Greatness may be open to interpretation; it may even be hard to define it. But Sree Narayana Guru makes definitions and interpretations largely superfluous.

In him Indian Renaissance had its most far-sighted prophet and advocate. Sree Narayana Guru has a multifaceted personality as spiritual guru, seer, poet, social reformer and a great sage with yogic sidhis or attainments.

Sree Narayana Guru was born in the village of Chempazhanthi in Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala. It is widely held that he was born under the star 'Chathayam' in the month of 'Chingam' in 1856 AD (1032 of the Malayalam calendar). Yet Gurudev reportedly told some of his followers that he was actually born in 1030. When his 60th birth anniversary was being celebrated 1916 he laughingly said "my 60th birthday (sashtabhdhapoorty) was quite a while ago."

His father was Madan Asan and his mother Kuttiyamma. His family, Vayalvaram house, enjoyed a high level of social respectability and economic status. He was named Narayanan and came to be called Nanoo. Nanoo had three sisters.
In those days society was in the strangulating grip of caste system. People were divided into high castes and low castes. Forbidden to touch one another or to co-operate with one another in any way, they practised untouchability. But Nanoo who was destined to lead one of the greatest social revolutions in Indian society, defied untouchability from his boyhood days. He savoured physical contact with the low castes and associated himself with them.

His education began at the age of five. Chempazhanthi Mootha Pillai was his first guru.
In those days children in Kerala learned the alphabet through the 'Kalary' system in Kerala. There he learned chiefly Malayalam. Higher education was then conducted mostly in Sanskrit. Nanoo made a start in it. From his childhood he exhibited prodigious powers of memory. He learned things quickly, and thoroughly remembered what he learned.

After learning the preliminary lessons in Sanskrit, he studied some of the simple books in that language. His village lacked facilities for higher studies in Sanskrit. So he discontinued his studies for a time and helped his parents in domestic matters. He took up farming and studied Sanskrit books. His uncle Krishnan Vaidyar was a renowned physician. From him he began to learn medicine.

Although his uncle was very fond of him he was not the demonstrative type. He was very strict with his nephew. A pious boy, Nanoo went to the temple every day. He adopted a righteous way of life. In 1877 (1053) he went to Kummampally Raman Pillai Asan in Karunagappally for his higher education in Sanskrit. His trip to Asan was jointly overseen by his father and uncle.

Asan was one of the greatest scholars of the time. Students from many parts of the country came to him to be tutored in Sanskrit. Nanoo pursued his higher studies in Sanskrit there, staying with the reputed Puthupally Varanappally family. He learned poetry, drama, logic, poetics and grammar from Kummampally Asan. Nanoo loved solitude and contemplation. During his stay at Varanappally he showed his talent for poetry. He composed some hymns and devotional songs.

During his stay in Varanappally he was called Nanoo Chattampy - Chattampy in those days meant "senior student' or "monitor".

After returning from Varanappally he taught children for some time. That was in 1881. From that time the people respectfully called him Nanoo Asan. Then he took to worshipping deities, first Shri Krishna and then Sri Subramanya. According to the custom of the time a wedding could be solemnized in the absence of the bridegroom if the bridegroom's sister offered a thali to the bride. Nanoo Asan's wedding was formally solemnized that way in 1882.

The marriage was conducted at the behest of his guardians and Nanoo Asan soon stopped going home. After two months he left his native place forever.