Sree Narayana Guru, a social reformer, not a ‘religious monk’: Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday slammed the attempts to communalise the contributions of Sree Narayana Guru. Addressing the Sree Narayana Guru’s 171st birth centenary celebrations at Chempazhanthy, he urged society to be cautious against attempts by communalist forces to turn social reformer Sree Narayana Guru into a mere ‘religious monk.’

“Guru "was a person who had said there was no religion called Hinduism", and the objective of every religion was the same. Guru also pointed out that claiming a particular religion is better than others was meaningless,” said CM.

“People should realise that attempts being made by communalist forces to portray Narayana Guru, who put forward such great ideologies, as the leader of the renaissance of Hindu religion is inhuman and negation of historical facts,” he added.

"The attempts to turn Guru, who imparted lessons of universal love, into a mere religious monk should be viewed with utmost caution," Pinarayi Vijayan warned.

PTI reported that the left veteran further wanted society to defeat any move by the communalist forces, who "propagate hatred and violence against other religions," to appropriate the legacy of Guru.

“Guru was a person who placed human beings beyond the conventional borders of religions. Sivagiri Mutt, founded by him, should make more interventions to protect his ideals,” urged the CM.

Meanwhile, he also argued that the communal forces are trying to change the very concept of Onam festival by urging people to remember Vamana, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, instead of the noble demon king Mahabali during the occasion. However, the CM didn't specifically mention any particular organisation or individual in this regard.

According to legend, the homecoming of Mahabali is celebrated as Onam every year.

Earlier in the day, Pinarayi Vijayan, in a Facebook post, cautioned against deliberate attempts of vested interests to create division in society by spreading communalism.

He remembered Guru as a great reformer who taught people to be together and enlightened through knowledge and rise above caste and creed. But, communal forces are, nowadays, attempting to appropriate the legacy of Narayana Guru, who has been a guiding light for the state, he claimed.

"Sree Narayana Guru was a great reformer who always opposed communalism. Guru taught not to divide people, but to unite them. Guru's words and actions were not limited to any one religion or caste. They were for the entire mankind," Vijayan said.

He also remembered Guru’s movements against upper caste dominance, social evils, caste-based atrocities and economic exploitation.