Five Unique Aspects To The Narasimha Avatara

“My Lord, who are never conquered by anyone, I am certainly not afraid of Your ferocious mouth and tongue, Your eyes bright like the sun or Your frowning eyebrows. I do not fear Your sharp, pinching teeth, Your garland of intestines, Your mane soaked with blood, or Your high, wedgelike ears. Nor do I fear Your tumultuous roaring, which makes elephants flee to distant places, or Your nails, which are meant to kill Your enemies.” (Prahlada Maharaja, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.9.15)

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नाहं बिभेम्य् अजित ते ’तिभयानकास्य-
जिह्वार्क-नेत्र-भ्रुकुटी-रभसोग्र-दंष्ट्रात्
आन्त्र-स्रजः-क्षतज-केशर-शङ्कु-कर्णान्
निर्ह्राद-भीत-दिगिभाद् अरि-भिन्-नखाग्रात्

nāhaṁ bibhemy ajita te ’tibhayānakāsya-
jihvārka-netra-bhrukuṭī-rabhasogra-daṁṣṭrāt
āntra-srajaḥ-kṣataja-keśara-śaṅku-karṇān
nirhrāda-bhīta-digibhād ari-bhin-nakhāgrāt

Bhagavad-gita gives the specifics as it relates to the appearance of the Divine within this world. This is with respect to the saguna form, which is more distinguishable to those who are embodied. To those who are suffering from duality, who draw distinctions between various objects, who cannot see the Brahman energy within everything, the saguna form is easier to understand.

क्लेशो ऽधिकतरस् तेषाम्
अव्यक्तासक्त-चेतसाम्
अव्यक्ता हि गतिर् दुःखं
देहवद्भिर् अवाप्यते

kleśo ‘dhikataras teṣām
avyaktāsakta-cetasām
avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ
dehavadbhir avāpyate

“For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 12.5)

The preconditions are the general rise in irreligion, adharma, and a gradual decline in adherence to religion, dharma. Then the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends Himself. He can be in more than one place at one time, but these unique occurrences are known as the travels of the avatara.

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य
ग्लानिर् भवति भारत
अभ्युत्थानम् अधर्मस्य
तदात्मानं सृजाम्य् अहम्

yadā yadā hi dharmasya
glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya
tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend Myself.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.7)

One such avatara is Narasimha, who has aspects to His arrival that are unique from the other avataras. We celebrate the anniversary of His arrival within the annual calendar, but every moment of an existence is cause for celebration, remembrance, and study of this protector of the devotees.

1. Unique birth

We also learn from Bhagavad-gita that the birth is Divine in nature. Though we refer to the janma and karma of the Supreme Lord, these are not in the ordinary sense. They are neither binding to the material world nor forced upon Bhagavan, as He is the very controller of nature.

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यम्
एवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः
त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर् जन्म
नैति माम् एति सो ऽर्जुन

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ‘rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.9)

The janma for Krishna is within a prison cell, to the parents Vasudeva and Devaki. The janma for Shri Rama is in Ayodhya, after the queen named Kausalya honors the remnants of a sacrifice conducted by her husband, King Dasharatha.

The janma for Narasimha is from a pillar. It is not that the object typically used to hold up a ceiling suddenly developed a womb. It was not necessarily living in nature, married to a husband. Rather, the Daitya king named Hiranyakashipu had moments prior mocked the concept of an all-pervading God, who is the source of strength in every person.

2. Unique vision

The janma of Narasimha proved Hiranyakashipu wrong. God can indeed take birth from a pillar. He is always everywhere. This feature of all-pervasiveness is known as the avyakta-murtina. It is one way to understand the Divine energy.

मया ततम् इदं सर्वं
जगद् अव्यक्त-मूर्तिना
मत्-स्थानि सर्व-भूतानि
न चाहं तेष्व् अवस्थितः

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ
jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni
na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ

“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.4)

Narasimha is appropriately named. He is both a man and a lion. He is not either, completely. You could say that He is a mix of the two species, but no one can really reference any other creature with the same characteristics. This avatara was unique from the moment it appeared.

3. Unique timing

The half­-man/half­-lion appeared at dusk. This was neither during the day nor during the night. Hiranyakashipu previously received protections from a host of beings and conditions. He was safe during both the day and the night. Narasimha squeezed through the cracks, so to speak, without violating the protections previously offered by Lord Brahma, the creator.

4. Unique purpose

As a full human being, the avatara typically looks to reestablish religious principles, teaching both by precept and by example. The avatara protects the sadhus and annihilates the miscreants. This usually applies towards a larger group, like the sages in the forest of Dandaka and the persecuted brothers known as the Pandavas.

Narasimha essentially protected one individual. A five year-old boy. The son of Hiranyakashipu. That amazing avatara appeared on the scene, without prior notice, to save Prahlada Maharaja.

5. Unique interaction

The immediate work, the karma, of Narasimha was to kill. Whichever person was crazy enough to attack. Whichever fool thought they could emerge victorious in a direct conflict with the ferocious-looking creature.

The conflict culminated with the demise of Hiranyakashipu. Narasimha killed that Daitya king neither on land nor in the air. Narasimha used His fingernails, which would not typically be considered a weapon. Hiranyakashipu got what he deserved; the proper punishment arrived at the appropriate moment.

At the same time, Prahlada Maharaja was not afraid. None of the ferocious aspects to the visual of Narasimha caused fear in the young child. Prahlada stood out amidst the group that was standing by, watching the scene play out. Even when there was the most to fear, the pure devotee had no reason to be afraid, since they knew the entire time that they were protected.

In Closing:

Time to be most afraid,
Where demigods prayed.

And blood everywhere spilling,
Narasimha terror instilling.

But Prahlada peacefully went,
Knew that for his protection sent.

Such that Narasimha gentle and kind,
The cause of devotion behind.