Narasimha
Narasimha ( Sanskrit , m. नरसिंह, Narasiṃha , literally "human lion") is considered in Hinduism as the fourth avatar of Vishnu , whose form was half human, half lion.
myth
Hiranyakashipu's repentance
The Puranas , the old books about the gods, report on the demon king with the name Hiranyakashipu (Hiranya = "gold"; Kashipu = "soft feathers" or "bed"; the one who loves gold and soft beds), who once over the World is said to have ruled, but was ultimately killed by Vishnu in his appearance as Narasimha:
Hiranyakashipu ceaselessly persecutes his son Prahlada , who dedicated his life to Vishnu. After years of extreme asceticism, the power of the demon king becomes so great that it disturbs the entire universe. Urged by the devas , the heavenly ones, Brahma appears before him. Hiranyakashipu seeks the favor of Brahma not to die or be killed under the following conditions:
- By no being created by him (Brahma).
- Neither inside a house nor outside a house.
- Neither during the day nor at night.
- Neither on the ground nor in the air.
- Neither by a human nor by an animal.
- Neither by a weapon nor by the hand of a living or inanimate being.
- Neither through a deva , a heavenly one, nor through a demon ( asura ).
He also requested all mystical powers ( Siddhi ), sole rule over all living beings and the ruling deities. Brahma bestowed the blessings on him as he was content with his penitential practices. ( Bhagavatapurana 7.3.35-38)
Hiranyakashipu and his son Prahlada
With the false certainty of having attained immortality through Brahma's blessings, Hiranyakashipu begins his rule over the entire universe. Except Brahma himself, Shiva and Vishnu everyone is under his control. When his son Prahlada was instructing his school friends to worship Vishnu, he asked his teachers. Both confirm to him that Prahlada's Vishnu- Bhakti comes from himself, that there is no one to influence him. The demon king can hardly believe that. His son, an admirer of Vishnu, his archenemy, who killed his brother Hiranyaksha? So he has his son called to him. Realizing the truth, Hiranyakashipu immediately orders his son's execution. “This boy is my brother's murderer, he left his well-meaning family to worship Vishnu like a servant. Just as a sick part of the body has to be amputated so that the body can live healthy, a hostile son has to be killed for the good of the family. " ( Bha 7.5.35,37)
The demonic assistants tried to kill Prahlada by impaling him with a trident. The weapons had no effect on Prahlada, who was completely absorbed in meditation on Vishnu . He was thrown under the feet of huge elephants, then in the midst of terrifying snakes, he was thrown from a mountain peak, huge stones were thrown at him, he was given poison to eat, he was starved, exposed to the forces of nature, but his son was not to kill. His inability to kill him terrified Hiranyakashipu. Not knowing what to do, he lets his son teach again from his demonic teachers.
Prahlada continues to instruct his comrades, the sons of other demons, in the worship of Vishnu. They are enjoying it more and more. This is not hidden from the teachers and fearful they turn to Hiranyakashipu to inform him about the threatening situation.
Narasimha's appearance
_LACMA_M.82.42.8_(1_of_5).jpg)
Hiranyakashipu becomes so angry that his whole body is shaking. Irrevocably he decides to kill his son. “You villain, when I get angry all worlds and their leaders tremble. By what power did you become so bold as to fearlessly oppose my rulership? ” Prahlada replies: “ My dear King, my strength comes from the same source as yours. All forces come from the same source. Without it, no one can gain strength. Be it Brahma or an insignificant being, all are under the control of his power. ” “ O you unfortunate one, ” said Hiranyakashipu, “ you have always spoken of a supreme being who is pervasive over everything. Where is he now? Is he in this pillar? You talk a lot of nonsense, so I'm going to separate your head from your body now. I would now like to see how this Hari (Vishnu) protects you. ” ( Bha 7.8.6–7 / 12–13)
The mighty King Hiranyakashipu insults his son, takes an angry hand to the sword and hits the column with his fist full of unconscious anger. “Then there is a frightening rumble from the pillar. It sounds like the universe is about to burst. The rumble reaches the demigods, who think: 'Now our planets are being destroyed.' Hiranyakashipu, who is about to kill his son, hears this huge noise, a booming wonderful sound that has not yet been heard by anyone. The other demons are afraid. None of them can find the source of the resentment. In order to protect Prahlada and to confirm his words about his omnipresence, the supreme Lord Vishnu manifested his wonderful form within the pillar, which was neither human nor lion. While Hiranyakashipu looks around, the astonishing figure of Narasimhadeva emerges from the pillar. ” ( Bha 7.8.15-18)
Narasimha plays with Hiranyakashipu like a cat with a mouse. As dusk falls, he grabs him, sits down on the threshold of the palace, and Hiranyakashipu lies down on his lap and tears him up with his diamond-hard nails. All the blessings of Brahma could not keep him from death. He did not die during the day or at night, neither by a person, nor by an animal, nor by a Deva (but by Vishnu , who is also called Devadeva, god of gods). He died neither on earth nor in the air, neither inside nor outside his palace, neither by a weapon nor by an animate or inanimate hand.
Narasimha received special veneration among the warrior caste. Today Narasimha is widely worshiped by the Vaishnavas who seek protection from him on the path of the bhakti . In honor of Narasimha, performances of the dance drama Bhagavata Mela take place on his birthday at the beginning of May in several villages in the region around Thanjavur .
See also
- An approx. 10 m high rock statue of Narasimha can be found near the village of Dudhai (UP)
- The story of Narasimha is continued in the myth of Sarabeswara, which is mainly popular in southern India .
literature
- Anneliese and Peter Keilhauer: The Imagery of Hinduism. The Indian world of gods and their symbolism. DuMont, Cologne 1983, ISBN 3-7701-1347-0 , pp. 84ff.
- Veronica Ions: Indian Mythology. Hamlyn Publ., London 1988, ISBN 0-600-34285-9 , p. 49
