Belated Nrusimha Jyanthi Celebration

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs of Sri LakshmI Nrusimhan :

 

I had a wonderful day visiting the web page

created by Sriman Dileepan as a part of the

108 CD ROM project . I read the lovely articles

of fellow BhakthAs , Sri MuraLi Rangaswamy , Sri Sudarshan and

Sri MadhavakkaNNan that day . I remembered the request of

Sri Mudumbi of Boise , Idaho about the Sri Lakshmi Nrusimah

KarAvalampana sthOthram by Adi Sankara , a great BhakthA

of Sri Lakshmi NBrusimhA . I thought I will share with you

in a belated sense my reflections on that day and

the translations of two brilliant and insightful

tributes of Adi Sankara to Lord VishNu ( Sri Laksmi Nrusimha

KarAvalampana SthOthram and ShatpdhI sthOthram ) .

 

I heartily recommend the home pages that Sriman Dileepan

has constructed for Ahobila Divya Desam for those , who

have not seen it yet . It is a veritable Virtual trip

to the divya kshEthram of the Nava NarasimhAs sung by

Thirumangai movingly .

 

The nine NarasimhAs of AhObilam

********************************

 

The mangalAsAsana slOkam on the Nine Narasimhas is:

 

JwAlA Ahobila MaalOla Krodha Kaarancha Bhaargava: I

YogAnanda Kshathravata Paavana Nava MUrthaya : II

 

The individuality of each of these nine NarasimhAs

can only be enjoyed by the darsanam of these ArchA

MUrthys . I will breifly share with you the quick

and brief impressions of my darsana soubhAgyam

before I write about one slokam of Adi SankarA's

two sthothrams in each of these postings devoted to

Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan .

 

Nine NarasimhAs

****************

 

The first Azhagiyasingar had the divine command of

Sri Nrusimha BhagavAn and established the Ahobila

Matam in the year 1368 A.D . We will be celebrating

the 600th anniversary of the founding of this Matam

in September 1998 at Pomona , NY at Sri RanganathA

Temple . The First Jeeyar , H.H. Sri Adi VaNN

Satakopa Yatheendhra Mahaa Desikan had

Sri Nrusimha SaakshAthkAram and the Lord MaalOlan

jumped into his hands after being initiated by

Nrusimha BhagavAn Himself into SanyAsAsramam

earlier .

 

LOwer Ahobilam

***************

The abiding memory of Lower AhObilam

for me is the Divya Mangala Vigraham of the First

Jeeyar holding with great affection MaalOla

Uthsava MUrthy next to his heart .This Uthsava mUrthy

has travelled across the length and bredth of India

on SanchAram to bless every one . PrahlAda Varadan

with his Ubhaya NaacchiyArs and Garudan at the feet

of the peetam is an eye filling sight .

 

This Lower Ahobila Narasimhan ( PrahlAda Varadan )

is the one ,whom the boy Prahladan approached after

the ferocious destruction of his offending father

by Ugra Nrusimhan , the Ugra SthambhOthbhavar ( who came

out of the pillar in the darbar hall of HiraNyakasipu ).

After destroying the offender , who insulted his bhakthan ,

the Lord was so ferocious and flames were surrounding Him .

Nobody dared to approach this JwAlA Nrusimhan including MahA Lakshmi .

BrahmA sent the Boy PrahlAdhan near the Lord and he fell at the Lord's

feet . Our merciful Lord's anger subsided immediately and He lifted

His bhakthan and placed His auspicious hand on PrahlAdan's

Siras . PrahlAdan acquired from that kara sparsam ,

divya Jn~Anam and with tears of Joy rolling down

his cheeks praised His Lord with 55 slOkams

( Srimadh BHAgavatham : 7th Canto, 9th Chapter).

Fourty three of the 55 are SaakshAth ( Direct )

SthOthrams of The Lord by PrahlAdA .They have deep meanings .

I will quote one that is a favorite of many BhagavathAs :

 

Balasya nEha SaraNam pitharou Nrusimha

nArhtasya chAgadhamudanvathi manjathO nou : I

tapthasya tath preethi vidhirya ihaanjasEshtas-

tAvadhvibhO tanubruthAm tvadhupEkshitham II

 

( Meaning ) : O BhagavAn NrusimhA ! Oh VibhO ! If you

are not pleased , even the parents will not serve as

the rakshakAs ( protectors ) of their own children ;

the medicines will not have any healing power to cure

the sick ; the boat will no longer protect the man

drowning in the ocean . If that all powerful grace

is not here , all the medicine and remedies prescribed

for those suffering under the flames of the fierce samsAram

will be totally ineffective and powerless.

 

Prahladan with his divya JN~Anam asks the Lord in a

rhetorical sense : Taptasya tath prathividhi: Ya : ?

Th Lord was pleased with the sincerity of the devotion

of His bhakthA and states :

 

" Oh PrahlAdA !Long Life to you ! If one does not

please me , it is impossible for him to have my

darsanam . If one has my darsanam , he will never ever

suffer any pain whatsoever . There will be no room for

even the minutest of sorrows for such a man .

 

The original slOkam containing the above revelation is :

 

maam apreenatha Aayushman darsanam dhurlabham hi mE I

dhrushtvA maam na puna: Janthu aathmAnam tapthum arhathi II

 

In the next slOkam , Prahlaada Varadhan amplified this

thought link :

 

preeNayanthyEva hi maandheerA: sarvabhaavEna saadhava: I

srEyaskAmA mahA bhAgA : sarvasAm aasishAm pathim II

 

( Anvaya Kramam ) DheerA : Saadhava : srEyaskAmA; mahA

bhaavA: SARVASAAM AASISHAAM PATHIM MAAM Sarva bhAvEna

preeNanthi yEva hi ?

 

Here , Bhagavan equates the BhakthAs ( Saadhus ) of His to

DheerA ; ( Courageous Ones for their steadfast Bhakthi

against all temptations ) . He describes them furhter

as SrEyas KaamA : mahA bhAvA Those great Ones ,

who seek the ultimate sukham of Moksham ) from HIm .

He reveals Himself as the SarvasAm AsishAm Pathi:

( The One , who gives every soubhAgyam to His BhakthAs).

He asks a rhetorical question :Do not they try to

please Me by all possible means ( SravaNam ,Keerthanam ,

Dayam , Sakhyam , and other five means ) ending up

with aathma nivEdanam .

 

That is the glory of PrahlAda Varadhan of Lower Ahobilam .

At this sannidhi , we have the darsanam of the uthsava

mUrthy of Ashta Bhuja JwAlA Nrusimhan laying HiraNya Kasipu

on His lap and tearing apart his intestines and wearing them

as garland . That is the JwAlA Nrusimhan that shed off His

anger at the sight of Bhaktha Prahladan at His feet and

became Saantha Narasimhan and the boon giver to PrahlAdan

( PrahlAda Varadhan ) .

 

The First SlOkam of Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha SthOthram of Adi SankarA

******************************************************************

 

Srimath payOnidhi nikEtana ChakrapANE

bhOgeendhra BhOga maNi ranjitha puNya mUrthE I

Yogeesa sAsvatha SaraNya bhavAdhi pOtha

LakshmI Nrusimha maa dEhi karAvalampam II

 

 

The First Slokam of Shat padhee SthOthram

******************************************

avinayam apanaya VishNO

damaya mana: samaya vishaya rasa t*rushNAm I

bhUtha dayAm visthAraya

tAraya samsAra Saagaratha : II

 

I will cover the meanings of these two slOkams

in the next posting .

 

SrI Nrusimha Bhagavanmtham YeeDE

Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan