirituality, equality, knowledge, compassion, bionomics, honesty, truth, justice and progress. (Abstract from the NPHIL Lecture Module - ‘Modelling SN Organisations’ Copyright - ©NPHIL 2014) Article 51
Continuing Pages continued from page 29 Guru’s Teachings and Their Continuing Relevance progress only through allowing private enterprise in a traditionally socialistic or state controlled economy. Religion and caste (ethnic lineages and clans) were major segregators in society during Gurudevan’s time. Such man-made divisions of society were the stumbling blocks in the progress of society as a whole. Furthermore, caste gave rise to deplorable social practices such as untouchability and even unapproachability between different tiers of the social pecking order. While the Guru did not blame anyone in particular for such historically evolved prejudicial social practices, there was the obvious need for change. Change was needed to save all of society, regardless of whether one was privileged or underprivileged. All needed to come out of these manmade walls that divided and downgraded humankind. The Guru’s loud and clear call was to abandon caste and mutually respect different religious beliefs, as all religions were aimed at the common good of man. Since the Guru was an idealist, he professed the highest form of virtuous thinking – “Do not ask, speak or think about caste”. With regard to tolerance of religions the Guru’s golden words are – “Whichever the religion, it suff ces, if it makes a better man”. There is no nobler thought for religious tolerance, which is still missing in most world societies. Religious intolerance is perhaps the single most common cause of conf ict and wars all over the world. As caste was itself man’s creation out of marriages conf ned to social groups (clans, tribes, etc.) and the practice continuing generation after generation, the Guru envisioned the need to break such traditions for the longer term unity and progress of mankind. While not disrespecting any traditionally evolved group, his words were “Encourage inter-caste marriage and dining together”. Inter-caste and inter-racial marriages would eventually end the caste system, as the offspring of such marriages were lesser and lesser part of any particular ethnicity. The farsighted Gurudevan intended that slowly and steadily the caste system should die out. Although caste as a socio-political divider has gradually lost it clout with the democratic reforms and free forms of national governance, caste as sociological mindset still continues to manifest many societies. His words “Do not ask, speak or think about caste” continues to be relevant to free those carrying forward caste, classism and racism as social attitudes. While Gurudevan is often projected as a social reformer or spiritual leader, his literary and philosophical masterpieces place him far above such titles. Atmopadeśa Śatakam (one hundred verses of self-instruction) expounded in the Malayalam language is perhaps one of his most revered philosophical works. In this masterpiece of poetry he says “Acts that one performs for self-satisfaction, should become of benef t to others too”. This simple but deeply inspiring teaching is one that anyone could sensibly adopt in life. What we take up as our profession, hobby or personal interest and spend a good part of our lives doing could be activities that, while giving us self-satisfaction, are also of good to others – either directly, or indirectly as our contribution of knowledge for the benef t of current or future generations. What a noble thought! The tenets of Narayana Guru’s philosophy were in many respects ahead of their time and focused on a futuristic world order that could be shaped from its underlying value systems. continued from page 37 Memoir of the Masabi Chieftain has other interests, switches to biology in Toronto. Both sons graduate from Engineering at Waterloo and are on their way to meaningful jobs in their respective f elds. Mom and Dad are concerned about their next steps in life – f nding spouses. One of the casualties of our exposure to Canadian society becomes the 52 SNA Toronto Journal
traditional Kerala way of fnding a spouse – arranged marriages. Saji is the frst one to make headway in this area – his sweetheart is of Guyanese/East Indian background. They get married on a special day, July 1, 1989. Wedding expenses are shared by both families (so no dowry!). Manoj’s partner is of English and French Canadian background. They are married on 29 June 1990. Again, no dowry. It’s a longer route for our youngest Bindia. She meets her future husband Philip, a Reuters’ journalist from England, while on a diving ship at the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. They are married on 27 June 2003. Again, no dowry. Sons, Manoj and Saji, settle down in the Toronto area. Bindia goes on a journey of her own, heading east in her case rather than west, frst to Germany and now with a family in Belgium. We call ourselves the MASABI tribe; a name coined from the frst two letters of the names our children. We are blessed with eight lovely grandchildren. A genetic researcher will have fun trying to trace the genes of these eight. Their artistic and language skills turn out to be amazing. Starting from the youngest two, both Neil and Maya are going to a French medium school in Brussels. They are also learning Dutch. Saji’s children Anju, Taran, Evan and Jena are all fuent in French, play sports and a variety of musical instruments. Manoj’s children Emma and Jesse are both gifted - Emma in visual arts and in writing and Jesse in photography. But back to Toronto or the greater Toronto area, which I believe is now the most multicultural part of Canada. Different music, theatre, food, places of worship, styles of dress all exist here side by side without any major confict. People have held on to their own cultures, but also thrown theirs into a great pot for others to share, leaving Italians to eat pasta one day, but curry the next. People are generally open-minded. There’s no serious bias based on caste, religion, colour or place of origin. Except for the indigenous population we are of course a nation of newcomers. It’s a great country for a growing family. There’s no magic formula for success, but it would certainly include hard work, understanding and respect for others. A retention of the best of one’s own culture and identity and an open mind to absorb, appreciate and enjoy what is good in others. continued from page 39 Multiculturalism in the Millennial Generation to multiculturalism of the university, and the fact that if you’re really looking for food that’ll save your budget, Chinatown’s probably the best place to be. Being forced by circumstance or design to work and interact with people you originally fnd intimidating, students learn how to interpret body language, and sometimes even spoken language to fnd startling beautiful minds. I’ve had by far the most intelligent conversation about American politics from an African American cabdriver who visited a soup kitchen I once worked at. How he knew so much about current and past American politics will forever remain a mystery to me, but his imposing build and booming voice belied a mind quicker than I gave him credit for as well as a practical knowledge that dwarfed mine. In that respect, for the lovely parents reading this, I’d suggest you try and nurture your children to acquire this open-mindedness, since I and many of those in my position have found it to be one of the most powerful and valuable weapons in our mental arsenal for dealing with problems and people (or in some cases, problematic people). I hope you fnd something to take away from this particular dialogue. I’d like to stress again that is simply the views that I’ve seen practiced among my peers, rather than an objective evaluation of multiculturalism. In the words of Benjamin Disraeli “I feel a very unusual sensation – If it’s not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude”. Thank you for your patience, and enjoy your day. Article 53
Continuing Pages continued from page 23 Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati feel like we are in an ocean of sorrow, but when our inner eyes are open, we will feel like we are in an ocean of abundance. We will be able to see it as ocean of kindness and bliss also. Therefore, without being despondent, we should keep up the spirit to continuously move from the horizontalised vision of life to the verticalised realization of the Self.” (Vedanta Parichayam, Experiencing Vedanta, Commentary on ‘Crest Jewel of Discrimination’ by Sankaraachaarya, translated from Malayalam) “For an Advaita Vedantin, the goal is moksa, liberation. Merging both subjective and objective consciousness into primal knowledge, and thereby losing one’s identity in it, is the ultimate liberation. This is the purpose of higher form of ref ection and philosophy.” (Narayana Guru, Nitya Chaitanya Yati, Indian Council of Philosophical Research, p. 50) “The one sun shines in the sky. When it is mirrored in a lake, however big, there appears only one ref ection. But if a wave arises in the lake and creates some froth with a million bubbles in it, each bubble will show a separate ref ection of the sun. It may not last long, but it is a good enough example to illustrate how the one can be seen as many without causing any change whatsoever to the original. Like the sun which can ref ect in many bubbles, the universal self animates all individuated selves.” (Narayana Guru, Nitya Chaitanya Yati, Indian Council of Philosophical Research, p. 69) An introduction to Guru Nitya’s elucidation of Bhagavad Gita One of the major contributions of Narayana Gurukula, and the Gurus in the Narayana Guru lineage, to Indian philosophy is to establish a scheme of correlation to elucidate its many faces and levels of meaning using a scientif c approach. Such an approach would set aside any exaggerated notion of devotion and tradition (as in traditional thinking), cultural or religious bias, and eliminate even the slightest of bigoted thinking that has found its way into the texts of wisdom and the philosophy it represents. Both Nataraja Guru and Guru Nitya have used the above mentioned structural approach to elucidate the secret of the secrets (Guhyat Guhya thamam) that Gita expounds, fully respectful of the text and its contents, and giving a coherent and scientif cally sound explanation to many a contentious and controversial verses. For Guru Nitya, its philosophy was transformative, unitive, and relevant in everyday life. It deals with perennial truth or paramartha, which is eternal and immutable. Yet, it enables man to understand the ‘yaatharthya’ or ‘reality as it appears’, in its proper context, and propels him to conduct his day to day life, ‘vyavahara’, in a meaningful way. On Bhagavad Gita One of the major teachings of the Gita is the concept of svadharma, and how one’s adherence to it in life or the lack thereof, def nes fulf llment in life. This is how Guru Nitya def nes svadharma. “The intrinsic nature, or what basically constitutes the uniqueness of personality, is called svadharma. Your personality has its own action-reaction mechanism, value-sense, and dynamic drive. You cannot shun this hidden anatomy of your personality. This is what Gita refers to as svadharma. According to scholars, svadharama is one of the major doctrinal contributions of the Gita.” (Bhagavad Gita, Nitya Chaitanya Yati, D.K. Printworld (P) Ltd. 1993) An often contentious and controversial verse in the Gita is the one regarding ‘Varna’ that later came to be interpreted as ‘hierarchical social groupings called ‘caste.’ Here is how Guru Nitya, who was a pre- eminent psychologist also, elucidates the meaning of arguably the most controversial verse in the Gita (Chapter 4, Verse 13) which has been interpreted by many to support their most bigoted view of caste and 54 SNA Toronto Journal
race, and to perpetuate social injustice and cruelty on certain sections of the society for centuries. Here the Guru underscores the theoretical foundation of the concept of varna and clearly states that an individual has the will to change his/her innate disposition and hence ability to choose his/her varna. Cãturvarnyam mayã srshtam gunakarmavibhãgasah Tasya kartaram api mam viddhy akartaram avyayam The four-fold color-grades (Varnas) were created by Myself (on the basis of) innate dispositions (gunas) and vocation (karma) that accorded with each. Know me (to be) the maker of such as also (to be) its undoer unexpended. “Psychologically viewed, one’s own personality is molded by his innate qualities, or gunas. The total structure of a person’s innate qualities constitute his dharma. Every dharma demands its proper expression in a relevant context, or rather, its unfoldment through action.....One can decide the requirements of his or her personality by fnding an identity with the type or varna to which they naturally belong.....When a man fully renounces his self in the bounty of the Absolute, he becomes a sannyasin. When a man enters into bipolarity with the Absolute and participates in the wisdom-dictates of the Science of the Absolute, he becomes a Brahmana. When one comprehends the value of the Absolute in the relativistic plane with a colored mind, and is swayed by his passion to stand by those values, he becomes a Ksatriya. When a person confnes himself to the actualities of the work-a-day world, always getting and spending, and having only a feeble undercurrent of the vertical pull of the Absolute, he becomes a Vaisya. A person tied down to the harsh actualities of the mundane world, and passing his days in protracted agony, for which he sees no alternative, become a Sudra. These colors are determined by one’s intensity of affliation with the Absolute. One can obliterate his varna by a correction of his vision of the Absolute.” On the Philosophy of Sree Narayana Guru When it came to explaining Narayana Guru and his works, Guru Nitya was like a pearl-diver going into the depths of the ocean to bring out the most precious of pearls. There was not a thought or a dream that the Guru had, not a speech he had given, not an essay that he had written that did not fully resonate with the philosophy of Narayana Guru. To Guru Nitya, Narayana Guru was the witness to his self-realization. Guru Nitya says, “When I think about Narayana Guru, his words are the authoritative philosophy that I have come to fully accept in my heart, and it is the clear path that leads me continuously to the goal of life.” To Guru Nitya, Narayana Guru was the very light that eternally shined in his heart. He says, “It is the Guru’s life and words that enables man to see the humanity as one family, live as a world citizen, and to see the dazzling beauty of truth in everything.” (Narayana Guru: The Witness to My Self-realization, Collections of Essays in Malayalam, Nitya Chaitanya Yati, Poorna Books, Kerala, India). “Narayana Guru’s God was not the God of religions and not the one in temples or churches. The Guru himself has stated the nature of his God: You are the Existence, Consciousness and Value; You are the present, and the past, And the future too, even the spoken word is none other than you, when well-considered. It is the same God I have accepted in my heart.” “The meeting of the ‘World Ethics Forum’ in 1982 in Copenhagen accepted Verse 22 of Narayana Guru’s Atmopadesa Satakam (‘One Hundred Verses of Self-instruction’) as a universally acceptable slogan on ethics. The happiness of another – that is my happiness; One’s own joy is another’s joy – this is the guiding principle; That action which is good for one person should bring happiness to another. (AS. 22) Through a realization of the self, we come to know there is no other…..thus when you see the oneness of all Article 55
Continuing Pages things, there cannot be a separation of my happiness and another’s happiness.” “Love is the yogic-secret of oneness. Ananda (bliss) is the soul of love. The wondrous bliss itself is the un- broken truth. That itself is Knowledge (Arivu). There is no other God than Ananda (bliss) and Knowledge. Narayana Guru’s proclamation on one religion is based on this oneness.” All beings are making effort in every way, all the time, for the happiness of the Self; In the world, this is the one faith; pondering on this, without becoming subjected to sin, be controlled. (AS 49). On Narayana Guru’s practical vision of Vedanta “Some ask me if Narayana Guru was in favor of achieving wealth. To this I would say that the Guru never worshipped poverty. Everyone seeks grace. If grace can be considered wealth, the Guru has shown all the sacred ways one can acquire wealth. The Guru constantly paid attention to make man Self-suff cient and Self-respecting.” “People ask me if Narayana Guru was a believer in God. How do I answer that? Def nitely…but his belief was not in the caricature God of religions. He was sympathetic to those perverts who used God as a smoke screen to excite their mind.” On the depth of Narayana Guru’s works It is customary in India to accept one’s own Guru as the supreme, but at the same time one has to cultivate respect for teachings of all great masters. Guru Nitya says: “I cultivated a respect for my fellow-seeker’s views over the years and decided that I should not put forward Narayana Guru’s teachings as an alternative to any other teacher’s.” For Guru Nitya, Narayana Guru was the testament to his Self-realization. “If you know what Narayana Guru has written in Malayalam, Sanskrit and Tamil, and how his words and thoughts remain in a category of their own in Indian literature, which was equaled only by the Upanishadic rishis, you will appreciate that he was not a guru who could ever be substituted. The mandate that is passed on to me by Nataraja Guru, as guru representative, is only as a sentinel to guard the purity of the teaching that came from the great master. No one is more conscious than I of my ignorance and inability to fathom the depth of many of Narayana Guru’s works before which I am still standing in awe and admiration. My only prayer is that I understand all his works before this body is laid to rest.” (From a letter written to Deborah Buchanan on Nov 13, 1979 – published in GURUKULAM, Autumn 2013, pp 55-58). (Abstract from the NPHIL Lecture Module - ‘Thus Spake Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati’. Copyright - ©NPHIL 2014) continued from page 25 The Life and Values of John Spiers and entrusted John with the f nal editing and publishing tasks. The author remarks about John, “With utmost dedication and hard efforts, in his own words as a critic and literary f nisher, he turned this manuscript into the present volume.” Further, Nataraja Guru notes in the preface of the book about John as follows: “In April 1951 I arrived back in India and reached the Gurukula at Fernhill, Nilgiris Hills in May. My friend and colleague John Spiers, with whom I had already established intellectual and, if I may say so, spiritual contact, for nearly f ve years, and who even substituted and deputised for me at the Gurukula there in my absence, was suff ciently interested and 56 SNA Toronto Journal
strangely well qualifed to look through the manuscripts I had brought back. Much editorial revision, additions, including many footnotes, and ordering to make the meanings more explicit are to be attributed to the labours of this friend who comes from that same part of the world from which originated John the Scot in the ninth century and whom I consider as much as God-send in the context of the ‘Word of the Guru’. I have largely relied on him for all work requiring editorial sagacity and a sense of the public mind, from the stage of typing out the manuscripts in their fnal form to that of seeing them safely through the press.” John Spiers himself wrote the foreword for the book. The foreword evidences the esteem and appreciation for Nataraja Guru, as his own guru, and also in John’s words, “Dr. Natarajan is one of the rare living authorities on Advaita Vedanta, which is the science and heart of the wisdom tradition of India. He has devoted his life to this subject. He is a philosopher who lives his philosophy, but not a “Professor” of Philosophy. He is too sincere to make good on a platform or to cut a charming fgure in society. He himself is a Guru”. Leading on from the work on their frst book together, this guru and disciple team continued their life of contemplation, with the most modest physical facilities available to them, but their teamwork brought out many valuable interpretations and translations (of Narayana Guru’s original works) from Nataraja Guru like An Integrated Science of the Absolute and One hundred Verses of Self Instruction, and also commentaries on the ancient Indian wisdom text, the Bhagavad Gita. John and Nataraja Guru moved across various places and circumstances with all the required reference books, working their way through their journeys. John often took the dictation of the Guru and later made the typescripts, which after much arguments and efforts turned out to their fnal products, the books. With the zest of a real wisdom seeker, John often provoked his Guru and tapped out of him the core of all the topics they were dealing. The relationship where John acted as the catalyst for his Guru’s output resulted in the extraordinary quality and the uniqueness of each of these works. John was also instrumental in establishing the Narayana Gurukula as a sound knowledge-based organisation and making others understand Narayana Guru as a Guru of Mankind, says John’s longtime associate and friend Poothatt Narayanan. In 1952, Nataraja Guru initiated John into the ascetic way of life and thereafter he was known as Swami John Spiers. Thenceforth, John’s attire was the ochre dothi, jubba and loin cloth like any Indian sanyassin, while in his personal life he maintained a blend of virtues of both the East and the West in a beftting manner. In 1955, as a sounding organ of Narayana Gurukula, under his editorship John started publishing the monthly journal Values, which became a unique collection and method of dissemination of essays. In the very frst issue of Values Nataraja Guru wrote: “Wisdom is the highest of human values. The Absolute, whose mystery it is that Wisdom will unravel, is not a thing, an entity or even a mere reality. Neither by logical reasoning nor mere philosophical speculation, however systematic, methodical, or correct, can that be reach. If the Absolute is not conceived as a human value, it would remain a mere abstraction. It could never quench the eternal thirst for knowledge abiding at the core of human nature.” How John’s journal was both the cause and effect of the heydays of intellectual activity at Narayana Gurukula is evidenced by Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati’s later observations about John as follows: “John Spiers started publishing Values to provide the Gurukula with an offcial outlet, and at the same time he used it as a ploy to induce Nataraja Guru to write an article for each Article 57
Continuing Pages issue, month after month. The Guru’s habit of writing for Values continued even after the 3 magazine became extinct in the year 1971. All his major books, except ‘The Word of the Guru’ and ‘The Integrated Science of the Absolute’, came in the form of articles in Values. Although he was writing with the intention of giving the Gurukula students a systematized series of lesson covering every aspect of Eastern and Western philosophy, he was rather reluctant to write about himself. Nataraja Guru was very assertive and even vehement in expressing his candid opinions with the intention of weaning off Wisdom from the sloppy or shady overgrowth of relativism with which many scholars, Eastern and Western, were distorting the teachings of true Masters, but he never thought of putting his own intimate thoughts in black and white. Seeing this subdued withdrawal from the public gaze, John Spiers made another ploy. First, he pleaded with the Guru to write his autobiography. When Nataraja Guru saw John’s seriousness in wanting to write his biography, he (the Guru) decided to do it himself. He did not want his inner life to be guessed by another person. So the Guru started to write his autobiography to be serialised in the Values.” Although Nataraja Guru had established a lineage of successors (called parampara in India) for the Narayana Gurukula Movement, in April 1971 John Spiers resigned from the Gurukula parampara and started leading a solitary life at Kaggalipura, near Bangalore where he spent some more years publishing Values. At the time John resigned from the Gurukula Movement, his editorial in the Values issue said that his growing differences of opinion with Nataraja Guru have made it impossible for him in fairness to his Guru and others to continue his association with the Movement, but at the same he reiterated his continuing commitment to the Narayana Guru legacy as follows: “My love and reverence for Narayana Guru and his global wisdom as a Jagat-Guru must be beyond question after a quarter of a century of dedicated service. My loyalty and loyalty to Guruhood itself wherever represented by Nataraja Guru also remains at the vertical level.” John Spiers has authored some of the f nest essays on Narayana Guru in the English language. His earlier essay A Warrior Rishi (1947) and the later The Unconditioned Man – Thoughts on Narayana Guru are remarkable outpourings of precise judgments of both Guruhood and the perennial wisdom that f owed from Narayana Guru. Through these essays, John illuminates the different views that people take of Narayana Guru, ranging from the commonplace secular but narrow image of the Narayana Guru merely as a social reformer who liberated millions of outcasts in Kerala from the brutality of Brahmin theocracy; to the other extreme counterpart view of Narayana Guru as a godlet or religious dummy or puppet to conform with the requirements of other idols, with a number of ugly pictures and statues that are worshiped in Hindu style. John then puts forth the third approach or the correct method of appraisal in his view, of Narayana Guru as Guru and Absolutist. This he says is to have an image which is timeless, “What he did and what he said and what he wrote is as valid today as it would have been if done a thousand years ago or as far as you like to go into the future.” In Kaggalipura, John had an ashram almost made by himself where he had a large collection of f ne books on a myriad of subjects ranging from philosophy, to science, to astrology, to art. His interest in art was illustrated through his own sketches on many of the cover pages of the journal he published. It is said that he took interest in, and also practiced, astrology during last years of his life. His last days were rather 3 Although Values ceased as a Gurukula publication, John continued publishing the magazine on his own until mid-1974. 58 SNA Toronto Journal
pathetic from an outsider’s point of view, but to him his mortal life was that of a true ascetic, never affected by poverty or discomfort, living a meagre existence, with less than a square meal a day. That’s the way he wished to live, without regret, without self-pity, by living in the Absolute. He died on September 19, 1979 after a short period of illness. Much in line with Narayana Guru’s old saying that, ‘once dead, the human remains is best ground in the mill and scattered as manure for the coconut trees’; John’s wish was that his body be cremated and the ashes be laid around trees of his ashram. Thus was his moral end. Even in this age when lot of efforts are taken by enthusiasts to propagate the life and teachings of Narayana Guru and his disciples, by various means, the life and contributions of this true sanyassin Swami John Spiers is seldom remembered by anybody in these public forums. After his death, some of his articles from the Values were collected and published in two small volumes by his friend Poothatt Narayanan, which are the only packaged literature from his authorship available in print. His other works are short yet very authentic essays titled What India means to me, and What Europe means to me, an autobiography World of Memory, and Pagan Europe (unpublished). A book titled The Guru by Swami John Spiers is now out of print, and perhaps a rare collectible. (Abstract from the NPHIL Lecture Module - ‘The Life and Values of John Spiers’. Copyright - ©NPHIL 2014) continued from page 31 Kumaran Asan – The Guru’s Distinctive Poet Disciple Kumaran Asan’s distinctiveness as a poet lies in his ability to pictographically build characters and protagonists who move the story forward. Through his verses, the poet with his magical pen keeps painting the picture in our mind, setting the vivid scenes and backdrops for his characters to enact the play. As a poet he also has the distinguishing ability to lead the audience into the minds of his stories’ characters. His characters, men and women, are often custom-made, to suit the virtues or vices that he intends highlight and convey a social or spiritual message. There was a point in his career when some of his poems took a deeper romantic and sensuous turn, but it is said that the Guru rebuked Kumaran Asan and warned of the pitfalls of his poetry going astray. His poetic career earned him accolades and the title of Mahakavi Kumaran Asan. The title Mahakavi, was awarded by Madras University in the year 1922, meaning and recognising him as a Great Poet. He was accorded recognitions by various authorities, including the British monarch. He served as a member of the Travancore legislative assembly from 1913. He is considered one among the Triumvirate of Great Poets in the history of Malayalam literature. On 16 January 1924, Kumaran Asan’s distinguished life came to an abrupt end, when travelling in a commuter motorboat from Alleppey to Kollam. At Pallana village, the boat capsized taking away the poet, but leaving behind his living poems for generations to come. A poet is best known through his poems, and Asan’s poems remain living organisms, either simmering with revolution, or sparkling with youth, or touching in compassion, or submerging in devotion, and always expressing the impermanent nature of life, reminding us of the timeless Advaita philosopher who, from the background, was inspiring the poet and his pen. Article 59
Words of Wisdom This section sets out poetic verses, quotes and other wisdom sayings by Sree Narayana Guru, as translated into the English language. Each souvenir plaque is sponsored by an SNA member who contributed to the cost of publishing the print issue of this Journal. SNA Toronto thanks members for their generous contributions.
A Tribute DR. K.K. DAMODARAN 1921 2014 President Emeritus and Founder Chairman of Sree Narayana Mandira Samiti, Mumbai, India ‘‘ You’re the verse for us to de ne a model man’’ -Sree Narayana Association Toronto
Not-killing makes a human good Else an animal’s equal he becomes; No refuge has the ‘taker of life’ Though to him all noble deeds accrue.” -Sree Narayana Guru Ankith Rajesh “All plead but for one religion to prevail Which the disputants fail to remember withal; Those wise ones freed from rejection of another’s faith Can know here wholly the secret of this all.” -Sree Narayana Guru Krishna Mundackal
“To win by fighting (any religion) is never possible; no religion Can be vanquished by dueling; The opponent of faith Not remembering this and persisting a fight; His own doom shall he fight for in vain, beware!” -Sree Narayana Guru Thulasi and Ravi
“Man’s humanity marks out the human kind Even as bovinity proclaims a cow, Brahminhood and such are not thus-wise; No do see this truth, alas!” -Sree Narayana Guru Valsala and Divakaran “Engage in farming; agriculture is the backbone of society.” -Sree Narayana Guru Ananda Bose
“What’s your native-land? What caste? Trade? How old? From enquiries such, when one is free One gains Inward Release (nirvriti).” -Sree Narayana Guru Shantha and Sadasivan
“Such Mercy that “Acts that even to an ant one performs Would brook not For one’s own sake, the least harm Should also to befall”. aim the good Of other men” -Sree Narayana Guru -Sree Narayana Guru Maala, Nalin, Anaka & Akash Kailas Aji Kelangath “Without racial prejudice Without religious “Whichever malice the religion, Hither shall be It suffices A model abode If it makes a Where all of better man.” humanity -Sree Narayana Guru In brotherhood thrive.” Vaibhav Rijesh -Sree Narayana Guru SNA Toronto
“The dawn of brilliance comes, Like the brilliance united Of ten thousand suns This light it is That, with its keen saw Can tear asunder the darkness, Truth hiding, impermanent Of Maya: And victorious reigns! The Primordial Sun Supreme!” -Sree Narayana Guru Manju and Udayan
“Like the fire that emerges out of churning sticks, That boundless wisdom that from within those who seek prevails, As the Sun ascendent in pure reason’s firmament supreme, It stays burning and to its flames consuming, fuel everything becomes.” -Sree Narayana Guru Gautham and Sidharth
“The known and the unknown equalized, Without differentiating one’s self from that of others: No distinctions remain. From all considerations such, one freed. Himself becomes He, the One Released (living in nirvriti).” -Sree Narayana Guru Salini and Pravilal
‘‘The happiness of another—that is my happiness; one’s own joy is another’s joy—this is the guiding principle; that action which is good for one person should bring happiness to another.’’ -Sree Narayana Guru Prannoy Lal
“One in kind, one in faith, one in God is Man; Of one womb, of one form, difference none there is at all.” -Sree Narayana Guru Parvathy and Kiran “Neither is there death nor birth nor life duration here, Nor men or gods nor others of that order; all name and form! Like a mirage based on desert sands, is this thing that stands, Nor is it a thing that all with any content, note.” -Sree Narayana Guru Sathy and Balakrishnan
“Without racial prejudice Without religious malice Hither shall be A model abode Where all of humanity In brotherhood thrive.” -Sree Narayana Guru Rohan Sachu
“Grace, Love, Mercy – all the three - Stand for one same reality – Life’s Star. He who loves is he who really lives.” -Sree Narayana Guru Suhara and Sreekumar
“Whatever may be the differences in men`s creeds, dress, language, etc. – because they all belong to the same kind in creation, there is no harm at all in their dining together, or having marital relations with one another.” -Sree Narayana Guru Preethi and Sanu
“O Grace that round Thy sacred Presence wraps, O darkness-light, O nook and open space, O core and what within the core as treasure dwells, O Burner famed of the cities three!” -Sree Narayana Guru Vinod Kumar Mahesan “At birth-time there is no being, the one who is born, Is not there in another moment; How can such an existence be? Death too is likewise, and there is no birth; All is the becoming of pure consciousness.” -Sree Narayana Guru Leelabai Vailapilly
“I am not the body but Awareness. Even before the body was born, I – The Awareness was there. Even if all these Cease to exist, I will remain effulging like this.” -Sree Narayana Guru Arunima and Harshini
“Thou verily art Brahman, Not senses, not mind, Neither intellect, Consciousness, nor body; Even life and ego have no reality, Being but conditioned By nescience, superimposed On the prime Self.” -Sree Narayana Guru Lekha and Suresh
Search
