Tamil Nadu BJP Chief Pays Respects to Swami Sahajananda: Why It's Important In Today's Tamil Nadu

27 January 2023 saw the 133rd birth anniversary of one of the most significant social reformers and spiritual seer-philosophers of Tamil Nadu—Swami Sahajananda.

Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai has tweeted his obeisance to the great Swamiji.

In the wake of social discriminations against Scheduled Communities being reported in the state, the tweet is significant.

While the tweet of Tamil Nadu BJP President attracted a lot of appreciation, a DMK supporter retweeted it with an obscene comment.

Multi-faceted, dynamic and deeply spiritual, Swami Sahajananda was well versed in both Tamil and Sanskrit.

Born Munuswamy to a Scheduled Community household and in a family battling poverty, he was made to discontinue his studies from a Missionary school. The young Munuswamy was brilliant and had been marked for conversion by the school authorities.

When he refused to become a Christian he was sacked from the school immediately and the complete fees was demanded by the missionaries in a merciless manner.

Munuswamy and his family eventually moved to Kolar where his father became a contract-worker (a slightly better form of indentured labourer). There Munuswamy would listen to Ramayana and Mahabharata stories told in Upanyasas in the evening. He was determined to practice Dharma in a steadfast manner like Shri Rama and walk the path of Srimad Bhagavat Gita.

His spiritual quest got him to Sri la Sri Siva Prakasa Karapatra Swami who accepted him as disciple and gave him the name 'Swami Sahajananda'.

In the ashram, Swami Sahajananda was recognised for his spiritual insight and knowledge of all the Shastras.

'He has the inner riches of none other than Adi Sankaracharya', declared Sri Karapatra Swami.

But while Karapatra Swami was a Vedantic humanist with no discrimination, his disciples were not. One 'disciple' even threatened Sri Karapatra Swami that he would murder him for accepting and giving initiation to Swami Sahajananda.

Calmly observing all of it, Swami Sahajananda read the Sri Maha Bhakta Vijayam. It is the compendium of the saints and sages of northern India who adored, mainly, Sri Krishna. They also fought against all kinds of social discriminations. Swami Sahajananda knew his path. He decided to fight against all discriminations in the society and purify the society of the evil of caste system.

With the help from the seers like Sri Karapatra Swami he established Nandanar Ashram at Chidambaram. This model Ashram also involved itself in running schools and residential hostels for children of all communities without discrimination including, and mainly, the Scheduled Community students - both boys and girls.

Between 1926 to 1932 he was a nominated member of Madras Legislative Assembly and he made a passionate contribution to the advancement of the welfare of the Scheduled Community in particular and social justice for Hindu society in general. He was again elected between 1936 and 1947. After Independence, he was elected to the Assembly from the Chidambaram constituency and continued as a member till his death in 1959.

Swami Sahajananda advocated modules on Indian knowledge system in schools. Particularly, he advocated at least one period be dedicated every week to familiarise children with local herbal knowledge in the form of first-aid medicine, so that in case of medical emergencies local resources could be used to save life or minimise harm.

He also advocated a strong library movement with Hindu spiritual classics - from Vedas to the life of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

With Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai tweeting his respects on the occasion of his 133rd birth anniversary, his memory has been recalled to rejuvenate a viable solution of luminescence to Dravidian darkness.