Lakshmi Nrusimha Vaibhavam & AchArya Vandhanam : Part 2
From the Bhakti List Archives
• April 30, 1999
Dear BhakthAs : Yesterday we celebrated the Jayanthis
of Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan , Madhura Kavi AzhwAr and the 29th
pattam Azhagiyasiingar .Yesterday was also the birthday of
NadaadUr AmmAl , a great AchAryA .On this ChithrA PourNami
day , I will offer my preliminary salutations to this
MahAn , who blessed Swami Desikan to become a great
Sri VaishNavite AchAryan .
Prior to my posting on NadAdUr ammAL dear to Lord VaradarAjA ,
I will offer adiyEn's additional salutations in this posting
to Sri Narasimhan . You may wish to refer to the texts of
sthOthrams to Lord Narasimhan by Adhi Sankaraa
( Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha KarAvalampana sthOthram ),
MaadhvAchAryAL ( Nakha sthuthi ), Sri VaadhirAja
Theerthar ( NrusimhAshtakam ).
Here , we will focus on the Ahobila matam AchAryAL's
sthuthis of Lord Nrusimhan of nine forms .There are
references however in PaancharAthra samhithA to
74 forms of Sri Nrusimha BhagavAN that include the above
nine NrusimhAs enshrined at the lower and upper
AhObila KshEthram . One of the additional
forms not included in the above nine is Sudarsana Narasimhan .
Lord Sudarsana is recognized as the Nakham (nail that tore
asunder the powerful warrior HiraNyan)in NrusimhAvathAram .
Sri Murali Rangaswami has written extensively about
this form of Nrusimhan often .
The great occupants of the throne of Ahobila peetam
have Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan as their AarAdhya Dhaivam .
They have composed deeply moving sthuthis and placed
them at the sacred feet of Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan .
They recite always the following prayer as a result
of seeing Him ( Akhila tanu ) everywhere :
ithO Nrusimha: parathO Nrusimha:
yathO yathO yaami tathO Nrusimha:
Bahir Nrusimha: hrudayE Nrusimha:
Nrusimham Aadhim SaraNam prapadhyE
(Meaning) : Here is Nrusimhan , there (far away)
is Nrusimhan . Wherever I travel , there is Nrusimhan .
He is outside and at the same time , He is seated in
my heart lotus . I take refuge at the sacred feet of
this ancient Nrusimhan , who is primordial .
The AchAryAs of Ahobila Mutt celebrate the glory
of PrahlAdha Varadan , who is the uthsava mUrthy
at lower AhObilam :
namasthE Nrusimhaaya PrahlAdha (prasAdha ) dhAyinE
(meaning ) : I offer my salutations to Lord
Narasimhan , who delights the heart of His
dear most bhakthan, PrahlAdhan .
Here is a complete list of SthOthrams
composed by different AchAryAs of Ahobila Matam .
Other BhakthAs are requested to add to them :
1. 21st pattam AchAryan : Sri Nrusimha mangaLam
2. 24th pattam AchAryan: Sri Nrusimha mangalLAsAsanam
3. 25th Pattam AchAryan: Sri Nrusimha sthavam
Sri Nrusimha mangaLam
4. 26th Pattam AchAryan: Sri Nrusimha SthOthrams
5. 27th Pattam AchAryan: Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha sthavam
Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha mangaLam
6. 29th pattam AchAryan: Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha SuprabhAtham
7. 30th pattam AchAryan: Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha SuprabhAtham
used even today in the Sri Sannidhi , Sri Nrusimha
mangaLam , Sri Nrusimha Prapatthi
8. 31st pattam AchAryan: Sri Nrusimha mangaLam
9. 34th pattam AchAryan:Sri Nrusimha Shashti paadha VarNanam
Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan Adaikkala patthu ( TamiL ).
Latter is used regularly in sEvA kaalam at Sri Sannidhi
and sishyA's homes even today .
10. 41st pattam AchAryan: Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Dhyaana
sOpAnam inspired by the Bhagavadh DhyAna sOpAnam of
Swami Sri Desikan .
11. 42nd pattam AchAryan: Creation of Nrusimha PriyA
and being the cause of all Nrusimha vandhanams
that we enjoy there .
12. 44th pattam AchAryan: Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha sthOthram
Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Prapatthi , DayA Saagara Sathakam
and PanchAmrutha SthOthram .
I will conclude this article with reference to
the far reaching influence of Bhagavath RaamAnuja
SiddhAntham outside the southern part of India .
The two influenced by AchArya RaamAnujA's digh
vijayam are Jaya DevA and Chaithanya mahA Prabhu .
We will say a few words about the salutation of
Jaya DevA to Sri Narasimhan .
Sri JayadEva kavi , the prominent author of
Gita Govindham was the top most practioner
of " Bengali /OriyA VaishNavism " .He was influenced
by RaamAnujA and became an ardent devotee of Puri JagannAth
after Acharya RaamAnujA's visit to Puri during the first
quarter of the twelfth century in his ninth decade of life .
In his magnum opus , Gita Govindham , Jayadeva Kavi
offers his salutations to Nrusimhan and links the Lord's
form to that of Kesavan and PurushOtthaman as visualized by
Sri VishNu Sahasra Naamam ( Naarasimha Vapu:
SrimAn Kesava: PurushOtthama : ).The exact words of
Jayadeva kavi are :
tava kara kamala varE , nakam adhbhutha srungam I
daLitha HiraNyakasipu tanu bhrungam II
Kesava dhrutha Narahari rUpa , Jaya JagiadIsa HarE
This is the 8th slOkam of the first sargam and says:
" the nails on Your soft lotus hand are wondrous claws
tearing the gold-robed body of black bee , HiraNyakasipu .
You take the form as the Man-Lion, KesavA .
Triumph Hari , Lord of the World !"
Narahari , the PurushOtthaman's links to Kesavan
are recognized here .
The final salutation of this posting has to
come from Swami Desikan in his DasAvathAra
sthOthram :
prathyAdhishta purAdhana praharaNa krama:
kshaNam PaaNijai:
avyAth threeNi jaganthyakuNta
mahimA Vaikunta kaNDeerava:
yath prAthurbhavanAth avandhya jatarA
yAdhrucchikAdh vEdasAm
yaa kaachith sahasA mahAsura gruha
sthUNA pitaamahyabhUth
In his inimitable style , Kavi Simham ,
Swami Desikan visulaizes the avathAram
of the Lord as Nrusimhan from the pillar
in the sabhai of HiraNyakasipu to prove
true the statement of His dear bhakthan ,
PrahlAdhan .Our Lord has many ancient
and famous weapons like Sudarsanam ,
Nandhakham , GoumEdhagi and Saarngam. He hid
all those ancient and proven weapons with a
new weapon , His powerful nails . With those ,
nails , He tore the mighty chest of HiraNyan apart .
This Vaikunta kaNDIravan of indefatigable
power and parAkramam apppeared accidentally
out of the pillar in the court of HiraNyan
and made that pillar the grand mother of
BrahmA . Swami Desikan states that the particular
pillar got rid of its infertiliy by giving birth
to the Lord .Swami Desikan prays to this
Lord Narasimhan to protect all the three worlds
( avyAth threeNi jaganthyakuNTa mahimA VaikuNTa kaNDIrava:)
Swami Desikan refers once again to this adhbhutha
avathAram of the Lord in Sri VaradharAja panchAsath :
" thrailOkyam yEdhath AKHILAM NARASIMHA GARBHAM ".
Here Swami Desikan states that all the chEthanams
and the achEthanams of the three worlds have
Nrusimhan inside them .That is for sure (noonam )
says our AchAryan .
This is the YadhrucchA Hari ,who defied anybody's
expectations (predictions)and jumped out of
the sthampam/skambham to be at the side of
His Bhakthan and is always ready to come to our
rescue .This cosmic form of the Creator
existing even far beyond the vast limits of
this extensive universe has been saluted by
the four Vedams :
skambhO dhAdhAra dhyAvAprithvI ubhE
imE skambhO dhAdhArOrvanthariksham I
skambhO dhAdhAra pravisa shaDUrvee:
skambha idham bhuvanamaa vivEsa II
-- Atharva Vedam : X.7.35
(Meaning): Our Lord is the skhambhA or the divine
support (aadhAram )of the entire creation
consisting of the terrestrial region ,
the celestial region and the region in between
(interspace).Our Lord alone balances His entire
creation and holds in equalibrium the six
dimensions of space (shaDUrvee:).In all
the parameters of Space and Time , our Lord
is present as Kaala Varjithan , akAla Kaalyan
and Adhi MadhyAnthaa rahithan .He sustains
the entire creation consisting of names
and forms ( naama rUpams ).
We will conclude this posting on Nrusimhan
with another great set of Atharva Veda
manthrams(XI.7.24-27):
" Everything is reborn from Him after the dissolution ,
the disciplines of divine knowledge , the sense organs,
the vital realm , the blissful realm , and all categories
of human beings ,dEvAs and pithrus ".
Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha ParabrahmaNE Nama :
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan
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