Reserach on Deities
Research on Lord Narasimha
January 2022
Research on the Deities 2022
By: Ahana Raghavan, 13 years
For: Gurukulam- The Shloka Learning Centre
Who is Lord Narasimha?
Courtesy: Google Images
Lord Narasimha is the fourth avatar of Lord Vishnu and is half-lion, half-man. He appeared like this to defeat Hiranyakashipu. The story goes like this.
What is the story of Lord Narasimha?
Lord Vishnu killed the brother of Hiranyakashipu to protect mankind and the earth, and Hiranyakashipu was frustrated at this. He prayed for a long period of time and Lord Brahma gave him a blessing. Hiranyakashipu had a son named Prahlad, and he was a pious devotee of Lord Narayana. His father did not like this and tried to tell Prahlad to stop worshipping Lord Narayana and convert to a demon to take revenge. However, Prahlad was given a blessing from Lord Vishnu.
Courtesy: Google Images
Hiranyakashipu’s sister, Holika, tried to convert Prahlad to a demon by sitting in a fire. She had a blessing that she would never be burned by fire, so she sat with Prahlad on her lap. However, Prahlad’s devotion to the Lord saved him, and Holika was burned to death, despite the immunity given to her. Hiranyakashipu was very angry at this and attacked a pillar near him. Lord Narasimha came out of it. Hiranyakashipu had a blessing that no human, animal, or Deva could kill him and he could not be killed during the day or night, in space or on Earth, and could not be killed with weapons. Lord Narasimha came in the form of half-lion and half-man and killed him by ripping his nails on his chest. *
Fun Fact: Holika is often associated with the annual bonfire which takes place the night before Holi, one of the most commonly known and loved Indian festivals.
Courtesy: Google Images
* This content is mentioned in my Festival Series article, “Narasimha Jayanti”. Just a heads up.
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy the information on the deities coming up!
I would also like to say Happy New Year to everyone! Let’s make the most of 2022!