Guruvayur, the Dwaraka of the south
The adorable figure of Guruvayurappan is the full manifestation of Lord Mahavishnu, as was revealed to Devaki and Vasudeva at the time of Krishnavatara. Kashyap and Aditi were born as Vasudeva and Devaki and the Lord was born as their child for the third consecutive time.
The image of Guruvayur was first worshipped by Narayana Himself, which He then gave to Brahma, and it was by the grace of this deity that Brahma carried out his task of creation. It was the same image, which was worshipped by Devaki and Vasudeva; and when Krishna became the ruler of Dwaraka, He built a temple and installed the image in it.
At the end of the Dwapara yuga, Lord Krishna told Uddhava that the purpose of His Avatar was now over and that He would soon depart to Vaikuntha. Uddhava was plunged into sorrow, thinking of the terrible fate that would befall the world in the Kali Yuga. But, the Lord pacified him, saying that He would manifest Himself in the idol and shower His blessings on His devotees. He also directed Uddhava to safeguard the image during the impending deluge and to install it at a holy spot, in consultation with Brihaspati (Guru), the preceptor of Gods.
Accordingly, Brihaspati and Vayu took charge of the image and searched all over the land for a sacred place for its installation. On the way, they met Parsurama, who, under Narada’s advice, was in search of the very same image. They came to a beautiful lake full of lotus flowers. On one side of it were Siva and Parvati to welcome them. Siva told them this place was marked out long ago for the image of Narayana; and then, sprinkling holy water on the image and paying homage to it, Siva turned to Guru and Vayu and said, “You two together should perform the installation and as you are the founders of this sacred temple, this place shall be known as GURUVAYUR.” So saying, Siva and Parvati left for the opposite bank. To this day, a Siva temple, a kilometre away from the Guruvayur temple, bears testimony to this fact.
The glory of Guruvayur thus rests on the Divinity of the idol. It is that attractive world-enchanting form of Krishna endowed with four lustrous arms, carrying the conch shell, the discus, the mace, and the lotus. Adorning Himself with the Tulsi garland and pearl necklaces, the Lord here appears in all radiance. Indeed, among the deities known to answer the call of the bhaktas, it is the name of Guruvayurappan that easily comes to mind.
There is an incident to show the Lord answers the prayers of all those, who seek His protection. There was a man, who was suffering from acute paralysis. After the doctors had given up all hopes of cure, he had sought shelter at the feet of Lord Guruvayurappan. At the same time, another poor man, too, had come to the Lord to gain wealth by propitiating the deity. Placing his purse on the river bank, the paralytic patient slowly lowered himself into the river for a dip. The poor man in search of money happened to see the purse and wasted no time in swooping down on it. The cripple ran after the thief, not realising how miraculously he had been cured. Just then, he heard a voice telling him, “Be content. Your prayers are granted, so also are his!”
Thus, even the selfish and greedy, who are drawn towards Him, are blessed by Him and the man, who seeks power and wealth, ultimately seeks nothing but His Grace; for has not the Lord said that four types of men worship Him: the arthi, the artharthi, the jijnasu, and the jnani. The Enchanter that He is, He finally transforms everyone, who comes to Him, into a Jnani.
[Source – Stories for Children – II]
Published by – Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust, Prashanti Nilayam