The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : Glory of Lord Nrisimha

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Friday, Dec 17, 2004

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Glory of Lord Nrisimha

CHENNAI, DEC. 17. Our elders have always maintained that there is a direct co-relation between divine teachings and spiritual discipline. The acquisition of requisite knowledge will hone a person's aspirations to lead a better life, focused on divine service and good conduct. The spiritual power accruing out of such a virtuous life will help aspirants in their ultimate quest. The succinct summation of spiritual teachings in epics and puranas by men of wisdom is one of the guiding principles for intuiting the latent divinity. If we submit to God He will take care of devotees.

The best example of this avowal is the Supreme Being's manifestation as Lord Nrisimha, said Sri Adoor Asuri Madhavachari in his discourse. Unlike sages ordinary people are not equipped to undertake penance and other forms of renunciation since the senses are not easily controlled. However when a devotee sincerely offers a flower with the prayer `Viswaya namaha' or `Om Nrisimhaya namaha' such a person will not have worthless thoughts. Can there be a more profound example of God's Omnipresence than His emerging from a pillar constructed by Hiranyakashyap whose ego blinded him to immanent truth? Hailed by sage Vyasa as a unique avatar, Nrisimha is feted in practically all the holy texts. In the Bhagavatham, Rukhmini couriers a message through a Brahmin to Krishna beseeching Him to wed her; yet she refers to Him as Nrisimha. Why did she do so, one may ask. Nrisimha manifested in an instant when His devotee sent out a distress call and as such He will pay heed to supplicants. In the Ramayana Mareecha tried counselling his brother Ravana to desist from pursuing Sita, referring to the Prince of Ayodhya not as Rama, but as Nrisimha. Sita's grace is hailed as being superior to even the Lord's because while God merely assures His devotees not to lose heart she recommends giving ultimate refuge instead.

Scholars hold that the essence of the Mahabharata is contained in the Bhagavad Gita and the Vishnu Sahasranama while some others hold the epic to be a celebration of Nrisimha. Seekers have often wondered at the divine protocol in chronicles such as `Srinivasa Kalyanam.' With the divine mother Padmavathy as the bride, the debate arose as to whom the first offerings could be made — the Lord or His consort. Pandits state that the dilemma was resolved by the Lord Himself who suggested that the same be offered to Ahobila Nrisimha, a legend reinforced by the figure of Srinivasa paying obeisance to Nrisimha.

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