viswam vishnur vashatkaro...

viswam vishnur vashatkaro... 

विश्वं विष्णुर वषट्कारो

so starts Vishnusahasranaamam 

Guruvayurappan is the whole universe Viswam Himself.. 

and not the granite idol we see consecrated in the sanctum .. which is only an icon. 

By growing beautiful flowers on earth which is a part of His self he adorns himself.

He is the fertile land where such beautiful flowers bloom.

Opinions can vary on this issue ..

Sankara once apologized to Lord shiva for having seen the divine manifestation restricted in a stone idol while He, the Lord is present in the whole universe, as the ashtamurthi... 

The famous prayer of Kalidasa in 

Ahijnaana Shakuntalam.. the opening invocation 

या सृष्टिः स्रष्टुराद्या वहति विधिहुतं या हविर् या च होत्री

ये द्वे कालं विधत्तः श्रुतिविषयगुणा या स्थिता व्याप्य विश्वं

यामाहुः सर्वबीजप्रकृतिरिति यया प्राणिनः प्राणवन्तः

प्रत्यक्षाभिः तनुभिरवतुवः ताभिरष्ताभिरीशः॥

महाकवेः कालिदासस्य अभिज्ञानशाकुन्तळात्॥।

Yaa shrastuH shritiraadhyaa vahati vidhihutam yaahavir yaa cha hotri, 

ye dwe kaalam vidhattah shrutivishayagunaa yaa stitaa vyapya viswam, 

yaamaahu sarvabhiijaprakrutiriti yaya praaninah praanavanthaH 

pratyakshaabhiH tanubhiravatu vaH taabhirashtaabiriisah... 

who is the first among creations..water, 

who takes oblations properly made to gods..agni, 

which is the offering in yajna the havis, 

who is the person making oblation.. brahmana, 

who knows the past and future.. time, 

who is the medium of hearing and sustains the life of all beings..air, 

who pervades the whole universe, the teja in the shape of akasha, 

and 

who as the prakriti is the mother for all beings..the mother earth... 

Lord Ashtamurthi the 

Shiva who manifests in these eight forms may protect us. 

In purushsooktham they say 

तं यज्ञं बर्हिषि प्रौक्षन्

tam yjanam barhishi praukshan... 

यज्ञेन यज्ञं अयजन्त देवाः 

yajnena yajanamayajantha devaah.

तस्मात् यज्ञात् सर्वहुतः . 

tasmaad yajnaad sarvahutaH ... 

He is the oblation, He is the yajna process Himself and He conducts the yajna.

so we see the manifestation of Shiva the Krishna everywhere.. Nothing special can be achieved by adorning any symbol or worshipping any Icon.. 

I do not say this to hurt or challenge the sagunopasakaas, 

but it would appear that worship of symbols is only a stage in growth of a sadhaka.. 

when Krishna said Patram Pushpam Phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayachchati... 

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति 

He only meant that when we see the leaf, flower, fruit and water which we offer to Krishna 

we should praise the creator who is none other that that black fellow Himself
We are offering to Him only Him manifesting as His creation 

Krishna I love you...