Narayana Guru - 1856-1928

'Om Sahodaryam Sarvatra' (The Brotherhood of All)

In 1913, the Guru founded an Ashram at Alwaye. It was called 'Advaita Ashram'. This was an important event in the life of the Guru in his spiritual quest. That Ashram was dedicated to a great principle - 'Om Sahodaryam Sarvatra' (all men are equal in the eyes of God). This became the motto of the new Ashram.
When Narayana Guru attained the age of sixty, his birth day was observed throughout the west-coast from Mangalore to Simhala. Between the years 1918 and 1923 he visited the island of Simhala and taught the philosophy of 'Om Sahodaryam Sarvatra'. In 1921, a Conference of Universal Brotherhood was held at Alwaye. Again in 1924, a conference of all religions was held at Alwaye. The Guru stressed the need for a 'Brahma Vidyalaya' for the comparative study of various religious faiths. An institution called 'Narayana Gurukula' was established at the Nilgiris.
Some time around 1914 the following happened in a temple festival. A small group of people sat apart from the others at a distance. They could not mix with the large group of people. They were `untouchables' - unfit to be touched, beloging to a "lower" caste than the people around! The Guru's eyes turned towards them. He then asked the speaker to stop for a while. He beckoned two children sitting among the 'untouchables' and asked them to sit by his side, and said to himself. "These are also God's children as everyone else is."