Vageesh Express

April 2008 Edition

The DASAVATHARAM series

Narasimha Avathar – The Half-Lion Incarnation

HemakaShipu thanuDharanahetho, prahaladasurapaalana Bho |

narasimhaachchutharoopa namo, harabhaktham the paripalaya maam ||

To protect Prahalada and destroy Hiranyakasipu, He incarnated as Man-Lion!

Lord Vishnu's fourth incarnation was Narasimha meaning - half human and half lion. This incarnation was demi-human. Nara means human simham means lion.

The Purana (Mythological story about the avathar)

Once upon a time, sage Doorwasa went to vishnu-lokha to worship Lord Vishnu. But the guards at the gate - Jayan and Vijayan didn't allow the saint inside to see the lord. The sage got very angry and cast a curse that the two should leave the heavens and be born in the earth as rakshasa - cruel and violent human beings.

The two guards were very sad and worried. They went inside and saw Lord Vishnu. They told him about the curse cast by sage Doorvasa. However even Lord Vishnu could not reverse the curse. Vishnu said - "You both should not have stopped that sage and I can do nothing about the sage's curse but I can give a new boon that is: you both can come back to me as my enemy after 3 births or you can come back to me as my devotee after 30 births. Take your choice." They said "O lord we don't want 30 births. Please we want to come back to you soon in 3 births even though the three births would be as your enemies". Lord Vishnu agreed to this. So in that order their first birth was as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasibu brothers. Hiranyaksha was destroyed by Lord Vishnu in his Varaha Avathara.

After his brother's death, Hiranyaksibu started fearing for his life. So Hiranyakasibu went to the forest to do penance. After a severe and devoted penance for a long time God appeared before him. He asked God for immortality. But God said no. He said all men when born have to die some time or the other and cannot live for ever. Then Hiranyakasibu asked that he should not die either at the hands of any human or be killed by any animal or be killed in the day or at night. God gave him the boon and disappeared.

Even though his wife was pregnant Hiranyakasibu went to the forest to do penance. In the meantime Indra kidnaps Hiranyakasibu's wife. Naradha the sage came and stopped him. Naradha told Indra "Do not indulge in such cowardly acts. Hiranyakasibu is definitely going to get the boon and nobody can stop him. Leave the lady with me and go to your 'lokha'". Indra left that lady with Sage Naradha and went off. Naradha took that lady to his abode and told her good moral stories. She would listen to him but sleep off. At that time the Sage would start to tell the stories of God Vishnu and also Prayers to God Narayana. The child in the womb of the lady listened to all the stories about Narayana and also the prayers. These got embedded firmly in the mind of the child-to-be born. The child when born was named Prahalada and he grew up as an ardent devotee of Lord narayana.

Hiranyakasibu had ordered all his subjects and all around him to pray to himself and not to any god. He was very much annoyed by the devotion of his son towards lord Narayana who was his enemy. Prahalada was ill-treated and tortured to forget god Narayana but nothing could get him to forget the Lord. Rakshasa Hiranya kasibu lost all his patience and one day in irritation asked Prahalada "Ok my boy, where is that god Narayana ? Can you show me"? "Yes" said Prahalada. He is everywhere and anywhere. The Rakshasa asked his son " pointing to a pillar "is he in this pillar ?" "Yes he is in this pillar" said the son.

Immediately the rakshasa took his huge club and hit the pillar. The pillar broke into two pieces and from it appeared Narasimha neither a human nor an animal ie (half man and half lion) and took the Rakshasa on his lap and killed him with his claws. It was evening time, which was neither day nor night. Thus came to end the evil called Hiranyakasibu.

This was Lord's fourth incarnation to show people they should always be devoted to God and that God is omnipresent.

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