TRANSLATION: An excerpt from "Ente Gurunathan" by Vallathol Narayana Menon (1878-1958)

 


Vallathol Narayana Menon, who was born on the 6th of October 1878 in Chenara, near Tirur, in Malappuram District of Kerala, was a Malayali poet, translator, Indian independence activist and social reformer. He was an active participant in the nationalist movement. Before he turned to patriotic verses, he translated Sanskrit works and wrote several poems on Sanskrit models. His first major literary venture was the rendition of Valmiki's Ramayana into Malayalam, the work of which started in 1905 and took two years to complete. Vallathol remained a great admirer of Mahatma Gandhi and wrote the poem "Ente Gurunathan" ("My Great Teacher") in his praise. He also wrote against caste restriction, tyrannies and orthodoxies. He founded the Kerala Kalamandalam Cheruthuruthy, near the banks of Bharathapuzha River and is credited with revitalising the traditional Keralite dance form known as Kathakali. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1954. Vallathol is regarded as the greatest nationalist poet of the language.

 

The entire world is your Tharavadu

The plants, grasses and worms together make your family

Sacrifice is gain and humility is greatness

That person who possesses all virtues; that Sanyasi is my Gurunathan

 

Adorn him with a garland made with the beads of stars

Or splash the mud, the colour of the black clouds;

Receiving both in the same way

the serene peaceful sky is my Gurunathan

 

A holy stream uninfested by bad creatures

A divine lamp which doesn’t emit smoke

A diamond treasure trove untouched by snakes

The cool blissful shady light of the moon; that’s my Acharyan

 

Waging dharma yuddam without weapons

Teaching the divine lessons without books

Curing the diseases without medicines

The one who conducts yagnam without sacrificial beings

That’s is my Acharyan

 

For everlasting non-violence, the Mahatma fasts

With Peace presiding over him as the Goddess from the start.

My Gurunathan used to say –

“Which sword’s head does the shield of ahimsa not bend?”

 

Tharavadu- Ancestral Home

Dharma yuddam- War of righteousness


(Image Source: Google)

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