Guruvayoor Ekadasi 2176

At the start of the Padma Kalpa, while Brahma was creating the world, Lord Vishnu appeared before him. Brahma asked for a way for himself and his creatures to reach freedom without the bonds of karma. Vishnu made an image of Himself from anjana stone and gave it to Brahma.

In a later age, Brahma gave the image to King Sutapas and his wife Prishni, who had long prayed for a son equal to the Lord. Vishnu promised to be born as their son in three births: as Prishnigarbha in the Satya Yuga; as Vamana, when they were Kashyapa and Aditi, in the Treta Yuga; and as Sri Krishna, when they were Vasudeva and Devaki, in the Dvapara Yuga. In every birth they worshipped that same image.

After his parents were gone, Krishna built a temple for the image in Dwaraka and worshipped it daily. When His time on earth was ending, He told His devotee and disciple Uddhava: on the seventh day from today Dwaraka will sink under the sea, but the holy image will float on the water. Give it to Brihaspati, the teacher of the gods, and go to Badarikashrama for tapas.

It happened as the Lord said. Uddhava told Brihaspati before leaving. When Brihaspati arrived, Dwaraka was under the sea, but the image was floating on the water. He called his disciple Vayu, the god of wind, who brought it to the shore. The two then travelled across Bharata through the sky, seeking the right place for it.

At last, near the sea to the west of the Bhargava Kshetra, they came to a beautiful lotus pond, and there they saw Shiva and Parvati dancing in joy. They bowed, and Shiva said this was the best place for the image. This place, where the Guru of the gods and Vayu would install the image, he said, would be called Guruvayur, and in the age of Kali it would be a refuge for devotees.

Brihaspati called Vishwakarma, the builder of the gods, who raised a great temple. Brihaspati and Vayu installed the image there with tantric rites. Indra and the gods showered flowers and the sage Narada sang hymns. Shiva and Parvati, who witnessed it, appeared by themselves at Mammiyur nearby. Because the Lord lives here in His fullness, as in Vaikuntha, Guruvayur is called the Vaikuntha on earth.

Devotees believe the installation took place on the bright Ekadashi of Vrischikam, so Guruvayur Ekadashi is kept as the temple's installation day. It is also believed to be the day Sri Krishna taught the Gita to Arjuna at Kurukshetra, so it is kept as Gita Day as well. On this day, it is said, Lord Vishnu comes to Guruvayur with all the gods and goddesses.

The blessing: prayer to Vishnu on this day is believed to bring great fruit, in this world and beyond it, including prosperity, peace of mind and healing, and keeping it with true devotion is said to remove the sins of seven births.