Sivayogi Brahmanada Swami – Great Social and Religious Reformer from Kerala

Introduction

Sivayogi Brahmananda Swami was a seer and a social reformer from the state of Kerala. He established Ananda Maha Sabha and Anandamatham with the help of others who had similar views. Right from childhood, he was an atheist. Hence, he denounced all forms of idol worship and all forms of religion. According to him, the ultimate aim of the activities of all human beings is to get the Ultimate Bliss or Paramanandam. He was against the segregation of people based on their caste, creed, and color. The movement he spearheaded during the Kerala Renaissance period goes into Kerala’s history as the golden period. His original name was Govindan Kutty.

Sivayogi Brahmananda Swami

Early Life

Sivayogi Brahmananda Swami was born as Govindan Kutty on August 26, 1852. He was born into an aristocratic Nair family. His parents were Nani Amma of Karat Nair family and Kunjikrishna Menon of Vellengi Ravanyaram. His birthplace was Nenmara in the Palakkad district of Kerala. As per the custom that was prevalent in the state, Govindan Kutty was staying with his mother Nani Amma and his father used to make occasional visits to him. In the formative years of his life, he was brought up in an orthodox way. In the early morning, he used to take the bath and visit the worship chamber in the house for prayers. As a child, Govindan Kutty was ignorant about the activities undertaken by him at his home. He merely followed the instructions given by the elders in the family. During those times, youths were not expected to raise any objection on the ages-old customs followed at their homes.

 Young Govindan Kutty used to watch the rituals and customs with disbelief. His inquisitive mind could not understand the society’s illogical behavior.  He asked himself why people are getting divided on color and caste lines when they are made of the same flesh and bone and contain the same blood. This fundamental question was troubling his mind since his childhood. He started to think about the rationality of these customs.  After thinking about this over some time, he realized that there was no rationality behind following such customs and rituals. This realization was the starting point of the rationalist in him. His conviction became a steely resolve after he gained requisite knowledge.

Education and Realization

Govindan Kutty got initiated into the world of letters by a home tutor. After learning the alphabet of languages, he went to a nearby primary school to get a quality education. When he passed the primary school, he was sent to Padmanabha Sastri who was a reputed scholar in Sanskrit in the region to learn basics of that language. During this period, Govindan Kutty started to write simple and meaningful poems in the Sanskrit language. Due to this ability, he became an instant hit among fellow students. Under the same guru, he learned Sanskrit Kavyas. In light of the knowledge gained by him, young Govindan Kutty started questioning the logic of each and everything around him. By constantly assimilating information from various sources, he also became well-versed in Hindu scriptures and Tamil language. This also helped him to independently analyze the different dimensions of society.

 After learning about Govindan Kutty’s ability to study well, his father sent him to a Ernakulam-based English medium high school.  This decision by his father was a turning point in his life. By interacting with various people there, he became acquainted with other religions as well. This forced him to objectively compare the tenets of Hinduism with those of other religions.  After learning the basics of the English language, Govindan Kutty decided to stop learning that language and concentrated on the subject of Philosophy. Soon he found himself among the fat books of the Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, Smritis, Sutras, Gita, etc. Due to this move, he soon found the answers he was looking for. To his astonishment, he learned that the concept of God is non-qualitative, and therefore the idol worship was not solicited.

Sivayogi Brahmananda Teachings

The stint at Brahma Samaj

After gaining proper knowledge in the Sanskrit language, Govindan Kutty decided to pass the knowledge he gained to young men in his locality. In this role, he continued for a while. Later, he joined in a Kozhikode-based Native School as a Sanskrit teacher. While working in Kozhikode, he could interact with learned persons who had similar views. During this period, he established a branch of Brahma Samaj in Kozhikode. The learned members of the Samaj gave him the title of Brahmananda Swami after they learned about his stack of knowledge in Philosophy, Logics and Sanskrit language.   Govindan Kutty began to practice Rajayoga in the premises of this organization. His association with this organization helped him to widen the horizon of his knowledge. Role as a Social Reformer

After getting the title of Brahmanda Swami, Govindan Kutty decided to renounce the worldly life. For this purpose, he sought the permission of his wife. After getting his spouse’s permission, he took the Brahmacharyam vow and moved to his hometown to establish an ashram. In his hometown, he took up the job of a Sanskrit teacher in the Alathur Board School. In that school, he was known as Brahmananda Swami. Due to his free-thinking, he got a long list of disciples. To teach his disciples, he opened an ashram at Vanoor in the Palakkad district of Kerala. He named his ashram as Venoor Sidhasramam. In his organization, he spoke against the practice of animal sacrifices. The orthodox people in the society dubbed him as a rationalist. On the other hand, the learned people regarded him as a revolutionary. In truth, he was neither. Instead, he was a free-thinking social scientist who was searching for the truth.

Role as a Religious Reformer

As his popularity grew, Govindan Kutty decided to shift his ashram to Alathur in the same district. Due to this, people began to visit his ashram in large numbers. For the benefit of the people visiting the ashram, he began to give discourses on various religious topics and the truths he found about them. After hearing the discourses, the people began to recognize the difference between the religion taught by him and that taught by the priests in their neighborhood. When the people started to learn more about the truth in the religion, they began to appreciate the works of this great saint. Due to this, Govindan Kutty’s popularity increased and more people from different parts of the state started to visit him. They left the organization premises happily after getting enlightened about the nature of the true religion.

 Through his contact classes at the ashram, Govindan Kutty wanted to tell his disciples that the mind controls every aspect of a person’s life. Without its control, a person’s life would become miserable. In the year 1905, he stopped teaching his disciples and devoted his full-time to the cause of Rajayoga. In connection with this, Govindan Kutty gave his first speech at Kozhikode in 1910 and the second one at Guruvayoor in 1912. Both the speeches attracted learned persons’ attention and drew the flak from the orthodox members of the society. Despite the protests from a section of the society, he repeatedly told the people that all religions need to be rebuilt scientifically. He also advised the women to equip themselves through education and fight against the odds that discriminate them. He told women not to get disheartened by the step-motherly attitudes of society.

Literary Career

Govindan Kutty explained his ideas with the help of suitable examples and proofs in his books, speeches, meetings, and letters and advice. His literary career spanned for 35 years. During this period, he wrote 13 books and all these books were having good and meaningful content. His masterpiece was Mokshapradeepam. This work was a huge hit in the market. Due to huge demand, he could sell thousands of copies of Mokshapradeepam in different parts of Kerala. Some of his works got even translated to English and Hindi languages to cater to the demand of people from North India and abroad.

Conclusion

Brahmananda Swami Sivayogi was a saint, a social reformer and a rationalist from Kerala. He studied Logics and Philosophy to compare the tenets of different religions to find the eternal truth. After having found the truth, he started to pass it through religious discourses, seminars, letters, and books. Through his words of wisdom, Govindan Kutty enlightened his disciples with the real truth in the world. He called this truth as Eternal Bliss or Paramanandam. He advised the women to educate themselves to fight against the society that discriminated against them. He also spoke against the animal sacrifices and regarded these practices as inhuman.

Indian Cultural Renaissance – A New Beginning

Introduction

The emergence of the Indian Cultural Renaissance is mainly attributed to the liberal education that youths had in the 18th century. The colonial powers came and established their bases and taught the unifying language to the locals to enable them to get menial jobs in offices. Exposure to Western Culture changed the mindset of the impressionable minds of the educated youth in our country. They were able to objectively compare our country’s social set up with those of European countries to draw some lessons. A bunch of highly advanced and intellectual men from Western culture spread the ideal concepts through their education. This not only revived the learning but also enriched the local culture with its positive effects.

Indian Culture Renaissance Leaders

Indian Renaissance

The gradual, but a subtle beginning of Indian renaissance also had followed similar lines, after being thoroughly inspired by the European masters. In times of internal insurgence and struggle for Indian independence from the English, an educated class of people had fought seriously for the betterment of the society. In that process, they sealed some friendly ties with foreign nationals. Contrary to the expectation, the Indian renaissance did not only begin its journey during the British Raj. Instead, the highly celebrated Indian cultural revival had its origin in the pre-English era. Going down the Indian historical lane, one can find the signs of Indian renaissance during the Portuguese rule. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to set up trading posts in India. Other colonial powers, like the Dutch, the French, the Danish and lastly the British followed them in their quests to establish supremacy. Though the signs of cultural renaissance could be traced back to the Portuguese period, it did not have much impact as those colonial establishments were not more than tiny enclaves. Only by the mid-eighteenth century that the scenario changed after the British East India Company acquired the whole of Bengal after the Battle of Plassey in 1757.

Period of Chaos

The leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar were mostly from the Bengal province. They lived in the first half of the nineteenth-century which was in cultural turmoil. Under the barrage of information from the Western countries through the medium of the English language, the glories of ancient India were beginning to fade away from the minds of youth in the country. So, the great works of Aryabhatta, Charaka and other people from the Vedic period were going into the oblivion. This was mainly because of the attitude of the people who learned them without giving a thought to their real meaning. Even the short-lived, free-handed vibrancy of Mughal Emperor Akbar’s sixteenth-century court was fading into oblivion. Since the collapse of the Mughal Empire, the whole country was lurking in chaos. Against this backdrop, Ram Mohan and Vidyasagar had set about reconstructing the civilization from its ashes, paving the way for its resurging revival.

Cultural Revolution

Over the next several decades, the East India Company adopted the policy of attacking and annexing various princely states in our country. This way the company came to directly or indirectly control most of the subcontinent. To remain in power, they started various departments that needed people for blue-collar jobs. Since these jobs need English-speaking people, they started imparting English education to the youths of our country. This way the British conquest of India did have a positive long-term impact on India’s ‘wounded civilization’. As part of the new curriculum introduced by the British authorities, the teachers taught modern subjects such as science and the ‘English language’ in schools. Most importantly, they created an environment in which sparkling minds unshackled the existing setup to imagine a new one.

Some of the early reformers of our country got benefited from this educational set up. They included Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, etc. These people took upon themselves the mantle of making India a better place to live in. Hence, it can safely be stated that they left no stones unturned to usher a positive change in the social set up of the country.

Contribution of Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Since he was born into an aristocratic family that had financial resources, Raja Ram Mohan Roy had studied in foreign Universities where he had experienced the virtues of being free. Therefore, he became fluent in several languages, including Bengali, Arabic, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Persian. However, the mastery over these languages did not give him the knowledge to free society from the clutches of poverty, untouchability, etc. According to him, only the English language opened up the medium for the youth to reach new ideas coming from Western culture. Therefore, he fought for the introduction of the English language in Indian Schools. He also advocated for the teaching of modern subjects like Human Anatomy and Mathematics. After the introduction of English in schools, the true cultural renaissance commenced. The youths of the country began getting ideas from Western and Oriental cultures. The new common language played an intensely crucial role in opening the country to new and revolutionary ideas and helped it re-discover its past glory. The emergence of English as the common medium to some extent filled the void created by the decline of Sanskrit as a common language. Thus, youths from across the country could freely interact with one another in one common language and exchange their ideas. Thus, one can see that the introduction of English as a common language began uniting people across the regions on a common cause. Though the British officials had the different intention in introducing their language in schools, it had essentially brought the youths of the country under one roof. This is why leading Indian social reformers were strongly in favor of introducing the English language in Indian Schools.

Contributions of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was one of the first products of the new approach to learning. As a youngster, he came to Calcutta from a remote village to study at the newly opened Sanskrit College in 1829. Over the next few years, he learned the ancient Sanskrit texts. During the same period, young Vidyasagar had also studied English and Hindi languages. Having imbibed the spirit of the renaissance through learning, he went on to make major contributions in areas ranging from women’s rights and education to Indian language publishing. Using his mastery over the Bengali language, Vidyasagar even simplified its script to give the language its present form. He even established many schools for the benefit of girls. He was the first social reformer who fought for the rights of women and girls. He also was instrumental in establishing the Calcutta University, which many hail as the subcontinent’s first modern university. It was established in 1857. These were sumptuous information in Indian history that had further raised the advent of Indian renaissance to esteemed heights.

Contributions of Other Social Reformers

Other brave hearts also decided to follow the path treaded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. They included people like Dababhai Naoroji, Madhav Ranade, Gazalu Chetty, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and Swami Vivekananda. As before, all these path-setters were the products of the new education system followed by the British government in pre-independent India. All these people lived in upcoming cities like Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta. In comparison, those coming from the old cities like Delhi, Lucknow, and Hyderabad were less in number. They took up the task of taking the societal changes to newer heights. These reformers further spoke about the need for the people to think independently and rationally. They claimed that only an independent mind could generate creative thoughts and think objectively

Indian Renaissance in the 19th Century

Post eighteenth century and at the beginning of Indian cultural renaissance, the nineteenth-century reformers were all very conscious of the need for a wider reawakening of civilization. They sought to funnel the collective positive energy for the common cause of freedom. This is perhaps counted under the most important header, driving history of India towards an international direction. Over the next century, the reformists’ idea of cultural modernization led to the Independence movement. It can also be noted that throughout this Indian renaissance period, the country’s intellectual leadership continued to emphasize the need for innovation and cultural openness to collect more ideas to reinvigorate the freedom movement. Slowly, the cultural renaissance led to a national movement for the independence of the nation. Following the cues from the earlier reformers, the 19th-century reformers sought to bring changes in the way the British officials were looking down on their Indian subjects.

Conclusion

Though the colonial governments sought to bring in suitable changes to enable them to employ Indians in their departments to rule the country, they brought in positive changes in the society. The introduction of the English language offered a common medium for the educated youths of the country to interact with one another and exchange knowledge. This helped them to find the common grounds for a cause. They discussed their outlook on the concept of freedom as expressed in foreign books. Many of the social reformers of the 18th and 19th century period were taught in foreign universities. Hence, they experienced first-hand the feeling of freedom. Therefore, they asked the British authorities to introduce English, Modern Mathematics, and Human Anatomy in the Indian educational system. The social reformers of the above said period later could channelize the positive energy of this change for the common good.

Indian Cultural Renaissance – A New Beginning

Introduction

The emergence of the Indian Cultural Renaissance is mainly attributed to the liberal education that youths had in the 18th century. The colonial powers came and established their bases and taught the unifying language to the locals to enable them to get menial jobs in offices. Exposure to Western Culture changed the mindset of the impressionable minds of the educated youth in our country. They were able to objectively compare our country’s social set up with those of European countries to draw some lessons. A bunch of highly advanced and intellectual men from Western culture spread the ideal concepts through their education. This not only revived the learning but also enriched the local culture with its positive effects.

Indian Cultural Renaissance

Indian Renaissance

The gradual, but a subtle beginning of Indian renaissance also had followed similar lines, after being thoroughly inspired by the European masters. In times of internal insurgency and struggle for Indian independence from the English, an educated class of people had fought seriously for the betterment of the society. In that process, they sealed some friendly ties with foreign nationals. Contrary to the expectation, the Indian renaissance did not only begin its journey during the British Raj. Instead, the highly celebrated Indian cultural revival had its origin in the pre-English era. Going down the Indian historical lane, one can find the signs of Indian renaissance during the Portuguese rule. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to set up trading posts in India. Other colonial powers, like the Dutch, the French, the Danish and lastly the British followed them in their quests to establish supremacy. Though the signs of cultural renaissance could be traced back to the Portuguese period, it did not have much impact as those colonial establishments were not more than tiny enclaves. Only by the mid-eighteenth century that the scenario changed after the British East India Company acquired the whole of Bengal after the Battle of Plassey in 1757.

Leaders Cultural Renaissance

Period of Chaos

The leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar were mostly from the Bengal province. They lived in the first half of the nineteenth-century which was in cultural turmoil. Under the barrage of information from the Western countries through the medium of the English language, the glories of ancient India were beginning to fade away from the minds of youth in the country. So, the great works of Aryabhatta, Charaka and other people from the Vedic period were going into the oblivion. This was mainly because of the attitude of the people who learned them without giving a thought to their real meaning. Even the short-lived, free-handed vibrancy of Mughal Emperor Akbar’s sixteenth-century court was fading into oblivion. Since the collapse of the Mughal Empire, the whole country was lurking in chaos. Against this backdrop, Ram Mohan and Vidyasagar had set about reconstructing the civilization from its ashes, paving the way for its resurging revival.


Cultural Revolution

Over the next several decades, the East India Company adopted the policy of attacking and annexing various princely states in our country. This way the company came to directly or indirectly control most of the subcontinent. To remain in power, they started various departments that needed people for blue-collar jobs. Since these jobs need English-speaking people, they started imparting English education to the youths of our country. This way the British conquest of India did have a positive long-term impact on India’s ‘wounded civilization’. As part of the new curriculum introduced by the British authorities, the teachers taught modern subjects such as science and the ‘English language’ in schools. Most importantly, they created an environment in which sparkling minds unshackled the existing setup to imagine a new one. Some of the early reformers of our country got benefited from this educational set up. They included Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, etc. These people took upon themselves the mantle of making India a better place to live in. Hence, it can safely be stated that they left no stones unturned to usher a positive change in the social set up of the country.

Social Reform Movements

Contributions of Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Since he was born into an aristocratic family that had financial resources, Raja Ram Mohan Roy had studied in foreign Universities where he had experienced the virtues of being free. Therefore, he became fluent in several languages, including Bengali, Arabic, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Persian. However, the mastery over these languages did not give him the knowledge to free society from the clutches of poverty, untouchability, etc. According to him, only the English language opened up the medium for the youth to reach new ideas coming from Western culture. Therefore, he fought for the introduction of the English language in Indian Schools. He also advocated for the teaching of modern subjects like Human Anatomy and Mathematics. After the introduction of English in schools, the true cultural renaissance commenced. The youths of the country began getting ideas from Western and Oriental cultures. The new common language played an intensely crucial role in opening the country to new and revolutionary ideas and helped it re-discover its past glory. The emergence of English as the common medium to some extent filled the void created by the decline of Sanskrit as a common language. Thus, youths from across the country could freely interact with one another in one common language and exchange their ideas. Thus, one can see that the introduction of English as a common language began uniting people across the regions on a common cause. Though the British officials had different intentions in introducing their language in schools, it had essentially brought the youths of the country under one roof. This is why leading Indian social reformers were strongly in favor of introducing the English language in Indian Schools.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy – Father of Indian Renaissance

Contributions of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was one of the first products of the new approach to learning. As a youngster, he came to Calcutta from a remote village to study at the newly opened Sanskrit College in 1829. Over the next few years, he learned the ancient Sanskrit texts. During the same period, young Vidyasagar had also studied English and Hindi languages. Having imbibed the spirit of the renaissance through learning, he went on to make major contributions in areas ranging from women’s rights and education to Indian language publishing. Using his mastery over the Bengali language, Vidyasagar even simplified its script to give the language its present form. He even established many schools for the benefit of girls. He was the first social reformer who fought for the rights of women and girls. He also was instrumental in establishing the Calcutta University, which many hail as the subcontinent’s first modern university. It was established in 1857. These were sumptuous information in Indian history that had further raised the advent of Indian renaissance to esteemed heights.

Contributions of Other Social Reformers

Other brave hearts also decided to follow the path treaded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. They included people like Dababhai Naoroji, Madhav Ranade, Gazalu Chetty, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and Swami Vivekananda. As before, all these path-setters were the products of the new education system followed by the British government in pre-independent India. All these people lived in upcoming cities like Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta. In comparison, those coming from the old cities like Delhi, Lucknow, and Hyderabad were less in number. They took up the task of taking the societal changes to newer heights. These reformers further spoke about the need for the people to think independently and rationally. They claimed that only an independent mind could generate creative thoughts and think objectively.

Indian Renaissance in the 19th Century

Post eighteenth century and at the beginning of Indian cultural renaissance, the nineteenth-century reformers were all very conscious of the need for a wider reawakening of civilization. They sought to funnel the collective positive energy for the common cause of freedom. This is perhaps counted under the most important header, driving the history of India towards an international direction. Over the next century, the reformists’ idea of cultural modernization led to the Independence movement. It can also be noted that throughout this Indian renaissance period, the country’s intellectual leadership continued to emphasize the need for innovation and cultural openness to collect more ideas to reinvigorate the freedom movement. Slowly, the cultural renaissance led to a national movement for the independence of the nation. Following the cues from the earlier reformers, the 19th-century reformers sought to bring changes in the way the British officials were looking down on their Indian subjects.

Conclusion

Though the colonial governments sought to bring in suitable changes to enable them to employ Indians in their departments to rule the country, they brought in positive changes in the society. The introduction of the English language offered a common medium for the educated youths of the country to interact with one another and exchange knowledge. This helped them to find the common grounds for a cause. They discussed their outlook on the concept of freedom as expressed in foreign books. Many of the social reformers of the 18th and 19th century period were taught in foreign universities. Hence, they experienced first-hand the feeling of freedom. Therefore, they asked the British authorities to introduce English, Modern Mathematics, and Human Anatomy in the Indian educational system. The social reformers of the above said period later could channelize the positive energy of this change for a common good.