Spiritual Tourism   - Heavens on Earth - Part V

                                                           Guruvayur - The Lourdes of India

Like the famous Lourdes,  Guruvayur is known for its legends and effectiveness. This is where the great poet Melpathur wrote a Treatise on the Lord ( the Narayaneeyam ). Guruvayur was also adorned by the Poet Laureate, Poontanam, who compose the Jnanapana, a great poem in Malayalam.

The great poet defined the Cosmic Man or the Lord thus 

That which is Timeless and Spaceless

That which is eternally Free

That which is the Aim of all sciences divine

That which is the Alpha and the Omega

That which is All in All,

To that Principle Divine, I bow !

 
The Condensed Absolut Being, Absolute Knowledge, Absolute Bliss is the Lord, who sports in the garden of the Upanishads !

His Destructive Form as Time Eternal, as the Zodiac, was defined by the poet thus 

With 12 wheels and 360 degrees

With speed supernal, cruel ,

To disseminate Karma to all,

Thy True Form is Time !

Legend has it that Jupiter, Guru and Saturn, Vayu chose this place to incarnate. The Seers predicted that this place will become a Heaven on Earth, attracting pilgrims the world over. The great philosopher, Sankara, worshipped the Lord at this temple. Most of the VIPs of the world, the Indian PM, CMs etc have all graced this temple 

The worlds's largest elephant sanctuary is here at Guruvayur, housing as many as 62 elephants. Most of these elephants were given as offerings to the Lord. 

After describing the Indescribable, the poets asked for the Lord's forgiveness. Defin ing Deity in terms of humanity, is like defining the Center in terms of the Circumference ! 

In Ignorance I have defined Thee

Lord forgive, my body spake !

I defined the Indefinable

I spoke about the Ineffable

For that guilt O Lord,

Please forgive my frailties ! 

The poet appreciates the Form of the Lord, instead of the Formless Absolute

It is in Thy Form

That Thee revealed to me

That Form is greater than all,

Even though Thy Form is Unmanifest !

The Birthday of the Lord

How can the Birthless and the Deathless, the Eternal Principle, have a birthday? This philosophical problem is solved thus. In Bridal Mysticism, where the Self is the Lover, Self is the Bride, a human form is given to the Divine. This is anthropomorphisation. He is the Consort in the form of the Ishta Devata or Tutelary Deity !

The Birthday of the Lord of Guruvayur falls on the 8th lunation ( Ashtami , on the asterism Rohini !

The Elephant Race

On the first day of the Festival, (  which was on 23rd Kumbham ( Aquarius ) this year ) , 20 elephants took part in  a race. The Ninth day is Pallivetta, when the Lord goes hunting. The Tenth Day is Arattu, when the Lord takes bath in the Temple pond, witnessed by millions ! 

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