KarmaVaani
Vaishnava tradition
नृसिंहNarasimha
Nrisimha · Ugra Narasimha · Lakshmi Narasimha
Vishnu's fourth avatar, half man and half lion, protector of his devotee Prahlada.
- Abode
- Ahobilam; Simhachalam
- Consort
- Lakshmi
- Vahana
- Garuda
- Colour
- Golden
- Arms
- 4
Narasimha is Vishnu's fourth avatar, a being half man and half lion who burst from a pillar to protect the boy Prahlada from his father, the demon king Hiranyakashipu. He is the fierce guardian of devotees, invoked against fear and danger, and in his calm form sits with Lakshmi on his lap.
Mantra
ॐ नमो भगवते नरसिंहाय
Om Namo Bhagavate Narasimhaya
Salutations to the blessed Narasimha: a prayer for protection.
How Narasimha is shown
A figure with a lion's head and mane and a human body, seated in yoga or with Lakshmi on his knee.
- Lion's claws
- The only weapon that was neither man-made nor natural to fit the demon's boon.
- Conch and discus
- He is Vishnu.
- Yogapatta band (Yoga Narasimha)
- Fierce power at rest in meditation.
Stories
The pillar
Hiranyakashipu could not be killed by man or beast, by day or night, indoors or out, on earth or in the sky, by any weapon. Vishnu came as a man-lion at twilight, on the threshold, held him across his lap, and used his claws.
