Sree Narayan Guru, after whom the strong and powerful S. N. D. P. organization flourishes all over Kerala, and even outside Kerala, was born on 20 September 1854 in Vijalvarath house, at Chempazhanthi village in the taluka of Neyyantinkara (Trivandrum district). His father was Madan Asan and his mother Kutty, who had both beauty and sensibility. Madan Asan was a farmer "instructed is Sanskrit, Astrology and Ayurvedic Medicine." The family was of the lower middle-class type and belonged to the Ezhave caste which was considered "Untouchable" in those days by the so-called caste Hindus.

Narayana's education began in the primary school run by Chempazhanthi Mootha Pillai. Even while he was studying in the primary school, the boy had to rear cattle and plough the field. But these difficulties never stood in the way of his acquiring knowledge. Thus, he learned Sanskrit from Kummampalli Raman Pillai Asan. (Some Biographers say that it was Puthuppalli Raman Pillai.) Here Nanu (nickname of Narayana) became more than a Sanskrit scholar. "He was now a dilettante instructed in Kavya, Nataka and Alankara. He soon went beyond even this stage by himself and the secrets of the Vedantic and upanishadic wisdom became an open book to him by sheer dint of his straightforward simplicity, his purity of life and with his alert positiveness of mental outlook and discipline."

Besides Raman Pillai, Sree Chattambi Swamikal (Kunjan Pillai Chattambi) and hermit Ayyavu of Thaicaud were his Gurus from whom he acquired the knowledge of Vedanta Philosophy. "In matters of Yoga, the Guru Narayana had another senior guide or Guru...... His name was Thaicaud Ayyavu. He was versed in the secret esotericism of yoga and other obscure allied branches of study which were fast becoming extinct."

After acquiring higher education is Sanskrit Narayana Guru took to a wandering life, pursuing truth. He believed that spiritual concentration could be achieved, not only at age-old temples but also at temples that we set up. He, therefore, began to set up his own temples. Thus, at Aruvippuram near Trivandrum he installed a stone taken from the nearby stream and thus founded the first temple. An inscription has been displayed there stating as follows: "Here is the place where all people live in fraternity without caste-distinction and religious rivalry."

By 1901 he had won recognition from the public. In 1903 the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam was founded; and he began to tour all over the States of Travancore and Cochin. The States even exempted him from attending courts. The Travancore Law Reports mention his influence in helping to decrease litigations.

In 1904 he settled down at Sivagiri, Varkala, twenty miles north of Trivandrum. Two more temples, one at Anjengo and another at Peringottukara, were founded in this year. In 1906 a temple was set up at trichur and next year at Cannanore which was followed by one at Tellicherry in 1908. In 1910 temples were founded at Calicut and Mangalore and in 1912 the Sarada Temple at Varkala was founded.

Although it is seen that a good number of temples were founded, it cannot be said that he was an orthodox believer in temples. He, of course, felt that temples were necessary for preserving the inner purity and physical cleanliness of the people. But he was not particular as to what or whom the people worshipped. In one of the temples founded by him he installed a big mirror so that people might offer worship to their own images in the mirror.

According to one biographer, it was doubtful whether the Guru would give a definite answer to the question; "Are temples and religion necessary for man?" He was a staunch social reformer, Moorkoth Kumaran, a biographer, says that no other religious teacher in India had introduced such far-reaching religious reforms suited to the time.

Temples were, to him, a means to an end. Once the end was achieved he was not much bohtered about the growth of temples. In 1917 he issued the following statement to the Ezhavas: "Do not encourage temple-building from now onwards. People are gradually losing faith in temples..... If particular, you build small temples. Let the school be the chief temple." Thus, the Guru's main aim was the uplift of the Ezhavas. Besides setting up temples he advocated the spread of education also to achieve this end. The Sanskrit schools at Aruvipuram and Sivagiri are worth special mention.

In 1918 the Guru made a tour of Ceylon preaching his ideals for the uplift of Ezhavas; and he was successful in getting a good number of followers there. In 1921 a Conference of Brotherhood was heldat Alwaye at his instance. In 1923 he paid a second visit to Ceylon.

In 1924 a Conference of all Religions was held at Alwaye. The Guru thought that a comparative study of the various religions would be very useful for achieving the end of Universal Brotherhood. Thus, the Bradhma Vidya Mandiram was inaugurated suggesting the foundation of a University for studying the Science of the Absolute. In 1926 the Guru visited Coimbatore and the Nilgiris; and this was the final stage of his frequent travels.

Along with the setting up of temples and schools, Sree Narayana Guru very wisely selected intelligent and able leaders to continue his mission. Thus, Mahakavi Kumaran Asan, K. Ayyappan who is popularly known as Sahodaran Ayyappan, and Dr. P. Natarajan were the leaders to propagate and popularise his mission. Kumaran Asan was taken to Bangalore by the Guru for education.

Through his poems the Mahakavi appealed to the people to give up all superstitions in the name of the caste system. Ayyappan was given financial help to compete his University education. Throughout his life Ayyappan propagated the doctrines of the Guru and appealed to the members of his community to fight for their cause and achieve their ends. Similarly, it was at the instance of the Guru that P. Natarajan went to Paris and took the degree of Doctor of Letters.

As a religious leader and a social reformer Narayana Guru gave expression to his views through writings also. Being a Sanskrit scholar he could write in a very melodious and fluent style. As early as in 1884 his poems incorporating Siva mythology into Advaita Vedanta became popular. In 1897 he composed `Advaita Vedanta became popular. In 1897 he composed `Athmop Adesa Satakam', a book on original Vedanta. The `Darsanamala', which was composed in about 1916, represents a very high standard of mystical literature. His poems number forty-seven and all these have been collected and published. In 1922 Rabindranath Tagore visited Sivagiri and the next year Mahatma Gandhi also visited Sivagiri.

Narayan Guru is respected and remembered by the world today as a successful social reformer who dedicated his entire life to the emancipation of the so-called Depressed Classes and Untouchables. Communal differences and religious feuds were, to him, meaningless. His message "One caste, one religion, and One God for all" became the catchword of a new National Culture. Of course, the slogan had been originally communicated to the intellect of India by the Great Sree Sankara through his Advaita Philosophy. To the common man that philosophy was made intelligible by the Guru's simple slogan.

The Swami constantly laid stress upon co-existence. "The greatest science that man can study is the science of living with other men." "There is no other thing so taxing and requires so much wisdom, so much practice as how to live together, There is no art that is finer than the art of being at peace with one's neighbors;" and regarding love he used to say: "the happiest people in the world are not the selfish, but the selfless, not those cherish vaulting ambition, but those who love most."

The social workers who were inspired by the ideals of Sree Narayana Guru started a campaign for the abolition of antiquated rituals and ceremonies like Thalikettukalyanam and Thirandukuli (puberty marriage).

"Narayana Garu was one of those who followed in his life the ancient and immortal programme of oriental saints and prophets. He left his home is search of truth. He lived in lonely hills, caves or forests for years, unknown to men, performing Tapas. He emerged from seclusion having solved some great riddle in life and he wanted to give his solution to the world at large. Therefore, without any sort of hesitation whatsoever, he called himself a Guru teacher.

Penniless himself, he began to command an influence over the rich and the poor, the educated and the uneducated."In him we have combined once again, a bard who sang about the aspirations of the soul of man, a philanthropist whose one air in life, night and day, was to devise ways and means to minimise human suffering and a seer whose daily food and drink was the highest form of truth."

This silent sage was the recognised spiritual leaders of more than two million people in South India to whom his word was more imperative than law. Within a period of less than a decade he had established more than one hundred places of worship on the West Coast of India alone, which are day by day growing into centers of educational, philanthropic and economic activity.