GITA 7.35

GITA 7.35

SRI BHARGAVA NARASIMHA

Thirumangai Alwar wonders, whether the sky is red hued because of the fire generated by the friction of bamboos in the forests, or because it was evening when Lord Sri Narasimha appeared, or because of the blood that sprouted when SriNarasimha tore off the chest of Hiranyakasipu.
                 நாத்தழும்ப நான்முகனும் ஈசனுமாய் முறையால்
                 ஏத்த அன்கோராளரியாய் இருந்த வம்மானதிடம்
                 காய்த்த வாகை நேற்றோளிப்ப கல்லதர் வெய்ங்கழை போய்
                 தேய்த்த தீயால் விண் சிவக்கும் சிங்கவேள் குன்றமே.

Today's [24th April 2008] lecture is from the sannidhi of Sri Bhargava Narasimha. Many people like Brahma, Shiva, Indra, etc., came to praise Him. They could only try, but His greatness could not be satisfactorily brought out. Finally, He thought that He Himself should try to praise His greatness. To meet this task, Sri Parashu Rama, known as Sri Bhargava Rama, came to this place and meditated on the banks of the pond Akshaya Theertham, here and to some extent succeeded in praising Sri Narasimha.

AKSHAYA TEERTHAM

 How can One praise Oneself? Sri Narasimha avatar. like Sri Rama and Sri Krishna, is mukya or complete avatar, while Sri Parashu Rama avatar is gowna or avesha [ஆவேசம்] avatar, and so there is nothing wrong in one avatar praising another. This reasoning justifies defeat of Sri Parashu Rama at the hands of Sri Rama. So the Lord here is known as Sri Bhargava Narasimha. With upper two arms holding discus and conch, the lower two arms are tearing off the chest of Hiranyakasipu, laid on His lap. By getting boons from Brahma, Hiranyakasipu became uncontrollable and he forgot, Sriman Narayana was superior to Brahma. He forgot that those who granted boons to him might one day vanish away. In the Prabhai, an art work surrounding the statue, we can see the Dashavatara, sculpted.

PRABAI SURROUNDING SRI MOOLAVAR

 Now we will see the 29th sloka. In this and the next sloka 30, the things which are to be known by the three types of devotees [earlier the Lord told four types, but in that the first two, namely those seeking lost wealth and those seeking fresh wealth, are essentially one group and are called arthaarthi or wealth seekers, and the next is kaivalyaarthi or seekers of atman anubhavam, and the last is bhagavallabhaarthi or seekers of the Lord Himself - thus three types]. They are brahmam, adhyaatmam and karmam. These three are different for the three types of devotees.
1) Aiswaryaarthi is the type who seek wealth for sensual pleasures - lowest among devotees.
2)Kaivalyaarthi is the type who do not want this-worldly pleasures nor rebirths but want to enjoy their own atman and never return to the samsaram.
3)Bhagavallaabhaarthi is the best among all devotees, and they seek service to the Lord only and nothing else.
Each of them should know what is the objective, what is to be avoided and what is the means.
Bramham is here known as the objective and it differs for each of the types of devotees. It is also called prapyam.
Adhyaatmam means that which is to be avoided.
Karmam means the means or the activities to be performed to get brahmam.
In sloka 29, the Lord tells the three requirements for the kaivalyaarthi type of devotees; and in sloka 30, the requirements for aiswaryaarthi and bhagavallabhaarthi types of devotees. This has to be carefully understood. After seeing these and another four or five slokas in Chapter Eight only, the substance of these will be clearly understood. Now sloka 29:

jara-marana-mokshaya
mam asritya yatanti ye
te brahma tad viduh krtsnam
adhyatmam karma cakhilam

"Those seeking liberation from old age and death, try to approach Me; they should know completely their objective, avoidables and activities ."

Ye =those [wanting], mokshaya =release from, jara = old age, marana = [and] death, asritya = approach, mam = Me [Sri Krishna], yatanti = take efforts. Te = such people [kaivalyaarthi], tad brahama = the objective they should attain, vidhu = should know, adhyatmam = avoidable, karma = activities, ca kilam = entirely, krtsna = and completely. What are they will be detailed. 

                                                                                                    (continued)

GITA 7.34

GITA 7.34

SRI PAVANA NARASIMHA

Thirumangai Alwar says it is very difficult to go to Ahobilam and worship the Lord there. Today's [23rd April 2008] lecture is also from the sannidhi of Sri Pavana Narasimha, on a cliff, reaching it is a bit difficult. Pavanam [ पावनं] means sacred and pure. So the Lord here is very sacred and pure. Sri Krishna tells that we do not understand Him properly because of our limited intellect and so we imagine wrong things about Him. For example, when Hiranyakasipu was killed, some might ask why should the Lord kill him or anyone? He is the Protector for all, is it not? Why Asuras and Rakshasas are considered as to be eliminated? Why should He favour Devas? Is He not partial? But these are raising because of our limited knowledge about Him. Even when His hands are stained with the blood of Hiranyakasipu, He remains sacred and pure. A child is playing with a stick. Mother sees and she feels that the child might harm itself or others, and so asks the child to drop the stick. If the child does not heed, she reprimands and removes the stick from the child. If she does not do that, the child is sure to get harmed. Similarly, the Lord has tried to persuade Ravana, Hiranyakasipu, etc., to tread the path of Dharma. Ravana was advised by Vibheeshana, Angadha, Hanuman, and others. Hiranyakasipu was advised by Prahalada. But all these went in vain and they continued to do evil things and earned more and more of papa. Finding no other alternative, the Lord removes the atman from their bodies, by killing them to stop the papa earning. It is same as removing the stick from the child. By removing the body, those atman of Ravana, Hiranyakasipu, etc., get another chance to reside in a different body and do good things and ultimately reach Him. He has no intention to kill anyone; and by killing, they are prevented from deteriorating further. That is why Thirumangai Alwar in his pasurams refer the Lord as Punithan [Tamil word for Pavana]. Sri Chanchu Lakshmi Thayar is on the lap of Sri Pavana Narasimha. In a cave, there is a separate sannidhi for Sri Chenchu Lakshmi Thayar. 

Chenchu means hunters and lots of them are there around this place. Alwar also says this in his pasurams. Hunters are carrying bows and arrows. It seems the Lord has appointed them to rob pilgrims, of their wealth so that the pilgrims would surrender to the Lord! Swami Periavachchaan Pillai, in his commentary, noted that the Lord, once decides to bless someone, then He ensures that one's property and wealth are removed from one. [यस्य अनुग्रहम इच्छामि तस्य विथ्थं हराम्यहम ]. When one is having plenty of wealth, he has no time for God. That is why when pilgrims come here, their belongings are robbed so that pilgrims develop vairagyam and come to Him. During such robbing, the hunters make noise and beat drums. Frightened, the pilgrims drop their belongings and surrender to Lord Sri Narasimha, says Alwar. In this community of Chenchus, Sri Thayar appeared and so she is called Sri Chanchu Lakshmi. She is seated on the lap of the Lord. With left lower arm embracing Her, right lower arm in Abhaya mudra and the upper arms holding discus and conch, the Lord graces the devotees. Adisesha is spreading the Seven hoods over the Lord. 

Now we will see the 28th sloka:

yesham tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam drdha-vratah

"Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination."

Persons whose all papas are expended and are in the last stages of such process, they come to the Lord with a determination. Now the twins mentioned in the last sloka is no longer there. Twins create delusion in the worldly affairs. When the twins are not there, illusions are not there and so they are fully involved in knowing Sri Krishna. In the last sloka, the Lord said that likes and dislikes, produce actions which originate papa and punya. Likes and dislikes make us take some actions. If these actions conform to Shastras, then we earn punya. Otherwise, papa is earned. We can not choose the procedure for those actions ourselves as they should agree with Shastras. In Srimad Bhagavatham, it is said vedapranigitho karma: adharmasya viparyaya:, while there was the argument between the messengers of Sriman Narayana and Yama, in the story of Ajamila. This reply is given by Yama's messengers that any action in conformity with Vedas is Dharma and actions done against Vedas' teachings are Adharma. Dharma earns punya and adharma earns papa. Punya and papa, repeat birth cycles and so spending away them takes lots and lots of births. If one desires to have immediate result of Moksham, saranagathi [ total surrender] to the Lord is the only alternative. Otherwise, the progress is very slow and may take millions of births. Those good actions which earn punya, slowly destroy the papa already accumulated. In our behaviour also, by cultivating good behaviour and speech, satva qualities grow and rajo qualities decline. The Lord also helps this process. A classic example of this is the story of Jata Bharatha. He was ruling righteously for about Ten million years. He, by his actions earned plenty of punya. Once as he was meditating, found a fawn and started fondling it. In his last breath also, his thoughts were all full of the fawn, and so after death, he was reborn as a young deer. We are going to see this in the eighth Chapter that our last thoughts decide our next birth. Though Jata Bharatha had almost exhausted all the papa, some traces were there and so he had to be born as a deer. This was a small reaction for his last thoughts. But even in this birth as a deer, he never mixed with others and spent in isolation eating grass and leaves. After completing this birth as deer, he was again born as a Gyani and attained Moksham. We can note that the vasana of punya continues in every birth. These punya tend to clear the papa. Dvandva- moha = [such persons] from the twins of illusion, nirmuktena = get released. Our likes and dislikes produce twins of joy and sorrow, etc., and we get further involved in worldly bonds. These prevent devotion to God. So to direct ourselves towards the Lord, we have to get released from the illusion of the twins. Bhajante = [after this release from twins] worship, mam = Me [ Sri Krishna] , drdha vratham = with resolute determination. Earlier Sri Krishna talked about four categories of devotees - aspiring to regain lost wealth, new wealth, atman darshan and the Lord alone. By losing most papas, the first two categories are seen. With only one papa still lingering, the devotee seeks atman darshan and gets kaivalyam. But when all papa are totally eliminated, the devotee seeks only Him and reach Moksham.

                                                                                                                  (continued)

GITA 7.33

GITA 7.33

LOWER AHOBILAM TEMPLE

MOOLAVAR SRI LAKSHMINARASIMHA

UTSAVAR SRI PRAHLADA VARADAN

There are Nine Sri Narasimha sannidhis in Ahobilam. Sri Prahlada Varadan is in Lower Ahobilam. By worshiping Him, we lose our heart and soul; such is His beauty. Pillai Perumal Iyengar was a devotee and a poet. He had composed 108 Thiruppati Andhadhi. In this he had presented one poem for each Divya Desam. In the poem on Ahobilam, the poet exposes an important character of the Lord, Sri Narasimha. The Lord simultaneously shows two feelings from the same face, on the child devotee Prahlada and Hiranyakasipu. He showers mercy and love on Prahlada and shows anger and hatred for Hiranyakasipu. The Lord in this Avatar had combined two impossible features - Lion head and human body. Similarly two emotions -anger and compassion- which can not appear at the same time from the same face, are exhibited by the Lord simultaneously. We can see this in the Sri Prahlada Varada in this sannidhi, from where today's [22nd April 2008] lecture is being made.

DIVINE EYES

 He stands with right lower arm showing protection to the devotees and the left lower arm is holding the mace. Upper arms are holding discus and conch. With compassion filled in one eye and anger in another, the choice is for us to select us as target for one of the eyes. If we go with a resolute belief that He will protect and bless us, then we will be in His view of the eye that is showering compassion. But if we go with doubts and disbelief of His avatar, then His eye filled with anger would view us. Just like in the Upper Ahobilam, the Lord graces with His two Consorts Sri Sridevi and Sri Bhoodevi. As told earlier, in the Brahmotsavam in Panguni, the Garuda sevai is on the last day. Sri Amruthavalli Thayar is in a separate sannidhi. She also graces the devotees with mercy; but there is a difference in the glances of the Lord and Sri Amruthavalli. Wnile the Lord exhibits mercy from one eye only, Sri Thayar graces compassion from both Her eyes. There is no place for anger and She is, therefore addressed as nithyam agyatha nigraha . Every Friday in the month of Aadi, Sri Thayar graces from the Oonjal [swing] mandapam. Here we can see beautiful sculptures and one can see all forms of Sri Narasimha. When we see so many Sri Narasimha in all these pillars here, it is remembered that while Sri Narasimha emerged from only one pillar, which Prahlada showed, He is waiting to emerge from all other pillars in this Universe! 
We will now see the 27th sloka:

iccha-dvesa-samutthena

dvandva-mohena bharata

sarva-bhutani sammoham

sarge yanti parantapa

"O scion of Bharata, O conqueror of the foe, all living entities are born into delusion, bewildered by dualities arisen from desire and hate."

In the last sloka He said that while He knew everyone, none knows Him. Why this is so was the question from Arjuna. In every birth, we earn papa and punya and as a result, we develop likes and dislikes. To satisfy these likes and dislikes, we involve ourselves in certain activities. These actions earn further papa and punya. This is a reiterative process and repeats every time. Therefore, every atman is born with likes and dislikes. During birth, this causes an illusion and so we miss the opportunity to understand the Lord. Iccha = likes, dvesha = dislikes. Both are associated with this prakruti or Universe. In worldly matters, we are interested in the results. Prahlada developed liking for the Lord; but that is in Godly matter, and what is told in this sloka is about worldly affairs. Samutthena = combination [ of likes and dislikes], dvandva- mohena = [results] in twin feelings [ like profit and loss, happiness and sorrow, victory and defeat, etc.]. These twins are encountered by us because of the likes and dislikes. If we attain what we like we get happiness; if we do not get what we like we are sorry; if we get what we dislike, we are sorry; and, if we do not get what we do not like, we are happy. Similarly, by attaining what we like, we think we are victorious and feel defeated if we do not get what we like, and so on. This causes moham or illusion. Our ancestors have told janathi icchati yatate. Janati - we try to understand about something. Icchati - then we develop like or dislike on that object. Yaate - then we involve in actions or efforts to get it or avoid it. Thus the twins immerse us further in papa and punya. One may like to be in heaven and feels that one should involve in good deeds like donations, etc. If that one, spends one's earnings in an honest way, one attains punya and consequent heavens. So by involving in these twins we are in an illusion and we never come out of it. This illusion continues in every birth. Every birth is attached with all the papa and punya earned in the previous births. This is called vasana [वासना]. When an atman takes a body and is born, this vasana creates a breeze jata and all gyana is hidden. Sarvabhutani = all living beings, sarge = while born, sammoham = great illusion, yanti = get. So, likes and dislikes produce twins, which create an illusion and with that we are born. So at the instant of birth itself, all Gyana is lost . This is the reason none understands Sri Krishna. The result of every action or karma, sticks as vasana and continues in every birth. Only a very few people with the help of good Acharyas, try to understand Him. These twins and vasana are exceptions in this place. Sri Narasimha has a different twin of compassion and anger in His eyes. While all are born with the illusion, Prahlada was an exception. He is called Sriman in the garbha [womb], as he listened to the preachings of Narada to his mother Kayathu.

                                                                                                               (continued)

GITA 7.32

GITA 7.32

srirAma rAmeti ramE rAmE manOramE

sahasranAma tattulyam rAma nAmam varAnanE||

yatra yatra raghunAtha kIrthanam

tatra tatra krutamastukAnjalim|

bhAshpavAri paripUrNa lochanam

mArutim namatarAkshakAntakam||

SRI KARANJA NARASIMHASWAMY TEMPLE

In Ahobilam, Lord Sri Narasimha appeared to Hanuman, as Sri Rama. The spot, where He gave darshan like this, is the sannidhi of Sri Karanja Narasimha [कारांज ]. 

Today's [21st April 2008] lecture is from that sannidhi. Karanja tree is also called punga maram or karungali maram in Tamil. Under a Karanja tree, the Lord is gracing the devotees. About one and half miles away in the forest, Hanuman was meditating on the Lord. When the Lord appeared before Hanuman, as Sri Narasimha, Hanuman was puzzled as to why he could not see the Lord as Sri Rama. When Sri Narasimha told that He was same as Sri Rama, Hanuman was doubtful. To dispel that doubt, the Lord appeared with the majestic crown He was wearing at the time of His coronation. But Hanuman could not see his Sri Rama in the dazzling brilliance of the crown and the face of theLord. The Lord, by the brilliance of His Third eye, revealed to Hanuman He was Sri Rama. But still Hanuman could not see the Bow, which Sri Rama is always associated with, and so the Lord immediately displayed a bow in His hand. Hanuman said that how he could come near the Lord, as he used to do when the Lord was Sri Rama? The Lord then indicated by pointing to His feet by His right hand. When Hanuman came near, the Lord showed His left hand in Abhaya [protection] mudra. Here the Lord Sri Narasimha appears with a Bow. The Lord appeared before Hanuman in Ghatikachalam or Cholasimhapuram, popularly known as Sholingar, nearArakkonam, in Tamilnadu. 

We will now proceed to sloka 26. This sloka came up to dispel a doubt in Arjuna, whether the Lord was not perceived now only or always?

vedaham samatitani
vartamanani carjuna
bhavisyani ca bhutani
mam tu veda na kascana

"O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me, no one knows."

The main theme of this sloka is that the Lord knows all, but none knows Him. Aham = I [Sri Krishna], vedam = know, samatitani = past times, vartamanani = present times, bhavisyani = future times. We have already seen that the Lord can not be gauged or understood by the past, present and future. He can not be conceived as restricted to any particular place or form or time. So, He is beyond time, place and object; that is why He is called Sri Ananthan. When He says He knows the three times -past, present and future, it does not mean mere times, but He knows every person or object in all these three and He knows all their activities and their results. In Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam, He is called Bhootha bhavya bhavath Prabhu. He is the Lord of the three times and all those living in those three times. Bhutani = all living beings [of the past, present and future]. Arjuna's query was however not for this reply. He never asked whether the Lord knew all; but he asked whether all of them did not understand Him and was there or will there be, a time, when people understood or understand Him. So, what the Lord says that He knew all at all times is an additional information connected with the reply for Arjuna's question. Mam = [but] I [ Sri Krishna], veda = am understood by, na kascana= nobody. So, the Lord knows all and is interested in all of us. We, on the other hand, do not understand Him. The Lord takes lots of efforts to redeem every one of us. If a child is sleeping, the mother takes care of the child by driving away insects. Child comfortably sleeps, without the knowledge that the mother is taking care. After waking up also the child would remain unaware that the mother had taken care of. Nor the mother is going to tell the child that she took care of it. Because this task mother does without a return of reward; but, as a duty. Mother knows all the requirements of the child, even if the child does not know what it needed or who is to provide. We are all children of God and so He takes care of us by knowing all our needs and activities. Then one might ask that if that be so, then just as a mother has to look after the child because it is her duty, so also the Lord should look after us without our asking, as it is His duty. This is correct, but the child is advised to respect the mother as God [माथ्रू देवो भव]. Therefore, we should also respect God as God. Unfortunately, everyone thinks He is a mere Cowherd or another Person like them. In spite of His many deeds to protect the gopis, He is still not understood as the Protector. When He says nobody understands, nobody word indicates all those lived in the past, living in the present and going to live in future. People, therefore, go to all sorts of gods to get favours. Those devoted to these gods go to them, while His devotees reach Him at the end. They do not understand that those favours are also granted by gods with the power delegated to them by Sri Krishna. To get those favours, the devotees of those gods have to tread a very difficult path; and the favours are inferior and transient. So with hardship, they approach the gods to get temporary and cheap benefits. But Bhakti to the Lord is pleasant and results are unimaginably very great and permanent. The Lord expects only selfless devotion. Sri Narasimha appeared in Krutha yug, while Sri Rama avatar was in Tretha yug, thousands of years later. Hanuman was associated with Sti Rama. But He gave Darshan to Hanuman. If this sloka's intention was that Sri Krishna was lamenting that nobody knows Him, then all will cease to learn anything from Gita or Vedas or other scriptures. But the main import of this sloka is that Sri Krishna tells that a very infinitely small number of persons understand Him as everything and such a person is regarded as Gyani by Him. In 19th sloka, He told that a Gyani thinks Vasudevamidi sarvam and these slokas are all to explain the greatness of such Gyani.

                                                                                              (continued)

GIYA 7.31

GITA 7.31

Nammalwar praises the Sri Narasimha avatar in the pasuram engumulan kannan [எங்கும் உளன் கண்ணன் என்ற மகனைக் காய்ந்து இங்கில்லையால் என்று இரணியன் தூண் புடைப்ப (Tiruvaimozhi, 2.8.9)]. Sri Narasimha avatar is unique in the sense that an impossible combination of man and lion was enacted. This is called agatithagatana samarthyam. Another notable feature of this avatar is that just to prove the words of the child devotee, Prahalada, He appeared from the same pillar, pointed. Swami Vedanta Desika, prefixes Sri Narasimha with an adjective yadruschaya [यद्रुस्चाया] , meaning sudden. Prahalada chanted the Ashtakshara and taught the same to the children of demons. The two teachers Kanda and Marka, appointed by Hiranyakasipu, told him that Prahalada was not mentioning the name of Hiranyakasipu, but of Sriman Narayana. Hiranyakasipu's persuasion did not yield what he wanted and the devotion of Prahalada increased day by day. He adopted cruel methods on the child, like pushing into the fire, dropping in the ocean, etc. Prahalada was rescued everytime by Sriman Narayana. Finally, he confronted Prahalada to show Sri Hari and Prahlada told He was everywhere. Hiranyakasipu pointed to a pillar and asked whether Sri Hari was in that; Prahalada confirmed He was there. Hiranyakasipu hit the pillar and the Lord came out with an explosion. We are now in Upper Ahobilam where, in the Tamil month of Panguni, festivals are celebrated, followed by similar ones in Lower Ahobilam.

UPPER AHOBILAM TEMPLE

The Moolavar here is gracing with just two arms and Hiranyakasipu is lying on His lap. Child Prahalada is standing with folded hands.

UPPER AHOBILAM SRI MOOLAVAR

 Opposite this sanndhi, there is a historic place, where the 6th Jeer of Sri Ahobila mutt [Swami Shashta Parankusa Yatindra], to escape from alien invasion entered the cave in the ground and did not come back. There is also a sannidhi for Sri Chenchu Lakshmi Thayar. Chenchu means hunters of forests. Sri Mahalakshmi appeared in Chenchu community and married the lord. This event, Kalyanotsavam, is celebraed on the Seventh day of the festival every year.

SRI CHENCHULAKSHMI THAYAR

 Utsavar is Sri Jwala Narasimha, with Garuda at the feet. Normally, Garudotsavam is on 3rd or 4th day of the festival in other temples. But here, Garuda sevai is on the last day evening.

SRI UTSAVAR

 Just like the Sri Jwala Narasimha we saw earlier, here the Asura is on the lap of the Lord, Who graces with Ten arms. Two for holding Hiranyakasipu, two for tearing his chest, two for removing the intestine to get adored as garland, two for holding discus and conch and two for holding sword and mace. To satisfy Hiranyakasipu's many conditions for his death [he should not be killed in the air nor on land, neither inside nor outside, neither in day nor in night, not by weapons, not by any creation of Brahma,etc.] He killed him keeping hm on His lap, by nails, at the gate and in an evening. That is why Sri Narasimha jayanthi [avatar day ] is celebrated in the evening. It is believed that lord Shiva chants the Sri Nrusimha Mantra [mantra rajan] and remains here. In the idol, we can see the sharp nails also. Sri Narasimha is called Aja:. In Sri Vishnu sahasranamam, Divine names from 200 to 210 [ Eleven names] are dedicated to Sri Narasimha [amruthyu, sarvabruthu, simha, sandhatha, sandhiman, sthira, aja, dhurmarshana, sastha, visrudhatma and surariha]. Aja means unborn. But we have been hearing that He has taken many Avatars? He is not born like us. None of us is born out of a pillar. We are born because of karma, while He is born out of compassion and out of His own free will. 

Now, the 25th sloka:

naham prakasah sarvasya
yoga-maya-samavrtah
mudho ’yam nabhijanati
loko mam ajam avyayam

"I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible."

When the Lord appears as Sri Krishna or as Sri Rama, everyone thinks that He is also like them and never think that He had appeared out of sheer mercy. Sarvasya = for everyone, naham = I [Sri Krishna] am not, prakasa = exposing [Himself]. Only for the blessed Bhakta, He is available and perceivable. They think, yoga maya samavarta = associated with yoga maya. Swami Ramanuja says here, yoga maya means, the Lord assumes a body like ours and people think He is also like them. Swami Koorathalwan says the Lord as Sri Rama, wanders in search of Sri Sita as though He did not know Her whereabouts, but at the same time, He is able to dispatch Jatayu to Moksham, for which He knew the exact route! Loko = in this world, mudhoyam = fools, nabhijanath = do not understand, ajam = [the Lord is] unborn, avyayam = [and] indiminishable [in greatness]. They are all fools as they do not know that He is the Creator and not created; He is Cause and not the effect; He is not born to expend papa/ punya accumulated by karma, but to redeem us, out of pity for us. It seems when He killed Hiranyakasipu, blood flowed out and in that the Lord saw His reflection and became angry. When Brahma asked why He was still angry, when the demon had already been killed, the Lord replied His anger was because He saw another Sri Narasimha and how could He tolerate another equal to Him?! Near this sannidhi is Gajakundam, which gets water from Bhavanasini river. Bathing here will get us all our needs. There is also a 100 pillar mantapa, where the 1st Jeer [ Swami Adi Van Satakopa] preached his disciples. With awe and wonder, we can admire the Lord here- because He is Aja. Is He a lion? or, a Man?

                                                                                                  (continued)