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21. nArasimha vapuh He Who is possessed of a body of man and lion combined.
om nArasimha-vapushe namah.
SrI BhaTTar captures several thoughts about this incarnation of bhagavAn in
one sentence in his commentary: sva-bhaktyantarAya nivAraNam bhkatabhayApaha tadapekshA samakshaNa pratipannayathA kAma divya mahAnRsimha samhananh.
1. This incarnation shows a removal of impediments to devotion to Him.
2. He takes incarnations at will.
3. His incarnations are divine.
4. They remove the fear of His devotees .
5. The incarnations are assumed the moment the request is made.
SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri elaborates on these, and add his own anubhava-s.
Among his additional thoughts are:
6. This incarnation shows that when it comes to bhagavAn, our "normal"
rationalization should not be applied to anything
associated with Him. For instance, we know that man is the best evolved
species in the thinking capability (brain power). Similarly, lion is the most
evolved in physical strength. Its strength is located in its body and its
powerful nails. So, in order to destroy a powerful asura such as hiraNya
kaSipu, it would have made a lot more sense if bhagavAn had taken a form
with the head of a human being (with the associated highly evolved brain),
and the body of a lion (the most evolved with respect to physical strength).
BhagavAn does exactly the opposite - the head of a lion, and the body of a
human being. This is a simple illustration of the point that He is beyond our
capabilities of analysis.
BhagavAn does whatever it takes to fulfill the request of His devotee,
irrespective of whether it shows Him in the best light or not. ANDAL refers
to His varAha incarnation as "mAnam ilAp panRi" - the shameless boar with
dirt dripping from all over its body, to go after another rAkshasa,
hiraNyAksha, the brother of hiraNyakaSipu.
7. Anyone who observes a scene of an ausra being torn to pieces with its nails
by a lion-faced form with a human body, will be terror-stricken. And yet, we
see prahlAda standing in great reverence, unperturbed, and pleased at having
the divya darSanam of the Lord. But seeing the same form, hiraNya kaSipu

was terror-stricken as the half-man-half-lion form emerged from the pillar.

Thus, at the same time, with the same form, bhagavAn was pleasing to the
eye of the devotee, and causing terror to the devotee's enemy. This is another
revelation of the greatness of bhagavAn that simultaneously He is
endowed with all opposites at the same time.
8. In addition to the aspect of His being able to induce fear or love at the
same time, there is the beauty aspect to His form of half-man half-lion. Just
for a moment, think of some human form with the head of a lion appearing in
front of us, and imagine the aversion that this sight will induce in us. Not so
with Lord nRsimha. He was absolutely beautiful in this form, as SrI BhaTTar
elaborates in the next nAma SrImAn because He is always associated
with SrI or Lakshmi. tirumazhiSai AzhvAr describes His beauty as ari
pongik kATTum azhagu (nAnmugan tiru. 21) The beauty of nRsimha form
looked like beauty bubbling and spilling over because it cant be contained
anywhere.tirumazhiSai AzhvAr describes His beauty as ari pongik
kATTum azhagu (nAnmugan tiru. 21) The beauty of nRsimha form looked
like beauty bubbling and spilling over because it cant be contained
anywhere.
9. In normal course of life, something that came from breaking a jaDa form
such as the pillar should be expected to be another piece of the same jaDa
form. One should expect a live form to be originating only from another life
form. Hers relating to Him, we should not be applying normal logic as we are
used to do.
SvAmi deSikan describes this unusual birth of Lord nRsimha from the pillar
in his daSavatAra stotram in one of his poetic naya-s. He describes the lucky
pillar from which Lord nRsimha emerged, as the grandmother of brahmA
mahAsura gRha sthUNA pitAmahyabhUt (Slokam 5). The lineage in this
description is that bhagavAn is the father of brahmA, and since the pillar
gave birth to Lord nRsimha, the pillar thus becomes the grandmother of
brahmA.
10. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha does not support the interpretation that
bhagavAn had an actual mixed body consisting of some aspects of man and
some aspects of lion. Instead, he suggests that the nAma means that He took
a normal form that possessed the best aspects such as the strength of a lion,
and the best aspects of man such as the ability to think. We will not go into
the merits of this interpretation. Only the interesting philosophical aspect that
he brings out is dealt with here. He sees in this nAma the illustration that
neither karma alone, nor j~nAna alone, are sufficient in the fulfillment of any
undertaking, and that both are needed. He quotes from the Srtuti-s in support:
idam me brahma ca kshatram ca ubhe Sriyam aSnutAm (yajur. 32.16)
yatra brahma ca kshatram ca samya'ncou caratah saha |

tam lokam puNyam pra~jnesham yatra devAh sahagninA || (yajur. 20.25)

As a lesson to take from this nAma, SrI vAsishTha makes the point that
whatever action one undertakes, this should be done after fully analyzing and
understanding the consequences associated with this action. One can also
extrapolate from this the thought that it is not enough to have the ability to
use force, but also along with that, one should know how to use this force,
when to use this force, etc., in order for the force to have beneficial effects.
11. svAmi deSikan describes the six rahasya-s associated with bhagavAns
incarnations
in his SaraNAgati dIpikA Slokam 17. All of these naturally apply to
nArasimha vapuh also. These are:
- He takes many incarnations with different forms at will as needed nAnA
vidhaih. One of these is the nRsimha incarnation.
- The incarnations are all true forms that He assumes, and not just mAyA
forms a-kapaTaih.
- Every incarnation of His is fully endowed with His parattvam and all His
kalyANa guNa-s in full, irrespective of the incarnation He takes ajahatsvabhAvaih
- His forms in His incarnations are not made of panca bhUta-s like ours, but
His tirumEni in His incarnations is also made of Suddha-sattva, and so He is
beyond the three guNa-s, sattva, rajas, and tamas a-prAkRtaih
- The forms in His incarnations are takenas part of His leelA, and not as a
result of any karma as in our case nij-vihAra-siddhaih
- They are taken purely for the protection of His devotees and the destruction
of their enemies AtmIya rakshaNa vipaksha vinASanArthaih.

22.202 - simhah

a) The Lion
b) Destroyer
Om simhAya namah.

SrI Bhattar interprets the nAma as one who has assumed the body of man and lion. SrI Sankara
gives the meaning that He is the Destroyer (Lion) of sins. He gives the following etymological
derivation "hinasti iti simhah" - hinasti smaraNa mAtreNa samasta pApAn iti simhah. According
to this interpretation, the word himsa changes to simha by transposition of letters according to
the grammatical rule "pRshodarAdIni yatopadishTam" (PANini 6.3.109).
SrI chinmayAnanda points out that even taking the literal meaning "Lion" for simha, He is the
Lion at the mention of whose name all the animal passions flee from the jungle of the mind. In
the gItA we have "mRgANAm ca mRgendro'ham - Among the animals, I am the king of animals
- The Lion" - gItA 10.30.
In dharma cakram, the writer says that meditating on this nAma with its meaning should give us
the vIrya to destroy the evil in our thoughts, words, and deeds. It is only a strong personality
which can help us overcome the negative forces around us and help us realize Him. It is
necessary to be good and to be strong (nallavanAgavum vallavanAgavum as stated in the tamizh
language).

489. simhah
a) He who punishes
(those who harm His
devotees).
b) He who took the
nr*simha form.
c) He who is most
powerful.
om simhAya namah.
This nAma has
occurred earlier
(nAma 202). There
SrI BhaTTar had
interpreted the
nAma as referring to
bhagavAn's
nr*simha
incarnation. For the
currentnAma, he

continues his
interpretation in
terms of bhagavAn
protecting His
devotees by
punishing if
necessary anyone
who even tries to
harm His devotee.
Thus He punishes
yama and his
servants if they
approach a
vaishNava with the
intent of harming
him without realizing
that he is vishNu's
devotee. SrIBhaTTar
gives examples from
vishNu tattva,
vhshNu dharma, and
lai~nga purANa to
illustrate this.
SrI Sa~nkara's
earlier interpretation
was that bhagavAn is
the Destroyer of sins.
His vyAkhyAnam
for the current
nAma is that
bhagavAn is like the
lionwhen it comes to
His Power, and so He
is referred to as
simha. SrI
rAdhAkr*shNa
Sastri suggests that
bhagavAn is the lion
that gets rid of
thedeer in the form
of asura-s.
Alternatively, SrI
Sa~nkara points out

that simhah may

considered a short
form for His full
nAma -nr*simha. SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha
derives the meaning
from the root sic ksharaNe tosprinkle,
to impregnate, and
interprets simhah as
He who bestows the
karma-phala to
everyone impartially.
His alternate
interpretation is
thatbhagavAn is of
infinite Power, which
is indicated by His
nAma of simhah. He
takes away the life of
everything in their
due time, including
themanvantara-s, the
kalpa-s, and the
mahA-kalpa-s, and
merges them all into
Himself. Just as we
refer to a great
medical doctor as
vaidyakesari,
bhagavAn is the
kesari of all kesari-s
or lions.

21. NaarasimhaVapuh One in whom the body of a man and Lion are combined
Vapu means body and Naarasimha means a combination of a man and a lion; so NaarasimhaVapuh is somebody
who has a body combining a man and a lion. This refers to the Narasimha Avatar of Bhagavan.

Narasimha Avatar is the Half-Man Half-Lion, 4th Incarnation of Lord Vishnu from Satya Yuga. The Asura (demon)
Hiranyakashipu performed intense penance and austerities and was able to please Lord Brahma. When Brahma
appeared before him he asked for immortality. But Brahma said he could not grant him the boon of immortality. So
Hiranyakashipu asked for a series of boons all of which were with an intent to avoid death and assure him
immortality. Accordingly, Hiranyakashipu was blessed with the following boons, That
He will not die in any type of indoor or outdoor.
He will not die during day or night;
He will not die on earth or sky;
He will not be killed by any weapon; and
He will not be killed by a human being or animal
After being blessed with these boons, Hiranyakashipu defeated the demigods and rulers on Earth and announced
that he was the Supreme God and declared that all prayers should be directed towards him and not to Vishnu.
The entire Kingdom followed his commands except his young son, Prahlada. The little boy Prahlada worshiped Lord
Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu tried all means to make the boy worship Him. But all his efforts failed. Then the demon King
tried to kill his son several times but each time the little boy was rescued by Vishnu.
Frustrated and incensed with his sons worship of Vishnu, Hiranyakashipu demanded him to show him Lord Vishnu
who is supposed to be omnipresent. In a fit of anger pointing to a pillar, Hiranyakashipu asked whether Vishnu is
present in it. As soon as the young Prahlada affirmed, Hiranyakashipu took out his sword and struck the pillar.
In a flash, Lord Vishnu appeared (as Narasimha), breaking through the pillar, in the form of a half Man- half Lion
before Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu froze at the sight and the Lord dragged Hiranyakashipu to the threshold of
the palace and as the twilight period was approaching He put him on His lap and killed him with His claws. Thus, the
Lord ensured that when He killed Hiranyakashipu:

He was neither inside nor outside the palace;

it was was neither day nor night, it was in the twilight hour;

Hiranyakashipu was neither on earth nor in the sky, as He kept him on his lap;

He did not use any weapons as He killed him using his paws; and

finally, He took the form of Naarasimhavapuh i.e. half man-half lion, neither a human nor an animal.
Thus, the Lord vanquished Hiranyakashipu and protected his ardent devotee Prahlada while ensuring that all the
boons granted to Hiranyakashipu were honoured.

202.

Simhah Lion or Destroyer

Sri Parasara Bhattar interprets this Nama as the One who manifested as Narasimha with half a body of lion and half
a body of man.

Sri Adi Sankara gives the meaning that He is the Destroyer

(Lion) of sins. He gives the following etymological derivation hinasti iti simhah hinasti smarana maatrena
samasta paapaan iti simhah meaning meditating on him helps destroy ones sins.
Swami ChinmayAnanda points out that even taking the literal meaning of Lion for Simha, He is the Lion at the
mention of whose name all the animal passions flee from the jungle of our mind. In the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 10
Verse 30), Bhagavan says mrigaanaam ca mrigendroham Among the animals, I am the King of animals The
Lion.
In Dharma Chakram, the writer says that meditating on this Nama with its meaning will give us Veerya that will
destroy the evil in our thoughts, words, and deeds. It is only with a strong personality we can overcome the
negative forces around us and realise Him. It is necessary to be good and strong (NallavanAgavum VallavanAgavum
as the saying goes in Tamil).

489.

Simhah He punishes those who harm His devotees

Sri Adi Sankaras earlier interpretation for this Nama was that Bhagavan is the
Destroyer of sins. His interpretation for the current Nama is Vikramashaalitvaat Simhavat Simhah He is Valiant
and Powerful like a Lion hence He is called Simhah. The Lion is called the King of the forest because of its bravery.
By calling Bhagavan as Simhah we are invoking His bravery and courage.
His second interpretation is Nrishabdalopena Satyabhama Bhama itivad vaa Simhah It is a short form of
Narasimha just like Bhama is a short form of Satyabhama. By this interpretation Simhah is only a shorter name of
Half Man-Half Lion Narasimha Avataar of Sri Mahavishnu.

Sri Bhattar had interpreted this Nama earlier (Nama 202) as referring to
Bhagavans Narasimha Avataar. For the current Nama, his interpretation is that Bhagavan protects His devotees by
punishing those who try to harm His devotees. He punishes Yama and his dhootas if they approach a Vaishnava
Bhakta with the intent of harming His devotee.
Sri Radhakrishna Sastri suggests that Bhagavan is the Lion that gets rid of the Asuras which are in the form of a
deer. Isnt it Asuras in the form of a Deer?
Sri Satyadevo Vasishta derives the meaning from the root words sic ksharane meaning to sprinkle, to
impregnate and interprets Simhah as He who bestows the Karma-phala to everyone impartially. The alternate
interpretation for Simhah is that Bhagavan has Infinite Power. He takes away the life of everything in their due
time, including the manvantara-s, the kalpa-s, and the mahA-kalpa-s, and merges them all into Himself. Just as we
refer to a great medical doctor as vaidya kesari,
Bhagavan is the Kesari of all Kesaris (Lions).

,
Kaanane Naarasimham Cha,
When alone in the Forest, Think of Narasimha

 -
|

||
- ::
satyam vidhtum nijabhrtyabhsitam vyptim ca bhtsvakhilsu ctmanah|adryattyadbhutarpamudvahanstambh sabhym na mrgam na
mnusam||
- Srimad Bhagavata Maha Puranam 7:8:18.

To prove the truth in the words spoken by His servant (Prahlada),

That in all the living beings and in non-living entities exists His Aatma.
With a wonderful form that had never been sighted before
He emerged from the Pillar in the assembly hall, neither man nor animal.

The meaning of the word Narasimha is very obvious from the above sloka. Even a child would tell that Narasimha means He who is half man (Naraa)
and half lion (Simha). In this incarnation, the Lord combines in Him the Lion, which is superior in physical strength, and the human, who is known for his
mental prowess, thus showing that for any undertaking to succeed both Karmaa (action) and Jnaana (knowledge) are needed. He was that wonderful
incarnation who showed opposite emotions of anger (to Hiranyakashipu) and compassion (to Prahlada) as Swami Desikan describes Him in
,Vishama Vilochana Kesari.

Again, from the overview, it is very clear why we should think of Narasimha when we are in the forest. The lion, of course, is the king of the forest and
hence the Lord in His Man-Lion form will lead us to safety and peace. However, there is more to it than appears. The story of Narasimha avataara tells
us that the Lord appeared from a pillar, thus proving His omnipresence (as in the naama Vishnu). He killed Hiranyakashipu without falsifying any of the
boons that were granted to him (That he should neither die on land nor the sky, neither at day nor night, neither inside nor outside, neither by man nor
animal, neither by weapons not anything dead or alive). The lord therefore kills him on His lap, at twilight, seated on the door step with His own nails,
showing that He would emerge from anywhere, at any time, exactly meeting the requirements of the solution, be it in a palace or the middle of a forest.
And most importantly, the specialty of the Narasimha avataara is that unlike the other eight avataaras which were taken to protect various devotees, this

avataara was assumed for just one Prahalada. Wasnt it Prahaladas utter belief that caused the lord to come tearing down the pillar? In a similar way,
He would come rushing to us even when we are in the midst of nowhere.
Yet another possible explanation is given in Shankaras Sri Lakshmi-Nrusimha Karaavalamba Stotram :



-

Samsara Gora Gahane Charathe Murare,Marogra Bheekara Mruga Pravardhithasya,Aarthasya Mathsara Nidaagha Suduhkhitasya,Lakshmi
Nrsimha Mama Dehi Karavalambam.
Oh Lord who killed the Asura called Mura,
I have been traveling in the dark forests of day to day life,
Where I have been terrified by the lion called desire,
And scorched by the heat called competition, and so,
Oh Lakshmi-Nrusimha, Please give me the protection of your hands.

Here, Shankara pleads Narasimha to help him from the dark forest of Samsaara, where we are lost, blinded by Maya and obsessed with Kaama. It is
only through His help that we would ever be able to cross the darkness of Samsaara and see the light of His lotus-feet.

There was a beautiful incidence happened in shankaracharya's life history connection with Lord Narasimha.
Adi Sankara had once given his consent to a cruel Kapalika to take his head and offer it as a sacrifice to Goddess Kali in order to win favours from her.
Kapalikas were followers of a particular Saiva sect (the left-hand order) who always carried human skulls, wore them as garlands around their necks
and even ate and drank from these macabre vessels. Lord Siva himself is hailed as Kapali. The Lord of the famous temple in Mylapore in Chennai is
worshipped as Kapaliswara; why is another story.
This Kapalika had been nursing a grievance against Adi Sankara whom he viewed as a potential threat to his faith and sect. He took the Acharya to a
nearby cave, made necessary arrangements for the sacrifice-ritual and prepared himself to behead Adi Sankara. The Acharya was all along in a trance.

However, when the Kapalika lifted his sword and readied himself to chop off his
head Sankara's disciple Padmapada (also known as Sanandana) envisioned this murderous scheme in his mind. He rushed to the cave in a trice. In an
'avesa' (possessed with divine powers) of Lord Narasimha he, verily, became the man-lion Lord himself temporarily. He had attained Narasimha mantra
siddhi and, becoming frightfully ferocious, caught hold of the villainous Kapalika and tore him to pieces.
Sankara Vijaya, published by the Ramakrishna Math in Chennai, describes how Padmapada leapt into the sky, scattering away the clouds with a slash
of his mane, and literally flew into the cave, stunning all beholders. It was a re-enactment of the Narasimha incarnation once again when the demon
Hiranyakasipu was disembowelled by the Lord with his leonine claws.
Adi Sankara, hearing the thunderous roars of a lion, awoke from his trance and witnessed the gory scene. Padmapada's body was smeared with the
blood of the vile Kapalika while his face glowed with divine splendour like a galaxy of suns. The Acharya saw before him the awesome Lord Narasimha
himself and pacified him with soothing and overflowing devotion.
Lord Narasimha always will be in spot for the protection of his devotees.
Om Sri Lakshmi Nrsimhaya namo namah.