Guruvayoor *Araattu* tonight ( 7th March) !!!

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna! Pranams to Bhagavan Sri Krishna and Bhaktas,

Guruvayoor temple is renowned as *Bhooloka Vaikuntam* ( Maha-vishnu's abode on earth) . Just before His return to Vaikuntam, Bhagavan handed over His personal Deity to Sri Uddhava to install it at a proper place for the benefit of His Bhaktas .

The famous Guruvayoor Arattu will be held tonight 07th March Sunday at about 10 PM (IST) . The 10 days festival will conclude with the Arattu of Bhagavan Guruvayoorappan at the sacred temple tank *Rudratheertham* . The Ten day Guruvayoor festival signifies the occasion of restoration of divine Chaitanya.

On the Arattu day the temple will be opened late after 6:00 am (usually the temple opens at 3:00 am for Nirmalyam darshan) and all usual poojas, except the usha pooja, will be performed. At 6:30 pm the Arattu procession begins .

Arattu procession starts at about 6.30 pm and comes out from the Eastern Gopuram . The procession moves along south lane and turns towards Western Gopuram. It goes round Rudratheertham (holy water tank) and comes to *Athani* (porter's rest) , set in memory of Kantiyur Pattar. Procession halts for a minute there and silence is observed. Then it comes to Edatharikathu Bhagavaty's shrine.

Arattu then proceeds to Rudratheertham for abhishekam with tender coconut water brought by the Kittai of Thampuran Patikkal.

The Tantris do the *Aavahanam* of the auspicious rivers like Ganga, Kaveri and Godavari to the *Rudratheertham* . Then the Tanthri Namboothirpad will do Abhishekam with Manjal Powder(turmeric) and tender coconut (ilaneer)on the Thidambu (portable Moorthy of guruvayoorappan) and take three dips (Snanam) along with the thidambu. Doing *snanam* along with Arattu is considered as auspicious

After Bhagavan's Arattu, the devotees will also take a holy dip to get rid of any sins. An interesting feature of Guruvayur festival is that, after the Arattu Bhagavan's *Thidambu* is taken on elephant's top and the elephant runs eleven times around the temple . Bhaktas follow it with great Bhakti . After the eleventh round the Utsava vigraha is taken inside. The Pisharodi ( temple servant) shouts to invite complaints, if no one comes forward the flag is held down, and the festival concluded here.

Srimad Narayaneeyam ( which was approved personally by Sri Krishna) says in it's introductory sloka :

" That Parabrahman , the embodiment of infinite bliss and consciousness , which is real and incomparable , which is free from limitations of time and space, which is well expounded with great difficulty in numerous Vedic scriptures, which is indistinct but becomes the manifestation of *Moksha* ( salvation) and *purushartha* (ultimate 4 objects of human life) immediately on realization , which is free from Maya , shines verily in front of our own eyes in the temple of Guruvayoor . Wonderful indeed is the fortune of mankind !!! " .

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!!!

SriKrishnaDasa Rajeev