A website that introduces Brahmashree Prof G Balakrishnan Nair. We have shared his life history, his written commentary and his audio & video lectures on Advaita Vedanta philosophy.

Birth & childhood

Balakrishnan was born on February 5, 1923 at Kurukkannal veedu, Vazhayila, Peroorkada in Thiruvananthapuram. He grew up in humble and simple circumstances in Peroorkada, Thiruvananthapuram. His mother was a village lady and was not highly educated. Reading of scriptures such as the ‘Adhyathma Ramayana' by his father (famous by the name ‘Vayanakkaran Govindapilla’), and the rendering of slokas such as Hari Nama Keerthana by his mother, was almost a daily ritual at home. So much so that they left an indelible imprint on his psyche.

He was only five when he lost his father. Financial constraints prevented him from pursuing an English education and instead, he chose to study Sanskrit (as it was fee-free those days) at Peroorkada. After class four he had to continue his studies at the Sanskrit school at Palkulangara, Thiruvananthapuram.

Educational qualification, job & marriage

Balakrishnan Nair qualified the ‘Mahopadhyaya’ in Sanskrit grammar from the Govt college, Kerala University. He then secured MA degrees in Malayalam language and Sanskrit language from the same university. Later, he took an MA degree in Hindi from Banaras Hindu University. Maybe due to his attachment with Ramayana from childhood itself, he chose Ramayana as his subject for doing the research - A comparative study of Adhyaathma Ramayana, Valmiki Ramayana and Thulasidas Ramayana.

Later he joined the faculty at Mahatma Gandhi College, Thiruvananthapuram. He got married with Saraswathi Amma in July 10, 1946. She was his colleague at Sanskrit College. In 1955, he entered Government service as a lecturer in Malayalam at University College, Thiruvananthapuram. It was during this time he concentrated on literary writings. He penned 'Sahitya Padhathi', a criticism. He also scripted a play and presented it. He was a staunch communist in those years. Those were also the days when he was attracted to the philosophy of socialism propounded in ‘The Communist Manifesto' and ‘Das Kapital'. Though he contested as a communist candidate to Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, he failed. He then continued as an orator of the party. When the communist party was divided, he left the party. Prof.Balakrishnan bid goodbye to politics when he sensed his growing inner conflict between reality and conviction.

He completed his research under the guidance of Dr. A.G. Krishna Warrier, but then an unusual turnover occurred in his life at that time.

Realization

The guiding light to Prof.Balakrishnan Nair came in an unusual form in the year 1962 that became a turning point in his life and outlook - through his son Aravindan.

Prof.Balakrishnan Nair was already a scholar of repute who had done considerable research on literature, Indian philosophy and the scriptures. The sudden demise of his seven-and-a-half year old son, Aravindan, on July 1, 1962, who succumbed to tetanus, was a tragic shock that altered his life. The child was battling for life at a Government hospital. Prof.Balakrishnan Nair recollects “I could not bear the sight of the once cherubic boy lying almost still. He chanted the Chandrasekhara Ashtakam and then the mantra, “Siva,Siva..”, for 50 minutes and calmly passed away. Till his last breath, he stick held with the mantra. This was both a great moment of pain and transcendental awareness for me”. The manner in which the little one calmly passed away with a prayer on his lips, pointed out to him, the true, imperishable nature of the self. Nair describes the incident as a “great revelation”. He says “I saw the boy accepting death peacefully. Rather than looking up at his parents, who could only watch helplessly, he looked inward and sought his God, It was as if he was telling me, “Father, instead of leading a life which worth nothing but pain and sadness, it is now time for you to find out your real self.” (That’s why he gave the house name and the name of Bhagavad Gita Bhashya he did as Shivaravindam). Then he continues "I took a firm decision to find out the real shiva, the self, if at all that exists, which is the only source of bliss.". Prof.Balakrishnan Nair then decided to devote his life to the study of Vedanta and propagate its message for the benefit of the world. “I then decided that it was time to give up my material pursuits. If it is possible to live and die in peace, why I should miss it.” he continues. He considers Aravindan as his Guru, even though born as a son to him. Later he devoted all his spare time for studying the scriptures. Well-versed in four languages — Sanskrit, Malayalam, Hindi and English — he read up every book on spirituality that he came across and interacted with all the masters that he could. 

Life after realization

His transfer to Government Victoria College, Palakkad, soon afterwards, turned to be conducive to his new mindset. In Palakkad, he shared accommodation with Sri. S. Gupthan Nair, a senior colleague and friend who remembered him in his memoir ‘Manasa Smarami.' Prof. Guptan Nair had desribed Prof. Balakrishnan Nair as one to whom intellectual Kerala should be indebted to for revealing the bedrock of Advaita philosophy, which was the real basis of the teachings and writings of Sri Narayana Guru, who is remembered as a social reformer and champion of the renaissance in Kerala. Prof. Guptan Nair had always lauded Balakrishnan Nair sir for his interpretation in Bhagavath Geeta. Both were much known for their soft spoken skills, their nature and their depths of profound knowledge. Prof.Balakrishnan Nair was drawn to the peace and quiet of ‘Vignjana Ramaneeyam’, the ashram set up in the name of Ramana Maharshi. His free time was spent either at the ashram or at the college library to study in detail classical, spiritual and religious works such as ‘Maandukaya Kaarika’, ‘Yoga Vasishta’, ‘Bhagavath Gita’, ‘Brahmasutra Bashyam’, ‘the Upanishads’ etc. Later, from the library, he read Vidyaranyaswami's panchadasi and Jeevanmukthi vivekam. He was much inspired by the book Gowdapaadakaarika. He says all these scriptures gave him lot of insight to vedanta philosophy. He also interacted with all the Ramakrishna ashrams in Kerala. Palakkad also became the springboard for his philosophical and religious writing and speeches. His gentle demeanor, his lucid and simple style of discourse and interpretation, and the depth and vastness of his scholarship astonished and attracted all those who came to listen to him. Once, after finishing his discourse, he was presented a book by his follower. It was 'Darshanamaala', Gurudeva krithi published in Sivagiri. He was deeply inspired by SriNarayana Gurudeva after reading that book as he says that the book can only be written by a person who has utmost clarity and profound knowledge in advaita vedanta philosophy. He also used to go to Kozhikode Sriramakrishnaashram to deliver lectures. Even though he has written commentary/Bhaashya for many famous scriptures, he has not written any new Krithis. The reason he states is that already, great people, starting from SriKrishna, Shankaracharya, etc has given us the path to proceed for attaining the bliss though many teachings and scriptures and he says that he has not discovered something new and hence he didn’t want to add new krithis to the existing ones.

Books

The list of Prof. Balakrishnan Nair's works is, quite literally, voluminous. He is one among the prominent scholars in Kerala who wrote commentaries on Prasthanatraya – 10 Upanishads, Brahmasutra and Bhagavad Gita. Vedanta Darsanam, a study of the major Upanishads, interpretations of Sankaracharya's works, discussions on the Malayalam works of Ezhuthachan and Poonthanam, Bhagavatha Hridayam, a philosophical reflection on the Sree Maha Bhagavatham, and Bhashya Pradeepam in which the Brahma sutras are transliterated into Malayalam, are some of his works and are among the best spiritual books in Malayalam.

Interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita, "Sivaravindam Mahabhashyam”, has been one of the most popular in Malayalam. As many as 12,000 copies of the book, published by the State Institute of Languages, have reportedly been sold. The much-awaited English translation of the interpretation was recently brought out. For his Gita translation, simplicity is its hallmark. Even as he relates the Gita to complex Vedantic truths, he does not forget that he is writing for the common man. “In my commentary, I have been given equal importance to all the doctrines,” he says. “In writing this, I have followed in the footsteps of Adi Sankara. Yet, Sivaravindam Bhashyam is not the direct translation of the Sankara Bhashyam, which is elegantly abstruse.” The eclectic nature of the Sivaravindam Bhashyam adds to its charm and depth. For instance, he refers to the Brahma Sutram when he speaks about Jnana Yoga, and to the Bhagavatha when he explains the Bhakthi Yoga. And the reader derives the pleasure of having gone through all these important texts. Are not the Bhakthi and the Jnana Yogas same? “They are. The Gita itself speaks about it. Bhakti has wider meanings. Any seeker of truth is a bhaktha.”

The Gita, he notes, is a science. “It is wrong to see it, or any spiritual text for that matter, as a religious discourse. All human beings and every discipline in this world are in a search for perfection or for the ultimate truth. The Gita, which is the essence of the Upanishads, unfolds this truth. Lord Krishna affirms that consciousness (shudha bodham) is all that exists. It has no spatio-temporal limitation. Everything else perishes. Modern science too proves it, while studying the relation between matter and energy.”

Brahmashree Prof.Balakrishnan Nair was a renowned scholar of Sree Narayana Guru’s philosophical works and his book Sree Narayana Gurudeva Krithikal Sampoorna Vyakhyanam – all the works of Sree Narayana Guru with Complete Interpretations – ten parts compiled in two volumes is a masterpiece of great beauty. Of his reading of the Vasihtasudha-Yoga Vasishtasaram, critic Sukumar Azhikode observes, “Since early this century, Malayalam has had translations and interpretations of this gem of Indian spirituality. Of the lot, Prof. G. Balakrishnan Nair’s is pleasantly different. It has a solemn tone simple language, and is full of erudite observations.”

His publishers say he never claims royalty for his works. He takes copies of his books worth his royalty and distributes them free to anyone interested in the subject. He says, “I haven't interpreted the scriptures for monetary gains. I am happy with the Government pension I get. My wife Saraswati amma was also employed. And our salaries were enough to keep us going. My greatest achievement is the joy that I got while I pored over the scriptures, the light that led me when I was groping in the dark.” As his wife also knew sanskrit, she was a great support for him to go deep into the vedic scriptures and understand that. 

Following are some of his bhashyas on the vedantic scriptures.

1.     Sree Narayana Gurudeva Krithikal – Sampoorna Vyakyanam – (Works of Sree Narayana Guru with Complete Interpretations – ten parts compiled in two volumes) published by The State Institute of Languages, Kerala.

2.     Srimad Bhagavad Gita (Sivaravindam Mahabhashyam)

3.     Vendanta Darsanam (Upanishad Swadyayam) (Three parts)

4.     Bhashya Pradeepam (Brahmasutra Bashyanuvadham)

5.     Vasishtasudha (Yogavasishta Saaram)

6.     Randu malayala maamarakal

a.     Harinamakeerthanam interpretation

b.     Jnanapaana interpretation

7.     Prawdanubhoothi (Prakarana Prakashika)

8.     Goudapaada darshanam

9.     Bhagavata Hrudayam

10.   Ekasloki

11.   Pratasmarana stotram

12.   Randu vidyaranya krithikal

a.     Panchadashi

b.     Jeevanmukti Vivekam

Brahmashree Prof.Balakrishnan Nair later worked as faculty of Government Sanskrit College, Thiruvananthapuram and Women’s College, Thiruvananthapuram.

He retired from Government Service in 1978.

Awards

1.     Srinarayana Samskarika Samithi Award(1 January 1985)(1978)

2.     Kerala Sahitya Academy award for the book titled Jeevan Mukti Vivekam (1979)

3.     Srinarayana Samskarika Sangham Award(1998)

4.     Geetha Puraskaram in connection with Geethavarshacharana (1999)

5.     Samskrithi Prathisdan Award(1999)

6.     Sidhinadananda Award

7.     Ramasram Award

8.     the inaugural Vyasa Peetham Puraskaram of the School of Bhagavad Gita (2007)

9.     award from Sivagiri Mutt in connection with Siva Prathishta Varshikam(2011)

10.   Prof. Guptan Nair Award (2011)(which is given to scholars who have made significant contribution to the cultural sector).

etc

Attaining lotus feet

Brahmashree Prof G. Balakrishnan Nair attained the lotus feet of lord at Kollam on Friday, 4th February 2011, night around 8.45 pm. His mortal remains were consigned to flames at the funeral at Thycaud, Santhikavadam crematorium (Thiruvananthapuram) on Saturday, 5th February 2011 (on his 88th birthday) at 10.30 am.

Every year, as part of his birthday celebrations, discourses are arranged at Thiruvananthapuram on different topics of Vedanta by his disciples.

During his lifetime he has delivered many lectures in Malayalam language. Some of his audio discourses, video discourses and scriptures are tagged in the above tabs. Please go through that and enjoy the bliss.