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Belated Nrusimha Jyanthi Celebration

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • May 15, 1998 


Dear BhakthAs of Sri LakshmI Nrusimhan :

I had a wonderful day visiting the web page
created by Sriman Dileepan as a part of the 
108 CD ROM project . I read the lovely articles
of fellow BhakthAs , Sri MuraLi Rangaswamy , Sri Sudarshan and 
Sri MadhavakkaNNan that day . I remembered the request of 
Sri Mudumbi of Boise , Idaho about the Sri Lakshmi Nrusimah
KarAvalampana sthOthram by  Adi Sankara , a great BhakthA
of Sri Lakshmi NBrusimhA . I thought I will share with you
in a belated sense my reflections on that day and 
the translations of two brilliant and insightful 
tributes of Adi Sankara to Lord VishNu ( Sri Laksmi Nrusimha
KarAvalampana SthOthram and ShatpdhI sthOthram ) .

I heartily  recommend the home pages that Sriman Dileepan 
has constructed for Ahobila Divya Desam for those , who 
have not seen it yet . It is a veritable Virtual trip
to the divya kshEthram of the Nava NarasimhAs sung by
Thirumangai movingly . 

The nine NarasimhAs of AhObilam 
********************************

The mangalAsAsana slOkam on the Nine Narasimhas is:

JwAlA Ahobila MaalOla Krodha Kaarancha Bhaargava: I
YogAnanda Kshathravata Paavana Nava MUrthaya : II  

The individuality of each of these nine NarasimhAs 
can only be enjoyed by the darsanam of these ArchA
MUrthys . I will breifly share with you the quick
and brief impressions of my darsana soubhAgyam 
before I write about one slokam of Adi SankarA's
two sthothrams in each of these postings devoted to 
Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan .

Nine NarasimhAs 
****************

The first Azhagiyasingar had the divine command of 
Sri Nrusimha BhagavAn and established the Ahobila 
Matam in the year 1368 A.D . We will be celebrating 
the 600th anniversary of the founding of this Matam
in September 1998 at Pomona , NY at Sri RanganathA
Temple . The First Jeeyar , H.H. Sri Adi VaNN 
Satakopa Yatheendhra Mahaa Desikan had
Sri Nrusimha SaakshAthkAram and the Lord MaalOlan
jumped into his hands after being initiated by 
Nrusimha BhagavAn Himself into SanyAsAsramam 
earlier .

LOwer Ahobilam
***************
The abiding memory of Lower AhObilam 
for me is the Divya Mangala Vigraham of the First
Jeeyar holding with great affection MaalOla
Uthsava MUrthy next to his heart .This Uthsava mUrthy
has travelled across the length and bredth of India
on SanchAram to bless every one . PrahlAda Varadan 
with his Ubhaya NaacchiyArs and Garudan at the feet 
of the peetam is an eye filling sight .

This Lower Ahobila Narasimhan ( PrahlAda Varadan )
is the one ,whom the boy Prahladan approached after 
the ferocious destruction of his offending father 
by Ugra Nrusimhan , the Ugra SthambhOthbhavar ( who came 
out of the pillar in the darbar hall of HiraNyakasipu ).
After destroying the offender , who insulted his bhakthan ,
the Lord was so ferocious and flames were surrounding Him .
Nobody dared to approach this JwAlA Nrusimhan including MahA Lakshmi . 
BrahmA sent the Boy PrahlAdhan near the Lord and he fell at the Lord's
feet . Our merciful Lord's anger subsided immediately and He lifted 
His bhakthan and placed His auspicious hand on PrahlAdan's
Siras . PrahlAdan acquired from that kara sparsam ,
divya Jn~Anam and with tears of Joy rolling down 
his cheeks praised His Lord with 55 slOkams 
( Srimadh BHAgavatham : 7th Canto, 9th Chapter).
Fourty three of the 55 are SaakshAth ( Direct ) 
SthOthrams of The Lord by PrahlAdA .They have deep meanings .
I will quote one that is a favorite of many BhagavathAs :

Balasya nEha SaraNam pitharou Nrusimha
nArhtasya chAgadhamudanvathi manjathO nou : I
tapthasya tath preethi vidhirya ihaanjasEshtas- 
tAvadhvibhO tanubruthAm tvadhupEkshitham II

( Meaning ) : O BhagavAn NrusimhA ! Oh VibhO ! If you 
are not pleased , even the parents will not serve as 
the rakshakAs ( protectors ) of their own children ;
the medicines will not have any healing power to cure
the sick ; the boat will no longer protect the man 
drowning in the ocean . If that all powerful grace 
is not here , all the medicine and remedies prescribed 
for those suffering under the flames of the fierce samsAram 
will be totally ineffective and powerless.

Prahladan with his divya JN~Anam asks the Lord in a
rhetorical sense : Taptasya tath prathividhi: Ya : ?
Th Lord was pleased with the sincerity of the devotion 
of His bhakthA and states :

" Oh PrahlAdA !Long Life to you ! If one does not
please me , it is impossible for him to have my
darsanam . If one has my darsanam , he will never ever 
suffer any pain whatsoever . There will be no room for 
even the minutest of sorrows for such a man .

The original slOkam containing the above revelation is :

maam apreenatha Aayushman  darsanam dhurlabham hi mE I
dhrushtvA maam na puna: Janthu aathmAnam tapthum arhathi II

In the next slOkam , Prahlaada Varadhan amplified this 
thought link :

preeNayanthyEva hi maandheerA: sarvabhaavEna saadhava: I
srEyaskAmA mahA bhAgA : sarvasAm aasishAm pathim II

( Anvaya Kramam ) DheerA : Saadhava : srEyaskAmA; mahA
bhaavA: SARVASAAM AASISHAAM PATHIM MAAM Sarva bhAvEna 
preeNanthi yEva hi ? 

Here , Bhagavan equates the BhakthAs ( Saadhus ) of His to
DheerA ; ( Courageous Ones for their steadfast Bhakthi
against all temptations ) . He describes them furhter 
as SrEyas KaamA : mahA bhAvA :( Those great Ones , 
who seek the ultimate sukham of Moksham ) from HIm .
He reveals Himself as the SarvasAm AsishAm Pathi:
( The One , who gives every soubhAgyam to His BhakthAs).
He asks a rhetorical question :Do not they try to
please Me by all possible means ( SravaNam ,Keerthanam ,
Dayam , Sakhyam , and other five means ) ending up 
with aathma nivEdanam .

That is the glory of PrahlAda Varadhan of Lower Ahobilam .
At this sannidhi , we have the darsanam of the uthsava
mUrthy of Ashta Bhuja JwAlA Nrusimhan laying HiraNya Kasipu
on His lap and tearing apart his intestines and wearing them
as garland . That is the JwAlA Nrusimhan that shed off His
anger at the sight of Bhaktha Prahladan at His feet and 
became Saantha Narasimhan and the boon giver to PrahlAdan
( PrahlAda Varadhan ) .

The First SlOkam of Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha SthOthram of Adi SankarA
******************************************************************

Srimath payOnidhi nikEtana ChakrapANE 
 bhOgeendhra BhOga maNi ranjitha puNya mUrthE I
Yogeesa sAsvatha SaraNya bhavAdhi pOtha 
 LakshmI Nrusimha maa dEhi karAvalampam II


The First Slokam of Shat padhee SthOthram 
******************************************
avinayam apanaya VishNO 
damaya mana: samaya vishaya rasa t*rushNAm I
bhUtha dayAm visthAraya 
tAraya samsAra Saagaratha : II

I will cover the meanings of these two slOkams
in the next posting .

SrI Nrusimha Bhagavanmtham YeeDE 
Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan