Sivagiri Math and the monastic lineage started by Sri Narayana Guru is a lineage of monks who lead their lives based on interpretation made by Sri Narayana Guru of the Vedas or Smritis. So by definition it is Universal and is not restricted to a caste or language based group of people. But very often it is perceived to be a group of and for people hailing from the Malayalam speaking Ezhava caste from Kerala. Many reasonable people feel they are justified in thinking so. The group itself, it could perhaps be said, have not made a great effort to remove this misconception.
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| photos/England1895-1896/England1895-1896 |
Ramakrishna Math
and the monastic lineage started by Swami Vivekananda is a lineage of monks who lead their lives based on interpretation made by Sri Ramakrishna&Swami Vivekananda of the Vedas or Smritis. So by definition it is Universal and is not restricted to a caste or language based group of people. But rarely it is perceived to be a group of and for people hailing from the Bengalis. The group itself, it could definetely be said, have always been making strong efforts to remove any such misconception even as it starts budding.
Sri Nataraja Guru was a venerable old monk. He was a scholar of justified repute. In late 1960s or early 1970s he was still an influential person though in his old age many people had begun to laugh behind his back. Yes, mark it, their sniggers were well behind his back. They were careful not to do it in front of him.
But an young monastic from Ramakrishna Math in Trichur once had to confront this venerable monk and say the Truth to his face.
This boy hailing from a poor family of Ezhava caste had joined the Ramakrishna Math attracted by the Universal Teachings of Ramakrishna Vivekananda and further attracted by the saintly lives of the disciples and recruits of Swami Nirmalananda like Swami Isvarananda and such monks.
This boy Narayanan had been brought up with many tales of the saintliness of Sri Narayana Guru and about the greatness of Dr. Palpu, Poet Kumaran Asan, SNDP Yogam and had subsequently developed great respect for Sri Nataraja Guru who was the son of the great Dr. Palpu and a luminary with his own lights.
But unfortunately it seems, it was an off-day for the old monk.
He started taunting the young Narayanan for not joining Sivagiri Math or other allied institutions which would have been natural for him but joining instead, an organization which was started by Swami Vivekananda who was after all a fish eater and meat eater. He went on and on about it till the young man said that he only looks at the universal principles taught and lived by saints and doesn't care a damn about what they ate. (something like this in Malayalam : 'Vallavarida vai nokki nadakkunna gatikkedu enikke ayittilla. Jnan avaruda asyangal matramanu nokkunnadhu'. This elevated thought said respectfully but with quite clear disdain and a decisive & spontaneous punchline threw the venerable monk into a ungainly tantrum for some time. The young monastic quietly made a dignified exit.
Later he apprised his abbot about what happened but he just laughed it off. So did other people too in Sri Nataraja Guru's Ashrama.
Sri Nataraja Guru is undoubtedly a great Savant and a great monk.
Roger Federer is a great Tennis Player. But he too sometimes loses a set or a match too to some first timer.
The young monastic Narayanan later became Swami Prashantananda of Ramakrishna Mission. He passed away the other day after living a life of simplicity and service.
It is interesting to note a cousin of Swami Prashantananda joined Sivagiri Math and went on to become its President.
It is noted that many great contemporaries of Vivekananda, such as Chattambi Swami & Subrahmanya Bharati disapproved of his meat eating and Sri Narayana Guru looking at the photo of fish-eater Ramakrishna Paramahamsa remarked this was how Brahman if embodied would look like.
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| Ancient Contemplation of Brahman |
