Guruvayoorappan
Encyclopedia
Guruvayurappan
Guruvayurappan (Malayalam: , (transliterated guruvāyūrappan), also often written Guruvayoorappan, is a form of Vishnu
worshipped and held in reverence by Hindu
s, predominantly in South India
. This is located in the town of Guruvayur
, Kerala
, India
.
The word Guruvayurappan, meaning Lord of Guruvayur, comes from the words Guru
referring to Brihaspati, the Guru
of the Devas
, Vayu
, the God of Wind and Appan , meaning father or Lord
in Malayalam.Since Guru and Vayu installed Krishna's idol, the name Guruvayurappan was given to the deity.
It is believed that the idol of Guruvayurappan was worshipped by Vasudeva, father of Krishna, and represents the full manifestation of Vishnu. The idol is made of a stone called "Patala Anjanam" or black bismuth and is in the standing pose with 4 arms carrying the shanku (conch), the chakra
(discus), the gada (mace) and padma (lotus). The idol faces east and is almost 4 1/2 ft tall. Guruvayur is also hailed as "Bhuloka Sri Vaikuntham" meaning Heaven in Earth. where the deity reveals himself to his devotees in the same majestic form in which he welcomes them in Vaikuntha, his celestial abode. It is a main point that even though it is one of the holiest spots this is not a part of 108 Divya Desams of Sri Vaishnavas.
for a child. Brahma, with the consent of Vishnu, gave the king a murti
of Krishna given to him by Vishnu himself. It is said that by the grace of this murti
, Brahma was able to fulfill his task of creation. When Vishnu appeared before the King and the queen in answer to their prayers, they prayed to the Lord for a son like Him. As they repeated it thrice, the lord told them that they would have three janmas (births) and that He would be born to them in each of their three incarnations. In due course the Lord was born to them. He was born to them the first time as Prisnigarbha, who taught people the importance of brahmacharya
. The second time, he was born to Kashyapa and Aditi and took form as the Avatar
of Vamana
. In their third incarnation, they were Vasudeva
and Devaki
, parents of Krishna
. The legend states that Krishna got the murti
from his father and worshiped it at his capital, Dwaraka. Before the conclusion of his incarnation as Krishna, the Lord told his devotee and minister Uddhava
that his image would come floating in the sea which would soon engulf Dwaraka. Uddhava was to request Brahaspati, the Guru of the Gods, to install the image at a suitable place. When this came to pass, Brahaspati and Vayu, the God of wind, set out in search of a sacred place to house the murti
. They met Parasurama (an earlier avatara of Vishnu
) at Kerala, who was bringing the same murti to Dwaraka. Parasurama led them to a beautiful lake full of lotus flowers. Lord Shiva was doing penance there and he told Guru and Vayu to install the two murti
together at a spot near the lake and that the site should be known as "Guruvayupura". Lord Shiva
and the goddess Parvati left for Mammiyur, on the opposite bank of the lake. The present tank, "Rudratirtha", is only a miniature of the original lake. When devotees go round the Krishna temple, from a certain spot, they face Mammiyur and pray to Shiva. Vishwakarma, the architect of the Gods, built the Krishna temple at the request of Guru and Vayu. This is the account in the Mahabharatha, told by the sage Dattatreya to King Janamejaya, son of Parikshit. King Parikshit died of a cobra bite due to the curse of a sage. His son, King Janamejaya, sacrificed thousands of innocent reptiles. As a result of their curse, he was afflicted by leprosy. On the sage Dattatreya's advice, he went to Guruvayur and worshiped Guruvayurappan in the company of the sage Atreya. He prayed with intense devotion for 41 days. He had a dream one night, that the Lord's tender hand was stroking him. The legend has it that when he woke up the next day, he found no trace of leprosy on his body.
, one of the foremost Sanskrit poets and savants of Kerala. Bhattathiri's guru and mentor was Achyuta Pisharati
. When Pisharati was stricken with rheumatism, Bhattathiri took the disease into himself, thus curing his guru. The disease was incurable, and Ezhuthachan instructed Bhattathiri to become a devotee of Guruvayoorappan. Bhattathiri did so, sitting before the Lord and composing and reciting 1034 slokas in the praise of the Lord. The slokas are divided into 100 dasakas (sets of 10 verses). Each dasaka ends with a prayer to the Lord of Guruvayur for relief of his disease. Legend has it that the Lord signified his approval and acceptance of the poem by providing inspiration to the poet whenever he was at a loss for words.
While dealing with the Lord's incarnation as Narasimha, the poet could not visualise his form. There upon the Lord himself took form as Narasimha, springing out of a pillar. The Lord himself enacted Krishna dancing on the Kaliya, and the Kaliya mardhanam slokas in the Narayaneeyam are set to the same tempo as Sri Krishna's dance.
According to Bhagavatham, Sri Krishna, as a child, broke a pot with a grinding stone whereas Bhattathiri wrote that Sri Krishna had broken it with a churning stick. While he was grieving that he got it wrong, the Lord himself said that he had broken the pot both with the churning stick and the grinding stone.
Narayaneeyam contains the essence of Bhagavata. Its aim is the cure of ills of the present incarnation or life cycle, its ultimate aim is moksha or liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. In the last dasaka, "Agre pashyami" (HIM I SEE BEFORE ME), the poet has given an inspired and inspiring vision of Srikrishna as Venugopal given to him by the Lord. This was on Ekadesi day.
Namboodiri was a humble devotee of Lord Guruvayurappan. He wrote a Malayalam lyric "Jnanappana" in praise of the Lord. He was not erudite like Bhattathiri but his lyrics were noted for their simplicity and devotional fervour. He requested Bhattathiri to revise it, but Bhattatiri lacked humility and looked down upon Poonthanam's knowledge of Sanskrit. Poonthanam
went home and wept bitterly before the Lord. That night a boy appeared at Bhattathiri's house as he was preparing to recite Narayaneeyam. Seating the boy at his side, he started to recite. The boy pointed out an error in the very first verse. The poet admitted it and proceeded with the next verse, and the boy pointed out two mistakes. In the third verse, he pointed out three mistakes and so on. After the tenth verse, Bhattatiri realised that the boy was the Lord himself, and understood that Poonthanam
's bhakti was more pleasing to the Lord than his own superior knowledge of Vibhakti (Sanskrit grammar) and learning. He rushed to Poonthanam
and sought his forgiveness. When he read the Jnanappana, he found that it was flawless.
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri
was a devotee of Guruvayoorappan. He composed the 1034 verse Narayaneeyam, a summary of the Bhagavata Purana
in 1586 AD. Melpathur Bhattithiri was a student of Achyuta Pisharody, who became ill. As a student of the guru, Melpathur Bhattithiri took the disease upon himself as part of Guru Dakshina. The disease was incurable, and he was instructed by Ezhuthachan to become a devotee of Guruvayoorappan. Being a Sanskrit scholar, Melpathur Bhattithiri composed a verse every day for the Lord, and after the final verse was complete, he was cured of his ailments.
Vilwamangalam Swamiyar
and Kurur Amma were cousins. There is a holy spot, Nritham, on the eastern side of the northern entrance to the temple, where the Swamiyar meditated and danced in ectasy. Its believed that the Lord often gave him darshan in person after the last ritual of the day. He could see him whenever and in whatever form he wished. The Lord was a child to the childless Kururamma. She played with him and would even scold him when he was naughty. He helped her in all her household chores as a dutiful son would, for his mother.
The Garland of Manjula: There is a banyan tree a few metres away from the temple on the East Nada. A young Varasyar girl would make a garland every day and offer it to the Lord in the night. The Mel Shanti (Chief Priest) would adorn the idol with it. One day she was late and the Sri Koil was closed. Manjula stood near the banyan tree crying and Poonthanam
who passed by told her "Guruvayurappan knows what's in your heart, keep the garland on the banyan tree and he will take it". The following morning, when the Mel Shanti began to remove the nirmalyam, one garland stuck to the idol and would not come off. When Poonthanam
saw this, he called out to the Lord saying "That's Manjula's Garland, let it also fall". The garland fell and the devotees were awestruck and started chanting the Lord's name. From that day the banyan tree is called Manjula.
Sengalipuram Anantharama Dikshitar: In modern times, this well known scholar and Upanyasa Chakravati was cured of his leprosy by praying to Lord Guruvayurappan.
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar
lost his voice suddenly at the peak of a concert he was giving at Suchindram. Several doctors tried to cure him but to no avail. He went to Guruvayur and cried out to the Lord. He regained his voice and lived many more years to sing in many concerts.
Coconut with horns: A villager had planted a number of coconut saplings and had promised himself that he would offer the 'first coconut' from each of his coconut trees to "The Lord Guruvayurappan". When the trees started to yield coconuts, he collected the first coconut from all the trees in a sack and set forth to Guruvayur. On the way he was stopped by a robber and asked to part with the items in the sack. The villager told the robber that the coconuts in the sack belonged to Guruvayurappan and so he was unable to hand it over. The robber disdainfully asked the villager "Is Guruvaurappan's coconut any different? Does it have horns?". When the robber pulled the sack forcefully out of the villagers hands, the coconuts spilled out. To their astonishment each and every coconut in the sack had horns! Even today, the coconut with horns are displayed in the temple for devotees to see.
Shopkeeper and boy: Once, a poor little boy could not get even a morsel of food to appease his hunger, and stole a banana from a nearby fruit shop. Being a devotee of Lord Guruvayurappan, he dropped half the banana into the 'hundi' and he ate the other half. The shop-keeper caught hold of the boy and accused him of the theft. The boy admitted his guilt. The shop-keeper did not have the heart to punish this innocent boy, but to teach him a lesson, he ordered him to walk around the temple a certain number of times. The shop-keeper was aghast when he saw Lord Guruvayurappan follow the little boy around the temple. That night the Lord came to the shopkeeper in a dream and explained, "Since I have also had a share in the stolen banana I am bound to share the punishment, too. So, I followed the boy around the temple."
Nenmini Unni: Once a Nenmini Namboodiri, the priest at the Guruvayur temple, instructed his twelve year old son to offer the Nivedyam to the Lord. There was only one priest in those days and the Nenmini Namboodiri had to go out on an urgent engagement. The son, Unni, offered a Nivedyam of cooked rice to the Lord; in his simplicity, he believed that the idol would eat the food, but the idol did not move. Unni bought some salted mangoes and curd from a neighborhood vendor, thinking that the Lord would prefer this, mixed the curd with rice and offered it again. The idol again remained unmoved. Unni cajoled, requested, coaxed and in the end threatened, but the idol remained unmoved. He wept because he believed he had failed and shouted at the Lord, exclaiming that his father would beat him. The Lord could not bear it any more, and made the Nivedyam disappear. The boy left the temple satisfied. Unni did not know that the Nivedyam offered to the Lord was the Variyar's prerequisite. When Variyar returned to the temple, he saw the empty plate and became very angry with Unni, but Unni insisted that God had, in fact, eaten the offering. Unni's innocent words made Variyar furious, as he believed the boy had eaten the offering himself and was lying. His father was about to beat Unni, but just then an Asareeri (celestial voice) was heard saying, "I am guilty. Unni is innocent".
Every day, the temple opens at 3 a.m. and the Lord is awakened from his sleep with the melodious notes of nadaswaram. The Lord is adorned with flowers of the previous day. This is known as Nirmalya Darshanam. It is believed that celestial beings come and worship the Lord after the temple is closed.
Sriveli is a ritual which is performed thrice every day. The Utsava Vigraha of the Lord (a miniature of the idol in gold) is mounted on an elephant and taken three times around within the four outer walls of the temple to the accompaniment of drums. There are beli Kallus representing the Lord's body guards, subsidiary deities and members of his entourage in the inner and outer prakara. The idea of Sriveli and the priest performing poojas at these places is that the Lord Himself stands by as offerings are made to his dependents. Guruvayur is a temple state with the Lord as its Head. Every night at the close of worship, the days account is read to the Lord even today. Another ceremony is the Thulabharam, in which the devotees are weighed against plantains/sugar/jaggery/coconuts or other articles. These are gifted to the temple.
Another is Annaprasanam, or the first feeding ceremony of the child.
Kesavan was donated by Raja of Nilambur and came to Guruvayur in 1922. He learnt from Padmanabhan the way he should conduct himself as a servant of the Lord. He was about 11 ft tall and would raise his front leg only when the Thidambu is to be mounted. All other riders, including his mahout, had to mount from the rear, using his hind leg. He was honoured with the title Gajaraja. In 1976, on Navami, he fell ill during the Sriveli. On the Dasami night, he used the drinking water (kept for him) to bathe and to clean his body and stood looking longingly in the direction of the Deity whom he had served for a long time. The morning of Ekadesi dawned. On the day Lord Krishna gave Vishwarupa Darshan to Arjuna, Kesavan lay prostrate on the ground with his trunk stretched towards the Lord. The Lord had given moksha to the Gajaraja, just before the Sri Koil opened. Guruvayur Devaswom has erected a life size statue of Kesavan in one of their rest houses.
The Lord of Guruvayur is no distant elusive deity, but one who is accessible to all devotees, learned and unlearned. As the Lord said to Arjuna in the Gita, "I am responsible for the welfare of those who think of me to the exclusion of all else and who remain devoted to me all the time", Guruvayurappan comes to the rescue of his Bhakthas in distress and manifests his grace in infinite ways.
Guruvayurappan (Malayalam: , (transliterated guruvāyūrappan), also often written Guruvayoorappan, is a form of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
worshipped and held in reverence by Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s, predominantly in South India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. This is located in the town of Guruvayur
Guruvayur
Guruvayur is a municipal town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It houses the famous Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, the fourth biggest temple in India in terms of the number of devotees per day.-History:Guruvayur, according to the legends may be 5,000 years old as the Guruvayur...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Brihaspati
Bṛhaspati also known as Brahmanaspati and Deva-guru , is the name of a Vedic deity...
referring to Brihaspati, the Guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
of the Devas
Deva (Hinduism)
' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...
, Vayu
Vayu
Vāyu is a primary Hindu deity, the Lord of the winds, the father of Bhima and the spiritual father of Lord Hanuman...
, the God of Wind and Appan , meaning father or Lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
in Malayalam.Since Guru and Vayu installed Krishna's idol, the name Guruvayurappan was given to the deity.
It is believed that the idol of Guruvayurappan was worshipped by Vasudeva, father of Krishna, and represents the full manifestation of Vishnu. The idol is made of a stone called "Patala Anjanam" or black bismuth and is in the standing pose with 4 arms carrying the shanku (conch), the chakra
Sudarshana Chakra
The Sudarshana Chakra is a spinning, disk-like super weapon with 108 serrated edges used by Lord Vishnu. The Sudarshana Chakra is portrayed on the right rear hand of the four hands of Vishnu, who also holds a Shankha in his left rear hand, a Gada in his right fore hand, and a Padma in his left...
(discus), the gada (mace) and padma (lotus). The idol faces east and is almost 4 1/2 ft tall. Guruvayur is also hailed as "Bhuloka Sri Vaikuntham" meaning Heaven in Earth. where the deity reveals himself to his devotees in the same majestic form in which he welcomes them in Vaikuntha, his celestial abode. It is a main point that even though it is one of the holiest spots this is not a part of 108 Divya Desams of Sri Vaishnavas.
Origin of the murti
King Sutapa and his wife Prishni prayed to BrahmaBrahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
for a child. Brahma, with the consent of Vishnu, gave the king a murti
Murti
In Hinduism, a murti , or murthi, or vigraha or pratima typically refers to an image which expresses a Divine Spirit . Meaning literally "embodiment", a murti is a representation of a divinity, made usually of stone, wood, or metal, which serves as a means through which a divinity may be worshiped...
of Krishna given to him by Vishnu himself. It is said that by the grace of this murti
Murti
In Hinduism, a murti , or murthi, or vigraha or pratima typically refers to an image which expresses a Divine Spirit . Meaning literally "embodiment", a murti is a representation of a divinity, made usually of stone, wood, or metal, which serves as a means through which a divinity may be worshiped...
, Brahma was able to fulfill his task of creation. When Vishnu appeared before the King and the queen in answer to their prayers, they prayed to the Lord for a son like Him. As they repeated it thrice, the lord told them that they would have three janmas (births) and that He would be born to them in each of their three incarnations. In due course the Lord was born to them. He was born to them the first time as Prisnigarbha, who taught people the importance of brahmacharya
Brahmacharya
Brahmacharya is one of the four stages of life in an age-based social system as laid out in the Manu Smrti and later Classical Sanskrit texts in Hinduism. It refers to an educational period of 14–20 years which starts before the age of puberty. During this time the traditional vedic sciences are...
. The second time, he was born to Kashyapa and Aditi and took form as the Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
of Vamana
Vamana
Vamana is described in the Puranic texts of Hinduism as the Fifth Avatar of Vishnu, and the first incarnation of the Second Age, or the Treta yuga. Also he is the first Avatar of Vishnu which appears with a completely human form, though it was that of a dwarf brahmin. He is also sometimes known as...
. In their third incarnation, they were Vasudeva
Vasudeva
In Hindu itihasa , Vasudeva is the father of Krishna, the son of Shoorsen, of the Yadu and Vrishni dynasties. His sister Kunti was married to Pandu. He was a partial incarnation of Rishi Kashyap....
and Devaki
Devaki
In Hinduism, Devaki is the wife of Vasudeva and biological mother of Krishna.She was the daughter of Devaka, the younger brother of King Ugrasena of Mathura. She was a partial incarnation of Aditi, the mother of the Devas.-Imprisonment :...
, parents of Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
. The legend states that Krishna got the murti
Murti
In Hinduism, a murti , or murthi, or vigraha or pratima typically refers to an image which expresses a Divine Spirit . Meaning literally "embodiment", a murti is a representation of a divinity, made usually of stone, wood, or metal, which serves as a means through which a divinity may be worshiped...
from his father and worshiped it at his capital, Dwaraka. Before the conclusion of his incarnation as Krishna, the Lord told his devotee and minister Uddhava
Uddhava
Uddhava is a character from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, who is the friend and counsellor of Krishna the Avatar. He plays a significant role in the Bhagavata Purana, being taught the processes of yoga and bhakti directly by Krishna...
that his image would come floating in the sea which would soon engulf Dwaraka. Uddhava was to request Brahaspati, the Guru of the Gods, to install the image at a suitable place. When this came to pass, Brahaspati and Vayu, the God of wind, set out in search of a sacred place to house the murti
Murti
In Hinduism, a murti , or murthi, or vigraha or pratima typically refers to an image which expresses a Divine Spirit . Meaning literally "embodiment", a murti is a representation of a divinity, made usually of stone, wood, or metal, which serves as a means through which a divinity may be worshiped...
. They met Parasurama (an earlier avatara of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
) at Kerala, who was bringing the same murti to Dwaraka. Parasurama led them to a beautiful lake full of lotus flowers. Lord Shiva was doing penance there and he told Guru and Vayu to install the two murti
Murti
In Hinduism, a murti , or murthi, or vigraha or pratima typically refers to an image which expresses a Divine Spirit . Meaning literally "embodiment", a murti is a representation of a divinity, made usually of stone, wood, or metal, which serves as a means through which a divinity may be worshiped...
together at a spot near the lake and that the site should be known as "Guruvayupura". Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and the goddess Parvati left for Mammiyur, on the opposite bank of the lake. The present tank, "Rudratirtha", is only a miniature of the original lake. When devotees go round the Krishna temple, from a certain spot, they face Mammiyur and pray to Shiva. Vishwakarma, the architect of the Gods, built the Krishna temple at the request of Guru and Vayu. This is the account in the Mahabharatha, told by the sage Dattatreya to King Janamejaya, son of Parikshit. King Parikshit died of a cobra bite due to the curse of a sage. His son, King Janamejaya, sacrificed thousands of innocent reptiles. As a result of their curse, he was afflicted by leprosy. On the sage Dattatreya's advice, he went to Guruvayur and worshiped Guruvayurappan in the company of the sage Atreya. He prayed with intense devotion for 41 days. He had a dream one night, that the Lord's tender hand was stroking him. The legend has it that when he woke up the next day, he found no trace of leprosy on his body.
Construction of the temple
An astrologer told a Pandya King that he was destined to die from a cobra bite on a particular day. He was advised to go and pray before Guruvayurappan. The king spent years in meditation and prayer at the feet of the deity. Suddenly the King realized that the time of his death had passed. He came back to his palace and asked the astrologer why the prediction was wrong. The wise man showed him the mark on his left foot where the cobra had bitten him. Since the king was wholly absorbed in the Lord, Who alone can dispense with fate, he did not feel the sting. In gratitude, the King built the temple at Guruvayur and set apart funds for the daily routine of the temple. Most of the current temple building dates to the 16th and 17th centuries, although rich devotees funded extensions and additions later. The deepastamba (column of lights) was erected in 1836 by a devotee from Thiruvanathapuram. The temple has gopurams in the east and the west. The eastern gopuram has an inscription which refers to the town as "Gurupavanapura". The western gopura was built in 1747.Narayaneeyam
There are several literary works extolling the glory of the Lord of Guruvayur. The Narayaneeyam is considered the greatest of all such works, creating a Guruvayur in the hearts of everyone who reads or listens to it. The author of this great work is Melpathur Narayana BhattathiriMelpathur Narayana Bhattathiri
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri , third student of Achyuta Pisharati, was of Madhava of Sangamagrama's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. He was a mathematical linguist . His most important scholarly work, Prkriya-sarvawom, sets forth an axiomatic system elaborating on the classical system...
, one of the foremost Sanskrit poets and savants of Kerala. Bhattathiri's guru and mentor was Achyuta Pisharati
Achyuta Pisharati
Acyuta Piṣāraṭi was an Sanskrit grammarian, astrologer, astronomer and mathematician who studied under Jyeṣṭhadeva and was a member of Mādhava of Sañgamāgrama's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics...
. When Pisharati was stricken with rheumatism, Bhattathiri took the disease into himself, thus curing his guru. The disease was incurable, and Ezhuthachan instructed Bhattathiri to become a devotee of Guruvayoorappan. Bhattathiri did so, sitting before the Lord and composing and reciting 1034 slokas in the praise of the Lord. The slokas are divided into 100 dasakas (sets of 10 verses). Each dasaka ends with a prayer to the Lord of Guruvayur for relief of his disease. Legend has it that the Lord signified his approval and acceptance of the poem by providing inspiration to the poet whenever he was at a loss for words.
While dealing with the Lord's incarnation as Narasimha, the poet could not visualise his form. There upon the Lord himself took form as Narasimha, springing out of a pillar. The Lord himself enacted Krishna dancing on the Kaliya, and the Kaliya mardhanam slokas in the Narayaneeyam are set to the same tempo as Sri Krishna's dance.
According to Bhagavatham, Sri Krishna, as a child, broke a pot with a grinding stone whereas Bhattathiri wrote that Sri Krishna had broken it with a churning stick. While he was grieving that he got it wrong, the Lord himself said that he had broken the pot both with the churning stick and the grinding stone.
Narayaneeyam contains the essence of Bhagavata. Its aim is the cure of ills of the present incarnation or life cycle, its ultimate aim is moksha or liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. In the last dasaka, "Agre pashyami" (HIM I SEE BEFORE ME), the poet has given an inspired and inspiring vision of Srikrishna as Venugopal given to him by the Lord. This was on Ekadesi day.
Legends
PoonthanamPoonthanam
Poonthanam was a famous devotee of Guruvayurappan, who lived in Keezhattoor in , Kerala, India. He was a famous devotee of Lord Krishna . He is remembered for his masterpiece, Jnanappana which means 'the song of wisdom' in Malayalam...
Namboodiri was a humble devotee of Lord Guruvayurappan. He wrote a Malayalam lyric "Jnanappana" in praise of the Lord. He was not erudite like Bhattathiri but his lyrics were noted for their simplicity and devotional fervour. He requested Bhattathiri to revise it, but Bhattatiri lacked humility and looked down upon Poonthanam's knowledge of Sanskrit. Poonthanam
Poonthanam
Poonthanam was a famous devotee of Guruvayurappan, who lived in Keezhattoor in , Kerala, India. He was a famous devotee of Lord Krishna . He is remembered for his masterpiece, Jnanappana which means 'the song of wisdom' in Malayalam...
went home and wept bitterly before the Lord. That night a boy appeared at Bhattathiri's house as he was preparing to recite Narayaneeyam. Seating the boy at his side, he started to recite. The boy pointed out an error in the very first verse. The poet admitted it and proceeded with the next verse, and the boy pointed out two mistakes. In the third verse, he pointed out three mistakes and so on. After the tenth verse, Bhattatiri realised that the boy was the Lord himself, and understood that Poonthanam
Poonthanam
Poonthanam was a famous devotee of Guruvayurappan, who lived in Keezhattoor in , Kerala, India. He was a famous devotee of Lord Krishna . He is remembered for his masterpiece, Jnanappana which means 'the song of wisdom' in Malayalam...
's bhakti was more pleasing to the Lord than his own superior knowledge of Vibhakti (Sanskrit grammar) and learning. He rushed to Poonthanam
Poonthanam
Poonthanam was a famous devotee of Guruvayurappan, who lived in Keezhattoor in , Kerala, India. He was a famous devotee of Lord Krishna . He is remembered for his masterpiece, Jnanappana which means 'the song of wisdom' in Malayalam...
and sought his forgiveness. When he read the Jnanappana, he found that it was flawless.
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri , third student of Achyuta Pisharati, was of Madhava of Sangamagrama's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. He was a mathematical linguist . His most important scholarly work, Prkriya-sarvawom, sets forth an axiomatic system elaborating on the classical system...
was a devotee of Guruvayoorappan. He composed the 1034 verse Narayaneeyam, a summary of the Bhagavata Purana
Bhagavata purana
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...
in 1586 AD. Melpathur Bhattithiri was a student of Achyuta Pisharody, who became ill. As a student of the guru, Melpathur Bhattithiri took the disease upon himself as part of Guru Dakshina. The disease was incurable, and he was instructed by Ezhuthachan to become a devotee of Guruvayoorappan. Being a Sanskrit scholar, Melpathur Bhattithiri composed a verse every day for the Lord, and after the final verse was complete, he was cured of his ailments.
Vilwamangalam Swamiyar
Vilwamangalam Swamiyar
Vilwamangalam Swamiyar was a Brahmin saint who lived during the middle of 14th century in Kerala. He was such an ardent devotee of Lord Guruvayoorappan that he is said to have the ability to actually see the lord whenever he wanted. Even though he is a Keralite, his fame as a poet had spread...
and Kurur Amma were cousins. There is a holy spot, Nritham, on the eastern side of the northern entrance to the temple, where the Swamiyar meditated and danced in ectasy. Its believed that the Lord often gave him darshan in person after the last ritual of the day. He could see him whenever and in whatever form he wished. The Lord was a child to the childless Kururamma. She played with him and would even scold him when he was naughty. He helped her in all her household chores as a dutiful son would, for his mother.
The Garland of Manjula: There is a banyan tree a few metres away from the temple on the East Nada. A young Varasyar girl would make a garland every day and offer it to the Lord in the night. The Mel Shanti (Chief Priest) would adorn the idol with it. One day she was late and the Sri Koil was closed. Manjula stood near the banyan tree crying and Poonthanam
Poonthanam
Poonthanam was a famous devotee of Guruvayurappan, who lived in Keezhattoor in , Kerala, India. He was a famous devotee of Lord Krishna . He is remembered for his masterpiece, Jnanappana which means 'the song of wisdom' in Malayalam...
who passed by told her "Guruvayurappan knows what's in your heart, keep the garland on the banyan tree and he will take it". The following morning, when the Mel Shanti began to remove the nirmalyam, one garland stuck to the idol and would not come off. When Poonthanam
Poonthanam
Poonthanam was a famous devotee of Guruvayurappan, who lived in Keezhattoor in , Kerala, India. He was a famous devotee of Lord Krishna . He is remembered for his masterpiece, Jnanappana which means 'the song of wisdom' in Malayalam...
saw this, he called out to the Lord saying "That's Manjula's Garland, let it also fall". The garland fell and the devotees were awestruck and started chanting the Lord's name. From that day the banyan tree is called Manjula.
Sengalipuram Anantharama Dikshitar: In modern times, this well known scholar and Upanyasa Chakravati was cured of his leprosy by praying to Lord Guruvayurappan.
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar was a Carnatic music singer from Palakkad . Known by his village name Chembai, or simply as Bhagavatar, he was born to Anantha Bhagavatar and Parvati Ammal in 1896, at Kottayi near Palakkad on Janmashtami day, with Bharani star in the month of Chingam...
lost his voice suddenly at the peak of a concert he was giving at Suchindram. Several doctors tried to cure him but to no avail. He went to Guruvayur and cried out to the Lord. He regained his voice and lived many more years to sing in many concerts.
Coconut with horns: A villager had planted a number of coconut saplings and had promised himself that he would offer the 'first coconut' from each of his coconut trees to "The Lord Guruvayurappan". When the trees started to yield coconuts, he collected the first coconut from all the trees in a sack and set forth to Guruvayur. On the way he was stopped by a robber and asked to part with the items in the sack. The villager told the robber that the coconuts in the sack belonged to Guruvayurappan and so he was unable to hand it over. The robber disdainfully asked the villager "Is Guruvaurappan's coconut any different? Does it have horns?". When the robber pulled the sack forcefully out of the villagers hands, the coconuts spilled out. To their astonishment each and every coconut in the sack had horns! Even today, the coconut with horns are displayed in the temple for devotees to see.
Shopkeeper and boy: Once, a poor little boy could not get even a morsel of food to appease his hunger, and stole a banana from a nearby fruit shop. Being a devotee of Lord Guruvayurappan, he dropped half the banana into the 'hundi' and he ate the other half. The shop-keeper caught hold of the boy and accused him of the theft. The boy admitted his guilt. The shop-keeper did not have the heart to punish this innocent boy, but to teach him a lesson, he ordered him to walk around the temple a certain number of times. The shop-keeper was aghast when he saw Lord Guruvayurappan follow the little boy around the temple. That night the Lord came to the shopkeeper in a dream and explained, "Since I have also had a share in the stolen banana I am bound to share the punishment, too. So, I followed the boy around the temple."
Nenmini Unni: Once a Nenmini Namboodiri, the priest at the Guruvayur temple, instructed his twelve year old son to offer the Nivedyam to the Lord. There was only one priest in those days and the Nenmini Namboodiri had to go out on an urgent engagement. The son, Unni, offered a Nivedyam of cooked rice to the Lord; in his simplicity, he believed that the idol would eat the food, but the idol did not move. Unni bought some salted mangoes and curd from a neighborhood vendor, thinking that the Lord would prefer this, mixed the curd with rice and offered it again. The idol again remained unmoved. Unni cajoled, requested, coaxed and in the end threatened, but the idol remained unmoved. He wept because he believed he had failed and shouted at the Lord, exclaiming that his father would beat him. The Lord could not bear it any more, and made the Nivedyam disappear. The boy left the temple satisfied. Unni did not know that the Nivedyam offered to the Lord was the Variyar's prerequisite. When Variyar returned to the temple, he saw the empty plate and became very angry with Unni, but Unni insisted that God had, in fact, eaten the offering. Unni's innocent words made Variyar furious, as he believed the boy had eaten the offering himself and was lying. His father was about to beat Unni, but just then an Asareeri (celestial voice) was heard saying, "I am guilty. Unni is innocent".
Rituals at the temple
There is a fascinating legend about the origin of the rituals in this temple. One Ekadesi day, Sri Adi Shankara and Narada were travelling in space above the temple of Guruvayur. Narada told the Acharya that he was descending at Guruvayur. Acharya disdainfully told Narada that idol worship and chanting of the Lord's name repeatedly was for the ignorant and not for a Gyani like him and continued his journey in space. A moment later, he tripped and fell prostrate on the earth by the northern side of the temple, where the Lord's Sriveli had reached. The Acharya realised his error and begged the Lord for forgiveness. The Lord told him that temple worship, repetition of the Lord's name and listening to religious discourses were all ways of expressing devotion and were all dear to him. He then asked Sri Shankara to organise the daily worship in the temple, which he did. These rituals are followed even today.Every day, the temple opens at 3 a.m. and the Lord is awakened from his sleep with the melodious notes of nadaswaram. The Lord is adorned with flowers of the previous day. This is known as Nirmalya Darshanam. It is believed that celestial beings come and worship the Lord after the temple is closed.
Sriveli is a ritual which is performed thrice every day. The Utsava Vigraha of the Lord (a miniature of the idol in gold) is mounted on an elephant and taken three times around within the four outer walls of the temple to the accompaniment of drums. There are beli Kallus representing the Lord's body guards, subsidiary deities and members of his entourage in the inner and outer prakara. The idea of Sriveli and the priest performing poojas at these places is that the Lord Himself stands by as offerings are made to his dependents. Guruvayur is a temple state with the Lord as its Head. Every night at the close of worship, the days account is read to the Lord even today. Another ceremony is the Thulabharam, in which the devotees are weighed against plantains/sugar/jaggery/coconuts or other articles. These are gifted to the temple.
Another is Annaprasanam, or the first feeding ceremony of the child.
Utsavam
The utsavam in Guruvayur is in the month of Kumbham (Feb-Mar) and the celebrations are spread over a period of 10 days. The festival starts with the hoisting of the temple flag on the dwajasthamba. A special event during the utsavam is the elephant race. The Guruvayur Devaswom has about 45 elephants now, all donated by devotees. No description of the elephants in this temple is complete without mentioning Padmanabhan and Kesavan. Padmanabhan was a very tall elephant and had a majestic bearing. He would allow no other elephant to carry the Thidambu. There are many stories about his kindness, devotion and unswerving loyalty to the Lord. In appreciation of his services, a gold chain was presented to him. A strange spectacle was seen in the Guruvayur temple in the year 1931, the day Padmanabhan died: the sandal paste with which the Lord was adorned split into two pieces and fell down. The two tusks and teeth of Padmanabhan are kept in Guruvayur.Kesavan was donated by Raja of Nilambur and came to Guruvayur in 1922. He learnt from Padmanabhan the way he should conduct himself as a servant of the Lord. He was about 11 ft tall and would raise his front leg only when the Thidambu is to be mounted. All other riders, including his mahout, had to mount from the rear, using his hind leg. He was honoured with the title Gajaraja. In 1976, on Navami, he fell ill during the Sriveli. On the Dasami night, he used the drinking water (kept for him) to bathe and to clean his body and stood looking longingly in the direction of the Deity whom he had served for a long time. The morning of Ekadesi dawned. On the day Lord Krishna gave Vishwarupa Darshan to Arjuna, Kesavan lay prostrate on the ground with his trunk stretched towards the Lord. The Lord had given moksha to the Gajaraja, just before the Sri Koil opened. Guruvayur Devaswom has erected a life size statue of Kesavan in one of their rest houses.
Ekadesi
The Guruvayur Ekadesi falls in the month of Vrischika (Nov-Dec). Once when Lord Maha Vishnu visited the abode of Yama, he heard heart rending cries of people tortured for their sins. The Lord wanted to save them from more suffering and uttered the word Ekadesi. The very mention of the word removed all their sins. Observance of Ekadesi is believed to have a purifying effect. It is believed that the sins of a lifetime are washed away if one happens to see the Ekadesi Vilakku (festival of lights). Legend says that on Guruvayur Ekadesi, Lord Indra comes with Kamadhenu and gives all material wealth and offers worship to receive Sri Krishna's blessings. On that day all the theerthas such as Kasi, Badri, Sabarigiri and Palani in addition to rivers like Ganga and Yamuna assemble in this sacred place.The Lord of Guruvayur is no distant elusive deity, but one who is accessible to all devotees, learned and unlearned. As the Lord said to Arjuna in the Gita, "I am responsible for the welfare of those who think of me to the exclusion of all else and who remain devoted to me all the time", Guruvayurappan comes to the rescue of his Bhakthas in distress and manifests his grace in infinite ways.
External references
- http://www.gurupavanapuri.com
- http://www.thanjavurpaintings.com/lguruvayur.html
- http://www.guruvayurdevaswom.org/lnenmini.shtml
- http://www.madhuramurali.org/swamigal/bok/jun00_bok.html
- http://www.narayaneeyam.com