Vibes.

 Narayaneeyam begins with the words Sandaranandham, truly encapsulating the delight and spiritual merit one derives from stepping foot in Guruvayur. If Sandra signifies the purity of the ground, anandham denotes delights that is indescribable: it has to be experienced by each individual, much as Narayana Bhattathiri did, when he composed Narayaneeyam, said Damal S. Ramakrishnan in a discourse.

There are various kinds of anandham, but Sandaranandham is the highest form. Every morning before dawn at Guruvayur, devotees rush in, chanting His name in pure joy, eager for a first sight of Him. The ancient stone idol (pathala anjana kal) was fashioned by Vishnu Himself and handed over to Brahma who gave the idol to a couple. Vishnu informed the couple that he Himself would come to earth and conduct puja for the idol no less than three times and safeguard it so that devotees in Kali Yuga can reap spiritual benefit. Vishnu did so, first as Prasnigarban, son of Prashni and Suthapas; later as Vamanan (son of Aditi and Kashyap) and finally as Krishna, son of Devaki and Vasudevan. The new-born Krishna showered two leaves on the idol and asked that Vasudeva and Devaki be taken care of.

Later, as His sojourn on earth was nearing its end, Krishna asked Uddava to save the idol from the impending deluge. When Uddava struggled to hold aloft the idol, Varuna tempered the fury so that Guru and Vayu could spot the idol and preserve it. Since Guru and Vayu installed the idol, the town took on the name of Guruvayur and the deity came to be known as Guruvayurappan.

Bhattathiri, who obtained his guru’s affliction and later composed the epic running into 1,034 verses in Guruvayurappan’s presence for 100 days at a stretch, condensed the essence of Bhagavatham in his work and Guruvayurappan took delight in hearing his devotee compose it.