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Lakshmi Nrsimha KarAvalambha Stotra

From the Bhakti List Archives

Jay.Bharadwaj • November 3, 1995 


There are two Lakshmi Nrsimha Karavalambha Stotras.  The first one
was written by Adi Sankaracharya.  The story as I have heard it goes
like this.  Sri Sankara had agreed to debate someone and the topic
included discussion on Kama Sutra.  Since Sri Sankara was a
brahmachari and had no experience with Kama.  He therefore through
Yogic power left his body and entered that of a recently deceased
king in Assam.  Before he did so he asked his disciples to protect
his body till he came back.  The king was a drunkard etc.  All of a
sudden the king started practicing all his religious rites and did
not go near alcohol.  The queen was overjoyed with this especially
since the king spent more time with her than ever before.  But she
suspected that this amazing transformation could only be because a
great soul had possessed her husband's body.  In order not to lose
this association she instructed her soldiers to find and burn any
corpse they might come across.  The soldiers eventually found
Sankara's disciples protecting his body and using brute force
overcame the resistance of Sankara's disciples and set it on fire.
Adi Sankaracharya in the meantime realized what was happening
returned to his body and composed and sang the KarAvalambha stotra to
Lakshmi Nrsimha who came and saved Him.  If anyone can either vouch
for the authenticity of this story or correct what I have heard
please let me know.

The composition of the 44th Jeer has the same 4th line in every verse
i.e. Lakshmi Nrsimha Mama Dehi KarAvalambam, but the rest of the
composition is different.

Jaganath.