SreeNarayanaGuru

[gopu]

Narayana Guru (Nanu) was a smart,handsome and witty child who was very perceptiveof all that was happening around him. Everybodyfelt forcefully drawn to him. Even as a child, heshowed a tendency to teach and correct others.He saw elders placing fruits and sweets beforethe pictures of mythical gods.

The little boy Nanu stealthily got into thesanctum and ate the sweets and fruits offered togods. When he was questioned he simply said,“ God will be pleased if I please myself ”.

He found the eldersinconsistent in their moods.When an elderly person died,people become grief-strickenand cremated the body withmuch fuss and lamentation.After a couple of days all werefound in their usual merrymood. Seeing this, the youngNanu went away and sat in the woods nearby.When people found him and asked him why heleft home, he said he was confused by theinconsistent behaviour of his elders. He saw hisparents and other elders observing untouchability.They were even afraid of becoming polluted bygoing near a working peasant !To break this taboo, little Nanu went andembraced the so-called untouchables andunapproachables and came home to touch andpollute his family members. Thus he was areformer of the society even from the start !