Lakshmi Nrusimha Vaibhavam & AchArya Vandhanam : Part 2

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Dear BhakthAs : Yesterday we celebrated the Jayanthis

of Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan , Madhura Kavi AzhwAr and the 29th

pattam Azhagiyasiingar .Yesterday was also the birthday of

NadaadUr AmmAl , a great AchAryA .On this ChithrA PourNami

day , I will offer my preliminary salutations to this

MahAn , who blessed Swami Desikan to become a great

Sri VaishNavite AchAryan .

 

Prior to my posting on NadAdUr ammAL dear to Lord VaradarAjA ,

I will offer adiyEn's additional salutations in this posting

to Sri Narasimhan . You may wish to refer to the texts of

sthOthrams to Lord Narasimhan by Adhi Sankaraa

( Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha KarAvalampana sthOthram ),

MaadhvAchAryAL ( Nakha sthuthi ), Sri VaadhirAja

Theerthar ( NrusimhAshtakam ).

 

Here , we will focus on the Ahobila matam AchAryAL's

sthuthis of Lord Nrusimhan of nine forms .There are

references however in PaancharAthra samhithA to

74 forms of Sri Nrusimha BhagavAN that include the above

nine NrusimhAs enshrined at the lower and upper

AhObila KshEthram . One of the additional

forms not included in the above nine is Sudarsana Narasimhan .

Lord Sudarsana is recognized as the Nakham (nail that tore

asunder the powerful warrior HiraNyan)in NrusimhAvathAram .

Sri Murali Rangaswami has written extensively about

this form of Nrusimhan often .

 

The great occupants of the throne of Ahobila peetam

have Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan as their AarAdhya Dhaivam .

They have composed deeply moving sthuthis and placed

them at the sacred feet of Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan .

They recite always the following prayer as a result

of seeing Him ( Akhila tanu ) everywhere :

 

ithO Nrusimha: parathO Nrusimha:

yathO yathO yaami tathO Nrusimha:

Bahir Nrusimha: hrudayE Nrusimha:

Nrusimham Aadhim SaraNam prapadhyE

 

(Meaning) : Here is Nrusimhan , there (far away)

is Nrusimhan . Wherever I travel , there is Nrusimhan .

He is outside and at the same time , He is seated in

my heart lotus . I take refuge at the sacred feet of

this ancient Nrusimhan , who is primordial .

 

The AchAryAs of Ahobila Mutt celebrate the glory

of PrahlAdha Varadan , who is the uthsava mUrthy

at lower AhObilam :

 

namasthE Nrusimhaaya PrahlAdha (prasAdha ) dhAyinE

 

(meaning ) : I offer my salutations to Lord

Narasimhan , who delights the heart of His

dear most bhakthan, PrahlAdhan .

 

Here is a complete list of SthOthrams

composed by different AchAryAs of Ahobila Matam .

Other BhakthAs are requested to add to them :

 

1. 21st pattam AchAryan : Sri Nrusimha mangaLam

 

2. 24th pattam AchAryan: Sri Nrusimha mangalLAsAsanam

 

3. 25th Pattam AchAryan: Sri Nrusimha sthavam

Sri Nrusimha mangaLam

 

4. 26th Pattam AchAryan: Sri Nrusimha SthOthrams

 

5. 27th Pattam AchAryan: Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha sthavam

Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha mangaLam

 

6. 29th pattam AchAryan: Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha SuprabhAtham

 

7. 30th pattam AchAryan: Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha SuprabhAtham

used even today in the Sri Sannidhi , Sri Nrusimha

mangaLam , Sri Nrusimha Prapatthi

 

8. 31st pattam AchAryan: Sri Nrusimha mangaLam

 

9. 34th pattam AchAryan:Sri Nrusimha Shashti paadha VarNanam

Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan Adaikkala patthu ( TamiL ).

Latter is used regularly in sEvA kaalam at Sri Sannidhi

and sishyA's homes even today .

 

10. 41st pattam AchAryan: Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Dhyaana

sOpAnam inspired by the Bhagavadh DhyAna sOpAnam of

Swami Sri Desikan .

 

11. 42nd pattam AchAryan: Creation of Nrusimha PriyA

and being the cause of all Nrusimha vandhanams

that we enjoy there .

 

12. 44th pattam AchAryan: Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha sthOthram

Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Prapatthi , DayA Saagara Sathakam

and PanchAmrutha SthOthram .

 

I will conclude this article with reference to

the far reaching influence of Bhagavath RaamAnuja

SiddhAntham outside the southern part of India .

The two influenced by AchArya RaamAnujA's digh

vijayam are Jaya DevA and Chaithanya mahA Prabhu .

We will say a few words about the salutation of

Jaya DevA to Sri Narasimhan .

 

Sri JayadEva kavi , the prominent author of

Gita Govindham was the top most practioner

of " Bengali /OriyA VaishNavism " .He was influenced

by RaamAnujA and became an ardent devotee of Puri JagannAth

after Acharya RaamAnujA's visit to Puri during the first

quarter of the twelfth century in his ninth decade of life .

 

In his magnum opus , Gita Govindham , Jayadeva Kavi

offers his salutations to Nrusimhan and links the Lord's

form to that of Kesavan and PurushOtthaman as visualized by

Sri VishNu Sahasra Naamam ( Naarasimha Vapu:

SrimAn Kesava: PurushOtthama : ).The exact words of

Jayadeva kavi are :

 

tava kara kamala varE , nakam adhbhutha srungam I

daLitha HiraNyakasipu tanu bhrungam II

Kesava dhrutha Narahari rUpa , Jaya JagiadIsa HarE

 

This is the 8th slOkam of the first sargam and says:

 

" the nails on Your soft lotus hand are wondrous claws

tearing the gold-robed body of black bee , HiraNyakasipu .

You take the form as the Man-Lion, KesavA .

Triumph Hari , Lord of the World !"

 

Narahari , the PurushOtthaman's links to Kesavan

are recognized here .

 

The final salutation of this posting has to

come from Swami Desikan in his DasAvathAra

sthOthram :

 

prathyAdhishta purAdhana praharaNa krama:

kshaNam PaaNijai:

avyAth threeNi jaganthyakuNta

mahimA Vaikunta kaNDeerava:

yath prAthurbhavanAth avandhya jatarA

yAdhrucchikAdh vEdasAm

yaa kaachith sahasA mahAsura gruha

sthUNA pitaamahyabhUth

 

In his inimitable style , Kavi Simham ,

Swami Desikan visulaizes the avathAram

of the Lord as Nrusimhan from the pillar

in the sabhai of HiraNyakasipu to prove

true the statement of His dear bhakthan ,

PrahlAdhan .Our Lord has many ancient

and famous weapons like Sudarsanam ,

Nandhakham , GoumEdhagi and Saarngam. He hid

all those ancient and proven weapons with a

new weapon , His powerful nails . With those ,

nails , He tore the mighty chest of HiraNyan apart .

 

This Vaikunta kaNDIravan of indefatigable

power and parAkramam apppeared accidentally

out of the pillar in the court of HiraNyan

and made that pillar the grand mother of

BrahmA . Swami Desikan states that the particular

pillar got rid of its infertiliy by giving birth

to the Lord .Swami Desikan prays to this

Lord Narasimhan to protect all the three worlds

( avyAth threeNi jaganthyakuNTa mahimA VaikuNTa kaNDIrava:)

Swami Desikan refers once again to this adhbhutha

avathAram of the Lord in Sri VaradharAja panchAsath :

" thrailOkyam yEdhath AKHILAM NARASIMHA GARBHAM ".

Here Swami Desikan states that all the chEthanams

and the achEthanams of the three worlds have

Nrusimhan inside them .That is for sure (noonam )

says our AchAryan .

 

This is the YadhrucchA Hari ,who defied anybody's

expectations (predictions)and jumped out of

the sthampam/skambham to be at the side of

His Bhakthan and is always ready to come to our

rescue .This cosmic form of the Creator

existing even far beyond the vast limits of

this extensive universe has been saluted by

the four Vedams :

 

skambhO dhAdhAra dhyAvAprithvI ubhE

imE skambhO dhAdhArOrvanthariksham I

skambhO dhAdhAra pravisa shaDUrvee:

skambha idham bhuvanamaa vivEsa II

-- Atharva Vedam : X.7.35

 

(Meaning): Our Lord is the skhambhA or the divine

support (aadhAram )of the entire creation

consisting of the terrestrial region ,

the celestial region and the region in between

(interspace).Our Lord alone balances His entire

creation and holds in equalibrium the six

dimensions of space (shaDUrvee:).In all

the parameters of Space and Time , our Lord

is present as Kaala Varjithan , akAla Kaalyan

and Adhi MadhyAnthaa rahithan .He sustains

the entire creation consisting of names

and forms ( naama rUpams ).

 

We will conclude this posting on Nrusimhan

with another great set of Atharva Veda

manthrams(XI.7.24-27):

 

" Everything is reborn from Him after the dissolution ,

the disciplines of divine knowledge , the sense organs,

the vital realm , the blissful realm , and all categories

of human beings ,dEvAs and pithrus ".

 

Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha ParabrahmaNE Nama :

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan