Book World of Narayana Gurukula

Compiled by
NPHIL Canada
November 2015
2015 © NPHIL Canada
BOOK WORLD
of
NARAYANA GURUKULA
An Overview of Selected Books & Publications

This is an introductory overview of selected English and Malayalam language books
and publications on Narayana Guru’s life, works and the wisdom heritage of India.
Most of the books included here are publications of the Narayana Gurukula
Foundation, Varkala, India. Certain other outstanding publications are also included.
This slide-by-slide journal of book summaries is being built on broad-based reading
and library building guidance, under the following readership audience categories:
 Youth
 Introductory
 Intermediate
 Advanced
The books listed in this catalogue are available for purchase at Narayana Gurukula
Foundation’s book store in India, selectively on Amazon.com , and with NPHIL
Canada.
NPHIL Canada
November 2015
A Book World

Children’s Narayana Guru
This book is set out in simple English language.
It is intended to be an introductory experiment
to seed interest in children about the life and
teachings of Sri Narayana Guru.
Occasionally illustrated with elegant sketches
to guide the imagination of the young reader,
the book is written in a biographical of flow of
time that captures events, dialogues and
emotions in young Nanu’s life in his village of
birth, Chempazhanthy.
In 93 pages of large text and few illustrations
this book takes the reader off on an interesting
storytelling journey.
Category: Youth Author: Swami Muni Narayana Prasad
Pages: 93 Publisher: Narayana Gurukula

Basic Lessons on India's Wisdom
Rightly to meet this intention, the author Swami
Muni Narayana Prasad has built this book in an
interesting format, where the student-teacher
dialogue is the method employed to unravel
knowledge to young enquiring minds.
This book lays down the fundamentals of
terminology and philosophical concepts. The
book is set out in thirty six short chapters,
touching upon various concepts that were
imparted to young minds through the 'Guru-
shishya' tradition in India.
This book is a must read for any youngster or
adult with a passion or inquisitiveness for the
spiritual wisdom of ancient to modern India.
Pages: 131 Publisher: Narayana Gurukula

Pure Philosophy Simplified for Youth
Setting out the basic definitions and concepts in
Philosophy, this small book is intended to
introduce youth to the preliminary stage of
developing interest and an understanding of the
'love of wisdom'.
The book has addressed ethics and morality,
setting out chapters and sections on guidelines
to a virtuous life, moral instructions in
accordance with the traditional 'pancha-silas'
(five noble habits), the Buddhist teachings of
'arya-satyas' (four noble truths) and the
'astanga-margas' (eightfold noble paths).
Intended to serve as a brief textbook on
Philosophy in undergraduate studies.
Pages: 78 Publisher: D. K. Printworld (P) Ltd.

The Philosophy of Narayana Guru
This book focuses on Narayana Guru’s
philosophic thought dealing with the meaning of
Vedanta, the way to seek Reality, the role of the
individual in life, the atma's manifestation and
sat-cit-ananda as the final goal. The various
concepts are explained in relation to one
another and from the viewpoint of achieving the
final goal in life, to present a unified thought
construct that forms the core of Narayana
Guru’s philosophy. It also takes up the
application of his Upanisadic philosophy in
different disciplines like ethics and aesthetics
and in practice of religion, temple-related
matters and rites. The book will be particularly
useful to scholars, teachers and students of
Vedanta as well as all educated seekers of
Reality.
Category: Intermediate Author: Swami Muni Narayana Prasad
Pages: 173 Publisher: D. K. Printworld (P) Ltd.

Narayana Guruvinte Advaita
Darsanam
This is a Malayalam translation of the English
book ‘The Philosophy of Narayana Guru’ by
Swami Muni Narayana Prasad (see previous
slide).
Category: Intermediate Author: Nataraja Guru
Pages: 803 Publisher: Gurukula Publishing House

The Word of the Guru
The first authentic and non-chronological
biographical record of Narayana Guru
published in the English language. This was
originally published as 'The Way of the Guru' in
'The Sufi Quarterly' of Geneva in 1928. Later
expanded and compiled as this book.
Millions of people have been deeply affected by
the life and teachings of the Guru Narayana,
who is the central figure of this book. This is a
biography, not only of the Guru Narayana, but
of Guruhood itself. Religions and philosophies
have their sources in such men, and the aim
here is to clarify this fact, without being
sentimental or sensational.

Sree Narayana Guru-Swamikalude
Jeevacharitram
One of the early Malayalam biographies of
Narayana Guru, authored by Murkkoth
Kumaran (1874–1941).
The author was one who had direct interactions
with Narayana Guru. Murkoth Kumaran was a
renowned writer and critic whose biographical
record of Narayana Guru includes a
compilation of various first hand recordings
from the Guru's disciples and contemporaries.
Category: Intermediate Author: Murkkoth Kumaran
Pages: 239 Publisher: Sivagiri Mutt

The Biography of
Sree Narayana Guru
English translation of one of the early
Malayalam biographies of Narayana Guru,
authored by Murkkoth Kumaran (1874–1941).
The author was one who had direct interactions
with Narayana Guru.
Murkoth Kumaran was a renowned writer and
critic whose biographical record of Narayana
Guru includes a compilation of various first
hand recordings from the Guru's disciples and
contemporaries.
Translation into English by Satya Bai Sivadas
and P. Prabhakara Rao.
Category: Intermediate Author: Murkkoth Kumaran
Pages: 224 Publisher: Sivagiri Mutt

Autobiography of an Absolutist
This is a detailed autobiography of Nataraja
Guru (Dr. P. Natarajan).
Originally authored in the English language,
this book takes the reader on a vivid tour back
into the life and times of Nataraja Guru and his
association with his spiritual guide and mentor,
Narayana Guru.

An Intelligent Man's Guide to Hindu Religion
Understanding the most common symbols of
the science of consciousness, this small book
lays bare how a few linguistic expressions are
to be deciphered by following their rules.
This book by Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati
provides an introduction to the temple culture of
India.
Category: Intermediate Author: Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati

Karma and Reincarnation
The notions of Karma and Reincarnation
constitute the fundamental tenets of Indian
thinking; though these, like many other
doctrinal beliefs, are hard to prove or disprove
in purely rationalistic or even empirical terms.
Guru Muni Narayana Prasad looks afresh at
these age-old concepts from the view of an
Advaitin (non-dualist), developing stimulating
insights from his studies of the Upanishads,
Bagavad Gita, the Brahma Sutras, and the
works Narayana Guru.

Dialectics
This book is collection of articles authored by
Nataraja Guru for the Values magazine, which
was an English language publication edited by
Swami John Spiers of Narayana Gurukula.
Dialectics is the implicit method of Upanishadic
literature. In this book the author explains the
basics of dialectical methodology, and applies it
towards a superior understanding of the
relationship between the various opposites
poles in everyday life, such as man and
woman, or romance and tragedy in literature.
This book provides a window for examining
Nataraja Guru's overall position as a
philosopher and his unitive teachings.
Pages: 140 Publisher: DK Printworld (P) Ltd.

Narayana Smritih
(Code of social conduct)
Smritihs denote the class of canonical texts that
set out traditional laws and code of social
conduct. Originally authored in the Sanskrit
language, this Smritih was dictated by
Narayana Guru to his disciples at their request.
Guru Muni Narayana Prasad has interepreted
each verse of the Narayana Smritih in English
language. The book includes the original
Sanskrit text and its Roman transliteration.
Category: Introductory Author: Swami Muni Narayana Prasad

Guru the Unknown
An exemplary collection of English essays by
Swamy John Spiers on Narayana Guru. Swami
John Spiers (1907-1979) was a Scotsman
attracted to the life and teachings of Narayana
Guru. Although the young John Spiers arrived
in India in 1930, two years after the
Mahasamadhi (passing away) of Narayana
Guru, it was John’s chance meeting with P.
Natarajan (Nataraja Guru) in 1937 that
attracted John to the Narayana Gurukula
Movement and changed the course of his life.
Destiny had it that John would live unto death
in India for the cause of two gurus - to assist
Nataraja Guru to accomplish the Gurukula
Movement, and in unconditional dedication to
disseminate Narayana Guru’s values for the
rest of his life.
Category: Intermediate Author: Swami John Spiers
Pages: 54 Publisher: Poothatt Narayanan

A Petal from the Life of the Guru
A brief summary on the life Narayana Guru, his
early days and society in Travancore.
The author Poothatt Narayanan is a long time
member of Narayana Gurukula Movement.

Isavasya and Mandukya Upanishad
The book contains a detailed commentary on
the two important Upanishads, the Isavasya
and the Mandukya. The Isa Upanishad directly
defines what is Brahmavidya. The Mandukya
Upanishad states what Vedanta basically
teaches and how it is to be equated with AUM.
It explains how the monosyllable AUM
condenses within itself Brahman or Atman, the
substance underlying the Universe. This
volume gives the original texts in Sanskrit, their
Roman transliteration and the commentary for
each verse as interpreted by Guru Muni
Narayana Prasad.

Kena Upanishad
Kenopanishad is one of the major Upanishads
containing the quintessence of the teachings of
the ancient seers of India. It represents the
spiritual quest to apprehend the nature of the
Absolute, and comprises the yearning for the
wisdom that explains the relation of human life
to the world and the reality.
This book gives the original texts in Sanskrit,
their Roman transliteration and the commentary
for each verse as interpreted by Guru Muni
Narayana Prasad.

Katha Upanishad
A masterpiece among the writings of its genre,
Katha Upanishad attempts to unravel the
mystery of death through its insightful
exposition of Brahmavidya.
Guru Muni Narayana Prasad offers a lucid
English version of this time honoured
Upanishad, together with exhaustive
commentary.
The book includes the original Sanskrit text and
its Roman transliteration together with the
author’s interpretation of each verse.

Prasna Upanishad
Prasna Upanishad offers an enlightened
exposition of Brahmavidya, the knowledge of
the Absolute or supreme reality. In a dialectical
situation, it offers a threadbare discussion of six
questions which, centering around procreation,
or origin of beings, prasna - the most vital life-
sustaining principle, functional states of the Self
(purusha), significance of meditating on AUM
leading to the finality of Vedantic wisdom: the
sublimity of non-dual Reality: the param
purusha of sixteen kaalas.
This volume gives the original texts in Sanskrit,
Narayana Prasad.

Mundaka Upanishad
The Munkada Upanishad holds a special place
in the ancient writings of this genre, not
because of its emphasis on sraddha often in
one's guru, but primarily for its vehement
denunciation of Vedic ritualism.
The book looks afresh at some of the puzzling
questions that Mundaka addresses - questions
like: What is nature of Brahman, the one
Causal Reality? How can a seeker know it?
Who can be eligible for its knowledge? This
books offers in-depth analytical commentary on
this text, gives the original texts in Sanskrit,
Narayana Prasad.

Aitareya Upanishad
Aitreya Upanishad essentially reinforces the
grand Upanishadic message which is neither of
picturesque mythology nor a promise of heaven
or the threat of hell. It is yet another reminder of
our cosmic connection, showing how this
universe, this phenomenal world of ours, and
all that is created, are unfolded from one
primeval causal Reality.
This books offers in-depth analytical
commentary on this text, gives the original texts
in Sanskrit, their Roman transliteration and the
commentary for each verse as interpreted by
Guru Muni Narayana Prasad.

Chandogya Upanishad
Chandogya Upanishad is the most intriguing of
all the Upanishads. It begins with directing the
priests of a Soma-yaga to see the hidden
wisdom and significance of what they perform
and recite as a brute ritual. This sublimating of
ritualism gradually leads us to perceiving the
entire life system as a yajna held in and
performed by Brahman. The next step of this
perception is leads us to "sarvam khalvidam
brahma" or everything indeed is Brahman. The
enquiry as to what Brahman is begins. The
answer we arrive at is "Tat tvam asi" (That thou
art).This books offers extensive commentary on
this text, gives the original texts in Sanskrit,
Narayana Prasad.

Christ the Guru
A Vedantic Key to the Gospels
The ocean of philosophical insight hiding in the
words and story of Jesus Christ has influenced
and charged millions of people and are still
inspiring. The teaching and philosophy
discerned across the four Gospels According to
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have stirred the
philosophical perspective of Muni Narayana
Prasad and it paved the way for him making a
Gospel commentary in the light of Indian
philosophy, Advaita Vedanta. In his scholarly
attempt, the author has brought an apocryphal
Gospel of Thomas too into its ambit. Though
the words of wisdom revealed by Jesus across
these Gospels differ in language and style from
Indian Vedanta, they reveal the same wisdom
or supreme happiness that the Vedanta
philosophy talks about.

Life's Pilgrimage Through the Gita
Swami Muni Narayana Prasad presents a
commentary, which explains the Bhgavad Gita
as a philosophical treatise of universal
significance.

Narayana Guru
Narayana Guru`s writings reflect the rare
combination of a bard who could sing about the
aspirations of the human soul, a philanthropist
whose one aim in life was to devise ways to
minimize suffering, and a seer whose daily food
and drink was the highest form of Truth.
In this monograph Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati
gives a clear exposition of the integral vision
and the total philosophy of Narayana Guru. He
shows how Narayana Guru`s philosophy which
rests on a firm foundation of epistemology and
logic takes the spiritual aspirant to the goal of
self-realization by transcending the barriers of
name and form through a systematic process of
self transformation.
Category: Intermediate Author: Nitya Chaitanya Yati
Pages: 320 Publisher: ICPR

Experiencing One-World
Experiencing One-World seeks to evolve “one-
world consciousness” that tunes Man to look
beyond the trees to stars to run on his mind to
world fraternity. Nataraja Guru’s view is of One-
World that embraces his long-contemplated
perspectives on one world government, one-
world economics, world education, one religion,
unified sciences and a language of unified
sciences, the book highlights the specialties of
well-groomed unitive consciousness of a world
citizen, who wishes not only to restructure the
existing scheme of things, but also to see
mankind live a better life – and with dignity.

Atmopadesa Satakam
Guru Muni Narayana Prasad's simplistic
Malayalam interpretation of Narayana Guru’s
magnum opus - Atmopadesa Satakam - One
Hundred verses of Self Instruction. This is the
text in which Narayana Guru expounds his
philosophy in its entirety. It principally states
that there is only one Reality – the ‘atman’,
essentially the unconditioned Consciousness
(a.k.a. Brahman).

Arivu
Arivu (Consciousness) is an exceptionally
brilliant poetic composition in Malayalam, set
out in fifteen verses by Narayana Guru. Arivu
presents Vedanta as restated from an
epistemology perspective. Consciousness
(Arivu) alone is real. In its absence, the
existence or other of anything is irrelevant.
Arivu unravels itself as everything, and is
categorised into subjective and objective
knowledge, both having eight constituent
factors each. This poem originally authored in
the Malayalam language is simplistically
interpreted by Guru Muni Narayana Prasad in
this Malayalam book
Category: Advanced Author: Swami Muni Narayana Prasad

Shorter Philosophical Poems
of Narayana Guru
The work collects Narayana Guru's most
important shorter philosophic poems into one
volume. They are respectively, the
Brahmavidya Pancakam (Science of the
Absolute), Advaita Dipika (Lamp of Non-
Duality), Arivu (Consciousness Examined),
Homa Mantram (Fire Oblation) and Daiva
Dashakam (Ten Verses Addressing God). The
verses are rendered into English and
commented upon extensively by Swami Muni
Narayana Prasad. As a rishi of the modern age,
Narayana Guru deals with issues pertinent
today, including how social ethics and other
contemporary problems are to be treated in
light of the Absolute. As such, the Guru's
poems may be said to be both ancient and
modern at the same time.

The Psychology of Darsanamala
In his most important Sanskrit work
Darsanamala, Narayana Guru adopts a hitherto
uncharted method of viewing the non-dual
Brahman from ten different philosophical
vantage points and leaving the student-seeker
to intuitively perceive on one's own the one
ineffable Reality. According to the introduction,
it is “a thoroughgoing exposition of
psychological states from the origin of
individual consciousness to its extinction in
nirvana.” As always with Guru Nitya, the
emphasis of his commentary is on the practical
application of the spiritual insights that
Darsanamala overflows with.
Category: Advanced Author: Nitya Chaitanya Yati

Garland of Visions
(An Extensive Commentary)
Guru Muni Narayana Prasad's commentary on
Darsanamala in this book explicates how a
genuine seeker could make use of the text for
the realization of Brahman as the Reality that
constitutes one's own being, and how the
book's ten chapters lay bare a particular facet
of Brahman fully resonant with the frame of
reference of the chapter concerned.
Category: Advanced Commentary by: Muni Narayana Prasad
Pages: 228 Publisher: : DK Printworld (P) Ltd.

Living the Science of Harmonious Union
At the turn of the twentieth century a wise
teacher from South India described the
culmination of Yoga in a very alluring manner:
“When mind, the bumble bee, sips the honey-
like sweetness of one’s own bliss, fluttering
ceases and is drawn into union.” This poetic
description given by Narayana Guru echoes
and elaborates the definition of Yoga given in
one of the foundation texts of Yoga, the
Bhagavad Gita (VI:23): “Yoga is disaffiliation
from the context of suffering.”
The commentary in this book unlocks the
secrets of this perennial wisdom and points to
the value of transforming our lives to the path of
Yoga.
Category: Advanced Author: Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati

Narayana Guru
Complete Works
Narayana Guru was a great Indian seer of 20th
century who through his search for knowledge
experienced the ultimate reality. A great
philosopher-poet of modern India, the Guru,
was an erudite scholar of Sanskrit, Malayalam
and Tamil, and was a continuum to the great
Indian philosophical tradition of Advaita. As the
force behind the social reform movement, the
Guru paved the way for a progressive Kerala
society. During his lifetime he authored over 60
literary works, mostly in poetic form.
This volume brings together all the original
writings of Narayana Guru in as translated into
English for the first time in a single volume.
Category: Intermediate Author: Narayana Guru (translated by Muni Narayana
Prasad)

That Alone
The Core of Wisdom
Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati's advanced and
detailed interpretation of Atmopadesa Satakam
- One Hundred verses of Self Instruction. This
is the text in which Narayana Guru expounds
his philosophy in its entirety. It principally states
that there is only one Reality – the ‘atman’,
essentially the unconditioned Consciousness
(a.k.a. Brahman).
Category: Advanced Author: Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati

The Vedanta Sutras
of Narayana Guru
Over the centuries, brilliant saint-scholars like
Sankara, Ramanuja and Madahva have
interpreted the Vedanta in different ways. The
philosopher-poet Narayana Guru belongs to
this class of notable exponents of the Vedanta.
His Vedanta Sutras is a masterpiece in his
attempt to restate the original Upanishadic
teaching of non-dual Reality in his most
succinct expression of that message. This book
presents these sutras along with a highly-
perceptive commentary that elucidates the
Guru's interpretation of the Vedantic concept in
a brilliant style. Narayana Guru's Vedanta
Sutras reveal the essential message of the
Vedanta in 24 beautifully-fluent sutras.

Integrated Science of the Absolute
Vol. 1 & 2
Narayana Guru has not limited himself to the
scope of Indian thought alone, but thinks in
terms of a series of all possible visions of any
time and place. These visions are structurally
strung together like precious stones forming a
garland meant to be an ornament enhancing
the dignity of humanity through wisdom.
Drawing inspiration from the Upanishads and
Bhagavad Gita, and what he derived from his
own tapas (mystical discipline). The primacy of
this former radical source of wisdom makes his
dependence upon texts only incidental. This
book is meant for true and dedicated seekers
only; not those who are merely curious in a
light-hearted way. Published in Volumes 1 and
2.
Category: Advanced Author: Nataraja Guru

Three Ācāryas and Narayana Guru
Swami Muni Narayana Prasad clarifies the
mind-boggling oceanic diversification of textual
teachings that occurred in India over the
centuries. He goes on to explain each school of
thought and the texts that emerged from them.
This scholarly book so easily creates order
from chaos, that it is of interest to anyone who
has wandered in the tantalizing Labyrinth that
was wrongly named Hinduism by the west. This
volume is concerned with the philosophy of the
famous saint-teacher Narayana Guru and his
perspectives on the philosophies of the other
three acaryas, Sankara, Ramanuja and
Madhva.

Unitive Philosophy
Nataraja Guru investigates several prominent
strains of philosophy, including the rationalist
and the materialist, to identify the absolute
element hidden within each of them.
Totalitarianism and absolutism are shown to be
totally antithetical, the former being highly
exclusionary while the latter embraces every
possibility. Dialectic thinking is at the heart of
Narayana Guru's philosophy, leading to an
absolute vision that incorporates all parts within
the whole. For the serious thinker unsatisfied
by modern pop philosophy, Unitive Philosophy
is a uniquely rewarding book that will open up
vast uncharted regions for exploration.
Category: Advanced Author: Nataraja Guru

Compiled by
NPHIL Canada
November 2015
2015 © NPHIL Canada
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