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Our Guru — a storybook

The life of Sri Narayana Guru in ten pages.

A mother holds her child in a Kerala village1
In 1856, in the village of Chempazhanthy near Thiruvananthapuram, a boy named Nanu was born to Madan Asan and Kutti Amma.
A boy studies palm-leaf manuscripts with a teacher2Knowledge is light.
Nanu loved learning. He studied Sanskrit, the Vedas and the Upanishads under the scholar Raman Pillai Asan.
A young man teaches village children under a tree3
As a young man he taught the village children, and they began to call him Nanu Asan — 'Nanu the teacher'.
An ascetic walks alone through forest and hills4
Seeking truth, he left home and wandered through forests and villages, living simply as a seeker.
An ascetic meditates in a mountain cave5
In a cave on Marutwamala hill he meditated for years, and found inner peace and wisdom.
A sage lifts a stone from a river at night6This is our Shiva.
In 1888 at Aruvippuram, he took a stone from the river and consecrated it as a Shiva lingam — a temple open to everyone, regardless of caste.
A sage speaks to a crowd of all communities7One caste, one religion, one God.
He taught a simple message to all who gathered: one caste, one religion, one God for humankind.
Followers sign papers founding an organisation8
In 1903 his followers founded the SNDP Yogam to carry his ideals of dignity and progress to every home.
Students walk to a school near a hilltop ashram9Be enlightened through education.
At Sivagiri in Varkala he built an ashram and schools, urging people to grow strong through education and organisation.
An elderly sage on a hilltop at sunrise10
Guru attained samadhi at Sivagiri in 1928. His light still guides our community — and every family that seeks unity and dignity.
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Retold from community sources, including the Illathu Pillaimar blog (2011). Source