Life and Lessons with a Guru

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The present book contains the memoirs of my life as a disciple with Nataraja Guru. To put it in his own words, I did not push any button to become his disciple or to become part of the Narayana Gurukula Movement, even though an inner longing to be so had developed in my mind from my early days. Though I happened to reach the Gurukula through Nitya Chaitanya Yati, whom I loved as God-like ever since we met and who loved me as a younger brother, it was Nataraja Guru who treated me as a serious disciple particularly in the last stage of our relationship. How this relationship developed as a natural course, without anyone pushing any button, is narrated in this small book.

The Narayana Gurukula is a Guru-Disciple foundation. The word ‘gurukula’ means the family ofa guru—a family formed ofa guru and his disciples. Nataraja Guru, the wisdom successor of Narayana Guru, founded the Narayana Gurukula in 1923. Initially started as an ideal residential school for children, it later became transformed into a school of wisdom. Seekers, regardless of caste, creed, religion, nationality or gender, find Narayana Gurukula as a centre where their goal may be fulfilled. Imparting the wisdom secret, known also as Brahmavidya, as re-valued and restated by Narayana Guru so that one’s actual life can be transformed into an applied version of that wisdom, is the primary purpose of Narayana Gurukula. A comprehensive understanding of all the major religious schools of thought, branches of science and even the most modem philosophies of science may become part of this search, on such a way that all these various disciplines could be perceived as having their own legitimate chamber in the unitive mansion of Brahmavidya.

Though Nataraja Guru founded the Narayana Gurukula, Narayana Guru is considered the original Guru of this Movement. Upon the founder’s attaining mahasamadhi in 1973, his designated successor Nitya Chaitanya Yati became the Guru and Head of the Narayana Gurukula, and after his mahasamadhi in 1999, I received this mantle. It was Swami Nitya who first inspired me to develop the reading habit, and it was Nataraja Guru who properly guided it. Both were prolific writers. I never had any idea of becoming a writer myself. My wish was only to be a part of the Narayana Gurukula. But the grace of Nataraja Guru which I always felt showering upon me, and the constant encouragement I got from Swami Nitya, goaded me gradually into the world of writing, both in the English and Malayalam languages, though I had no formal education in either of these languages.

Nataraja Guru, though filled with love, was tough to deal with, whereas Swami Nitya was gentle and appealing in his nature. I had to strike a deal between them to clear my own path in the spiritual quest. I wrote these memoirs at the request of some of the Gurukula friends and Gurukula inmates who thought it would give guidance to future seekers. The one warning I would give all seekers of wisdom is that without enduring a lot of unplanned afflictions and agonies you will not attain your goal.

With this word of caution to the aspirants of wisdom, with gratitude to Mr. Ian Matthew Jaco who thoroughly edited the work and Dr. Peter Oppenheimer who offered many suggestions. and with prostrations at the feet of both Nataraja Guru and Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati and above all at the feet of Narayana Gury, I present these memoirs before everyone on the mahasamadhi day of Nataraja Guru.

**Contents and Sample Pages**