kAmAsikhAshTakam

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Sri:

 

SrimatE GopalArya MahadesikAya Namaha

 

Dear Sriman Venkataraghavadasan,

 

Thanks for asking an excellent question. How can one call

Bhagavan Narasimha a deceitful lion (Kapata Kesari)? How does

the prefix Krupa (merciful one) apply in this context? The answer is

as follows.

 

Although, Bhagavan Narasimha apparently satisfied all the conditions

of Brahma's boon to HiraNayakashipu, there was one exception. The

Lord's nails (Vajra Nakha) derived their power due to the presence

of the Sudarshana Chakram in them. Therefore, although outwardly no

weapon was used to tear HiraNyan apart, the Chakram lay concealed

in the Lord's nails. Testimony in support of this fact can be

obtained from the 3 verse of the Mantrarajapada Stotram of the

Ahirbudhnya Samhita. The key salutation in this verse is "NakhAgrE

ShakalI ChakrE Yastam VIram NamAmyaham". This also denotes the

inseparability of Bhagavan Narasimhar and the Sudarshana Chakram.

Furthermore according to both the Pancharatra and VaikhAnasa Agama,

Lord Narasimhar is worshipped in four places-below the earth, in

pillars, on hills and in the Sudarshana Yantram. Back-to-back forms

of Sudarshana and Narasimhar in a single Peetam at Srirangam and

Kanchipuram lend further support to the two-in-one nature of Bhagavan

Narasimhar. Salagramams of this back-to-back form explain this

relationship even more.

 

Now what about the prefix Krupa? This salutation can be interpreted

in two ways in keeping with the Pida Pradanam (for Dushtas) and Pida

Pariharam (for Bhaktas) aspects of Sudarshana-Narasimhar. First

let us examine the Pida Pariharam aspect. Prahlada, a Parama Bhagavata

of the Lord had to undergo untold sufferings at the hands of HiraNyan

for his Maha Vishvasam in Lord Narayana. Therefore, the ocean of mercy

Bhagavan Narasimha ended the sufferings of his great Bhakta by using

his most powerful Sudarshana Chakram. In the process, this resulted

in apparent Pida-Pradanam for HiraNyan. The second interpretation is

that the Lord out of his mercy decided to grant HiraNyan release from

his janmam. Hence, he used the Sudarshana Chakram to kill the asura

(anyone slain by the Chakram is conferred with Moksham).

 

 

Namo Narayana,

 

Muralidhar Rangaswamy