The Legend behind Vishnu’s Narasimha Avatar
Do you know the legend behind Narasimha avatar?
Lord Vishnu is one of the supreme Gods of Hinduism, many other gods are his incarnations that have taken different human forms to help restore dharma and maintain peace and balance on earth. One such incarnation is the Narasimha or Narasimha Avatar whose reference can be found in many Hindu scriptures like the Vedas and Puranas. Narasimha temples with his other nine icons are found in the many Indian States like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, etc.
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Let’s know about the legend behind Narasimha avatar today.
Once during the Satya Yuga, there was a demon king named Hiranyakasipu, whose younger brother Hiranyaksa was killed by Vishnu’s other avatar Varaha, because his brother (Hiranyaksa) had started to disturb mankind and other demigods, hence he started to despise Vishnu and wanted to avenge him. He knew to avenge him would not be a piece of cake; hence he undertook a tough penance and worshipped Lord Brahma until impressed by his devotion he was willing to grant him the boon of his choice.
After he could invoke Lord Brahma he asked for a boon that none on earth had asked for before, he asked to never be killed by any man or animal, demon or god, neither inside nor outside, neither with a weapon, nor with trick, neither at night nor in daytime, neither on the ground nor in the sky, neither by a living nor by a non-living being; Brahma could do nothing but grant him the boon.
As time passed, he grew proud of his powers and prohibited the worship of Vishnu or any other lord in his kingdom, but his son Prahlada was a keen and sincere devotee of Lord Vishnu, even after his father’s numerous attempts to forbid him from worshipping Vishnu, his dedication towards his Lord never dwindled.
The king’s pride and aversion for Vishnu grew so much that he couldn’t bear the sight of his son who believed Vishnu to be present in every nook and corner of the world, whether small or large. He made several attempts to get his son killed, one that is well known is by making him sit through the fire on the lap of his sister Holika, but Prahlada came out unharmed while Holika burnt and died in the fire.
When Hiranyaksipu’s tyranny and terror surpassed all boundaries of forgiveness, Lord Vishnu had to intervene. While once Prahlada spoke to his father that Vishnu is omnipotent and omnipresent and can be found in the pillar, he smashed the pillar with aggression out of which comes out the Narasimha Avatar of Lord Vishnu.
He was a lion-headed, human bodied being with claws of a lion, then and there he held the king in his lap, which was neither sky nor ground, in the evening i.e. neither day nor night, with his nails which are not a weapon, between the door that is neither inside nor outside and tore away his body and freed him of his evil ways. This way Lord Vishnu took various avatars protected mankind from evil.
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ऐसी ही और जानकरी के लिए हमारे न्यूजलेटर को सबस्क्राइब करें और फेसबुक, ट्विटर और गूगल पर हमें फ़ॉलों करें।
