Nataraja Guru was the second son born to a medical stalwart called Dr. Palpu (Padmanabhan) who had been educated and trained in England. His life was dedicated to serve the cause of the deprived millions who were socially, culturally, economically and literally struggling in the 19th and 20th centuries. Natarajan was shown how to toe the spiritual path of pilgrimage early in life by Narayana Guru, who also prompted him to be an educator of his contemporaries. Nataraja Guru was academically trained in Geology, Zoology and Educational Psychology. He received his DLitt from the Sorbonne in Paris and began his career in 1930 as a physics teacher for five years at the International Fellowship School in Geneva, Switzerland. Later he established Narayana Gurukula, contemplative educational centers in India, the first of which was in Fernhill, Nilgiris.

Integrating ancient wisdom with modern scientific exactitude was taken up as his life's mission. He clearly enunciated a common epistemology of all life interests of people to liberate themselves from social complexities and live their natural value visions. The Narayana Gurukulas which he established in several countries of the world make a network of islands of good cheer and redressal in the vast ocean of confusion and lack of direction.

His several books in English, French and Malayalam represent a serious probe into the fundamentals of life so that the reader can simplify his or her own problems of domestic entanglements and clouded value vision. They are guides to gaining methodological efficiency in discovering the higher truth that can bring excellence in life. Nataraja Guru passed away in 1973.