“There shines in holy temple of Guruvayur what at first appears to be an image but in reality, the Truth-Consciousness and Bliss, the Brahman, the Supreme, the incomparable, the incomprehensible, limitless, the ultimate end which all the scriptures, Vedas and humans seek. Blessed indeed is the humanity that such a divine Supreme exists among them as the image of Sri Krishna”(Sandranandava…Narayaneeyam, Canto 1 Verse 1)
“Narayaneeyam”, which hails the glory of Lord Guruvayurappa, begins with the above verse. Blessed indeed is one who is able to set foot on this holy land of Guruvayur, known as the ‘Heaven on Earth’ (Bhuloka Vaikuntha). As he steps in through the tower gate and reaches the precincts, he hears the sound of bells ringing, devotional music being rendered, mantra being chanted, sacred names, “Narayana”, “Narayana” being recited and he is transcended to a new world of divinity. Being in the queue that moves forward at a very slow pace, he anxiously looks forward to that great moment when he would be before Lord Guruvayurappa. He has no other thoughts now except that of Guruvayurappa. Normally, preparing for a happy event or remaining in expectation of a great event gives more happiness than the event itself. The devotee-in-waiting is also happy at the prospect of seeing his favorite God, Guruvayurappa. Reciting the sacred name of the Lord, “Narayan” “Narayana”, he moves forward and reaches the second gate. Now, like lightning that suddenly appears in the horizon and goes, he gets the glimpse of the Lord from a little distance, in between the two heads of the devotees in front. The recitation of Narayana mantra reaches a crescendo. At last, when he stands just in front of the sanctum sanctorum and sees Krishna in his magnificence, whose chest, ears and head adorned with ornaments, the body with garlands made of flowers of pleasant perfume and colours and waist draped in yellow attire, he is overwhelmed beyond words. After the worship, he moves sideways so that others can also share the same experience. He returns with a sense of great spiritual fulfilment, the experience that he would cherish in his heart forever.
According to legend, the image of Maha Vishnu, made of precious and rare Anjana stone, was given by Mahavishnu Himself to Brahma. From Brahma the idol changed hands of many Rishis and ultimately reached Vasudeva, who in turn gave it to his son, Krishna. It was consecrated at Dwaraka. In view of the impending deluge, Krishna asked Udhava to advise Brahaspati, the Deva Guru, to look for the idol which will come floating after the flood. The Deva Guru took the help of Lord of the Wind, of Vayu, got the idol and started searching for a suitable place down South. They descended on the banks of a lake, Rudra Teertha, the holy place where Lord Siva was doing penance. Lord Siva then suggested that the idol of Vishnu be consecrated there itself. The Lord then moved over to a nearby location and resumed his Tapas. The place where Lord Siva continued his Tapas has come to be known as Mammiyur Mahadeva temple.
The most important part of worship in the Guruvayur temple is Nirmalya Darshanam in the early morning in which the God is seen with the garlands that remained during the night. There is a belief that after the closure of gates, Devas come in the night and worship. So, seeing the God in early morning with the same garlands and attire in which Devas worshipped God, is considered very auspicious. The next part of the ritual is Vakacharthu, the act of sprinkling the idol with Vaka powder which is made by powdering the branches of the precious Vaka tree. There are many other rituals like Abhishekam (anointment) Puja, Siveli (procession of elephant with the idol), Ucha Puja (Noon puja) Deepa Aradhana, Athazha Puja (the night worship) etc., each ritual is unique in its own way.
There is a long list of offerings to Guruvayurappan, such as butter, Paal Payasam, the sweet creamy dish made of sugar and milk, plantain fruit etc. Thulabharam is a ritual by which one balances himself with the weight of an article he has chosen. In Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 9-26) Krishna says: “Offer me a leaf, a flower or some fruit with devotion and I would accept it willingly. Here, we would recall an instance that happened before Kurukshetra war. When Krishna went to Hastinapur as a messenger to bring the two warring factions together, he was invited by Duryodhana for a sumptuous feast, but Krishna declined the offer and instead went to the residence of his devotee, Vidura, as an uninvited guest and accepted the very simple food offered by Vidura because it was offered with humility and devotion.
Guruvayur wears a festive look on all days, but, when Guruvayur Ekadasi comes, the festivities defy description. Of the 24 Ekadasis in a year, the one which falls in the month of Vrischika is solemnized as Guruvayur Ekadasi. Devotees observe austerities during Ekadasi which reminds us of what Arut Prakasa Vallalar said: “Pasithu Iru” (Remain starved). The yearly festival, Guruvayur Utsavam, is a major event which begins on the day of Pushya in the month of Kumbham (February-March) and culminates on the 10th day. It consists of processions by caparisoned elephants, followed by different notes of percussion instruments and other fine arts like Kathakali, music, dance (Krishnanattam) etc. All the cultural events take place in the auditorium which is named after Sri Narayana Bhattathiri, the author of Narayaneeyam (Melpathur Auditorium). Other auspicious events are Malayalam New Year, Vishu which falls in mid-April, Janmashtami, (August) and Kuchelar Day. As the years pass by, the glory of Guruvayurappa reaches all time high and the Devaswom authorities find it hard to manage the crowd.
There was one devotee who described Krishna beautifully, who brought out the nectar from Srimad Bhagavatam and presented it to humanity as a remedy for all ills. He was Melpathur Sri Narayana Bhattathiri. Born at Melpathur Illam, situated on the banks of Bharatha River near Shoranur, Sri Narayana Bhattathiri gained knowledge of Sastras from his father, Matridatta, Vedas from another Master, Madhavacharya and grammar from Achyuta Pisharady. Over the years, Achyuta Pishardy became a Philosopher-guide to Bhattathiri. The Guru-Sishya relation was so intense that when the Guru had fallen victim to paralysis, Bhattathiri rushed and attended to his Guru with great love and care. He could not see his Guru suffering, went to Guruvayurappa and said that he was prepared to take upon himself the ailment of his Guru. By a divine intervention, it happened and Sri Pisharady was cured and his disciple, Bhattathiri became paralytic. Though Bhattathiri accepted it willingly, over the years he found that the pain was so unbearable that it distracted him from pursuing his devotion. He then went to Guruvayur, gave expression of his devotion in 108 verses and sought remedy for his illness. ‘Narayaneeyam’ not only brought remedy to his illness but also served as a guide for the welfare of whole humanity.
In one of the verses, he says: “Oh Lord, give me a heart full of devotion towards you, respect towards your devotees, compassion towards the needy, tolerance towards persons in ignorance and indifference towards antagonists. Oh God, give me a mind that seeks the company of saints and sages.” In another verse (91-5), Bhattathiri says: “I should always keep chanting Thy sacred names, Thy incarnations and thy benign qualities. Having immersed in my devotion towards you, I may sometime laugh, I may cry, or shout or sing aloud or dance in ecstasy and move about even like a lunatic.” There were many devotees who found fulfillment in life by worshipping Lord Guruvayurappa; Poonthanam, Karooramma, Sengalipuram Sri Anantharama Dikshithar, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar are few of them. This author recalls his divine experience with a great sage, Sri Anjam Madhavan Namboodiri. A description of Guruvayur would never be complete without the mention of “Guruvayur Kesavan”, the elephant which was devoted to Lord Guruvayurappa. He had the distinction of carrying the idol of Guruvayurappa for over 50 years; he attained Mukti right in front of the Lord.
Visiting Guruvayur is an occasion that takes away the individual from the world of materialism, transforming him into a true devotee and bringing him a sense of spiritual fulfillment.