Sri Narasimhadeva

[Paramananda das]

Sri Narasimhadeva
BY: PAYONIDHI DASA



The demon Hiranyakasipu attacked Lord Nrsimhadeva with great force, but the Lord captured him and placed him on his lap, supporting him with His thighs. Then, in the doorway of the assembly hall, the Lord very easily tore the demon to pieces with the nails of His hands.
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.






Table of Contents

Sri Narasimhadeva
Forword
Introduction
How Srila Prabhupada introduced Lord Narasimhadeva in the western world and in ISKCON
Lord Narasimhadeva in Srila Prabhupada's books, lectures etc
The Narasimha avatar
The pastimes places of Lord Narasimha.
Narasimhadeva in Goswami literatures
Narasimhadeva in the Puranas
Narasimhadeva in Krsna lila
Narasimhadeva in Gaura lila
Prahlada Maharaja
Narasimhadeva in various Gaudiya literatures
Lord Narasimhadeva does not approve of demigod worship
Narasimha temples
Narasimha Purana
Kusakrata Prabhu's little book
Prayers and 1000 names of Lord Narasimhadeva
Author's humble realization



Forword

This book is best understood after having carefully studied the 7th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. H.H.Bhakti Vikas Maharaja is an inspiration to this book and when I asked him for advice to write the book, he told me to simply depend on Lord Narasimhadeva. Taking this advice to heart I am writing this and praying for the mercy of the Vaisnavas. I am dedicating this book to the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada and all his followers, may you all kindly engage me in the service of Lord Narasimhadeva and bless me with your determination to glorify Lord Narasimhadeva and His pure devotees, headed by Sri Prahlada Maharaja. Kindly bless us with your mercy.




Introduction

This is the age of Kali and it is a very dangerous age due to the increase of ignorance and of passion. Previously the demons lived in different planets, like in Satya yuga, mostly demons lived in the lower planets. But gradually as time passed the demons came here to this planet as well in Treta yuga, and incarnations such as Lord Rama killed such asuras. In Dvapara yuga even in the same families, and in Kali yuga the demon may even appear in one's own heart


Hiranyakasipu controlled the whole universe, but Hiranyaksa threw the earth into the Garbhodaka ocean, so demons have always harassed mother Earth. As we know, Lord Varaha killed Hiranyaksa, and there are many times this pastime repeats itself in different kalpas, and so does the killing of Hiranyakasipu. I have found as much material as I could from various Puranas to bring to life some of these accounts from different kalpas. Lord Narasimhadeva has many forms in this material world, and incarnates again and again to kill demons and protect the devotees. He is even considered the protector of Krsna, though obviously Krsna is the source of all incarnations and forms, including Lord Narasimhadeva. Nanda Maharaja used to worship Narasimhadeva in Nandagrama, and his Narasimhadeva deity is still there in Nandagrama in Vraja. Mother Yasoda chanted Narasimha bija mantras to protect Krsna before He would go to the forest. This has been stated in Govinda Lilamrita. Lord Rama also went to Ahovalam and worshipped Lord Narasimhadeva.


In this age most persons become influenced by the demoniac mentality and the only savior from this demoniac mentality is this Krsna consciousness movement. Some persons may ask why give attention to Lord Narasimhadeva, and not just focus on Krsna as He is svayam Bhagavan .However we give respects to all the Lord's incarnations. But especially this form of Narasimhadeva is very scary for the demoniac. When we talk about demons we don't mean some ghostly creature with horns, etc., though there are such demoniac creatures in existence. The demons in modern age are persons that enviously teach that there is no God in existence and that religion "is Opium for the people". Often such demons try to kill devotees of Krsna. This has been seen, for example, in Russia during the communist area.


There are also the internal demons a devotee my struggle with in the form of lust, anger, greed, etc. For that, a devotee prays to Lord Narasimhadeva to destroy these anarthas. Bhaktivinoda Thakura prayed to Narasimhadeva at Narasimha palli in Navadvipa:


Five Prayers to Lord Narasimha
by Bhaktivinoda Thakura


Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written five beautiful prayers in "Sri Navadvipa Bhava Taranga" for receiving the mercy of Lord Narasimha. These prayers are certainly assurance to all sincere devotees that the worship of Lord Narasimha is purely in the line of aspiring love and devotion to Sri Sri Radha and Krsna. Those prayers are as follows.


e dusta hrdaye kama adi ripu chaya
kutinati pratisthasa sathya sada raya
hrdaya-sodhana ara krsnera vasana
nrsimha-carane mora ei to' kamana

Within my sinful heart the six enemies headed by lust perpetually reside, as well as duplicity, the desire for fame, plus sheer cunning. At the lotus feet of Lord Narasimha, I hope that He will mercifully purify my heart and give me the desire to serve Lord Krsna.


kandiya nrsimha-pade magibo kakhana
nirapade navadvipe jugala-bhajana
bhaya bhaya paya yan'ra darsane se hari
prasanna hoibo kabe more daya kari

Weeping, I will beg at the lotus-feet of Lord Narasimha for the benediction of worshipping Radha and Krsna in Navadvipa, perfectly safe and free from all difficulties. When will this Lord Hari, Whose terrible form strikes fear into fear itself, ever become pleased and show me His mercy?


yadyapi bhisana murti dusta-jiva-prati
prahladadi krsna-bhakta-jane bhadra ati
kabe va prasanna ho'ye sa krpa-vacane
nirbhaya karibe ei mudha akincane

Even though Lord Narasimha is terrifying toward the sinful souls, He offers great auspiciousness unto the devotees of Lord Krsna headed by Prahlada Maharaja. When will He be pleased to speak words of compassion unto me, a worthless fool, and thereby make me fearless?


svacchande baiso he vatsa sri-gauranga-dhame
jugala-bhajana hau rati hau name
mama bhakta-krpa-bale vighna jabe dura
suddha cite bhajo radha-krsna-rasa-pura

He will say, "Dear child! Sit sown freely and live happily here in Sri Gauranga-dhama. May you nicely worship the Divine Couple, and may you develop loving attachment for Their Holy Names. By the mercy of My devotees, all obstacles are cast far away. With a purified heart, just perform the worship of Radha and Krsna, for such worship overflows with sweet nectar."


ei boli' kabe mora mastaka-upara
sviya sri-carana harse dharibe isvara
amani jugala-preme sattvika vikare
dharaya lutibo ami sri-nrsimha-dvare

Saying this, will that Lord delightedly place His own divine lotus-feet upon my head? I will experience sublime love for the Divine Couple Radha-Krsna and undergo the ecstatic transformations called sattvika. Falling on the ground, I will roll about at the door of Sri Narasimha's temple.


(Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, - "Sri Navadvipa Bhava Taranga", 36-40)




Also Madhavacarya has written Nakha Stuti to pray to Narasimha for destroying the internal enemies lust, anger, greed, etc.


SRI NAKHA STUTI


paantvasmaam puruuhutavairi balavanmaatanga maadyadghataa
kumbhocchaadri vipaatanaadhi kapatu pratyekavajraayitaah
Shrimat kanthiravaasya pratatasunakharaa daaritaaraatiduura
pradhvasta dhvaatashaanta pravitata manasaa bhaavitaa nakivrnda

"May the wide-spread and auspicious nails of the lion-faced God, Narasimha, Who is in the company of His consort Laxmi, protect us. His nails are like thunderbolts and are highly skilled in tearing asunder the lofty mountain-like heads of the herds of strong and intoxicated elephants in the form of demons; the foes of Indradev. His nails are also meditated upon by the groups of devas with their broad minds which are concentrated upon Him and from which the darkness of ignorance is driven away to a great distance and the internal enemies of lust, anger, etc., are torn in twain."


lakshmikaanta samantato vikalayannai veshituste saman
pashyaamyuttama vastu duurataarato paastam rasoyo stumah
yadrosotkara daksanetra kutila prantotthitogni sphurat
khadyotopamavisphylinya bhasitaa brhmeshushakrot karaan

"Oh consort of Laxmi! Although I've made an all round study of the shastras, I don't find anything equal to You, Who are my master! The thing thought superior to You is therefore flung far and is similar to the 8th tuste (it does not exist). Brahma, Shiva, Indra and their hosts are reduced to ashes by the sparks of fire resembling sparking glowworms and issuing from the curved edge of Your right eye which is filled with masses of wrath."




And in the Srimad Bhagavatam we find a similar prayer offered by Prahlada Maharaja.

SB 5.18.8:


om namo bhagavate narasimhaya namas tejas-tejase avir-avirbhava vajra-nakha vajra-damstra karmasayan randhaya randhaya tamo grasa grasa om svaha; abhayam abhayam atmani bhuyistha om ksraum.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Nrsimhadeva, the source of all power. O my Lord who possesses nails and teeth just like thunderbolts, kindly vanquish our demonlike desires for fruitive activity in this material world. Please appear in our hearts and drive away our ignorance so that by Your mercy we may become fearless in the struggle for existence in this material world.






"SB 5.18.9: May there be good fortune throughout the universe, and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting devotional service they will think of each other's welfare. Therefore let us all engage in the service of the supreme transcendence, Lord Sri Krsna, and always remain absorbed in thought of Him."


SB 5.18.10: "My dear Lord, we pray that we may never feel attraction for the prison of family life, consisting of home, wife, children, friends, bank balance, relatives and so on. If we do have some attachment, let it be for devotees, whose only dear friend is Krsna. A person who is actually self-realized and who has controlled his mind is perfectly satisfied with the bare necessities of life. He does not try to gratify his senses. Such a person quickly advances in Krsna consciousness, whereas others, who are too attached to material things, find advancement very difficult."


SB 5.18.11: "By associating with persons for whom the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mukunda, is the all in all, one can hear of His powerful activities and soon come to understand them. The activities of Mukunda are so potent that simply by hearing of them one immediately associates with the Lord. For a person who constantly and very eagerly hears narrations of the Lord's powerful activities, the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead in the form of sound vibrations, enters within his heart and cleanses it of all contamination. On the other hand, although bathing in the Ganges diminishes bodily contaminations and infections, this process and the process of visiting holy places can cleanse the heart only after a long time. Therefore who is the sane man who will not associate with devotees to quickly perfect his life?"


SB 5.18.12: "All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord's external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?"


SB 5.18.13: "Just as aquatics always desire to remain in the vast mass of water, all conditioned living entities naturally desire to remain in the vast existence of the Supreme Lord. Therefore if someone very great by material calculations fails to take shelter of the Supreme Soul but instead becomes attached to material household life, his greatness is like that of a young, low-class couple. One who is too attached to material life loses all good spiritual qualities."


SB 5.18.14: "Therefore, O demons, give up the so-called happiness of family life and simply take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva, which are the actual shelter of fearlessness. Entanglement in family life is the root cause of material attachment, indefatigable desires, moroseness, anger, despair, fear and the desire for false prestige, all of which result in the repetition of birth and death."


These prayers of Prabhlada Maharaja are very significant as the goal of human life is to enter the renounced order of life, and renounce all material desires. These prayers of Prahlada Maharaja, when regurlary studied, chanted and meditated upon, including carefully studying the purports given by Srila Prabhupada on these verses, helps us advance on the path of freedom from anarthas. H.H .Bhakti Viksas Maharaja has writen a wonderful book about the practise or celibacy, and it is our humble realization that worship of Lord Narasimhadeva and freedom from material desires goes hand in hand. In Krsna consciousness all members of all ashrams aspire for honest practise of celibacy. The main reason for material bondage is attraction for sex life and the many anarthas and ignorance that goes with it.


SB 5.5.8

pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam
tayor mitho hrdaya-granthim ahuh
ato grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittair
janasya moho 'yam aham mameti

"The attraction between male and female is the basic principle of material existence. On the basis of this misconception, which ties together the hearts of the male and female, one becomes attracted to his body, home, property, children, relatives and wealth. In this way one increases life's illusions and thinks in terms of "I and mine."


Srila Prabhupada's purport is very significant in this matter:


"Sex serves as the natural attraction between man and woman, and when they are married, their relationship becomes more involved. Due to the entangling relationship between man and woman, there is a sense of illusion whereby one thinks, "This man is my husband," or "This woman is my wife." This is called hrdaya-granthi, "the hard knot in the heart." This knot is very difficult to undo, even though a man and woman separate either for the principles of varnasrama or simply to get a divorce. In any case, the man always thinks of the woman, and the woman always thinks of the man. Thus a person becomes materially attached to family, property and children, although all of these are temporary. The possessor unfortunately identifies with his property and wealth. Sometimes, even after renunciation, one becomes attached to a temple or to the few things that constitute the property of a sannyasi, but such attachment is not as strong as family attachment. The attachment to the family is the strongest illusion. In the Satya-samhita, it is stated:


brahmadya yajnavalkadya
mucyante stri-sahayinah
bodhyante kecanaitesam
visesam ca vido viduh

Sometimes it is found among exalted personalities like Lord Brahma that the wife and children are not a cause of bondage. On the contrary, the wife actually helps further spiritual life and liberation. Nonetheless, most people are bound by the knots of the marital relationship, and consequently they forget their relationship with Krsna."


Srila Prabhupada's purport is very clear in this matter. SB 5.18.13, Srila Prabhupada states that one should give up this crippled form of life:


"Everyone should therefore seek the shelter of the Supreme Soul, the source of all living entities. No one should waste his time in the so-called happiness of materialistic household life. In the Vedic civilization, this type of crippled life is allowed only until one's fiftieth year, when one must give up family life and enter either the order of varnaprastha (independent retired life for cultivation of spiritual knowledge) or sannyasa (the renounced order, in which one completely takes shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead)."


If we read the teachings of Prahlada Maharaja in Srimad Bhagavatam, there are so many teachings to give up material attachments. One may still stay in family life as a vanaprastha. In modern age Vaisnava society many devotees retire a bit later, by 60 or so. Srila Prabhupada took sannyasa when he was 58. The whole point is to become detached from sense gratification, and attached to the lotus feet of Sri Krsna. Living as a detached varna prastha is a good step in the right direction. Recently we read a purport where Srila Prabhupada states that by 45, all material desires should be finished. Sri Prahlada Maharaja prayed to Lord Narasimhadeva again and again to be free from material desires, and has taught us that to properly worship Lord Narasimhadeva, we must give up sex desires and all material desires.


SB 7.6.8: "One whose mind and senses are uncontrolled becomes increasingly attached to family life because of insatiable lusty desires and very strong illusion. In such a madman's life, the remaining years are also wasted because even during those years he cannot engage himself in devotional service."


SB 7.6.9: "What person too attached to household life due to being unable to control his senses can liberate himself? An attached householder is bound very strongly by ropes of affection for his family [wife, children and other relatives]."


SB 7.6.10: "Money is so dear that one conceives of money as being sweeter than honey. Therefore, who can give up the desire to accumulate money, especially in household life? Thieves, professional servants [soldiers] and merchants try to acquire money even by risking their very dear lives."


SB 7.6.11-13: "How can a person who is most affectionate to his family, the core of his heart being always filled with their pictures, give up their association? Specifically, a wife is always very kind and sympathetic and always pleases her husband in a solitary place. Who could give up the association of such a dear and affectionate wife? Small children talk in broken language, very pleasing to hear, and their affectionate father always thinks of their sweet words. How could he give up their association? One's elderly parents and one's sons and daughters are also very dear. A daughter is especially dear to her father, and while living at her husband's house she is always in his mind. Who could give up that association? Aside from this, in household affairs there are many decorated items of household furniture, and there are also animals and servants. Who could give up such comforts? The attached householder is like a silkworm, which weaves a cocoon in which it becomes imprisoned, unable to get out. Simply for the satisfaction of two important senses - the genitals and the tongue - one is bound by material conditions. How can one escape?"


SB 7.9.45: "Sex life is compared to the rubbing of two hands to relieve an itch. Grhamedhis, so-called grhasthas who have no spiritual knowledge, think that this itching is the greatest platform of happiness, although actually it is a source of distress. The krpanas, the fools who are just the opposite of brahmanas, are not satisfied by repeated sensuous enjoyment. Those who are dhira, however, who are sober and who tolerate this itching, are not subjected to the sufferings of fools and rascals."


SB 7.10.5: "A servant who desires material profits from his master is certainly not a qualified servant or pure devotee. Similarly, a master who bestows benedictions upon his servant because of a desire to maintain a prestigious position as master is also not a pure master."


SB 7.10.6: "O my Lord, I am Your unmotivated servant, and You are my eternal master. There is no need of our being anything other than master and servant. You are naturally my master, and I am naturally Your servant. We have no other relationship."


SB 7.10.7: "O my Lord, best of the givers of benediction, if You at all want to bestow a desirable benediction upon me, then I pray from Your Lordship that within the core of my heart there be no material desires."


SB 7.10.8: "O my Lord, because of lusty desires from the very beginning of one's birth, the functions of one's senses, mind, life, body, religion, patience, intelligence, shyness, opulence, strength, memory and truthfulness are vanquished."


In this age of Kali yuga the influence of the demoniac nature as described in the 16 chapters of Bhagavad Gita and 12th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam is very prominent. By studying the teachings of Prahlada Maharaja, as shown personally by Lord Caitanya, hundreds of times, we become situated in the boat of transcendental knowledge. By worshipping Lord Caitanya, who is also non-different from Lord Narasimhadeva and chanting the Holy Names of Krsna, life becomes so much easier, by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada who preached like a lion, Lord Gaura Simha (Lord Caitanya who is like a lion) and and Lord Narasimhadeva (Half man Half lion)






Yoga-Narasingha, at Melkote - a Deity self-manifest from Salagrama Sila, worshipped by Prahlad Maharaja.








Sri Prahlada Maharaja was also worshipping Lord Varaha Narasimhadeva in Simhacalam, near Visakha Patnam in the state of Andhra Pradesh. This Sri Murti is covered with sandalwood that is only removed once a year, in April- May, and then again covered with Chandan (sandalwood). This Deity is also self-manifested (we will discuss this in later chapters). The image below gives some idea the Lord's darshan without Chandan during the Chandanayatra Festival.










And this is with Chandana. You obviously can't see the Lord as well here.

[Paramananda das]

(the pictures will be included in the book)