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)