Nrusimha Jayanthi

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Sri:

 

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

 

Dear Bhaktas,

 

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

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 shanti 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 with our eyes. 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 prescriptions confers the upasaka with

the benefit of practicing the prescriptions of 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 " . 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

entering the cave 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. Swami

Parashara Bhattar in his Vishnu sahasranama Bhashyam elaborates on this namam as

" sundara simha: " . 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 " . 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 extensively glorify 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, who exemplified the Vedam salutation " sarvam Khalvidham Brahma " or its

Tamil equivalent " nikkindredallam nedumal avananukku nAm nilayadiyOm " . The

listener of this narration too had unparalleled greatness. Parikshith was born

due to the munificent grace of Lord Krishna in keeping with the salutation

" jAyamanamhi purusha: yam pashyEth madhusUdhana: " . ParIkshith was oblivious to

the pangs of hunger, thirst, and sleep while hearing Shuka Brahmam's exposition

on the Bhagavatam. 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 Brahmam 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 [kArkOtaka 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 too shower great tributes in their outpourings on 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)

 

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). Andal again refers to Bhagavan Nrusimha in the tiruppAvai salutation " yAm

vandha kAryam " . 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). Again

Swami Desikan and Andal declare their preference for Andal by instructing us to

utter the name of Hari (which denotes Simham) 7 times while waking up in the

morning.

 

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 (saha pathnyA

vishalAksha ranganathamupAsathu) and the next day was banished to the forest. On

the other hand behold the greatness of Bhagavan Nrusimha! Upon worshipping Him

Rama was re-united with Sita Piratti and regained his kingdom. Bhagavan Nrusimha

was also 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 "

 

svAthi samBhavAn tiruvadigaLE SharaNam,

 

Namo Narayana,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan