“Shri Hari, who is the Lord of the demigods, who is worshiped by the people of the world, for benefiting the moving and nonmoving beings of the world took that dreadful form through His own energy and tore apart Hiranyakashipu, who caused suffering to so many, with His nails.” (Narasimha Purana, 44.43)

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हरिः सुरेशो नरलोकपूजितो हिताय लोकस्य चराचरस्य
कृत्वा विरूपं च पुरात्ममायया हिरण्यकं दुःखकरं नखैश् छिनत्

hariḥ sureśo naralokapūjito hitāya lokasya carācarasya
kṛtvā virūpaṃ ca purātmamāyayā hiraṇyakaṃ duḥkhakaraṃ nakhaiś chinat

He wishes well to all living beings. Whether they are moving or not. Whether they are in the plant form or as the cow happily grazing upon the lush field full of green grass. Whether they are at the very top or are struggling under the subjugation of the wicked and cruel. Whether they offer prayers or not. One time, He appeared, almost out of nowhere. But who exactly is Narasimha?

1. He is a man

This is the “nara” part of His name. Narasimha is a man. He is like purusha, or an enjoyer. He has intelligence, which can be applied. He can make choices in terms of action. He can move in this direction and that. He can configure the use of any objects of assistance, like hands. He can utilize His nails, for example, to accomplish a task.

2. He is a lion

This is the “simha” part of His name. Narasimha is a lion. He is simultaneously both. You cannot necessarily call Him a man. You cannot necessarily call Him a beast, either. Another Sanskrit word for lion is mrigendra. The literal translation of this word is the best of the beasts. Indra refers to a king or the best. Mriga is a beast. The lion is the king of the jungle. They are the topmost version of the animal species.

Narasimha can stalk His prey with dexterity. The appearance of the victim’s potential escape is an illusion. Narasimha will win in the end. He can snatch up the fleeing enemy. If Narasimha so desires, He can tear apart His victims, staring straight into their insides, then wearing their intestines as a garland.

3. He is a protector

Narasimha is known as a protector. This was the invisible force that appeared to turn the young Prahlada into a Houdini-like character. Except the five-year old boy was not in it for show. He was not trying to display some expert wizardry. He was not after topping himself, to show an even more miraculous escape in the upcoming weeks, like a must-watch primetime television serial.

Rather, Prahlada was the victim of merciless persecution. The source was the most unexpected place: the father. Prahlada was the natural born son to Hiranyakashipu, and there was affection in the beginning. But the boy was later viewed as a wise-guy, by always bringing up the Supreme Lord when the discussion was not necessarily about religion.

For example, if the topic at hand was the day at school, in what was learned, Prahlada would introduce concepts foreign to the father. Prahlada would say that devotional service was the most important instruction, that bhagavata-dharma is the highest objective for the human being. That human has intelligence. They can choose. The wisest choice is to worship Shri Hari, which is a name for God. That worship can take place through nine different channels; not everyone is forced to follow a certain way. Imagine a formal workshop taking place in a building. There are different rooms. Each has a different purpose. In whichever path a person follows, they can achieve success, provided their heart is in it.

श्रीप्रह्राद उवाच
श्रवणं कीर्तनं विष्णो: स्मरणं पादसेवनम्
अर्चनं वन्दनं दास्यं सख्यमात्मनिवेदनम्

śrī-prahrāda uvāca
śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

“Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Vishnu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one’s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words) – these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service.” (Prahlada Maharaja, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.23)

Hiranyakashipu could not believe what he was hearing. He tried to invoke fear from peer pressure. The other students would mock Prahlada, you see. Prahlada was a Daitya. This is a specific race of demons. The demons do not pray to the gods. They particularly do not recognize the one who is always supporting the gods, the one who is the deva of the devas.

अन्येपि त्वां हनिष्यन्ति वदिष्यन्ति जनास्त्विदम्
असुरोयं सुरांस्तौति मार्जार इव मूषकान्
द्वेष्यान् शिखीव फणिनो दुर्निमित्तमिदं ध्रुवम्
लब्ध्वापि महदैश्वर्यं लाघवं यान्त्यबुद्धयः

anyepi tvāṃ haniṣyanti vadiṣyanti janāstvidam
asuroyaṃ surāṃstauti mārjāra iva mūṣakān
dveṣyān śikhīva phaṇino durnimittamidaṃ dhruvam
labdhvāpi mahadaiśvaryaṃ lāghavaṃ yāntyabuddhayaḥ

“Others will also ridicule and scorn saying, ‘This child is an asura but prays to the gods. It is like a cat offering prayers to a mouse or a peacock to a snake.’ This is indeed a bad omen, behavior resembling an enemy, as even after obtaining great wealth and power, an unintelligent person can fall down.” (Hiranyakashipu speaking to Prahlada, Narasimha Purana, 41.59-60)

Despite receiving an informal cease and desist order, Prahlada refused to change. Hiranyakashipu then felt compelled to apply lethal punishment. The problem was that Prahlada could not be killed. In none of the ways imagined by the father did Prahlada even get harmed. It was like some higher power was protecting, but who? That invisible man was Narasimha the entire time.

4. He is a killer

The combination of man and lion is also a killer. This is one of the famous depictions found on countless altars across the world, spanning thousands of years. The amazing man-beast is ripping into the insides of a leader. Blood and guts everywhere. It is a terrifying scene. Prior to the interaction, Hiranyakashipu supposedly had all angles covered. He was immune from so many different situations. This was after he pleased Lord Brahma, who is the creator. How ironic? The devas that the Daitya leader hated so much were involved in empowering that same leader. And that same empowerment was lifeless against the life of everyone.

5. He is Vishnu

The protection failed because Narasimha is Vishnu. Vishnu was the source of strength in Prahlada the entire time. He was also the source of strength in Hiranyakashipu. This is the meaning of all-pervading. God is inside of everyone and everything. Not a blade of grass moves without His sanction. From the episode with Hiranyakashipu, we see that the superior realization is of Vishnu, who is also known as Bhagavan. The person who identified the source of strength as a distinct individual was thereby protected by that individual, while the inimical finally met their match, in a manner matching the cruelty they had previously inflicted on the innocent.

In Closing:

For harming innocent son of grace,
Hiranya the man-lion to face.

Like snake Garuda to catch,
Finally meeting their match.

The father wicked and cruel,
Never Vishnu could fool.

All-pervading who,
Source of strength too.

Categories: the five

Tags: avatara, dailyprompt, narasimha, poem, poems, poetry, vishnu