On a Spiritual Note: Narasimha Avatara surprises Goddess Lakshmi too
Srimad Bhagavatam narrates the divine appearance of Sri Maha Vishnu as Narasimha in its seventh Canto. This auspicious day is called Narasimha Jayanthi, which falls on May 4
The most glorious Purana, Srimad Bhagavatam, is considered the ripened fruit of Vedic knowledge. It narrates the divine appearance of Sri Maha Vishnu as Narasimha in its seventh Canto. This auspicious appearance day is called Narasimha Jayanthi day. Since the Lord appeared on Chaturdashi Tithi, the festival is also known as Sri Narasimha Chaturdashi.
Reason for Sri Narasimha Avatara:
Srimad-Bhagavatam explains the divine appearance of Lord Narasimha “To prove that the statement of His servant Prahlāda Mahārāja was substantial — in other words, to prove that the Supreme Lord is present everywhere, even within the pillar of an assembly hall — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, exhibited a wonderful form never before seen. The form was neither that of a man nor that of a lion. Thus the Lord appeared in His wonderful form as Narasimha in the assembly hall.”
The Lila:
Long ago, Hiranyakasipu was the king of the demons and a hater of God, Vishnu. By the will of providence, Hiranyakasipu begets a saintly devotee by the name Prahlada.
Hiranyakasipu wanted to become immortal and performed great ‘tapas’ to please Lord Brahma. When Lord Brahma heard his desire, he promptly admitted that even he is not immortal and hence will not be able to fulfill the desire of Hiranyakasipu. Then Hiranyakasipu manipulated Lord Brahma’s mercy to get a boon by which he can remain almost immortal. Hiranyakasipu prayed that he doesn’t get killed by an animal or a human or any inhabitants of the world. He also desired that he be not killed by any weapon nor in the house or outside the house.
His son Prahlada, by the mercy of his spiritual master Sri Narada, became a great devotee of Lord Vishnu in the womb of his mother. Hiranyakasipu didn’t like his son’s devotion to Lord, his avowed enemy. He wanted to convince his son to give up his devotion to the Supreme Lord but all his attempts went in vain.
Hiranyakasipu got furious. He asked 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?”
Prahlada assured the demon king that Lord is present in the pillar also. Hiranyakasipu immediately got up from his royal throne, and with great anger struck his fist against the column. From that wonderful pillar, Lord Narasimha who is known as Stambhaja, appeared in the most unusual form of half-lion with great anger. He doesn’t want his great devotee Lord Brahma’s words to go in vain. Hence, He assumed a form that keeps the words of Lord Brahma intact. Lord also appeared from Pillar in order to keep the words of His beloved devotee, Prahlada.
Even Lakshmi ji never saw this form of Narasimha:
sākṣātśrīḥpreṣitādevair
dṛṣṭvātaṁmahadadbhutam
adṛṣṭāśruta-pūrvatvāt
sānopeyāyaśaṅkitā
(SB 7.9.2)
Translation
The goddess of fortune, Lakṣmījī, was requested to go before the Lord by all the demigods present, who because of fear could not do so. But even she had never seen such a wonderful and extraordinary form of the Lord, and thus she could not approach Him.
Srila Prabhupada, the founder of Hare Krishna Movement, explains the reason: “The Lord has unlimited forms and bodily features (advaitamacyutamanādimananta-rūpam). These are all situated in Vaikuṇṭha, yet Lakṣmīdevī, the goddess of fortune, being inspired by līlā-śakti, could not appreciate this unprecedented form of the Lord.”
Narasimha Jayanthi – How to celebrate?
* One can visit ancient Narasimha Kshetram’s like Yadadri, Dharmapuri, Swayambhu Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Banjara Hills etc. Devotees fast till dusk, chant the holy names of Sri Narasimha, and participate in different sevas like Home, Kalyanam, Naivedya, Abhishekam, Archana, etc.
* One can also feed ‘annadanam’ to the devotees and perform Goseva in addition to hearing or reading Mrigendra Leela of Lord Narasimha narrated in Srimad Bhagavatam.
-Satya Gaura Chandra Dasa Prabhuji,
President of Hare Krishna Golden Temple, Hyderabad, (Mobile: 9396956984)
