LORD NARSIMHA- THE ROAR OF JUSTICE

 


INTRODUCTION:

Narsimha Jayanti is one of the most auspicious festivals in the Hindu calendar, celebrated to commemorate the appearance of Lord Narsimha, the fourth avatar of Lord Vishnu. This year, Narsimha Jayanti will be celebrated on 4th May, 2023. Lord Narsimha is known for his fierce appearance and is worshipped as the protector of his devotees. Let's take a closer look at the purpose of his appearance, his deeds, and his mention in ancient texts.


PURPOSE OF LORD NARSIMHA'S APPEARANCE:

According to Hindu texts, Lord Narsimha appeared on Earth to protect his devotee, Prahlad, from his father, the demon king Hiranyakashipu. Prahlad was a devout follower of Lord Vishnu, much to the anger of his father, who wanted him to worship him instead. Hiranyakashipu tried to kill Prahlad many times but was unsuccessful due to the protection provided by Lord Vishnu. Finally, he decided to kill Prahlad himself. However, Lord Narsimha appeared from a pillar in the palace and killed Hiranyakashipu with his claws, protecting his devotee and upholding dharma.


Līlā OF LORD NARSIMHA:

According to Hindu texts, Lord Narsimha killed Hiranyakashyap, the demon king who had received a boon from Lord Brahma that he could not be killed by any human, animal or god, at the threshold of his palace.



 Hiranyakashyap's son Prahlad was a devoted follower of Lord Vishnu and this angered the demon king, who repeatedly tried to kill his son. When all attempts failed, Hiranyakashyap challenged Prahlad to prove the existence of his beloved Lord Vishnu. Prahlad replied that Vishnu was present everywhere, even in a pillar. Angered, Hiranyakashyap broke the pillar and Lord Narsimha appeared, a half-man, half-lion form of Lord Vishnu. Lord Narsimha then killed Hiranyakashyap at dusk, at the threshold of the palace, using his sharp claws, thus fulfilling the boon received by Hiranyakashyap.


MENTION IN ANCIENT TEXTS:

Lord Narsimha is mentioned in many ancient Hindu texts, including the Puranas and the Mahabharata. In the Bhagavata Purana, Lord Narsimha's appearance is described in great detail, including the events leading up to his appearance and his actions. The Mahabharata also mentions Lord Narsimha as one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. In both texts, Lord Narsimha is worshipped as the protector of his devotees and the destroyer of evil.

One such shloka about Lord Narsimha is as follows:

उग्रं वीरं महा-विष्णुं ज्वलन्तं सर्वतो मुखम् ।

नृसिंहं भीषणं भद्रं मृत्यु-मृत्युं नमाम्यहम् ॥

Transliteration:

ugraṁ vīraṁ mahā-viṣṇuṁ jvalantaṁ sarvato mukham

nṛsiṁhaṁ bhīṣaṇaṁ bhadr̥ṁ mṛtyu-mṛtyuṁ namāmyaham

Meaning:

I offer my obeisances to Lord Narasimha, who is ferocious and heroic, who is the great Vishnu, whose glowing face is everywhere, who is terrible and auspicious, and who is the death of death itself.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:


1. What does the word "Narsimha" mean?

The word "Narsimha" is derived from two Sanskrit words - "nara", meaning 'man', and "simha", meaning 'lion'. Lord Narsimha is depicted as having the body of a man and the head of a lion.


2. What is the significance of Lord Narsimha's appearance?

Lord Narsimha's appearance signifies the victory of good over evil and the importance of unwavering devotion. He is worshipped as the protector of his devotees and the destroyer of evil.


3. What is the story behind Lord Narsimha's appearance?

Lord Narsimha appeared on Earth to protect his devotee, Prahlad, from his father, the demon king Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu tried to kill Prahlad many times but was unsuccessful due to the protection provided by Lord Vishnu. Finally, Lord Narsimha appeared and killed Hiranyakashipu, protecting his devotee and upholding dharma.



Prahlad Maharaja, a pure devotee of Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead






4. What are some of the symbols associated with Lord Narsimha?

Lord Narsimha is depicted as having the body of a man and the head of a lion, symbolizing the balance between man's intelligence and the animal instinct. He is also shown


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

7 LIFE-CHANGING SHLOKAS FROM THE BHAGAVAD GITA (PART 2: THE NATURE OF KARMA)

Image
  In the previous post, I have written about the shlokas about the nature of the soul; if you have not read it, please click the following link to read it. https://sanskritdaily2479.blogspot.com/2023/04/7-life-changing-shlokas-from-bhagavad.html In this post, I am going to quote two shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita that explain the importance of fulfilling our duties without attachment to the results. Read till the end and see the impact of these two life-changing shlokas on your life. 1. कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन | मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि || karmaṇyevādhikāraste mā phaleṣu kadācana | mā karmaphalaheturbhūrmā te saṅgo’stvakarmaṇi || (2.47) "You have the right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty." Here Lord Krishna is advising Arjuna to fight without attachment to the results. His Divine Grace
Read more

5 FACTS ABOUT LORD PARSHURAM

Image
 WHO WAS LORD PARSHURAM ? Lord Parshuram was the sixth incarnation (avatar) of Lord Vishnu, who was born as the son of the sage Jamadagni and his wife, princess Renuka. The purpose of this incarnation of Lord Vishnu as Parshuram was to annihilate the sinful kings and relieve Mother Earth of their burden. He is one of the seven chiranjeevis (immortals) and is believed to appear at the end of Kali Yuga as the guru (teacher) of Lord Kalki, the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Parshuram is also known as Bhargava (descendant of Bhrigu), Rainukeya (son of Renuka), Jamadagnya (son of Jamadagni) and Parshudhara (wielder of axe). Here are 5 facts about Lord Parshuram. 1. LORD PARSHURAM'S WEAPONS Ancient texts mention Lord Parshuram as Parshudhara, which means 'the wielder of the axe'. His axe is known as Vidyudabhi, which was given to him by Lord Shiva. Lord Parshuram also possessed the mighty Vijaya bow, which was given to him by Lord Indra. This bow was used by Lord Parshu
Read more

5 FACTS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ADI SHANKARACHARYA

Image
5 FACTS YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT ADI SHANKARACHARYA   WHO WAS ADI SHANKARACHARYA? Adi Shankaracharya was an Indian Vedic scholar as well as a teacher. He is famous for expounding the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. He is also famous for his countless literary works, including stotras (such as Sri Ganesh Pancharatnam, Sri Ram Bhujangam, Devi Bhujangam, Guruvashtakam, Nirvana Shatakam, etc.) Bhashya Granthas (such as Brahma Sutras, Katha Upanishad, Taittriya Upanishad, etc.) and Prakarana Granthas  (such as Vakya Vritti, Atma Bodha, etc.). He is believed to have been born in Kalady, present-day Kochi in Kerala and died in Kedarnath, present-day Uttarakhand. He was the disciple of Govinda Bhagavatpada. He is often called as Jagadguru Shankaracharya. Here are 5 things you didn't know about the great Indian scholar. 1. ADI SHANKARA'S WORKS Adi Shankaracharya is believed to have authored over 300 literary works, including commentaries (Bhashya), philosophical expositions (Prakarana Gra
Read more

7 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT HINDUISM

Image
 Want to know some amazing facts about Hinduism? Here are 7 facts about Hinduism you might not know and will definitely amaze you. Comment below as to how many of these facts did you know. 1. HINDUISM IS THE OLDEST RELIGION IN THE WORLD. Hinduism has been existing since over 5000 years, making it the oldest religion in the world. Evidences like the ancient religious texts (such as the Vedas and the Puranas) suggest that Hinduism has been existing even before 3000 BCE. However, unlike several other religions, there is no single founder of Hinduism. It is considered to be the combination of several cultures and beliefs.  2. HINDUISM IS THE THIRD LARGEST RELIGION IN THE WORLD. With over 1.1 billion followers, Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, Christianity being the first and Islam being the second. Around 95% of the Hindus live in India and many also live in Nepal and Mauritius. 3. ONE OF THE OLDEST BOOKS IN THE WORLD, RIG VEDA, BELONGS TO HINDUISM. Rig Veda, the fo
Read more

7 LIFE-CHANGING SHLOKAS FROM THE BHAGAVAD GITA (PART-1: THE NATURE OF THE SOUL)

Image
WHAT IS THE BHAGAVAD GITA? The Bhagavad Gita is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that narrates the divine conversation between Arjuna and Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead that covers various topics of spirituality such as the nature of man, relationship between man and God, devotional service, etc. It occurs in the Bhishma Parva in the Mahabharata. It is a life-changing book and I highly recommend you to read it and benefit yourself. Here are some of the best shlokas from this scripture that will change your life forever. 1.  देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा | तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति || (2.13) dehino’sminyathā dehe kaumāraṃ yauvanaṃ jarā | tathā dehāntaraprāptirdhīrastatra na muhyati ll "As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change." This verse clearly clearly establishes the nature of the sou
Read more

7 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (AND THEIR ANSWERS) ABOUT MAHABHARATA

Image
Here are some of the common questions asked about Mahabharata and their answer. Read till the end to know more about the great epic. 1. WHAT IS MAHABHARATA?  Mahabharata is an epic in Sanskrit written thousands of years ago that narrates the battle between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. It symbolises the victory of righteousness over evil. It is believed to have happened around 5000 years ago in the kingdom of Hastinapur. Though it was fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, most of the kings of India and some of them from other countries participated in the war as well, fighting on the behalf of either of the sides. Although the epic focuses on the war, it also describes the events that led to it in detail, giving an idea about the society and culture existent during that era. 2. WHO WROTE MAHABHARATA? Mahabharata was composed by Krishna Dvaipayana Ved Vyas and written by Lord Ganesha. According to the story, Ved Vyas required a scribe to write the great epic. He was suggested t
Read more

THE ULTIMATE SUMMARY OF MAHABHARATA (MAIN CHARACTERS, SYMBOLISM AND LEARNINGS)

Image
Introduction: Mahabharata, the ancient Indian epic, weaves a timeless tale of honor, duty, morality, and the human condition. Spanning across generations, it encompasses a vast array of characters, each playing a unique role in the grand narrative. In this blog post, we embark on a captivating journey to explore the ultimate summary of Mahabharata, shedding light on the roles and personalities of its main characters. Furthermore, we delve into the rich symbolism and profound learnings encapsulated within the epic. I. Setting the Stage: The Ancient Kingdoms and the Great War Before we dive into the characters, let's set the stage for the epic. Mahabharata unfolds in the kingdoms of Hastinapura and Indraprastha, where the story revolves around the conflict between two royal families, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Their struggle for power and supremacy leads to the cataclysmic Kurukshetra War, a battle of immense consequences. II. The Main Characters: Archetypes of Virtue and Flaws 1
Read more

7 LESSER KNOWN CHARACTERS IN MAHABHARATA (PART 1: YUYUTSU- FROM DISCRIMINATION TO REDEMPTION)

Image
  WHO WAS YUYUTSU? Yuyutsu, the son of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari, is a prominent character in the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. Yuyutsu was known for his intelligence and his strategic thinking. Despite being born to a different mother than his hundred Kaurava brothers, he was considered one of them and grew up alongside them. Yuyutsu was a loyal and devoted son, but his conscience eventually led him to side with the Pandavas in the epic's famous war. His decision to fight against his own brothers was a testament to his integrity and his commitment to righteousness. Although Yuyutsu is often overshadowed by the other characters in the Mahabharata, his character is an important one that showcases the complexities of familial relationships and the importance of making moral choices in difficult circumstances. WHAT WAS YUYUTSU'S CONTRIBUTION TO MAHABHARATA? Yuyutsu's contribution to the Mahabharata was mainly in the Kurukshetra War, where he played a significant role. Despite
Read more

7 DEADLIEST WEAPONS OF ALL TIME (PART 4: PINAKA- THE MIGHTY BOW OF LORD SHIVA)

Image
INTRODUCTION: Hindu mythology is replete with stories of weapons wielded by the gods and goddesses. Among these, Pinaka, the divine bow of Lord Shiva, holds a special place. Pinaka is not just a weapon, but a symbol of the god's power and a representation of his fierce nature. In this blog, we will explore the origin, usage, and significance of Pinaka, as well as its mention in ancient texts. ORIGIN OF THE PINAKA: Pinaka is said to have been created by the god Brahma, the creator of the universe. It was then gifted to Lord Shiva, who used it in battles against demons and evil forces. According to one myth, Pinaka was also used by Lord Shiva to marry Goddess Parvati, who was impressed by his skill in archery. USAGE OF THE PINAKA: Pinaka is often depicted as a massive bow, with a length of several miles. It is said to be made of gold and studded with precious gems. According to the ancient texts, Pinaka is capable of destroying entire worlds with a single shot. Lord Shiva is often de
Read more