Why Pinarayi's speech on Narayana Guru triggered a political storm

In October 2018, during the height of the Sabarimala row, marked by violent protests by Sangh Parivar forces across Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan delivered a speech in Thiruvananthapuram. He spoke about Kerala’s legacy of cultural renaissance and its pursuit of justice on religious and gender issues.

The speech resonated deeply with secular-minded individuals in the state, both believers and non-believers. However, later dubbed the “Renaissance Speech” by both supporters and critics — some with pride, others with sarcasm — it ultimately failed to benefit the Left Front in the subsequent elections.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) lost heavily in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, losing all but one seat in the state. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the LDF had to resort to some sort of “corrective measures”, which included soft-pedalling their progressive and feminist stance on the Sabarimala issue.

Vijayan’s thought-provoking speech

Six years down the lane, now in his second term in office, Vijayan again delivered a similar speech — a long and thought-provoking one — at the annual Sivagiri pilgrimage venue, an event hosted by the Sivagiri Mutt, associated with Sree Narayana Guru and the SNDP Yogam.

The speech was prompted by remarks made by BJP leader and former Union minister V Muraleedharan, who, speaking at another session during the Sivagiri pilgrimage, claimed that Sree Narayana Guru was a Sanatan Hindu, attempting to appropriate him to the Hindutva ideology.

The BJP had been collaborating with the Bharatiya Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a party formed by a section of the current Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) leadership, with Thushar Vellappally, son of SNDP leader Vellappally Natesan, as its head.

A strategy that hurts Marxists

This courtship between the BJP and Kerala’s Ezhava community — who consider themselves as disciples of Guru — was causing the CPI(M) significant erosion in its vote base, as seen in the last couple of general elections.

Vijayan’s words were measured and well-articulated, as he had meticulously prepared to make a strong statement and counter the Hindutva effort to associate Sree Narayana Guru with their ideology.

“Sree Narayana Guru was neither a proponent nor a practitioner of Sanatana Dharma; rather, he was a revered ascetic who proclaimed a new-age dharma that challenged and transcended that very tradition. What is meant by Sanatana Dharma? It refers solely to the Varna Ashrama Dharma. The Guru’s new-age humane dharma stands as a challenge to and a departure from that Varna Ashrama Dharma,” asserted the chief minister.

Leading questions

“This new-age dharma of the Guru is not defined by religions. Has any religion ever claimed that as long as a person is good, it does not matter what religion they follow? No. Has any religion ever stated that the essence of all faiths is the same? No. So, what becomes clear? It is the humanistic worldview that embraces the essence of humanity beyond religious confines that the Guru upheld. To try to confine it within the framework of Sanatana principles would be a grave slander against him,” added Vijayan.

“The Varna Ashrama Dharma is synonymous with Sanatana Dharma or an inseparable component of it. It is the Varna Ashrama Dharma based on the fourfold varna system. It upholds caste-based occupations. What Sree Narayana Guru did was to call for the rejection of caste-based occupations.

“So, how could he be a proponent of Sanatana Dharma? The Guru’s ascetic life was characterised by questioning and rejecting the fourfold varna system. How could Guru, who proclaimed that there is one caste, one religion, and one God for humanity, be a representative of a Sanatana Dharma that was shaped within the confines of a particular religion? The Guru upheld a dharma that stood against the caste system,” the Marxist leader added.

BJP, others protest

As expected, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sangh Parivar have been in uproar against the chief minister, alleging that he has tarnished Sanatana Dharma and should apologise for his remarks.

Muraleedharan, who sparked off the controversy, alleged that the chief minister’s remarks were a continuation of DMK leader Udayanidhi Stalin’s speech in which the latter called for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma.

“The people of Kerala will reject the Communists’ campaign to portray Guru as someone who was against Sanatana Dharma,” he stated.

BJP state president K Surendran demanded an apology from the chief minister for tarnishing Sanatana Dharma and Sree Narayana Guru’s thoughts at the sacred site of Sivagiri Mutt.

Bouquets for Vijayan

However, Vijayan’s speech has generated significant attention in the intellectual and cultural spheres of Kerala, with several scholars, who are generally not aligned with the CPI(M), commending him for his steadfast opposition to the Hindutva brigade.

”The chief minister referenced the Mahabharata in his speech with objectivity. He was correct in describing Sanatan Dharma as a form of caste-based Varnashrama Dharma. The Guru did not align with this Sanatan Dharma. He established temples by challenging the Brahminical hierarchy and disregarding scriptures like the Tantra Samuchaya,” said Dr TS Syamkumar, a Dalit intellectual based in Kottayam.

“His aim was to liberate the downtrodden from their suffering. According to the Tantra Samuchaya, he was not authorized to establish a temple. He explicitly stated that he has no connection with any religion and created a temple in Aruvippuram at the request of Hindus, expressing his willingness to do the same for Muslims and Christians if they desired. He acted in opposition to the very principles of Sanatan Dharma,” Syamkumar added.

Congress agrees on Guru’s ideology

The Congress has joined the discourse, with KPCC president K Sudhakaran raking up concerns about attempts to misrepresent the Guru as a proponent of Sanatan Dharma.

Even though he refrained from referring to the controversy involving Vijayan, his political foe, Sudhakaran said this portrayal undermines the true essence of the Guru’s teachings and his historical role in challenging the caste structures and hierarchies.

“During this 92nd year of the Sivagiri pilgrimage, shouldn’t we introspect about our times? Isn’t the caste system firmly establishing its grip even now? Are there not efforts to hijack not only his ideology but the Guru himself? How is it that a universal citizen like the Guru, who propagated the idea of one caste and one religion for humankind, is being portrayed as a leader of Sanatan Dharma?” he asked.

A revolutionary suggestion

The controversial day at the Sivagiri pilgrimage speech series began with a revolutionary suggestion that attracted significant media attention. Swami Satchidananda, head of the Sivagiri Mutt, said the practice requiring men to remove their upper garments to enter temples is “evil” and must be junked.

The bold statement sparked widespread discussion, garnering support from chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who noted that such a change could lead to a significant social intervention.

The Sivagiri Mutt, established by the esteemed social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, has long been an advocate for progressive ideals, promoting the concepts of “One Caste, One Religion, One God”.