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)