Nrusingha Avatar

(4 min read)

Nrusingha kills Hiranyakashipu

‘If Vishnu is everywhere, as you proclaim, my dim-witted and evil-minded son, why can’t I see him? Is he also in this pillar?’ bellowed Hiranyakashipu, the Lord and Master of all the three lokas, livid with his renegade son Prahlad who was firm in his devotion to Vishnu, his father’s sworn enemy. Yes, father, I see Him inside that pillar, said Prahlad humbly. The demon kicked the pillar with brute force upon which terrifying thunderclaps were heard and there emerged from the pillar a fearsome creature, neither animal nor man, a Man-Lion, Nrusingha or Narasimha, and soon grew to a gigantic size. He dragged the demon to the doorway, lifted and placed him on his thighs, and with his sharp claws tore open his chest, pulled out his entrails and wore it as a garland.

The Puranas mention that Nrusingha, the fourth avatar of Vishnu appeared on the earth on Baisakha Shukla chaturdasi, and the day is marked in the Hindu calendar as Nrusingha Jayanti or prakatotsava.

Several Puranas – Bhagavata, Vishnu, Nrusingha, and Skanda – narrate the story of Nrusingha avatar.

A Perfect Boon, yet…

Hiranyakashipu had won, after arduous tapa (endurance), a boon from Brahma, and had drafted the Terms and Conditions of the boon with due diligence. He had appealed and Brahma had granted that he would not be killed:

• ·      By any animal or man, or any other (deva, danava, Gandharva, yaksha, etc) creation of Brahma
• ·      By hand or any weapon
• ·      On earth or in the sky
• ·      At home or outside home
• ·      During day or at night

A fool proof boon, almost! Yet, Vishnu easily killed the demon while honouring the terms of the boon granted by Brahma, his esteemed colleague. Nrusingha, Man-Lion had the upper torso of a lion, and the lower torso of a man, and thus, was neither animal nor man; he was not created by Brahma, and emerged of his own volition (swayambhu); he placed the demon on his thighs (neither earth nor sky), executed the task at dusk (neither day nor night), at the doorway of the palace (neither home nor outside), and by his claws (neither hand nor weapon)!

Prahlad’s Bhakti

In this mythical story, Nrusingha is the key protagonist; Hiranyakashipu is the villain to be killed; but the story is as much about Prahlad, among the foremost of Vishnu’s bhaktas, who counsels other asura children, and even gives a few sermons to his father, requesting him to mend his evil ways.

Hiranyakashipu had engaged two eminent Gurus, Sanda and Amarka, the sons of Shukracharya (the Chief Guru of Asuras) to impart to Prahlad all the knowledge he would need to be the king of asuras in due course. But Prahlad took no lesson from these gurus, and though still a child he himself delivered discourses on Hari Bhakti. As he explained to the asura children, he had heard this secret knowledge while still in his mother’s womb from none other than Narada who had rescued his mother from Indra and had provided her shelter in his ashram.

Hiranyakashipu refused to listen to his son since he was destined to be killed and liberated by Vishnu. Vishnu’s erstwhile gatekeepers Jaya and Vijaya, under a curse of the Sanatkumaras (the four mind-born sons of Brahma), had to suffer three births as sworn adversaries of Vishnu – Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyakshya in Satya Yug, Ravana and Kumbhakarna in Treta, and Shishupala and Dantavakra in Dvapara.

How did Prahlad, the son of a daitya who was inimical towards all devas including their chief, Lord Vishnu, turn against his own father to become a steadfast bhakta of Vishnu?

Prahlad bore no ill will towards his father; he only tried to tell him that all creatures in the world, including the powerful demon king, were blessed with the same divine spark. Please shun worldly pursuits, abjure ill-will towards others, and recognise divinity in all beings, Prahlad had appealed.

His father devised many ways to kill Prahlad, but Vishnu kept him safe. At last, when the time was ripe, Nrusingha killed Hiranyakashipu.

Nrusingha’s mien was so fearsome that no deity, not even Brahma or Lakshmi, dared approach Him; but bhakt Prahlad had no fear. He went near Him and Nrusingha spoke gently to him; Prahlad sang Vishnu stuti, and the Lord asked him to seek a boon. Make my mind free from desires, O Lord, and guide it for ever to your feet, prayed Prahlad. Also, please pardon my misguided father.

Prahlad had the honour of offering the first prayer to Nrusingha, and thereafter, Brahma, Shiva, Indra, and others offered their prayers. That is why Prahlad is reckoned as Parama Vaishnava. Krishna proclaimed in Bhagavat Gita: Among the daityas, I am Prahlad!

Navadha Bhakti

Prahlad, in one of his discourses, mentions the nine-fold ways of worshipping Vishnu.

श्रवणं कीर्तनं विष्णोः स्मरणं पादसेवनम्

अर्चनं वन्दनं दास्यं सख्यमात्मनिवेदनम् [i]

The nine-fold ways are: sravana (listening to the Lord’s story), kirtana (singing the Lord’s glory), smarana (remembering the Lord all the time), pada-sevanam (worshipping His feet), archanam (puja with offerings), vandanam (singing prayers), dasyam (being His servant), sakhyam (making Him your friend), and atma-nivedan (surrendering your self and ego to Him).

Nrusingha and Jagannatha

In Satya Yug, upon king Indradyumna’s request, Brahma himself conducted the mandir pratistha and the prana pratistha for the four wooden idols - Daru Vigrahas (Jagannatha, Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Sudarshana) - at Shri Purushottamkshetra, Puri. After the ceremony, all present were terrified to see the fearsome form of Ugra Nrusingha in the Jagannatha vigraha. Brahma explained: Lest ignorant people disregard the Daru devata, wherein the Supreme Lord has manifested as Jagannatha, Ugra Nrusingha appeared first. [ii]

Upon prayers by all present, the Lord assumed the benign form of Yoga Nrusingha (Nrusingha in the yogic pose).

Mukta Nrusingha

It is believed that before the present Srimandira at Puri was built, there was at the same venue a temple where Adi Nrusingha was worshipped. Even now, within the Srimandira premises, opposite the southern door of the Jagamohana, there is the Mukta Nrusingha temple, though with a small idol.

Ugra Nrusingha Mantra

On Nrusingha Jayanti, Lord Jagannatha is decorated in Nrusingha Besha. Further, the belief that Nrusingha transformed into a gentle, compassionate Jagannath is supported by the ritual of worshipping Jagannatha with the Ugra Nrusingha Mantra which is: 

ॐ उग्रं वीरं महाविष्णुं ज्वलन्तं सर्वतोमुखम्। 

नृसिंहं भीषणं भद्रं मृत्यु मृत्युं नमाम्यहम्॥ [iii]

Nrusingha and Lakshmi Nrusingha Temples

Simhachalam Devasthanam

Simhachalam Devasthanam near Vishakhapatnam is one of the most visited of the numerous Nrusingha and Lakshmi Nrusingha temples in the south. Here, the idol is covered with sandalwood paste throughout the year and is revealed only once a year on Chandanotsava, also called nijaroopa darshana, which was celebrated this year on April 23.

Nrusinghnatha

Odisha, too, has many Nrusingha temples. At Paikmal on Gandhamardana hill is located Nrusinghnatha temple where the presiding deity is Marjara Keshari or Marjara Nrusingha who lies in wait for the mushika daitya, the mouse-demon, who hid inside a crevice of the hill when Nrusingha chased him. The deity here is also worshipped with the Ugra Nrusingha mantra. The temple offers to the deity abhada or cooked rice, as in Puri Jagannatha temple.

 Nrusingha Sculpture

Image Credit:

Narasimha killing Hiranyakashyapu on Hoysaleshwara temple, Halebidu, Karnataka [iv]

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[i] https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_purana/bhagpur.html

[ii] Chapter 28: 9-10, Shri Purushottamkshetra Mahatmyam (Skanda Purana)

[iii] https://bhaktikishakti.com/narasimha-mantra/

[iv] By Srdgadgil - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=88047661

Resources

1.     Shrimad Bhagavata (Odia) by Jagannatha Dasa, Ed by Nilamani Mishra, Sahitya Akademi, Odisha, Revised Edition-2017

2.     Discourses on Shrimad Bhagavata by Swami Tejomayananda, Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, Mumbai, Reprint-2021

3.     Myths, Legends, Concepts and Literary Antiquities of India by Manoj Das, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, Revised Edition-2016

4.     Myths and Legends of India by J.M. Macfie, Rupa & Co.-3^rd Impression – 1996

5.     Darubrahma: Shri Jagannatha Bhajan Sudhasindhu by Subas Pani, Shri Gitagovinda Pratisthan, Puducherry, 2015

6.     Shri Purushottamkshetra Mahatmyam of Skanda Purana, Odia translation by Baba Chaitanya Charan Dasa, Ed by Prf. P. Pattanaik, Prof. P.R. Mahapatra, & Dr. N.C. Dash, Published by Shri Jagannatha Mandir Prashasan, Puri, 3^rd Edition -2022

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Note:

Dr. Subas Pani has drawn my attention to a factual error in para under caption 'Ugra Nrusingha Mantra' in my blog. There is no special vesha of Jagannatha on Nrusimha janma (divas). 
"Chalanti pratima participates in ceremonies. The main focus is on Yagyan Nrusimha temple near Gundicha temple. During Panchuka in Kartika, Laxmi-Nrusimha vesha is held on Ratna Simhasana."

I am thankful to Dr. Pani for his comments. I stand corrected.

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Books by the Author

P.K. Dash has published the following books:

Short story collections:

Tell A Tale and Other Stories

Invisible Poet and Other Stories

The Mysterious Ladies and Other Stories

Fiction

Kathapur Tales

Essays

Pink Diamond and Other Essays

Self-Help

How To Be an Author in 7 Days: A Beginner’s Guide to Self- Publishing

Story books for children:

Cave of Joy: Anand Gufa

Two Tales, Three Tellers: A Fairytale & A Fable

Poetry

RIVER SONG and Other Poems

Songs of Soil: Selected Poems of an Unschooled Bard: Padma Shri Haladhar Nag

O Krishna, O Son! Yashoda’s Sublime Song of Sorrow

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Note: Print copies of these books, except Pink Diamond and Other Essays, are available at amazon.in, notionpress.com, and flipkart.com. Ebooks are available at Amazon Kindle.