!! Narasimha Jayanti !!
Tava Kara-Kamala-Vare Nakham Adbhuta-Sringham
Dalita-Hiranyakashipu-Tanu-Bhringam
Keshava Dhrita-Narahari-Rupa Jaya Jagadisha Hare
Narasimha Jayanti is celebrated to mark the appearance day of Lord Narasimha, the fourth and the greatest incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Vishnu who is the archetype deity of substance took the form of a lion-faced man (Narasimha) to save his staunch devotee Prahlad from the clutches of Hirnakashyapa, his father.
Hirankashyapa who acquired unmatched powers by virtue of severe penance considered himself, unbeatable. He also had a boon from Brahma that no man or animal, neither in day nor in night, neither inside a house or outside a house can kill him. Under the impression that such a situation is unconceivable, he considered himself all-powerful and equal to Lord Vishnu. He asked everybody to worship him, and not Vishnu. Whoever, either human or god tried to disobey him; he made his/ her life measurable. All his evil acts created imbalance in the nature which invited the wrath of almighty to his peril.
Even though, Prahalad was born to the demon king, he had pristine qualities because when he was in his mother’s womb, one day, Devrishi Narada narrated the stories of Lord Vishnu to his mother which taught him (Prahlad) that Vishnu is always compassionate towards his devotees. That’s the reason; he worshipped Vishnu passionately right from his birth. Consequently, whenever his father tried to harm him, he emerged unscathed.
Similarly, if we connect to the ultimate intelligence, we can overcome all the obstacles of our lives; there is no denying. Narasimha Jayanti is the day to access the energies of purity and truthfulness that shield us against inner and outer evil forces, like jealously, hatred, and evil or malicious acts of others towards us.
In the whole event, Hirankashyapa is the symbolic personification of obsessive human ego while Narasimha represents omnipresent cosmic wisdom which enables us to tear apart the veil of ignorance. Since, Narasimha emerged during the Pradosham period; his energies are quite powerful for cleansing karmic impurities.
Lord Narasimha has 74 different forms based on his appearance and the weapon he holds. Out of 74, nine forms are important. But, mostly, he is worshipped in two forms only. One is the Ugra Narsimha which depicts the fury after slaying Hirankashyapa. Another is the Laxmi Narasimha which depicts his peaceful form with his consort Laxmi sitting in his lap. In the peaceful form, he is extremely benevolent; always ready to fulfill the wishes of the devotees.
Narsimha Jayanti is celebrated with much pomp and fervor in the Narsimha kshetras (areas) of Andhra Pradesh. The famous temples of Narsimhas are Mangalagiri Paanakala Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temples, Ahobilam Narasimha Swamy Temple, Dharmapuri Yoga Narasimha Swamy, Yadagirigutta Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, and Simhachalam Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple.
If you are looking for the armour of protection, you should worship the fiery form of Lord Narsimha; it will help you to guard against your egoistic tendencies. The worship of peaceful form of Narsimha helps in gaining lost assets or riches.
Narsimha Jayanti is celebrated on the fourteenth day of bright fortnight of May – June, i.e. Vaisakha Shukla Chaturdasi.
