Karatt Govinda Menon (26 August 1852 – 10 September 1929), better known as Brahmananda Swami Sivayogi, was an Indian sanyasi from present-day Kerala who founded the Ananda Maha Sabha in 1918. He proposed Anandadarsam or Anandamadham (religion of bliss). He was titled "Brahmananda Swamikal", recognising his spiritual and literary knowledge by Ayyathan Gopalan, a social reformer and propagandist of Brahmo Samaj in Kerala and founder of Sugunavardhini movement. Mentor of Swami Sivayogi, and as an honor for writing a poem Brahmasankeerthanam (to be sung during Brahmo prayer meetings) on the request of Gopalan and all Brahmosamajists of Malabar, and also for extending his untiring services done through Brahmo Samaj. He started Sidhdhasramam in Alathur on 1891. He propounded the theory that anandam (happiness or bliss) should be the touchstone of any human activity. The movement he spearheaded played an important role in the Kerala reformation movement. Early life Brahmananda Sivayogi was born on 26 August 1852 at Kollankode, a small village in Palakkad district of Kerala. He was the ninth son of Nani Amma of "Karatt" family and Kunhikrishna Menon of Kunnath Ravunnyarath at Vallengi. He had nine brothers and one sister. In his childhood, Brahmananda Sivayogi was called Govindankutty. His mother was a devout Nair lady who strictly followed the tenets of religion. He lived with his mother in her house as per the existing custom of matrilineal families. His parents and other family members naturally influenced him towards conservatism. Govindankutty accepted all the traditional life of a Nair boy. He visited temples, worshipped individual Gods, involved in prayers, offerings and other religious customs. He was sent to a nearby school, the Kollankode Board Elementary School. Several changes had occurred in the field of education in Kerala during this time. But majority were unaware of the importance of English education. Sanskrit scholars were respected everywhere. The students usually had gone to the residence of Sanskrit scholars to master the language. The well-known scholar Padmanabha Sastri was the Sanskrit Guru who gave guidance to Govindankutty. His father Kunhikrishna Menon sent his son to Koodalloor Sastrikal for higher course in Sanskrit. He studied grammar, poetry and poetics from his guru. His grasping power was extraordinary. He had expressed his poetic genius during this time. By this time he became well versed in Hindu scriptures and Tamil language. There was nothing spectacular or any sign of his later beliefs of rationalism or