Narasimha

Narasimha

नरसिंह, narasiṃha

"Lion-man"

Narasimha or Nrisimhadev is the fourth avatar of Lord Vishnu, according to numerous sacred writings, who appeared in the satya-yuga as a lion-man to kill asura Hiranyakashipu. The cult of Narasimha is widespread throughout India among the followers of Vaishnavism as a formidable embodiment of Vishnu, affording protection to all his followers, as well as the personification of divine wrath, severing worldly attachments.

The essence of the Narasimha’s myth is that the two servants who angered Vishnu – Jaya and Vijaya – had to be incarnated on earth by demons named Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu in order to atone for their grave sin, having received death from his two divine incarnations, the boar Varaha and the lion-man Narasimha. This is often interpreted as participation in divine games of the Lord.

So, after the murder of his younger brother Hiranyakshi, the angry king Hiranyakshipu performed a long tapas to achieve unprecedented power, and Lord Brahma himself was forced to bless him. According to the terms, no one could kill a demon, whether it was a living or non-living creature, human, animal or maiden. Then, with his power, he subdued the Three Worlds, desiring revenge for the murder of his brother. Subsequently, when King Hiranyakshipu began to pursue one of his sons, Prahlada, for unstoppable devotion and love for Vishnu, as well as blaspheme about the qualities of Lord's omnipresent, enraged Narsimha suddenly appeared from  the palace columns and tore him to pieces.