| Narasimha | |
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Narasimha killing Hiranyakashipu on his lap, as Prahlada watches at the left. (18th century) |
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| Devanagari | नरसिंह |
| Sanskrit Transliteration | Narasiṃha |
| Affiliation | Avatar of Vishnu, generally 4th of the 10 primary avatars |
| Weapon | Chakra and Mace |
| Consort | Lakshmi |
Narasimha (Sanskrit: नरसिंह, Narasiṃha) or Nrusimha (नृसिंह, Nṛsiṃha), also spelt as Narasingh and Narasingha, whose name literally translates from Sanskrit as "Man-lion", is an avatar of Vishnu described in the Puranas, Upanishads and other ancient religious texts of Hinduism.[1] and one of Hinduism's most popular deities, as evidenced in early epics, iconography, and temple and festival worship for over a millennium.[2]
He is often visualized as half-man/half-lion, having a human-like torso and lower body, with a lion-like face and claws.[3] This image is widely worshiped in deity form by a significant number of Vaishnava groups. He is known primarily as the 'Great Protector' who specifically defends and protects his devotees in times of need.[4]
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References to Narasimha are found in a wide variety of the Puranic scriptures, with seventeen versions of the main narrative,[5] some in more detail than others. The Bhagavata Purana (Canto 7), Agni Purana (4.2-3), Brahmanda Purana (2.5.3-29), Vayu Purana (67.61-66), Harivamsa (41 & 3.41-47), Brahma Purana (213.44-79), Vishnudharmottara Purana (1.54), Kurma Purana (1.15.18-72), Matsya Purana (161-163), Padma Purana (Uttara-khanda 5.42), Shiva Purana (2.5.43 & 3.10-12), Linga Purana (1.95-96), Skanda Purana 7 (2.18.60-130) and Vishnu Purana (1.16-20) all contain depictions of the Narasimha Avatar. There is also a short reference in the Mahabharata (3.272.56-60) and a Tapani Upanishad (Narasimha tapani Upanisad), earliest of Vaishnava Upanishads named in reference to him.
One phrase of the Rig Veda appears to indicate an epithet that has been attributed to the form of Vishnu as Narasimha. It clearly calls the qualities of Vishnu that are seen only in this avatar as "like some wild beast, dread, prowling, mountain-roaming" (RV.I 154.2a). There is a reference or an allusion to knowledge of Namuci story in RV.VIII 14.13: "With waters' foam you tore off, Indra, the head of Namuci, subduing all contending hosts." This short reference is believed to have culminated in the full puranic story of this highly popular Narasimha form.[2]
The story of Narasimha as described in the Bhagavata Purana is as follows:
/>In his previous avatara of Varaha, Vishnu killed a rakshasa known as Hiranyaksha. Hiranyaksha's brother Hiranyakashipu, greatly angered by this, started to abhor Vishnu and his followers. He decides to attempt to kill Vishnu by gaining mystical powers, which he believes Brahma, the chief among the devas, will award him if he undergoes many years of great austerity and penance. This initially seems to work as planned with Brahma becoming pleased by Hiranyakashipu's austerities.[6] Brahma thus appears before Hiranyakashipu and offers him a boon that he will personally make true anything he wishes for. In reply, Hiranyakashipu requests the following:
O my lord, O best of the givers of benediction, if you will kindly grant me the benediction I desire, please let me not meet death from any of the living entities created by you. Grant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground or in the sky. Grant me that my death not be brought about by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal. Grant me that I not meet death from any entity, living or nonliving created by you. Grant me, further, that I not be killed by any demigod or demon or by any great snake from the lower planets. Since no one can kill you in the battlefield, you have no competitor. Therefore, grant me the benediction that I too may have no rival. Give me sole lordship over all the living entities and presiding deities, and give me all the glories obtained by that position. Furthermore, give me all the mystic powers attained by long austerities and the practice of yoga, for these cannot be lost at any time.[7]
One day while Hiranyakashipu is performing austerities at Mandaracala Mountain, his home is attacked by Indra and the other devatas.[8] At this point the divine sage Narada intervenes to protect Kayadu, whom he describes as 'sinless'.[9] Following this event, Narada takes Kayadu into his care and while under the guidance of Narada, her unborn child (Hiranyakashipu's son) Prahlada, becomes affected by the transcendental instructions of the sage even at such a young stage of development. Thus, Prahlada later begins to show symptoms of this earlier training by Narada, gradually becoming recognised as a devoted follower of Vishnu, much to his father's disappointment.[10]
Hiranyakashipu eventually becomes so angry and upset at his son's devotion to Vishnu (whom he sees as his mortal enemy) that he decides he must kill him,[11] but each time he attempts to kill the boy, Prahlada is protected by Vishnu's mystical power. When asked, Prahlada refuses to acknowledge his father as the supreme lord of the universe and claims that Vishnu is all-pervading and omnipresent. Hiranyakashipu points to a nearby pillar and asks if 'his Vishnu' is in it:
"O most unfortunate Prahlada, you have always described a supreme being other than me, a supreme being who is above everything, who is the controller of everyone, and who is all-pervading. But where is He? If He is everywhere, then why is He not present before me in this pillar?"[12]
Prahlada then answers, He was, He is and He will be. In an alternate version of the story, Prahlada answers, He is in pillars, and he is in the smallest twig. Hiranyakashipu, unable to control his anger, smashes the pillar with his mace, and following a tumultuous sound, Vishnu in the form of Narasimha appears from it and moves to attack his father in defence of Prahlada. In order to kill Hiranyakashipu and not upset the boon given by Brahma, the form of Narasimha is chosen. Hiranyakashipu can not be killed by human, deva or animal. Narasimha is neither one of these as he is a form of Vishnu incarnate as a part-human, part-animal. He comes upon Hiranyakashipu at twilight (when it is neither day nor night) on the threshold of a courtyard (neither indoors nor out), and puts the demon on his thighs (neither earth nor space). Using his sharp fingernails (neither animate nor inanimate) as weapons, he disembowels and kills the demon.[13] Kurma Purana describes the preceding battle between the Purusha and demonic forces in which he escapes a powerful weapon called Pashupata and it describes how Prahlada's brothers headed by Anuhrada and thousands of other demons "were led to the valley of death (yamalayam) by the lion produced from the body of man-lion" avatara.[2] The same episode occurs in the Matshya Purana 179, several chapters after its version of the Narasimha advent.[2]
The Bhagavata Purana further narrates: even after killing Hiranyakashipu, none of the present demigods are able to calm Narasimha's fury, not even Shiva. So all the gods and goddesses call his consort, Lakshmi, but she is also unable to do so. Then, at the request of Brahma, Prahlada is presented to Narasimha, and finally he is calmed by the prayers of his devotee.[14] Before parting, Narasimha rewards the wise Prahlada by crowning him as the king.
It is believed by followers that Narasimha protects his sincere devotees when they are in extreme danger. Near Srisailam, there is a forest called Hatakeshwanam, that no man enters. Shankaracharya entered this place and did penance for many days. During this time, a Kapalika, by name Kirakashan appeared before him. Kapalikas are a set of people who live in the burial grounds and pray to God by giving human and animal sacrifice. They were against Vedanta system of Adi Shankara which preaches love and affection and shuns violence. He told Sri Sankara that he should give his body as a human sacrifice to Kali. Sankara was happy to hear this request and agreed. His disciples were shocked to hear this and pleaded Shankara to change his mind but Shankara refused to do so saying that it was an honour to give up his body as a sacrifice for Kali and one must not lament over such things. The Kapalika arranged a fire for the sacrifice and asked Shankara to sit beside it. Just as he lifted his axe to severe Shankara's head, Lord Vishnu incarnated as Narasimha and fought the Kapalika, slayed him and hence freed the forest of Kapalikas. Thus Adi Sankara composed the very powerful Lakshmi-Narasimha Karavalambam Stotram at the very spot in front of Lord Narasimha.
Due to the nature of Narasimha's form (divine anger), it is essential that worship be given with a very high level of attention compared to other deities. In many temples only life-long celibates (brahmacarya) will be able to have the chance to serve as priests to perform the daily puja. Forms where Narasimha appears sitting in a yogic posture, or with the goddess Lakshmi are the exception to this rule, as Narasimha is taken as being more relaxed in both of these instances compared to his form when first emerging from the pillar to protect Prahlada.
A number of prayers have been written in dedication to Narasimha avatar. These include:
The Narasimha Maha-Mantra
"O' Angry and brave Maha-Vishnu, your heat and fire permeate everywhere. O Lord Narasimha, you are everywhere. You are the death of death and I surrender to You."
- Om Hreem Kshraum Ugram Veeram Mahaa-Vishnum,
- Jwalantham Sarvatho Mukham
- Nrisimham Bheeshanam Bhadram
- Mrityu-Mrityum Namaamyaham.
"Lord Nrsimha is here and also there. Wherever I go Lord Narasimha is there. He is in the heart and is outside as well. I surrender to Lord Narasimha, the origin of all things and the supreme refuge." (Narasimha Pranama)[15]
- tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-srngam,
- dalita-hiranyakasipu-tanu-bhrngam,
- kesava dhrta-narahari-rupa jaya jagadisa hare
"O Kesava! O Lord of the universe. O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of half-man, half-lion! All glories to You! Just as one can easily crush a wasp between one's fingernails, so in the same way the body of the wasplike demon Hiranyakasipu has been ripped apart by the wonderful pointed nails on your beautiful lotus hands." (from the Dasavatara-stotra composed by Jayadeva)[15]
"O Kamasikha Narasimha! you are sarva sakthan. When you are resolved to protect some one, where is the need to seek the protection of anyone else? When you are resolved not to protect some one, which other person is capable of protecting us?. There is no one. Knowing this fundamental truth, I have resolved to offer my saranagati at your lotus feet alone that rest at the banks of Vegavathi river." (Kamasika Ashtakam by Vedanta Desika)
"I will dance and melt for you, within my heart, to see you, I will sing in praise of you with tears in joy, I will search for Narasimha and I am a householder who still searches to reach you (to attain Salvation)." (Divya Prabandham 2954)
In South Indian art – sculptures, bronzes and paintings – Vishnu's incarnation as Narasimha is one of the most chosen themes and amongst Avatars perhaps next only to Rama and Krishna in popularity.
Lord Narasimha also appears as one of Hanuman's 5 faces, who is a significant character in the Ramayana as Lord Raam's(Rama) devotee.
In Rajopadhyaya Brahmins of Nepal, there is a tradition of celebrating the procession ceremony of the deity Narasimha avatar, in Lalitpur district of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. The fifth day of holy Shrawan (श्रावण) month i.e. Shrawan Krishna Panchami of the Hindu Lunar Calender is marked as auspicious day for the religious procession, Nrisimha Yatra(नृसिंह यात्रा). This tradition of the holy procession has been held for more than a hundred years. This is one of the typical traditions of the Rajopadhyaya Bramhins, the Hindu Bramhans of the locality [1].
In this Nrisimha Yatra (श्री नृसिंह यात्रा), each year one male member of the Rajopadhyaya [2] community gets the chance to be the organizer each year in that particular day. He gets his turn according to the sequence in their record, where the names of Rajopadhyaya bramhins are registered when a bramhan [3] lad is eligible to be called as a Bramhan.[16]
There are several forms of Narasimha, but nine main ones collectively known as Navanarasimha:
www.sriharivaikuntakshetra.org
(1) Ugra-narasimha (2) Kruddha-narasimha (3) Vira-narasimha (4) Vilamba-narasimha (5) Kopa-narasimha (6) Yoga-narasimha (7) Aghora-narasimha (8) Sudarsana-narasimha (9) Laksmi-narasima
In Ahobila, Andhra Pradesh, the nine forms are as follows:
(1) Chhatra-vata-narasimha (seated under a banyan tree)
(2) Yogananda-narasimha (who blessed Lord Brahma)
(3) Karanja-narasimha (4) Uha-narasimha (5) Ugra-narasimha (6) Kroda-narasimha
(7) Malola-narasimha (With Laksmi on His lap)
(8) Jvala-narasimha (an eight armed form rushing out of the pillar)
(9) Pavana-narasimha (who blessed the sage Bharadvaja)
Forms from Prahlada story:
Stambha-narasimha (coming out of the pillar)
Svayam-narasimha (manifesting on His own)
Grahana-narasimha (catching hold of the demon)
Vidarana-narasimha (ripping open of the belly of the demon)
Samhara-narasimha (killing the demon)
The following three refer to His ferocious aspect:
Ghora-narasimha, Ugra-narasimha, Chanda-narasimha
Others:
Panchamukha-Hanuman-narasimha, (appears as one of Sri Hanuman's five faces.)
Prthvi-narasimha, Vayu-narasimha, Akasa-narasimha, Jvalana-narasimha, and Amrta-narasimha, (representing the five elements)
Jvala-narasimha (with a flame-like mane)
Laksmi-narasimha (where Laksmi pacifies Him)
Prasada/Prahlada-varada-narasimha (His benign aspect of protecting Prahlada)
Chhatra-narasimha (seated under a parasol of a five-hooded serpent)
Yoga-narasimha or Yogesvara-narasimha (in meditation)
Avesha-narasimha (a frenzied form)
Attahasa-narasimha (a form that roars horribly and majestically strides across to destroy evil)
Chakra-narasimha, (with only a discus in hand)
Vishnu-narasimha,Brahma-narasimha and Rudra-narasimha
Pusthi narasimha, (worshipped for overcoming evil influences)
In Andhra Pradesh, a panel dating to third-fourth century AD shows a full theriomorphic squatting lion with two extra human arms behind his shoulders holding Vaishnava emblems. This lion, flanked by five heroes (viras), often has been identified as an early depiction of Narasimha.[17] Standing cult images of Narasimha from the early Gupta period, survive from temples at Tigowa and Eran.[18] These sculptures are two-armed, long maned, frontal, wearing only a lower garment, and with no demon-figure of Hiranyakashipu. Images representing the narrative of Narasimha slaying the demon Hiranyakasipu survive from slightly later Gupta-period temples: one at Madhia and one from a temple-doorway now set into the Kumra-math at Nachna, both dated to the late fifth or early sixth century A.D.[19]
An image of Narasimha supposedly dating to second-third century AD sculpted at Mathura was acquired by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1987. It was described by Stella Kramrisch, the former Philadelphia Museum of Art's Indian curator, as "perhaps the earliest image of Narasimha as yet known".[19] This figure depicts a furled brow, fangs, and lolling tongue similar to later images of Narasimha, but the idol's robe, simplicity, and stance set it apart. On Narasimha's chest under his upper garment appears the suggestion of an amulet, which Stella Kramrisch associated with Visnu's cognizance, the Kaustubha jewel. This upper garment flows over both shoulders; but below Hiranyakasipu, the demon-figure placed horizontally across Narasimha's body, a twisted waist-band suggests a separate garment covering the legs. The demon's hair streams behind him, cushioning his head against the man-lion's right knee. He wears a simple single strand of beads. His body seems relaxed, even pliant. His face is calm, with a slight suggestion of a smile. His eyes stare adoringly up at the face of Vishnu. There is little tension in this figure's legs or feet, even as Narasimha gently disembowels him. His innards spill along his right side. As the Matsya purana describes it, Narasimha ripped "apart the mighty Daitya chief as a plaiter of straw mats shreds his reeds".[19] Based on the Gandhara-style of robe worn by the idol, Michael Meiste altered the date of the image to fourth century AD.[19]
Deborah Soifer, a scholar who worked on texts in relation to Narasimha, believes that "the traits basic to Vishnu in the Veda remain central to Vishnu in his avataras" and points out, however, that: "we have virtually no precursors in the Vedic material for the figure of a man-lion, and only one phrase that simply does not rule out the possibility of a savage side to the benign Vishnu". Soifer speaks of "the enigma" of Vishnu's Narasimha avatara and comments that "how the myth arrived at its rudimentary form [first recorded in the Mahabharata], and where the figure of the man-lion came from remain unsolved mysteries.".[20]
An image of Narasimha, dating to the 9th century, was found on the northern slope of Mount Ijo, at Prambanan, Indonesia.[21] Images of Thrivikrama and Varaha avataras were also found at Prambanan, Indonesia. Vishnu and His avatara images follow iconographic pecularities characteristic of the art of central Java. This includes physiognomy of central Java, an exaggerated volume of garment, and some elaboration of the jewelry. This decorative scheme once formulated became, with very little modification, an accepted norm for sculptures throughout the Central Javanese period (circa 730-930 A.D.). Despite the iconographic peculiarities, the stylistic antecedents of the Java sculptures can be traced back to Indian carvings as the Chalukya and Pallava images of the 6th-7th centuries AD.[22]
Temples indicated with * are Places of Piligrimage.
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