Narsimha Jayanti Brief Legend
According to Bhagwat Purana, Vishnu when incarnated as Vaman killed the demon king Hiranayaksha. Hiranakashyapa was the brother of Hiranayaksha. He got furious over the Vishnu’s act and vowed to take revenge on him. He underwent severe penance and austerities for thousands of years and obtained mystical powers.
Lord Brahma after becoming pleased with his penance granted him a bizarre boon on his wish. According to the boon he cannot be killed by a god or human or an animal, either in day or in night, either inside or outside of a house, either on the earth or in space. Hiranakashyapa thought that such a situation in inconceivable; so, nobody can kill him now.
Under the assumption of becoming immortal and the arrogance of mystical powers he started tormenting humans and gods. He also declared that he is the only almighty and everybody should worship him. Whoever did not follow him, he made his/ her life measurable.
When his son Prahalad born to him he became very pleased; but, Prahalad was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu right from his birth which irritated Hiranakasyapa. He tried to persuade Prahalad to his best to accept him as the almighty because he possessed all the powers. Prahalad being the pristine soul was not ready to accept the fact because he knew that there was no other almighty except Lord Vishnu.
When Prahalad did not acted as per his father’s wish. Hirankashyapa grew furious and tried to kill him. Hirankashyap’s servents threw Prahalad from the peak of mountains, but, Vishnu saved him. Then, they threw him in the ocean, Vishnu saved him there too. They tried to kill him with the help of fire and snakes, but nothing could harm him. Every time, Prahalad emerged unharmed with the blessings of Lord Vishnu.
One day in the evening, Hirankashyapa had an argument with Prahalad. Hiranakashyapa said to Prahalad, "You say your Vishnu is everywhere, is he there in this pillar.” Prahalad said, "He is there everywhere, he is there in the pillar, he is there in the dust too.” Angered by Prahalad’s remark, Hiranakashyapa took his mace and broke the pillar into two. To his shock, a roaring lion-faced man emerged from the pillar; he was Lord Narasimha, a form of Vishnu.
In bewilderment, Hiranakshyapa hit Narasimha with his mace, but Narasimha brushed it aside swiftly. Attacking Hiranaksahyap, Narasimha caught him with his jaws took him at the door of the room put him over his thigh and tear him apart with his nails; the incident took place in the evening – this was neither daytime nor night. Narasimha overtook the all the aspects of the boon granted to Hiranakashyapa by Lord Brahma.
Since, the Lord appeared with all this powers to save his devotee, devotees worship him on the day for the blessings of powers and riches.
