Narasimha Avatara: The Destroyer of Tyranny
Narasimha, the half-man, half-lion manifestation of Lord Vishnu, appears to establish truth and defeat Hiranyakashipu's tyranny. With his power, he destroys invincible evil, proving that truth always finds a way, even against all deception and oppressive powers.
Hiranyakashipu was the son of Rishi Kashyapa and Diti. Rishi Kashyapa was a great sage regarded as the progenitor of many beings, including gods and asuras. His wife, Diti, was the mother of the asuras. Hiranyakashipu had a brother named Hiranyaksha. Together, they were known as a powerful and ambitious duo of asuras. However, his brother, Hiranyaksha, was slain by Lord Vishnu, who descended as the Varaha (boar) avatar in an earlier tale.
Hiranyaksha was one of the most powerful asuras of his time, and he had a desire to destroy the earth and the gods. Lord Vishnu, in the form of the Varaha avatar, appeared to save the world by killing Hiranyaksha in a fierce battle. Hiranyaksha’s death at the hands of Lord Vishnu deeply fueled Hiranyakashipu’s hatred. He swore to take revenge on Vishnu and all his devotees. He sought to prove his power by conquering the world and defeating the gods, including Vishnu.
Hiranyakashipu doing Tapa (Source: private collection)
To fulfill his ambitions, Hiranyakashipu performed a long and severe penance to please Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe in the Hindu Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva). Hiranyakashipu performed his penance with great discipline until Brahma finally appeared to grant him a boon. Brahma, impressed by Hiranyakashipu’s austerity, offered him a boon.
Hiranyakashipu asked for a boon that he could not be killed by any human, god, asura, or any animal; that he could not die during the day or night; that he could not be slain on land, in water, or in the air; and that he could not be killed inside or outside a house. Brahma, though realizing that this boon made Hiranyakashipu almost invincible, still granted it, as he was bound by the law of karma.
Hiranyakashipu became powerfull (source:private collection)
With this boon, Hiranyakashipu became extremely powerful and began to rule the world with an iron fist. He forced everyone to worship him and banned the worship of all gods, especially Lord Vishnu, whom he hated. He killed, persecuted, and oppressed anyone who opposed him.
However, his own son, Prahlada, was a devoted follower of Lord Vishnu from a young age. This infuriated Hiranyakashipu, as he considered Vishnu his personal enemy. Many times Hiranyakashipu tried to kill Prahlada, but his efforts always failed because Lord Vishnu protected Prahlada.
Hiranyakashipu then challenged Prahlada, asking where Lord Vishnu was. Prahlada calmly replied that Vishnu was everywhere. Enraged by this answer, Hiranyakashipu struck a pillar. When Hiranyakashipu hit the pillar, a loud roar was heard, and suddenly from within the pillar emerged a being unlike anything anyone had ever seen—Narasimha. He was a creature that was half-man and half-lion. From the waist up, he had the head and body of a lion, complete with a fiery mane, sharp fangs, and terrifying claws. From the waist down, he had the muscular body of a man.
Narasimha (source: Private Collection)
Narasimha was a combination of both human and animal strength, two entities that did not fall under the category of human or ordinary animal, which allowed him to overcome the protections granted to Hiranyakashipu by Brahma. Hiranyakashipu, who had always felt invincible, suddenly felt fear upon seeing this terrifying form, but out of arrogance, he still tried to fight.
Narasimha kill hiranyakashipu which ignores all conditions (source: private collection)
When the battle reached its climax at dusk—neither day nor night—and Hiranyakashipu had grown weak from his futile efforts, Narasimha decided to end the fight in a symbolic and unique way. He captured Hiranyakashipu and dragged him to the threshold of the palace (neither inside nor outside), then sat down and placed Hiranyakashipu on his lap (neither on the ground, in water, nor in the air).
Hiranyakashipu, who had once believed himself invincible, was finally slain by Narasimha in a manner that satisfied all the conditions of his boon. He did not die during the day or night, was not killed inside or outside the house, was not slain by human or animal, and was not killed with any weapon.
