231 - Hymn to Narasimha

Suta said: 

1. O Shaunaka, I shall now mention the Hymn of prayer to Narasimha sung by Shiva. Formerly, the Mothers (Mátrugana)² told Shankara thus:

2. These appear to have been originally the female energies of the great gods, as Brahmani of Brahma, Maheshvari of Shiva, Vaishnavi of Vishnu, Indrani or Aindri of Indra, etc. The number of them was seven or eight or sixteen, but in the later mythology, they have increased out of number. They are connected with the Tantra-worship, and are represented as worshipping Shiva and attending upon his son Karttikeya. [CDHM, P. 206]

 2. O Lord, we wish to devour the entire universe along with deities, demons and human beings with you favour. Please permit us.

Shankara said: 

3. Certainly, all these people are to be protected by you all. Hence, this ruthless mentality may soon be diverted.

4. Disregarding the advice thus tendered by Shankara, they began to devour the three worlds, inclusive of all mobile and immobile creatures, with impurity. 

5. When the three worlds were being thus eaten by the Mothers, Lord Shiva meditated on the Lord in the form of Narsimha (the man-lion). 

6-9. Lord Shankara's conception of Narsimha was thus: "He has no beginning or death; He is the originator of all living beings; His tongue blazes like lightning. He has great curved teeth; the manes blaze like a garland; He has bracelets studded with gems; He has a good crown; He is bedecked with golden manes; with His brilliance he pervades the whole Brahmanda (the Cosmic Egg); the hairs on His body are in curls in circlets. He is wearing a great garland consisting of many flowers of variegated colours." 

10. As soon as He was meditated upon, the Lord appear ed before Shankara assuming the same form as was conceived by Rudra with great devotion. 

11. In the same dazzling form unperceivable by the devas. He stood there. Shankara thereupon knelt before the Lord and prayed. 

Shankara said: 

12. Obeisance to Thee O Lord of the universe, having the body of a Man-Lion, shining with claws, resembling the Oyster shell, with which the lord of demons (Hiranyakashipu) was killed. 

13. Thou hast the golden and tawny coloured body of the giant clinging to Thy lotus-like Nails (claws). Obeisance to Padmanabha; obeisance to the suspicious, O Preceptor of the world. Thou roarest like the rumbling cloud at the end of the Kalpa, O deity shining with the lustre of ten million suns. 

14. O deity terrifying like thousand Yamas, valorous like thousand Indras, affluent like thousand Dhanadas (Kuberas) o deity with a thousand lotus-like feet. 

15. O deity resembling a thousand moons, thousand rayed, moving like a lion, resplendent like a thousand Rudras, sung in praise by a thousand Brahmas. 

16. Remembered in Japas by a thousand Rudras, endowed with a thousand all perceiving eyes, progenitor and destroyer of thousands, untier of thousands of bondages. 

17. O Fierce deity, having the velocity of a thousand winds, thousand eyes, O Compassionate One!’

Having thus sung the hymn to the lord of lords, Hari in the form of Man-lion, Shiva in all humility submitted thus: 

18. I had created the Matrus (the Mothers) for the destruction of the demon Andhaka. Disregarding my advice they are now devouring the wonderful created beings of the universe. 

19. Having created them I am incompetent to kill them though unvanquished elsewhere. Having evolved them first how can I wish for their annihilation. 

20-21. Thus addressed by Rudra, Hari in the form of the Man-lion created a thousand goddesses from the tip of his tongue. Hari the Vagishvara (Lord of speech) subdued the Mothers, protected the devas. He accorded peace and happiness to the world and vanished. 

22. He who recites this Narasimha hymn in all purity and restraint of the sense organs shall be blessed with the realisation of all his desires like Rudra. There is no doubt in this. 

23. One shall meditate on the deity Narasimha, with eyes shining like the midday sun (for the evil doers) and like white lotus (for the devotees), with his face beaming like the blazing fire, having neither beginning nor end, the eternal (the ancient), the unborn, lord of the great and the small, the receptacle of the Universe. 

24-25. If anyone recites this hymn it quells all miseries like the sun dispelling the snow. When he wants to perform the worship of the Lord in the form of Narasimha, Lord Shiva, the destroyer of the Tripuras, prepares His idol along with the Mothers. Then the lord appears before him and stands near him. After propitiating the great lord and obtaining the boon he saved the universe from the Mothers.