Sri Narasimha Chaturdashi
Lord Narasimhadeva’s Appearance Day May 5, 2012
Prayer to Lord Narasimha - from Sri Dashavatara-stotra
tava kara-kamala-vare
nakham adbhuta-srngam
dalita-hiranyakashipu-tanu-bhrngam
keshava dhrta-narahari-rupa
jaya jagadisa hare
"O Keshava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of
half-man, half-lion! All glories to You! Just as one can easily crush a wasp
between one's fingernails, so in the same way the body of the wasp-like demon
Hiranyakashipu has been ripped apart by the wonderful pointed nails on Your
beautiful lotus hands."
Srila Rupa Goswami mentions some of the benefits of worshipping a
Narasimha shalagram sila in his book, Padyavali (Verse 116)
"A tulasi leaf offered to the lotus feet of the Narasimha shalagram sila destroys the sin of murder. Water that has washed the lotus feet of the Narasimha shalagram sila destroys the sin of theft. Foodstuff offered to the Narasimha shalagram sila destroys the sin of drinking liquor. Sincere surrender to the Narasimha shalagram sila destroys the sin of adultery with the wife of the spiritual master. Association with the devotees of the Narasimha shalagram sila destroys the sin of offenses to the devotees. This is the extraordinary glory of the Narasimha shalagram sila."
Class on Sri Varaha-Dvadashi purporting the Dashavatar-stotra
- A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, 18th February 1970, Los Angeles
"The fourth incarnation is Narasimhadeva. Narasimhadeva appeared to save Prahlada Maharaja, who was a five-year-old boy when he was being tortured by his atheistic father. So He appeared from the pillar of the palace as half-man, half-lion. Because Hiranyakashipu took benediction from Brahma that he’ll not be killed by any man or any animal. So the Lord appeared as neither man nor animal. This is the difference between the Lord’s intelligence and our intelligence. We are thinking that we can cheat the Lord by our intelligence, but the Lord is more intelligent than us.
Hiranyakashipu wanted to cheat Brahma by indirect definition. First of all he wanted to become immortal. Brahma said, “That is not possible because even I am not immortal. Nobody in this material world is immortal.” So Hiranyakashipu, the demon... The demons are very intelligent. He thought that “Round about way I shall become immortal.” He prayed to Brahma that “Please give me the benediction that I shall not be killed by any man or any animal.” Brahma said, “Yes, that is all right.” “I shall not be killed in the sky, on the water or on land.” Brahma said, “Oh yes.” “I shall not be killed by any man-made weapons.” “That’s all right.” In this way he utilized his intelligence in so many ways just to come to the conclusion of being immortal. But the Lord is so cunning that He kept intact all the benedictions given by Brahma, still he was killed. He said that “I’ll not be killed either during daytime or night.” Brahma said “Yes.” So he was killed just in the evening, just in the junction of day and night. You cannot say it is day or night. He took the benediction that “I shall not be killed in the sky, on the water, on the land.” So he was killed on His lap. He took the benediction that “I shall not be killed by any man-made or any God-made weapons.” That was given, “All right.” So he was killed by the nails. In this way, all the benedictions were kept intact, still he was killed.
Similarly, we may make plan, we may make very advancement in scientific knowledge, but the killing process of nature will be there. Nobody can escape. By our intelligence we cannot escape. The four principles of material existence mean birth, death, old age and disease. We can manufacture many medicines, many weapons, many means, many methods, but you cannot escape these four principles of material existence, however great you may be. That was proved by Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu was one of the stalwart materialistic and he wanted to live forever, enjoy, but he also could not live. Everything was finished."