Narasiṃha Stotras after the Killing of Hiraṇyakaśipu

After Bhagavān Narasiṃha killed the asura king Hiraṇyakaśipu, his fury did not cool. The devas and other beings sang to him and showered flowers from the sky, but no one could go near. The stotras that they offered, one after another, are told here, and how only the child Prahlāda could come forward and calm him. The account is in the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, seventh skandha, chapters 8 and 9.

The setting

Bhagavān Narasiṃha killed Hiraṇyakaśipu at the threshold of the palace, on his own lap, at dusk, with his bare nails. The fury of Bhagavān Narasiṃha had not cooled.

The whole assembly of cosmic beings was there. It was made up of the devas, the maharshis, the Siddhas, the Pitṛs, the Vidyādharas, the Nāgas, the Gandharvas and the Apsarasas. They broke into song and rained flowers from the sky, but they could not approach him.

The joy of all beings

The moment Hiraṇyakaśipu was killed, all beings in all the worlds felt relief at once.

  • The devas went back to their own places.
  • The ṛshis who had been terrified went back to their āśramas.
  • The cattle, the earth, the rivers and the forests breathed freely.
  • The four directions became clear and the sky was cleansed.
  • The sun, moon and stars shone again without any block.

The heavy darkness of Hiraṇyakaśipu’s rule lifted in one moment. Flowers fell from the sky, drums sounded in the worlds of the devas, the Gandharvas sang and the Apsarasas danced. The devas were filled with relief and joy.

The form that no one could approach

Bhagavān Narasiṃha sat on the throne of Indra. His mane blazed. His eyes blazed like the sun at the time of cosmic dissolution. The blood of the asura was on his nails, and his body was huge and overpowering.

The devas, maharshis, Siddhas, Pitṛs, Vidyādharas, Nāgas, Gandharvas and Apsarasas rained down flowers and sang his praise, but they stood far away. They could not come near.

Brahmā, Śiva and Indra were sent forward one after another to calm him. Bṛhaspati advised the devas to approach with care. Brahmā sent Śiva. Śiva sent Indra. In the end the devas themselves came forward with their stotras.

Brahmā’s stotra

Brahmā was the first of the great ones to try to approach the seated Bhagavān Narasiṃha. He saw that the others could not come near, so he first offered his stotra from a respectful distance. His hymn said these things.

  • Bhagavān Narasiṃha is the Parameśvara who is beyond all the guṇas of the power of māyā, and yet he appears through those same guṇas to protect Dharma.
  • His form has no earlier like. It is neither human nor animal. It goes beyond all such classes.
  • The purpose of this avatāra is to protect the greatest of devotees, Prahlāda, and to destroy the greatest of rulers who broke Dharma.

Brahmā then decided that none of the great ones could fully approach and calm Bhagavān Narasiṃha. This included himself, Śiva and the lokapālas (guardians of the worlds). He said that only Prahlāda could do it. Prahlāda had no fear, and Bhagavān Narasiṃha had shown him the love of a protector.

Śiva’s stotra

Śiva (Rudra) offered his own stotra to Bhagavān Narasiṃha. His hymn said these things.

  • Bhagavān Narasiṃha is the supreme Parameśvara, and even Śiva is his servant and devotee.
  • The form is the cosmic showing of tamas and tejas joined together. Even the tāmasika forms of Śiva cannot match it.
  • At that moment the form of Bhagavān Narasiṃha was beyond the understanding of even the greatest beings in creation.

Indra’s stotra

Indra came forward and offered his stotra. It said these things.

  • All the devas owed a debt to Bhagavān Narasiṃha for guarding the order of the worlds.
  • Indra had his own place again. Hiraṇyakaśipu had held Svargaloka and the throne of Indra, and Bhagavān Narasiṃha had set Dharma back in order.
  • Prahlāda was the son of the greatest enemy of the devas, but he was himself the foremost devotee. So Indra should honour him and not stand against him.

Stotras of the Siddhas, Munis and other groups

All the groups there offered their hymns one after another.

  • The Siddhas sang of the form of Bhagavān Narasiṃha as the model of the siddha-purusha, the fully realised being. They sang of a wonder: this most terrible of forms was also the most loving, because it came only to protect the devotee Prahlāda.
  • The Pitṛs (ancestors) praised Bhagavān Narasiṃha as the one who gives moksha to the fallen. Their hymn spoke of his power to free even those who die in his sight or by his hand, as happened with Hiraṇyakaśipu himself.
  • The Vidyādharas sang of his form as the supreme master of all vidyā (knowledge). All kinds of knowledge dissolve into him.
  • The Nāgas (serpents) praised him from their world below. They said he is greater than Ananta Śesha, on whose coils Bhagavān Vishṇu rests.
  • The Gandharvas and Apsarasas sang music and danced in his honour.

Lakshmī’s hesitation

The devas then sent Śrī Lakshmī Devī herself to approach Bhagavān Narasiṃha. She never leaves the side of Bhagavān Vishṇu and is the embodiment of his auspicious power. Even so, she stopped at the sight of the lion face and the great fierceness of a form she had never seen. She had known him in his Vaikuṇṭha form, his Varāha form and his Vāmana form, but this form was unlike all the others. She stood at a distance and could not go on. This part of the account is in chapter 9.

Prahlāda’s approach

When all else had failed, Brahmā sent Prahlāda. Prahlāda, a child of five years, came forward, folded his hands and fell flat at the feet of Bhagavān Narasiṃha. The heart of Bhagavān Narasiṃha was at once filled with karuṇā (compassion). He lifted the boy and placed his hand on Prahlāda’s head. By that touch Prahlāda received paramātma-sākshātkāra, the direct sight of Paramātmā.

Prahlāda’s own stotra followed, and then the exchange of varas (boons) between Prahlāda and Bhagavān Narasiṃha. This is told in chapter 9.

Prahlāda walked up without fear, where Brahmā, Śiva, Indra and Lakshmī could not. He was born in the line of the rākshasas.

Sources

  • Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, seventh skandha, chapter 8
  • Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, seventh skandha, chapter 9 (the hesitation of Lakshmī and the approach of Prahlāda)