Hārita of Maulisthāna

Hārita

Hārita has other meanings too: see all meanings of Hārita. Līlāvatī has other meanings too: see all meanings of Līlāvatī.

Hārita of Maulisthāna was a brāhmaṇa who knew the Vedas well. With his devoted wife Līlāvatī he did hard tapas (austerity) for twenty-one yugas (ages) at the holy place Maulisthāna. They wished to have Bhagavān Nṛsiṃha as their son.

Bhagavān Nṛsiṃha appeared before them. He said that, because He is eternal, He could not stay in a womb. But He agreed to live at Maulisthāna always, for the good of His devotees. This became the basis of the Nṛsiṃha Caturdaśī vow.

Who he was

Hārita is described as a brāhmaṇa who was a master of the Vedas. He was devoted to knowledge and meditation.

He is a different Hārita from the one in the Māgha Māhātmya who sent King Dilīpa to Vasishṭha (Padma Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 125). The Hārita of Maulisthāna is known for the length of his tapas and for his place in the glory of Bhagavān Nṛsiṃha.

The tapas of twenty-one yugas

Hārita and his wife Līlāvatī kept a hard vow at Maulisthāna for twenty-one yugas. They had one wish: to have a son with the form and nature of Bhagavān Nṛsiṃha.

Bhagavān Nṛsiṃha appears

Bhagavān Nṛsiṃha was moved by this tapas, which had no equal. He appeared in person at Maulisthāna and offered Hārita whatever he wished. Hārita and Līlāvatī asked for a son of His own nature.

Bhagavān Nṛsiṃha answered that, because He is eternal and the supreme soul (Paramātmā), He could not enter a womb and stay there. But He made a promise: “Since then I have stayed at this holy place for my devotee. The best devotee, after coming here, should see me. I shall always destroy his entire suffering.” So Bhagavān Nṛsiṃha chose to live at Maulisthāna for ever, as a self-manifest (svayambhū) presence.

What came of it

Because of Hārita’s tapas, Maulisthāna is one of the great Nṛsiṃha-kshetras (holy places of Bhagavān Nṛsiṃha). The Nṛsiṃha Caturdaśī vow, kept on the Caturdaśī of the bright half of the month of Vaiśākha, is linked to this appearance.

Sources

  • Padma Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 174
  • Padma Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 125 (for the other Hārita)