Nrsimha-tapani Upanisad & Cc

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Nrsimha-tapani Upanisad mantra:

 

sri nrsimha, jaya nrsimha, jaya jaya jaya sri nrsimha

ugram viram mahavisnum

jvalantam sarvato-mukham

nrsimham bhisanam bhadram

mrtyu-mrtyum namamy aham

 

ugram-terrible; viram-heroic; mahavisnum-Maha Visnu;

jvalantam-effulgent; sarvato-mukham-having faces everywhere;

nrsimham-half-man, half-lion; bhisanam-astounding, terrible;

bhadram-auspicious; mrtyu-mrtyum-death personified, or death

to death itself; namamy aham-I offer my humble obeisances.

 

This mantra was given by Nrsimhadeva to Lord Brahma of the previous creation

in the same way that our Lord Brahma received the Gopal mantra after

performing tapasya. This mantra is the main subject of the Nrsimha-tapani

Upanisad.

 

 

Madhya-lila: Chapter Eight, Text 5

 

sri-nrsimha, jaya nrsimha, jaya jaya nrsimha

prahladesa jaya padma-mukha-padma-bhrnga

 

All glories to Nrsimhadeva! All glories to Nrsimhadeva, who is the Lord of

Prahlada Maharaja and, like the honeybee, is always engaged in beholding the

lotus-like face of the goddess of fortune.

 

PURPORT

 

The goddess of fortune is always embraced by Lord Nrsimhadeva. This is

mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam in the First and Tenth Cantos by the great

commentator Srila Sridhara Svami. The following verse was composed by

Sridhara Svami in his commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.87.1).

 

vag-isa yasya vadane

laksmir yasya ca vaksasi

yasyaste hrdaye samvit

tam nrsimham aham bhaje

 

"Lord Nrsimhadeva is always assisted by Sarasvati, the goddess of learning,

and He is always embracing to His chest the goddess of fortune. The Lord is

always complete in knowledge within Himself. Let us offer obeisances unto

Nrsimhadeva."

Similarly, in his commentary on the First Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam

(1.1.1), Sridhara Svami describes Lord Nrsimhadeva in this way:

 

prahlada-hrdayah ladam

bhakta vidya-vidaranam

sarad-indu-rucim vande

parindra-vadanam harim

 

"Let me offer my obeisances unto Lord Nrsimhadeva, who is always

enlightening Prahlada Maharaja within his heart and who always kills the

nescience that attacks the devotees. His mercy is distributed like

moonshine, and His face is like that of a lion. Let me offer my obeisances

unto Him again and again."

 

 

Madhya-lila: Chapter Eight, Text 6

 

ugro'py anugra evayam

sva-bhaktanam nr-kesari

kesariva sva-potanam

anyesam ugra-vikramah

 

"Although very ferocious, the lioness is very kind to her cubs.

Similarly, although very ferocious to nondevotees like Hiranyakasipu, Lord

Nrsimhadeva is very, very soft and kind to devotees like Prahlada Maharaja."

 

PURPORT

 

This verse was composed by Sridhara Svami in his commentary on

Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.9.1).