Krishna Seva

[jagdish]

Jai Shri Krishna

Hardik Badhais to everyone for todays Shri Narsingh/Nrusimh Jayanti
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Best Wishes
Jagdish

[Sunita Punjabi]

Jai Shri Krishna,

Thanks Jagdishbhai for the reminder and now can I trouble you by saying tell us the story behind it.?

Will request other vaishnavs including Vasantji to join in and sing some kirtans.
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Sunita Punjabi

Mero to Aadhar Shri Vallabh ke Charnarvind
Mere gale ko haar Shri Vallabh ke Charnarvind
Mero to shinghar Shri Vithal ke Charnarvind
Ga-o Varamvar Shri Vallabh ke Charnarvind Shri Vithal ke Charnarvind --------!!!!!!!

[Sital]

Jai Shree Krishna

Badhai to all vallah vaishnavs

JSK
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Madhurkomalkant padavali namami
Sital

[Vasant Punjabi]

Jai Shri Krishna, Jai Shri Narsingha Hari,

Badhai to all vaishnavs

Raag Kanharo

Jai Jai Shri Narsingha Hari,
Jai Jagdish Bhakht bhaye mochan khumb fari pragate karuna kari---(1)

Hiranayakashipuko nakhan bidayo tilak diyo Prahlad abaye shir,
Parmanand das ko Thakur naam laete sub paap jaat jhur.---------(2)
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Vasant Punjabi.

"Shri Vallabh Shri Vithal Sukh-kari naa-me nishpap thai nur-nari,
------Nitya Lila nitya nautam shruti na pame par."----

[jagdish]

Jai Shri Krishna,

Many Thanks for the wonderful pad/kirtan. It very nicely illustrates the wonderful story of Bhakta Prahlad and Shri Narsingha Bhagwan.

Shri Thakorji liberated Hiranyakasipu through his great child devotee, Prahlad Maharaj.

We have this prasang (the appearance of Narsingha Bhagwan) as pushti leela because Bhagwan came to save his devotee, Shri Prahladji.

Hiranyaksh and Hiranyakasipu were brothers... and Lord Vishnu's door-guards in their previous lives.

Through hard austerities/penances.... Hiranyakasipu (Hiranyakashipu) had acquired many boons from Lord Brahma...? He had made a check-list of how to avoid death and becoming immortal.

- no weapon (wet or dry or made of any material of this world or any other world) can harm him
- he should not be killed during day time or night time
- he should not be killed inside the house or outside
- he should not be killed by a man or beast.

After he went beyond his limitations of performing attrocities on his son, Prahlad.. whom he challenged to prove that God exists in everything... To keep his devotees word and to save him, the Lord appeared from the pillar with thundering roar and did battle with Hiranyakasipu... He took the demon to the middle of entrance of the room (not inside nor outside) and tore open his stomach with his nails (no weapon, not of any material of this world or any other, etc) and the time was twilight (neither day nor night).

The following prasang is kindly shared by a vaishnav on the orkut community:

Narshinha Chaudas/ Narshinha Jayanti on 18th May
Manifestation as of Shri Krishna's mouth (mukharvind), story of Pralhad & his father Hiranyakashyapu.

This festival is celebrated as a triumph of daivi (divine) shrushti over asuri (devilish) shrushti. Father Hiranyakashyapu asked his son Pralhad, to embrace the hot red pillar to prove that the God whom he always prays & doesn't obey his (fathers) commands (not to believe in God), will save him.

God burst out of the pillar in a form having lower half human body & upper half lion body & killed Hiranyakashyapu.

The main education (bodh) as regards Pushtimarg from this story is that this is a clear illustration (praman) of sport of Bramha. God is 'Aksharbramhatmak' and is omni present, even in inanimate world. This is proved by Narsinha avtaar. The principle of Bramhavad is proved i.e. God exists everywhere may it be stone, metal, cloth, Shringar, picture etc. He is there in the form of "Aksharbramha".

Shri Mahaprabhuji wants to preach us that if we have the same love for God as Pralhad had, then God will abide to the wishes of the devotee & will manifest Himself in the house of the devotee to respond to his sentiment of devotion. This is the real secret behind "Bhavpratishtha" (making Thakorji 'Pushta') of our deity. "Enam udhdharishyami" eti tatha mrudadehe pradurbhutaha pratimarganusaren". According to this quotation, God's manifestation depends on the wish/anxiety of the devotee; otherwise Harinyakashyapu could have been killed without manifestation. But to justify Pralhadji's faith in Him, He came out of the pillar as Narshinha Avataar. In short from Aksharbramhavakta to Purushottamta His Mahatmya (importance) of this festival.

In the sewa...Panchamrut (liquid made by mixing milk, curd, sugar, honey & ghee) snaan to Shri Shaligram who is also worshipped with Shri Thakorji. After Panchamrut snaan, snaan with water & sandalwood. Then, Shri Shaligram is throne near Shri Thakorji.

Jai shree krishna

Source:
http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=18284479&tid=2599670099353798686&na=4
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Best Wishes
Jagdish

[Vasant Punjabi]

Jai Shri Krishna,

Thank you Jagdishbhai for the link and the story.

Here is little more info I gathered about Lord Nrsimha.

There was once a great demon who was overwhelmed with rage: his brother Hiranyaksa had just been killed by the incarnation of Vishnu known as Lord Varaha. Thus he became very determined to become the emperor of the entire universe. In order to increase his power, he performed very powerful austerities. This penance was so severe that it disturbed the demigods. In fact, the demigods requested Lord Brahma to stop him. The chief of the demigods, Lord Brahma, therefore descended to pacify him by granting him a wish.

"Please grant that I not be killed by any crated living being," commanded Hiranyakasipu, "that I not die inside or outside any residence, during the daytime or night, nor on the ground or in the sky; that I not be killed by any being created by you, nor by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal indeed that I not meet death from any entity, either living or non-living; that I have no competitor; that I have sole lordship over all living entities and presiding deities, and that I acquire all mystic powers."

After Brahma had granted him all these requests, Hiranyakasipu very swiftly conquered all the planets in the universe, took up residence in the lavish palace of King Indra, and forced the demigods to bow down to his feet. He even stole the sacrificial oblations meant for the demigods. Intoxicated physically by wine and mentally by power, Hiranyakasipu ruled the universe very severely.

During this time his queen, Kayadhu, returned to the palace of her husband and bore him a son, Prahlada. He was a reservoir of all transcendental qualities because he was an pure devotee of Lord Visnu. Determined to understand the Absolute Truth, he had full control over his senses and mind He was kind to all living creatures and the best friend of everyone. Toward respectable persons he behaved just like a menial servant, to the poor he was like a father, and to his equals he was always like a sympathetic brother. Always very humble, he considered his teachers and spiritual masters to be as good as the Lord Himself. Indeed, he was completely free of and pride that might have arisen from his good education, riches, beauty, and aristocratic birth.

Hiranyakasipu wanted to raise his son to be a powerful demon, but Prahlada only wanted to learn about devotional service to Lord Visnu. After Prahlada attended school for some time, Hiranyakasipu took him on his lap and affectionately inquired, "My dear son, please tell me about your favorite subject in school."

Fearlessly, Prahlada said, "Hearing (sravanam) and chanting (kirtanam) about the holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia, and pastimes of the Supreme Lord; remembering (smaranam) them; serving the lotus feet of the Lord (pada-sevanam) ; offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia (arcanam); offering prayers to the Lord (vandanam); becoming His servant (dasyam); considering the Lord one's best friend (sakhyam); and surrendering to Him (atma-nivedanam, in other words, serving Him with body, mind and words); these nine processes are known as pure devotional service, and I consider anyone who has dedicated his life to service of Lord Visnu through these nine methods to be the most learned person to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge."

Blinded by anger, Hiranyakasipu threw Prahlada from his lap onto the ground. "Servants! Take him away and kill him at once!" he screamed. However, Prahlada just sat silently and meditated on the Personality of Godhead, and the demons' weapons had no effect on him. Seeing this Hiranyakasipu became fearful and contrived various ways to kill his son. His servants threw Prahlada beneath an elephant's feet; they cast him into the midst of huge, fearful snakes; they cursed him with destructive spells; they hurled him from a hilltop; they gave him poison; they starved him; they exposed him to severe cold, winds, fire and water; they threw heavy stones to crush him. Hiranyakasipu even sent his sister Holika to burn him but instead she herself was burned. But throughout these trials Prahlada was simply absorbed in thoughts of Lord Visnu, and thus he remained unharmed. Hiranyakasipu became very anxious about what to do next.

"You say there is a being superior to me," said Hiranyakasipu, "but where is He? If He is present everywhere, then why is He not present in this pillaryou see before you? Do you think He is in this pillar?"

"Yes," Prahlada answered, "He is there."

Hiranyakasipu's rage flared more and more. "Because you are speaking so much nonsense, I shall now sever your head from your body. Now let me see your most worshipable God come to protect you. I want to see it." Cursing him again and again, Hiranyakasipu took up his sword, got up from his royal throne, and with great anger struck his fist against the column.

Then from within the very pillar that he had singled out came a wonderful half-man, half-lion form never before seen. The Lord's form was extremely fearsome because of His angry eyes, which resembled molten gold; His shining mane, which expanded the dimensions of His fearful face; His deadly teeth; and His razor-sharp tongue. Lord Nrsimha then proceeded to battle with the wasp-like Hiranyakasipu.

Finally at twilight, Lord Nrsimha captured Hiranyakasipu and placed him in His lap on the doorway of the assembly hall. As He began ripping the demon to pieces with His many, many hands, Lord Nrsimha's mouth and mane became sprinkled with drops of blood, and His fierce eyes, full of anger, were impossible to look at. Licking the edge of His mouth with His tongue, the Supreme Lord decorated Himself with a garland of intestines taken from Hiranyakasipu's abdomen. Lord Nrsimha uprooted Hiranyakasipu's heart and finally threw him aside and destroyed an army of Hiranyakasipu's faithful followers.

By His transcendental cleverness, Lord Nrsimhadeva was able to kill Hiranyakasipu without contradicting any of Lord Brahma's benedictions. The execution took place neither inside nor outside, but in the doorway; neither on land nor in sky, but on the Lord's lap; neither during the day nor during the night, but at twilight; neither by man, beast, or demigod nor by any created being, but by the Personality of Godhead; and not by any weapon, but by the Lord's own lotus hand, relieving the whole universe of Hiranyakasipu's demonic activities.

God protected Brahma's words; at the same time He found a way out — He took the form of Narasimha, half-lion, half-man. He sat on a raised platform, put Hiranyakashipu on his lap and killed him by tearing his stomach with his nails. This is described evocatively in the Srimad Bhagavatham .

When Hiranyakashipu threatened to kill Prahlad for insisting that Lord Vishnu was Supreme, Vishnu came to Prahlad's rescue in the form of Narasimha. This way, both Brahma and Sage Narada's words were honoured, that Prahlad would not be killed. Kayatu, the wife of Hiranyakashipu, was with child when the king proceeded to perform penance.

Indra tried to kill the child in her womb, when Narada stopped him and informed him that a great Vishnu bhakt was to be born to her.

In this manner, Vishnu did what he had to do without overruling the boons given by Brahma and Narada. In order to honour the word of His disciples and followers and to protect them, He innovates and finds a way out. Vishnu devotees believe that in this way, Narasimha comes to the rescue of all those who believe in Him and pray to him, just as He came to the rescue of child Prahlad.
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Vasant Punjabi.

"Shri Vallabh Shri Vithal Sukh-kari naa-me nishpap thai nur-nari,
------Nitya Lila nitya nautam shruti na pame par."----

[Sital]

Jai Shree Krishna

Thanks Jagdishji and Vasant for the lovely stories. The pusthi teachings were excellent

JSK
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Madhurkomalkant padavali namami
Sital

[Vasant Punjabi]

Jai Shri Krishna

Reminder tomorrow May 16th 2011 Monday is Narsingha Jayanti

Badhai to all vallabhi vaishnavs. This day is also observed as Ekadashi.
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Vasant Punjabi.

"Shri Vallabh Shri Vithal Sukh-kari naa-me nishpap thai nur-nari,
------Nitya Lila nitya nautam shruti na pame par."----

[Kesha]

Jai Shri Vallabh... Hardik badhais to all vaishnavas for today's Narsingh Jayanti...

[jagdish]

Jai Shri Krishna

Hardik Mangal Badhais for tomorrow's Shri Narsingh/Nrusimh Jayanti
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Best Wishes
Jagdish

[Vasant Punjabi]

Jai Shri Krishna

Badhai ho Badhai ho to all vallabhi vaishnavs as tomorrow May 5th is Narsingha Jayanti

Raag Kanharo

Aapno jan Prahlad Ubayo
Pragate khumb farike nur-hari Hariniyakashipu le nakhan vidayo!!

Laxmi Hariju ke nikat na aavat Yeh swaroop prabhu kub hu na dariyo,
Parmanand-das ko thakur bhakt vachan prati-payo!!
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Vasant Punjabi.

"Shri Vallabh Shri Vithal Sukh-kari naa-me nishpap thai nur-nari,
------Nitya Lila nitya nautam shruti na pame par."----