Nṛsiṃha Bila
Nṛsiṃha Bila · nṛ-siṃha bila, “the cave of Nṛsiṃha”
Khaḍga has other meanings too: see all meanings of Khaḍga.
The Nṛsiṃha Bila, “the cave of Nṛsiṃha“, is the cave of Bhagavān Narasiṃha whose door opens to Pātāla. Brahmā tells the munis of it in Chapter 58 of the Brahma Purāṇa, when they ask to hear in full the power of the Narasiṃha mūrti, who slew Hiraṇyakaśipu. The worshipper of Narasiṃha who has kept the upāsanā goes to the door of the cave and offers a homa of palāśa samidhs for three nights; the door opens, and protected by the Nṛsiṃha kavaca he walks a wide royal road into Pātāla. There he gains a divine body and dwells in joy until the dissolution of beings, and then merges into Vāsudeva. One who does not wish to stay comes back out bearing divine gifts: weapons, a blazing triśikha, the añjana and the pādukā, the sañjīvanī vidyā and more.
The upāsanā that prepares the sādhaka
Brahmā says of Narasiṃha that he is unconquerable and beyond thought, the giver of bhukti and mukti. By his grace every siddhi is gained, and by his compassion one moves unhindered in svarga, the mortal world and Pātāla. He then teaches the kalpa of his upāsanā. The worshipper lives only on leaves, roots, barley, fruits and flour of parched grain, and wears a silk loin-cloth. In a forest, at a confluence of rivers, in a saline field or in a siddha-kshetra he installs Narasiṃha Svāmī and, master of his senses and steady in samādhi, worships him by the kalpa. On the dvādaśī of the bright fortnight he fasts and does japa of the Nṛsiṃha mantra twenty lakh times, and is freed from the great and the lesser pāpas. He goes round Narasiṃha Svāmī in pradakshiṇa, offers the sixteen upacāras and bows. The Nṛsiṃha kavaca, recited once, guards from every calamity; recited twice, it ends the troubles caused by devas, dānavas, yakshas, bhūtas, pretas and piśācas; recited three times, it makes the reciter impenetrable to suras and asuras for twelve yojanas around.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 58
The homa at the door
Having worshipped Narasiṃha in this way, the sādhaka goes to the door of the Nṛsiṃha Bila. For three nights he kindles the fire with samidhs of palāśa, and offers into it palāśa samidhs purified in trimadhu (the three sweet things). He makes two hundred offerings, each preceded by the vashaṭkāra. Then the door of the cave opens.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 58
The road into Pātāla
Without fear, he places the Nṛsiṃha kavaca on his body in nyāsa and enters. A darkness and delusion comes over him; then at once a very wide royal road appears, and on it no trouble such as the sting of bees is met. Remembering Nṛsiṃha, the sādhaka goes on into Pātāla. As he does japa of the Nṛsiṃha mantra, thousands of women playing vīṇās come to meet him; they welcome him, take his hand and lead him in. By drinking a divine rasāyana he gains a divine body and great strength. He dwells in joy with those maidens until the bhūta-pralaya (the dissolution of beings), and then, leaving the body, he merges into Vāsudeva.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 58
The gifts brought out of the cave
One who does not wish to live in that cave comes out of it and brings with him a paṭṭa, a śūla, a khaḍga (sword), rocana, a maṇi (gem), rasa, rasāyana, the pādukā (sandals) and the añjana (collyrium), a kṛshṇājina (black antelope skin), a beautiful kamaṇḍalu, an akshamālā, the sañjīvanī vidyā (the knowledge that restores life) and weapons.
The trident he brings is a three-pronged triśikha, surrounded by blazing sparks. Touched once to the heart, it burns up the pāpa of many crores of births. Placed in poison, it breaks the poison. Touched to the body, it removes leprosy. Pressed on one’s own body, it removes the pāpas that begin with brūṇahatyā. Simply meditating on the blazing trident ends severe pains of the heart. Tied as a rakshā on the neck of children, it destroys diseases of the throat and the gaṇḍa, piṇḍa, lūtā and other diseases.
Of the añjana, called kāṭuka, and the pādukā, the chapter says that rasāyana-siddhi can be gained in the ghaṭikā, the kāṭuka and the pādukā, and that all desires bear fruit.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 58
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 58