Sree Vidyadhiraja Parama Bhattaraka Chattampi Swamikal (1853–1924) was a Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 sage and social reformer. His thoughts and work influvenced the launching of many social, relegious, literary and political organizations and movements in Kerala and for the first time gave voice to those who were marginalized.

Chattampi Swamikal denounced the orthodox

Orthodoxy

The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...

 interpretation of Hindu texts citing sources from the Vedas

Vedas

The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....

. Swamikal along with his contemporary Nārāyana Guru, strived to reform the heavily ritualistic and caste-ridden Hindu society of the late 19th century Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

. Swamikal also worked for the emancipation of women and encouraged them to come to the forefront of society. He said that the enslavement of women was a manifestation of male arrogance. Swamikal promoted vegetarianism and professed non-violence (Ahimsa

Ahimsa

Ahimsa is a term meaning to do no harm . The word is derived from the Sanskrit root hims – to strike; himsa is injury or harm, a-himsa is the opposite of this, i.e. non harming or nonviolence. It is an important tenet of the Indian religions...

). Swamikal believed that the different religions are different paths leading to the same place. He strongly opposed the conversion activities of the Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 missionaries but was not against Christianity

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

. Chattampi Swamikal throughout his intellectually and spiritually enriched life maintained a large number of friends from different regions of Kerala . He authored several books on spirituality, history, and language staying with these friends.

Early Life

Chattampi Swami was born on 25th August 1853 at Kollur, a suburban village of Trivandrum in southern Travancore

Travancore

Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...

. His father was Vasudeva Sharma

Sharma

Sharma Hindi शर्मा, Urdu شرمہ, ) is a name used in the Indian subcontinent mostly in Northern India as a surname or given name. As a noun in Sanskrit, Sharma has various positive connotations, such as "bliss", "happiness", "shelter", "laid back" and "protection."Sharma is a surname of brahmin...

, a Namboothiri, from Mavelikkara and mother Nangamma a lady from Kollur. He was formally named Ayyappan. But he was called by his pet name Kunjan by all and so was later known as Kunjan Pillai.

As his parents were not able to provide him formal education, he leaned letters and words from children of his neighbourhood who attended schools. Also he learned Sanskrit by overhearing the classes at a Brahmin house nearby. Knowing his thirst for learning an uncle took him to the traditional school conducted by Pettayil Raman Pillai Asan, a renowned scholar and writer who taught him without any fee. It was there that he earned the name Chattampi on account of his assignment as the monitor of the class. The school served as a meeting place for many scholars of that time and it facilitated Kunjan to acquaint himself with many great men. He also could learn Tamil from Swaminatha Desikar and philosophy from Professor Sundaram Pillai during his study at the gurukulam. Kunjan Pillai was introduced into the science of yoga

Yoga

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...

 by the Thykattu Ayyavu a scholar and yogi who used to give lectures at the Gurukulam. A wandering sadhu who came to the village temple initiated him into spiritual world by giving the Balasubramanya Mantra. Mastering this mantra gave him a new vigour and zeal and he assumed the name Shanmukhadasa due to his deep devotion of Lord Subramanya

Subramanya

Subramanya is a commonly used Indian name. It is also another name for the Hindu deity Murugan. Other common spellings are Subrahmanya, Subramania and Subramaniam. The name may refer to:People...

.

As the burden of supporting the family fell on him, Kunjan Pillai took to many manual works. For some time he worked as a document writer. He stood first in a test for clerical posts in Government Secretariat Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...

 conducted by Sir T Madhava Rao the then Divan of Travancore State. But he left the service after a short while as it prevented his wanderings and studies.

He spent many years learning under a great scholar Subba Jatapadikal in the village named Kalladiakurichi in southern Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

. There he acquired deep and extensive mastery of all sastras in Tamil and Sanskrit. He also learned Siddha medicine, music, and martial arts. During this period he was greatly influenced by the works of Kodakanallur Sundara Swamikal a great advaitin. He later translated his work Nijananda Vilasam containing the cream of Vedanta into simple Malayalam to guide spiritual aspirants. He spend long periods of learning and under a Christian priest and a Muslim saint and also spent months with many avadutas in Southern Tamil Nadu. At the end of his wanderings and quest he was led to self-realization by an avaduta whom he met at a wayside in Vadaveeswaram a village in in Tamil Nadu. He returned to Kerala as a great scholar and saint.

Chattampi Swami and Sree Narayana Guru

In 1882 at the Aniyoor Temple near Vamanapuram Chattampi Swami met another young man Nanu Asan who was in search of spiritual guidance. By then Swami was well versed in yoga and spiritual matters and their meeting proved to be the start of a profound and cherished companionship, although the two were of different temperaments. In those days Nānu Āśān was a soft-spoken introvert while Kunjan Pillai an outspoken extrovert. They lived and travelled for many months together. Later Swamikal took Nānu Āśān, to his guru Thykkattu Ayyavu.

After completing Nānu Āśān's studies under Ayyavu Swami they left him and wandered together in southern Tamil Nadu where they met many saints and scholars. It was with Chattampi Swamikal that Nārāyana Guru made his first trip to Aruvippuram, which was chosen as Nārāyana Guru's abode for meditation and spiritual activities. He was led to self realization at this beautiful and serene place and there Guru established a Siva temple the first such move by any from the lower caste in the region. Chattampi Swamikal did not stay there for long, although the two maintained their contacts, respect and regard for each other throughout their life. Later he met Neelakanta Theerthapada a great Sanskri Scholar and Theerthapad Pramahamsa who established an ashram in the name of Chattampi Swami and also Theerthapada System for the line of snayasins following Swami's teachings and methods.

Chattampi Swamikal has got many disciples; grihastha disciples like Bodheswaran

Bodheswaran

Bodheswaran was a poet and social reformer from Kerala, India.-Early life:Bodheswaran was born in Neyyattinkara, India, in December 1901...

, Perunnelli Krsihnan Vaidhyan, Velutheri Kesavan Vaidhyan Kumbalath Sanku Pillai etc. as well sanyasi disciples like Narayana Guru

Narayana Guru

Sri Nārāyana Guru , also known as Sree Nārāyana Guru Swami, was a Hindu saint, sadhuand social reformer of India. The Guru was born into an Ezhava family, in an era when people from backward communities like the Ezhavas faced much social injustices in the caste-ridden Kerala society...

, Neelakanta Therthapada and Theerthapada Parmahamsa who played very important role in renaissance and reformation in Kerala.

Maha Samadhi

Toward the end of his life Swamikal settled down at Panmana, a village in Kollam

Kollam

Kollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...

 district. After a short period of illness during which he objected to take any medicine, at an auspicious time marked by him on May 5, 1924 Swamikal attained Maha Samadhi. His mortal remains were enshrined at his Samadhistanam at Panmana. This site is today called Panmana Ashramam, which is a centre for social service and spiritual practices.

Teachings of Chattampi Swamikal

• Avoid boastful thoughts about your physical achievements and material accumulations. Contemplate over the ultimate reality of existence. That alone will give meaning to life

• The whole universe is the manifestation of the one. The apparent differences between different objects are only an illusion. An understanding of this truth will lead to liberation and salvation

• This universe is the manifestation of but one mind. Alienation between one mind and another mind is unnatural. The mind of man is in no way different from the mind of any other creature

• Enslavement of woman is a manifestation of male arrogance. It is against all canons of justice and ethics. It is criminal, immoral

Works of Chattampi Swamikal

The variety is represented by the works of Chattampi Swamikal illustrates the vastness and depth of his scholarship. The compositions of Swami have come out in various forms of single stanzas, muktakas, bhajan songs, essays, critical works, translations, commentaries, short notes, and letters. Vedadikara Nirupanam is considered as one of his greatest works. It refuted the baseless customs and rules that existed in Kerala. For the first time in the region’s history the work questioned the monopolization of Vedas, sciences and education by a minority. Vedadikara Nirupanmam has infused strength and inspiration to the subaltern groups to fight for their rights and spread the ideas that lead the movements for reformation and renaissance in Kerala.

Swami led a wandering life and left what he wrote with those who were with him at the time of writing. There were no later attempts to collect and conserve them, which led to the gradual loss of many of his works. A few works that got unearthed and published eight decades after his death and inspiring serious discussion show the value and the extent of the loss that occurred to Kerala society which was at one time unmindful of preserving his works. Recently Centre for South Indian Studies has initiated Chattampi Swami Digital Archive (CSDA) project as an attempt to collect and collate documents related to Swami that still exist. Major works of Swami available in print are the following:

• Advaita Chinta Paddhati
• Adi Bhasha
• Keralathile Desa Namangal
• Kristumata Nirupanam
• Jivakarunya Nirupanam
• Devarcha Paddhatiyude Upodghatam
• Devi Manasa Puja Stotra Vyakhyanam
• Nijananda Vilasam (published by Narayana Gurukulam, Srinivasapuram, Varkala)
• Pranavavum Sankhya Darsanavum
• Prapanchathil Stri Purushanmarkkulla Sthanam
• Pracheena Malayalam (published by Kurukshethra Prakasan, Kaloor, Cochin)
• Pracheena Malayalam Part II ( A hundred year old manuscript discovered recently by Vaikkam Vivekanandan, published by Centre for South Indian Studies)
• Bhasha Padma Puranam
• Malayalathile Chila Sthala Namangal
• Vedadhikara Niroopanam (published by Kurukshethra Prakasan, Kaloor, Cochin)
• Chila Kavita Sakalangal
• Chila Kathukal
• Chila Sambhashanangal
• Srichakra Puja

The following works are not available, except through excerpts published in various journals and books by contemporaries.

• Advaita Panjaram
• Ozhuvilodukkam (Translation)
• Chidakasa Layam
• Tamizhakam
• Tarka Rahasya Ratnam
• Parama Bhattara Darsanam
• Punarjanma Nirupanam
• Brahmatatva Nirbhasam
• Bhugola Sastram
• Moksha Pradipa Khandanam
• Vedanta Saram
• Shanmata Nirupanam
• Sarva Mata Samarasyam
• Stava Ratna Haravali
• Pillathalolippu

External links

• Panmana Ashram
• Kristumata Chedanam by Chattampi Swamikal (English Translation) PDF
• Advaita Chinta Paddhati - Malayalam by Chattampi Swamikal in pdf format
• Vedadhikara Nirupanam (Malayalam)– Chattampi Swamikal(PDF)
• Jivakarunya Nirupanam (Malayalam) by Chattampi Swamikal (PDF)
• Nijananda Vilasam (Malayalam) by Chattampi Swamikal (PDF)
• Pracheena-Malayalam(Malayalam) by Chattampi Swamikal (PDF)
• Chattamp Swami Archive