Narasimha Jayanthi

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Sri:

 

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

 

Dear Bhaktas,

 

For the most sacred occasion of Narasimha Jayanthi, adiyen wishes to

share excerpts from the anubhavam of the pre-eminent Nrusimha

Upasakar, Mahavidwan Paramapadavasi Sri Mukkur

Lakshminarasimhachariar Swamin (For further elaboration, adiyen has

included additional notes, with due attribution).

" There is no incarnation of Lord Narayana that is greater than the

Nrusimha avataram nor is there a deity that is equal to or greater

than Bhagavan Nrusimha. The Vedam is replete with His glory. A

sampling of Vedic hymns reflecting this fact can be found in the

following places:

1. The Purusha Sooktham of the sama vEdam glorifies Bhagavan

Nrusimha in the opening anuvakam through the Rk " sa BhUmim sarvathO

vruthvA " referring to His omniscient nature.

2. The shanty mantram of the MundakOpanishad glorifies

Bhagavan Nrusimha " Bhadram KarNe BishruNuyAma dhevA: Bhadram

PashyEmAkshaBhiryajatrA: SthiraiRangaIsthushTuvAmsastanUBhirvyashema

Devahitam YadAyu: (Meaning: Oh Lord! May we be blessed to hear

auspicious sounds with our ears. May our eyes behold all things

auspicious. Praising the Lord with sturdy limbs and bodies may we

live the full-life span as ordained by the Lord.

3. Further testimony to vedic glorification of Bhagavan

Nrusimha is found in the mantram " svasthina indhrO vruddhasravA :

svasthina pooshA vishva vEdhA: , svastinasthArkshyO arishtanEmi:

svasthinO bruhaspathir dhaDhAtu " May He, who is the Lord of

unbounded knowledge, bless us with prosperity. He who is the

sustainer of all; May He, who is the source of all Vedas, bless us

with prosperity. May He, who confers the wealth of horses and cows

bless us with

prosperity. May He, who rules over all elements guarantee our

welfare.

4. The taittriya Upanishad glorifies Bhagavan Nrusimha

as " BhIshAsmAth vAtha: pavathE BhIshOdhEthi sUrya: BhIshAsmAth

agnischEndhrascha mruthyur DhAvathi panchama ithi " Out of fear of

the awe-inspiring one (Bhagavan Nrusimha) the wind-God (vAyu)

performs his assigned function; Out of fear of Him, the Sun carries

out his prescribed duties; Out of fear of Him, agni (Lord of fire),

Indra (king of the Devas) and Yama (God of death) perform their

respective duties.

5. The Mahanarayana Upanishad glorifies Bhagavan Nrusimha

through the mantram " ya AtmadhA baladhA yasya vishva upAsathE

prashiSham yasya dhEvA: yasya cChayA amrutam yO mrutyumrutyu: kasmai

dhEvAya haviShA viDhEma " He who bestows refuge to those who seek His

protection, He who gives strength to experience Himself, He whose

divine command is implicitly obeyed by all beings, He to whom gods

like Indra are all subservient, He whom immortality follows like a

shadow and He who is death to death itself, to that Lord all

creatures may we offer the oblation in form of our atman. This

mantram is most important in context of performing SharaNagati to

the Lotus feet of Bhagavan Nrusimha and contains several layers of

inner meanings.

Bhagavan Nrusimha is further glorified by the vedam as the three

eyed one in the mantram " trayambakam yajAmahE suganDhim pushti

varDhanam urvArugamiva banDhanAth mruthyOrmukshIyamAmruthAth " (We

worship the Supreme Lord [bhagavan Nrusimha] of the most auspicious

name, who is the bestower of might. May thou free me from death as

cucumber from the stalk, and grant me immortality.) . The thApanIya

Upanishad of the atharvana vedam pays its tribute to Bhagavan

Nrusimha as the three eyed one, with the left eye denoting the moon,

the right eye denoting the sun and the eye in his forehead denoting

Agni (fire). Swami Desikan highlights this fact through the

kamasikAshtakam salutation " thapanEndhvagni nayana:

thApAnapachinOthuna: thApanIya rahasyANAm sAra: kAmAsikA hari: "

Dhivya prabandham pays its tribute to Bhagavan Nrusimha as the three-

eyed one through the salutation " mukkaNNapirAn " . The thApanIya

Upanishad further glorfies Bhagavan Nrusimha as " nithyam Dhanu:

kapardhina: " (he whose arms are ever adorned by a bow known as

pinakam.Therefore, he begets the name pinAki ). This fact is again

confirmed by the vedam Rk " bAhuBhyAm thava DhanvanE " . Furthermore,

the Mahanarayana Upanishad and the thApanIya Upanishad contain

Gayathri mantrams for Bhagavan Nrusimha.

Next, the greatness of Bhagavan Nrusimha is highlighted from the

mantra ShAstram. The loftiness of the NrusimhAnustup mantram arises

from the fact that it is of Vedic origin. It is possible to

counteract the effect of one veda mantram by the recitation of

another. However, the effect of the NrusimhAnushtup mantram cannot

be counteracted by uttering any other mantram. Therefore, among

mantrams, the NrusimhAnushtup mantram reigns supreme and is thus

rightly acclaimed as mantraraja. The NrusimhAnushtup mantram

composed of 11 padams contains 32 syllables (aksharams) representing

the condensed essence of the Brahma Vidyas, which are Upanishadic

prescriptions (Upasanas) for attaining Lord Narayana. Initiation

into this mantram by a qualified Acharya, and proper prayOgam of the

mantram according to its set norms confers the upasaka with the

benefit of practicing the prescriptions of all the 32 Brahma vidyas.

Therefore, it is the favored mantram of mumukshus (those desirous of

securing Moksham). As a result, Bhagavan Nrusimha is known as the

mumukshu upAsya daivam. Therefore, the salutation nama: is most

befitting for Bhagavan Nrusimha. Swami Desikan describes the

significance of the term nama: in the Srimad Rahasyatrayasaram

through the salutation " tAram pUrvam " . This term denotes the act of

performing surrender (Atmanivedanam or SharaNagati) at the Feet of

Bhagavan Nrusimha. In the tantric form of worship, practiced in

KeraLa, Nrusimha Tantrikam reigns supreme.

The ithihasas are replete with glorification of Bhagavan Nrusimha.

The Ramayana mentions Nrusimha explicitly in four places. (1) When

Ravana approaches MarIcha for help in abducting Seetha Piratti,

MarIcha says " asamBhavam " (impossible) because Sita Piratti is

seated on the lap of Nrusimha (2) Valmiki glorifies Rama emerging

from the cave in the malyavan mountain as " simhO giri guhAshaya: "

(3) While offering words of comfort to Sita Piratti, Hanuman conveys

the message " Do not worry. Narasimha will be here shortly to rescue

you. " (4) In the ViBhishaNa sharaNagati, Sugriva enquires of Lord

Rama " what if the surrender of ViBhishaNa is a deceitful ploy on the

part of the Rakshasas to gain our confidence and kill us while we

are caught off guard?. Lord Rama answers this question

as " angulyagrENa thAm hanyAm " (Do not worry. If indeed what you say

is true, I do not even need my weapons to destroy the asuras. I

shall rip them apart with my finger nails. " Swami Desikan discusses

this fact quite extensively in the aBhayapradhAna sAram, while

treating the ViBhIshaNa sharaNagati.

Bhagavan Nrusimha is extensively glorified in the Vishnu

sahasranamam of the MahaBharata. It is a commonly held belief that

Bhishma was rendering a eulogy for Lord Krishna in this exquisite

stotram. However, closer examination will reveal that the Vishnu

sahasranamam is a glorification of Bhagavan Nrusimha from start to

finish. The first incarnation mentioned in this stotram is Bhagavan

Nrusimha through the salutation " nArasimhavapusrImAn kEshava

purushottama: " The mane of the lion was beautiful to behold because

the man-lion was gentle to His Bhakta, Prahlada, while striking

terror in the heart of HiraNyan. In fact Swami Desikan describes the

compassionate glances of Bhagavan Nrusimha for Prahlada as a

nectarine offering of milk in the kamasikAshtakam salutation " sarOja

sadhrushA drushA vyathiBhishajyathE vyajyathE " . Swamy Parashara

Bhattar refers to this avataram as " Sundara Simha: " The first

stotram of the sahasranamam can be divided into four groups each

containing 8 aksharams. The first group of 8 syllables represent the

ashtakshara mantram. The next group of salutations containing 8

aksharams when added to the previous 8 produces 16, which is the

number of mantrams in the Purusha Sooktam. The next set of 8

syllables added to this gives 24, the number of aksharams in the

sacred Gayathri mantram, which is a pre-requisite for reciting all

other veda mantrams. Finally, the 8 aksharams from the last group of

salutations when added to 24 produces 32, which is the number of

aksharams in theNrusimhAnushtup mantram! The vishNu sahasranamam

concludes with the salutation sarva praharaNAyuDha Om nama ithi.

Lord Krishna never bore arms during the MahaBharata war. Nor did he

adorn himself with weapons while appearing before BhIshma.

Therefore, this description does not fit Lord Krishna in the present

instance. However, Bhagavan Nrusimha's finger nails have the power

from all of His 5 weapons. Therefore, the concluding salutation of

the vishNu sahasranamam is most appropriate for Him. These facts

conclusively demonstrate that it is Bhagavan Nrusimha that is

glorified from start to finish in the VishNu sahasranama stotram.

The puraNas wax eloquent on the avataram of Bhagavan Nrusimha (i.e.,

Bhagavata PuraNam and VishNu PurANam). For example the vishNu

purANam contains an exquisite gadyam authored by mArkandEya known as

the lingAspOtitha Nrusimha Gadyam (linga=difficulties,

AspOtitha=shatter). The Bhagavata purANam glorifies Bhagavan

Nrusimha in the seventh skandam. It may be remembered here that this

story was narrated by the greatest Brahmavith (knower of Brahman),

Shuka Brahmam to the foremost among listeners, ParIkshith, who was

oblivious to the pangs of hunger, thirst, and sleep. The greatness

of Parikshith is that he would not be a mute listener. In order to

gain a good understanding of the narration, he would ask probing

questions to Shuka Brahmam. This form of listening is known as

prashNa mathi. In the seventh skandam, ParIkshith enquires of Shuka

Brahmam " sama: priya: suhruth Brahman BhUthAnAm Bhagavan svayam

indhrasyArThE katham dhaIthyAn avaDhIth viShamOyathA " (Oh kind-

hearted Brahman, you say that the Lord is impartial. He is equally

fond of all beings. However in closer examination of your narrative,

it seems as though the Lord repeatedly incarnates to favour Indhra

and destroy his enemies, the asuras. Does this not mean that the

Lord dislikes the asuras?) Shuka Brahman was extremely pleased at

this question raised by ParIkshith and his reply in the

verse " apapruShtan thvayA rajan lOkAnAm hitha kAmyayA yathra

Bhagavata mAhAthmyam Bhagavad Bhakthi varDhanam " indicates this

( " Oh king your question is going to result in the well being of the

entire universe. It seems as though your love for Bhagavatas exceeds

even that of Bhagavan). To precisely demonstrate the Lord's

impartiality towards all and specifically demonstrate the Lord's

love for Prahlada, who was born in the asura clan, Shuka Brahman

narrated the Vaibhavam of Bhagavan Nrusimha. Therefore if

ParIkshith's questions were in the manner of " Evam vEdha " , Shuka

Brahmam's replies were in the manner of " brahmavAdhinO vadhanthi " .

It is instructive to understand the reason for Bhagavan Nrusimha's

AvirBhavam from the pillar. Was this intended to rescue Prahlada

from HiraNyan? Sri Mukkur Swami avers most definitely not? To drive

home his point Sri Mukku Swam observes that " Was Prahlada not

protected when he was poisoned or bitten by snakes or thrown into

the flames or trampled upon by elephants? Then why did Bhagavan

Nrusimha incarnate as He did and when He did? Sri Mukkur Swamin

answers this by stating that the incarnation of Bhagavan Nrusimha

was solely to uphold the words of his Bhagavata-Prahlada (tasmAth

sthAmbena dhrushyathE-Indeed He is seen in the pillar) and

subsequently the conditions of Brahma's boon to HiraNyan and rishi

Narada-who dissuaded Indra from killing Kayadhu, the wife of

HiraNyan, when HiraNyan was engaged in penance. Testimony in

support of this fact can be found in the Bhagavatam

salutation " satyam viDhAthum nijabhruthya BhAshitham vyApthim cha

BhUthEShvakhilEshu chAthmana: Adhrushyatha athyAdhBhutha

rUpamudhvahan sthambhE sabhAyAm na mrugam na mAnusham " , the tribute

from Periya Azhwar " andhiyampOdhil arivuruvAgi ariya azhithavanE " ,

and Andal's tiruppavai tribute " yAm vandha kAryam arAyandhu aruLElO

rembAvai "

The essence of the puranic tributes is consummately captured in the

Nrusimha Karavalambam Stotram composed by H.H. the 44th

Azhagiyasingar (Mukkur Azhagiyasingar) of Ahobila Matham-which is

verily the condensed essence of the Nrusimha Vaibhavam. Each verse

of this magnificent stothram ends with " lakshminrusimha mamadEhi

karAvalambam " . For example the verse " sandhIpithAgni vinipAthitha

dhAithyadimba samrakshaNAya vinivarthitha vahni shakthE.

BhakthAyadhAru parikalpitha padhmathalpa lakshmInrusimha mamadehi

karavalambam " (When the child Prahlada was thrown into the scorching

flames, the grace of Bhagavan Nrusimha transformed the fire into a

bed of lotus petals). The verse " prahlAdhanAsha parichOdhita

sarpajAtha chUdamaNipravaradhantha vinAsha hEthO smruthyA

thavaIvanavivEdha thanum suBhaktha: lakshmInrusimha mamadEhi

karAvalambam " illustrates the fact that when poisonous serpents were

let loose to sting Prahlada, the grace of Lord Narayana caused

Prahlada to appear like Garuda, which scared the daylights out of

the serpents. It is particularly instructive to recall Swami

Desikan's tribute in the Garuda dandakam in this context " nagEndhra

pIdAshruNI BhavabhAsvannaKhashrENayE " . Another verse in the

Karavalamba StOtram of importance on a puraNic note

is " sUthadhidhattha vishapAnasamAnakAla nAmAmruthEna paripAlitha

dhaIthyaputhra prahlAdhadEha parirakshaNa jAgarUka lakshmInrusimha

mamadEhi karAvalambam " (When HiraNyan ordered his wife to feed

Prahlada with poison [kArpOdhaka sarpa visham], Prahlada gladly

partook of this offering. This is saluted in the Bhagavata puraNam

as " anukUlE jagannAtham visham pathyam BhavEn mama " [Oh Mother! Do

not cry or feel sad. You carry out the orders of my father. The Lord

of the Universe, who is helpful to me, will transform this offering

into nutritious food.]. Finally, the verse " shaIlAgraBhAga pathamAna

hiraNyadimba samrakshaNAya mrudhuBhUtha DharADhinAtha dhAithyEndhra

puthra hrudhayAsana mangalAnga lakshmInrusimha mamadEhikarAvalambam "

(The VishNu puraNam summarizes this as : HiraNyan ordered that

Prahlada be thrown down from a cliff. As the child fell, he did not

for a moment think of the impending death as a result of his fall.

Instead, he clutched hard at his heart out of concern that Lord

Narayana, who is seated therein, would come to harm due to the fall.

Bhumidevi, greatly moved by this sight reasons to herself " This

child is least concerned about his impending doom. Instead his focus

is the well being of my husband [Lord Narayana], who is seated in

his heart. Should I not therefore, make his landing gentle? "

Accordingly, Bhumidevi transformed herself into an extremely soft

patch to facilitate a smooth landing for Prahlada.). The puraNic

anuBhavam is eloquently saluted in simple Sanskrit by H.H. the 44th

Azhagiyasingar.

The Agamas too are replete with glorification of Bhagavan Nrusimha.

The Ahribudhnya samhitha, an important text of the PancharAthra

Agama discusses all aspects of iconography, consecration and

sacrifices for Bhagavan Nrusimha and outlines the procedure for His

worship. The Mantrarajapada stOtram appearing in the Ahirbudhnya

Samhita is an elaboration of the individual padams of the

NrusimhAnushtup mantram. The opening verse of this stotram contains

the blessed NrusimhAnushtup mantram. Verses 2-5 describe the

svarUpam of Bhagavan Nrusimha. In verse 6 Ahirbudhnyan is blessed

with the darshana SouBhAgyam of Bhagavan Nrusimha. Verses 7-10

describe the elevated protection afforded by Bhagavan Nrusimha. The

formal SharaNagati of Ahirbudhnyan is discussed in verses 11 and 12,

while verse 13 summaizes the benefits of reciting this magnificent

stotram (Phalashruthi). An elaboration of the individual verses of

this stotram can be found in adiyen's postings on the Malolan net

between September and November 1998. Swami Desikan repeatedly

refers to verses 11 and 12 of this stotram in Srimad Rahasya

trayasAram and glorifies Ahirbudhnyan as sarvajnyan (all knowing

one).

The Azhwars wax eloquent in their praise of Bhagavan Nrusimha:

1. For example PeriyAzhwar maps the entire mantrarajapada

Stotram into Tamil in his glorification of Bhagavan Nrusimha

2. Tirumangai Azhwar sings his glory in the singavElkundram

verses

3. Swami NammAzhwar, who is an avowed lover of Lord Krishna,

desires to see none other than Bhagavan Nrusimha even in

Srivaikuntam (en singapirAn perumai). Swami Desikan in the Padhuka

Sahasram uses the Nrusimha avataram to denote the inseparability of

the Padhukas (Satari Soori/Swami NammAzhwar) from the Lord's Lotus

Feet. Swami Desikan declares " In some incarnations, the Lord bears a

subset of his weapons. In some others he bears all his weapons.

However, no matter what exclusion criteria (vikalpam) apply to the

weapons none apply to the Padhukas! As Bhagavan Nrusimha He

demonstrates that even without weapons he is always accompanied by

the Padhukas clinging to His Feet! " The connection of Swami

NammAzhwar to Bhagavan Nrusimha is exemplified by the fact that

Acharyas adorning the Peetam of Sri Ahobila Matham (pre-eminent

Aradhakas of Bhagavan Nrusimha) use the signature Satakopa Sri. The

founding Acharya of Sri Ahobila Matham bears the name Adivan

Satakopan.

In seeking the hand of Lord Krishna, Rukmini conveys her appeal in

the form of 7 verses in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Significantly not

once in these verses does She mention Lord Krishna by name. Instead

Rukmini employs the salutation " kAlE Nrusimha " . This is because She

is apprehensive of Lord Krishna's propensity for uttering innovative

lies. Sri Andal attests to this fact in the Brindavana Pasuram

through the salutation `mAlAy pirandhanambiyE mAlE.sheyummanALanE

eLApoygaL uraippanE ingaipOhakandIrE. " Again while describing the

Laaja Homam of Her wedding ceremony, Sri Andal refers to Bhagavan

Nrusimha in the vAraNam Ayiram verse as " Arimukhan Achyuthan " (The

lion faced one who does not slip from His position, namely, rushing

to the rescue of those who have sought refuge in Him). From these

references it is clear that the Lord sought after by Sri Devi

(Rukmini Thayar) and by BhU Devi (Since Andal is an Amsham of BhUmi

piratti) is Bhagavan Nrusimha. Furthermore, Prapanna Jana

Kootasthar, Swami NammAzhwar desires to behold none other than

SingapirAn in Srivaikuntam. These facts are sufficient to establish

that Lord Nrusimha is the supreme Lord. Swami Desikan seeks the

bountiful blessings of Bhagavan Nrusimha through the kamasikAshtakam

verse " thvayi rakshathi rakshakaI: kimanyaI:

thvayichArakshathirakshakaI: kimanyaI: ithinischithaDhI:

shrayAminithyAm nruharE vEgavathI thatAshrayamthvAm " (When You have

decided to protect someone, where is the need for other protectors?

If you have decided not to protect someone, of what use are other

protectors? Resolving thus, I surrender unto You Oh Bhagavan

Nrusimha, who has taken residence on the banks of the Vegavathi

river).

Prakritham Srimad Azhagiyasingar noted in his upanyasam " Lord

Ranganatha is revered as periya perumal due to his worship by Lord

Rama. However, Bhagavan Nrusimha, who was worshipped by Lord Rama as

well as by Lord Srinivasa is celebrated as Periya Periya Perumal. "

H.H. Srimad InjimEdu Azhagiyasingar would unfailingly mention in his

upanyasams that " Ranganatha is no doubt great! However he suffers

from one fault. Lord Rama worshipped Him and the next day was

banished to the forest. On the other hand behold the greatness of

Bhagavan Nrusimha! He was worshipped by the nomad Srinivasa, who

roamed the forest. As a result, He became nithya Sri and stands on

top of the Venkatachalam Hill " This eulogy needs to be understood in

the context of nahi-nindha nyAyam. More precisely, to illustrate the

greatness of a person, he is compared to someone of similar caliber

and then it is demonstrated that the former tops the latter.

However, this is in no way belittling or derogatory to the latter.

The worship of Bhagavan Nrusimha by Lord Srinivasa is eloquently

documented in the Venkatachala mahAthmyam. Specifically, at the time

of his wedding to Padmavathi Thayar Srinivasa was seated in the

altar ready to perform the wedding rites. Agni personally undertook

the preparation of food for the occasion. When the food was ready

for offering as naivedyam, Brahma had a question " Who should the

food be offered to when Bhagavan Himself was present? " Lord

Srinivasa answered this as " ahObila nrusimhAya pUjAm kruthvA yathA

viDhi "

Finally, we note that Bhadram is the name of Bhagavan Nrusimha,

while Bhadra is the name for Thayar. The Bhadram (protection)

afforded jointly by Bhagavan Nrusimha and Thayar is that of

unfailing coming to the rescue of those who surrender to His Lotus

Feet (sharaNagata rakshakathvam). Consequently, Prapannas are

assured of the benefit of Moksham at the end of their earthly

existence. This is referred to in the Mantrarajapada stOtram

salutation " shriyAcha BhadhrayAjuShta: yastham Bhadram namAmyaham "

Adiyen concludes this article with salutations to Bhagavan Nrusimha

from the PrADhurBhAva Nrusimha Gadyam (Swami Desikan refers to this

tribute in the Dashavatara Stotram

verse " yathprADhurBhavanAdhavandhya jatarA yAdhrichikAdhvEdhasAm " )

 

MahApraBhavasri narayaNa nArasimha:

narayaNa vIra Simha:

naryaNa krUrasimha:

naryaNa dhivyasimha:

naryaNa vyAGhra simha:

naryaNa pucChasimha:

naryaNa pUrNa simha:

naryaNa roUdhrasimha:

BhIshaNa Bhadra simha:

vihvala nEthra simha:

brumhitha BhUtha simha:

nirmala chitthasimha:

nirjitha kAlasimha:

kalpitha kalpasimha:

kAmadhakAmasimha:

BhuvanaIkapUrNa simha:

KAlAgni rudhrasimha:

anantharUpa rAjasimha:

jayasimharUpasimha:

narasimharUpasimha:

raNasimharUpasimha:

mahAsimharUpasimha:

aBhayankararUpasimha:

hiraNyakashipuhArisimha:

prahlAdhavaradasimha:

BhakthaBhIshtadhAyi simha:

LakshmInrusimha rUpasimha:

athyAdhBhutha rUpasimha:

shrInrusimhOdhEva:

 

svAthi samBhavAn tiruvadigaLE SharaNam,

 

Namo Narayana,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan