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Re: kAmAsikhAshTakam

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muralidhar rangaswamy • August 13, 1998 


Sri: 

SrimatE GopalArya MahadesikAya Namaha

Dear Sriman Venkataraghavadasan,

Thanks for asking an excellent question. How can one call 
Bhagavan Narasimha a deceitful lion (Kapata Kesari)? How does 
the prefix Krupa (merciful one) apply in this context? The answer is 
as follows.

Although, Bhagavan Narasimha apparently satisfied all the conditions 
of Brahma's boon to HiraNayakashipu, there was one exception. The 
Lord's nails (Vajra Nakha) derived their power due to the presence 
of the Sudarshana Chakram in them. Therefore, although outwardly no 
weapon was used to tear HiraNyan apart, the Chakram lay concealed 
in the Lord's nails. Testimony in support of this fact can be 
obtained from the 3 verse of the Mantrarajapada Stotram of the 
Ahirbudhnya Samhita. The key salutation in this verse is "NakhAgrE 
ShakalI ChakrE Yastam VIram NamAmyaham". This also denotes the 
inseparability of Bhagavan Narasimhar and the Sudarshana Chakram. 
Furthermore according to both the Pancharatra and VaikhAnasa Agama, 
Lord Narasimhar is worshipped in four places-below the earth, in 
pillars, on hills and in the Sudarshana Yantram. Back-to-back forms 
of Sudarshana and Narasimhar in a single Peetam at  Srirangam and 
Kanchipuram lend further support to the two-in-one nature of Bhagavan 
Narasimhar. Salagramams of this back-to-back form explain this 
relationship even more. 

Now what about the prefix Krupa? This salutation can be interpreted 
in two ways in keeping with the Pida Pradanam (for Dushtas) and Pida 
Pariharam (for Bhaktas) aspects of Sudarshana-Narasimhar. First 
let us examine the Pida Pariharam aspect. Prahlada, a Parama Bhagavata 
of the Lord had to undergo untold sufferings at the hands of HiraNyan 
for his Maha Vishvasam in Lord Narayana. Therefore, the ocean of mercy
Bhagavan Narasimha ended the sufferings of his great Bhakta by using 
his most powerful Sudarshana Chakram. In the process, this resulted 
in apparent Pida-Pradanam for HiraNyan. The second interpretation is 
that the Lord out of his mercy decided to grant HiraNyan release from 
his janmam. Hence, he used the Sudarshana Chakram to kill the asura 
(anyone slain by the Chakram is conferred with Moksham).


Namo Narayana,

Muralidhar Rangaswamy