Introduction to Narasimha book

[Paramananda das]

  

 

 

 

All glories to the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada and my Gurudeva, the Vaisnavas, the Acaryas and the 6 Goswamis and Lord Caitanya and all His associates headed by Lord Nityananda Prabhu.
My prayer is that the temple of Lord Narasimha at  Narasimha palli,  in Godruma Dvipa, Navadvipa  may be made into a larger beautiful temple with many offerings daily. Also I have a similar prayer for the Narasimha temple of Nanda Maharaja in Nandagrama, in Vraja.
My previous concern for not completing this book was based on this verse of Manah Siksa of Raghunath das Goswami:
asad-varta-vesya visrja mati-sarvasva-haranih katha mukti-vyaghrya na srnu kila sarvatma-gilanih api tyaktva laksmi-pati-ratim ito vyoma-nayanim vraje radha-krsnau sva-rati-mani-dau tvam bhaja manah
O mind, give up friendship with nondevotees, which is nothing but a prostitute who will steal the treasure of your heart–your desire to serve Radha-Krsna. Don’t listen to talks of impersonal liberation, which are a tigress who devours everyone. You should even give up attraction for Lord Narayana, which leads to the world of Vaikuntha. Instead, O mind, just worship Sri Sri Radha-Krsna in Vraja, for They bestow upon their worshipers the jewel of pure love for Themselves.

But as followers of Lord Caitanya we can not renounce hearing about Lord Narasimha,when Lord Caitanya   
Himself was hearing the glories of Prahlada Carita (the teachings of Prahlada Maharaja in Srimad Bhagavatam)

gadadhara parena summukha bhagavata suniya prakase prabhu prema-bhava yata prahlada-caritra, ara dhruvera-caritra sata-vrtti kariya sunena sarhita
"Whenever Sri Gadadhara would recite the Prahlada-caritra and Dhruva-caritra from Bhagavatam, the Lord would manifest various symptoms of love. The Lord would hear the glories of Prahlada and Dhruva hundreds of times." (Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya.10.13-14)

 

Sri Narasimhananda Brahmacari was given this name by Lord Caitanya as confirmed in Caitanya Caritamrta Antya Lila 2.53 , he was such a great devotee of Lord Narasimha , Srila Prabhupada writes he could talk to Lord Narasimha face to face anytime and Lord Narasimha would always manifest through him.Thus Nrisimhananda is a direct manifestation of Lord Caitanya's and Lord Nrsimhadeva's mercy. On the Appearance Day of Lord Narasimha we especially pray to Nrsimhananda Brahmacari to ask Lord Caitanya and Lord Nrsimha to fully manifest in our heart. Sri Prahlada Maharaja has also prayed to  Lord Narasimha to fully manifest Himself in our heart .Sri Prahlada Maharaja appeared as Srila  Haridas Thakura in Gaura Lila  this is confirmed in Gaura Ganodessa Dipika .
  
 

At Srivasangan in Mayapura, which is considered non-different from the Rasa Stahli in Vrindavana also known as Seva Kunja, and the place where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began His Sankirtana movement, there is a Deity of Ugra Narasimha killing Hiranyakasipu. The Deity is placed just in front of the Panca-tattva Deities. This is so because one day Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to the house of Srivasa Pandita and manifested His mood as Narasimha. Since that time devotees have always considered Lord Narasimha to be the protector of the sankirtana movement. This pastime is mentioned in Caitanya-bhagavata Madhya-khanda, ch. 2, 253-269
"Walking by the riverbank, He (Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu) saw a herd of cows. They were mooing and drinking water. With raised tails some ran in the four directions. Some fought. Some napped. Some drank water. Seeing them, the Lord began to roar. I am He! I am He!" The Lord shouted again and again. In this way He ran to Srivasa's house.
"Srivasa, what are you doing now?", the Lord roared. Within his home, Srivasa was worshiping Lord Narasimha. Pounding again and again, Sri Caitanya broke the door open. Whom do you worship? On whom do you meditate? Look! The person you worship has come!" the Lord roared.
"Srivasa saw a form like blazing fire, Then his meditation broke. He looked in the four directions. He saw Sri Caitanya sitting in a virasana yoga posture. Sri Caitanya had four arms. He held a conch-shell, cakra, club, and lotus. He roared like a maddened lion. Slapping the palm of His hand against His left shoulder, He made a great sound. Seeing all this, Srivasa trembled. Then he became stunned. He did not move.
"The Lord roared, O Srivasa! For so many days you did not know My true identity? Because of your loud sankirtana I left Vaikuntha and came here with all My associates. Not knowing Me, You left Me and went to Santipura. I will rescue the devotees. I will kill all the demons. Don't worry. Now recite prayers to Me." Gazing at the Lord, Srivasa wept tears of love. The fears in his heart died. Now He was confident. His whole body was filled with joy.
"He offered dandavat obeisance's. Then, folding his hands, he recited prayers. By his nature, Srivasa Pandita was a great devotee of the Lord. He accepted the Lord's order. By the Lord's desire, he recited prayers."

  Lord Narasimha  Deity at Srivasangam

Lord Caitanya is non different from Lord Narasimha, but after the pastimes of Jagai and Madhai ,the Lord choose to show mercy to even the most degraded and demoniac persons and to change them to God consciousness ,Krishna consciousness

Once when Lord Caitanya heard the 1000 names of Visnu ,when the name of Lord Narasimha was chanted ,Lord Caitanya took the mood of Lord Narasimha and picked up a club roaring like Narasimha ran through a village , when Lord Caitanya came out of His mood of Lord Narasimha ,He felt embarrassed to having scared so many persons.Srivasa Thakura comforted Lord Caitanya and told Him that anyone that had seen Him assume the mood of Lord Narasimha would be liberated from the material world .
 
In Srimad Bhagavatam we hear how Prahlada Maharaja chanted prayers to Lord Narasimha in Harivarsa this place has been identified as western Tibet by Vedic scholars.Sri Prahlada Maharaja had prayed Lord Narasimha appear in our hearts and drive away all ignorance .

SB 5.18.7: Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva resides in the tract of land known as Hari-varṣa. In the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, I shall describe to you how Prahlāda Mahārāja caused the Lord to assume the form of Nṛsiḿhadeva. Prahlāda Mahārāja, the topmost devotee of the Lord, is a reservoir of all the good qualities of great personalities. His character and activities have delivered all the fallen members of his demoniac family. Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva is very dear to this exalted personality. Thus Prahlāda Mahārāja, along with his servants and all the denizens of Hari-varṣa, worships Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva by chanting the following mantra.
SB 5.18.8: I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva, the source of all power. O my Lord who possesses nails and teeth just like thunderbolts, kindly vanquish our demon like 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 Śrī Kṛṣṇa, 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 Kṛṣṇa. 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 Kṛṣṇa 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, Vāsudeva. 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.

All glories to Lord Narasimha who has appeared in Kali Yuga as Gaurasimha ,Lord Caitanya to chase away the dog of Kali;
Caitanyera-simhera
nava-dvipe avatara
simha-griva, simha virya
simhera-hunkara
Sei simha vasuk jivera
hrdaya-kandare
kalmasa-dvirada nase
yanhara hunkare
"Thus the lionlike Lord Caitanya has appeared in Navadvipa. He has the shoulders of a lion, the powers of a lion, and the loud voice of a lion. May that lion be seated in the core of the heart of every living being. Thus with His resounding roar may He drive away one's elephantine vices."
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-Lila, 3.30-31 

om kraum

namo bhagavate nrsimhaya
jwalamaline diptadamstraya
agninetryaya sarvaraksoghnaya
sarvabhuta vinasanaya
sarva jvara vinasanaya
daha daha paca paca raksa raksa
hum pat swaha

I offer my respects to Lord Narasimhadev who has a beard of flames and eyes
like pillars of fire, and who is the protector of the devotees, cut cut, burn burn,
and protect protect us.

om namo bhagavate sri maha nrsimhaya
damstra kupalavudanaya grocha
rupaya vajra nakhaya jvala maline
maha vishnan pacha pacha
mama astrun vidravaya vidravaya
mama sarva rista prabhunjaya
chata chata hana hana chindi chindi
mama sarva bhistan puraya puraya
mam raksa raksa hum phat svaha

I offer my respects to the great Lord Narasimhadev. You have nails and teeth like
bolts of lightning and are garlended by a mane of flames. Chopping, cutting,
tearing, and killing please protect us your devotees.

om namo bhagavate narasimhaya
hiranyasipu vaksa stala vidharanaya tribhuvana-vyapakaya
bhuta prita pisacha dakhini sakhini mulon mulanaya
stambhodbhavaya samsta doshan
hara hara visara visara
pacha pacha hana hana
kampaya kampaya
hrim hrim hrim hrim
phat phat tam tam
ehi rudra yajna pataye svaha

Obeisances unto You Narasimha. You who killed the demon Hiranyakashipu,
who was threatening the three worlds. You remove all impediments from
devotional life like the various ghosts and witches You chase away. O Lord of
sacrifice whose transcendental activities are invoked by the sacrifice of Your
devotees, we sacrifice for You.