Om namo bhagavate śrī mahā-nṛsiṁhāya
daṁṣṭrā-karāla-vadanāya
ghora-rūpāya vajra-nakhāya
jvālā-māline mama vighnān paca paca
mama bhayān bhindi bhindi
mama śatrūn vidrāvaya vidrāvaya mama
sarva riṣṭān prabhañjaya prabhañjaya
chaṭa chaṭa, hana hana, chindi chindi
mama sarvā bhīṣṭān pūraya pūraya mām
rakṣa rakṣa huṁ phaṭ svāhā

“O Nṛsiṁhadeva, whose form is terrible by sharp and long teeth; who is very fearful to see with strong, large nails; and who is garlanded by flames—destroy, destroy my obstacles and kick out, kick out my fear. Scatter, scatter my enemies, destroy, destroy my karma. Flash, flash! Kill, kill! Cut, cut! Ever fulfill, fulfill my desire [to serve You] and protect, protect me and all around me.”

Startling, isn’t it—this mahā-mantra of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva? For those who have had darśana of this Deity form here in Mayapur—especially at maṅgala-ārati, when in the darkness of pre-dawn, His doors open to reveal His awesome form, illuminated by 200 oil lamps, that make His eyes and teeth glint in His lion-like face with a gaping mouth—they know that this description is no exaggeration. While inside the altar area, the pūjārī circles large lamps of bright flaming camphor and ghee. Outside, many devotees throng for a glimpse at their Lord, for they know that this auspicious ārati will be over in just three or four minutes.

It is just before 5:00 a.m. The ārati is over and the heavy wooden doors to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva’s altar are closed.

I enter the Deity room, after offering prostrated obeisances and praying for the blessings of Śrīla Prabhupāda and the assembled devotees. While standing before the Lord with folded hands, I recite the following prayer: “O Keśava, O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who has assumed the form of half-man, half-lion. All glories to you! Just as one can easily crush a wasp between one’s fingernails, so in the same way the body of the wasp-like demon Hiraṇyakaśipu has been ripped apart by the wonderful pointed nails on Your beautiful lotus hands.” (Sri Sri Dasavatara Stotra 4)

After cleaning the floor and sitting on a kuśa grass mat, the pūjā begins . . . The first thing I do is to purify the articles to be used, as well as the body and the mind. Then I meditate on my spiritual identity as different from the body, understanding to be the eternal servant of the servant of the Lord. Next comes my worship for my spiritual master, Śrīla Prabhupāda, with sandalwood paste, flowers, incense, a ghee lamp, and some food. I then ask for his permission to assist in the worship of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. Repeating the same procedure for Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja, I begin to offer 16 items of worship through mantras—through the medium of water—to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva.

Sometimes, I wonder if all these rules and regulations are really necessary, and I have to answer no, not if you have spontaneous attraction for the Lord. But until then, I follow the vidhi given by our paramparā [disciplic succession].

I touch my head to the lotus feet of the deity of Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja, praying for his blessings. “It was only to relieve the distress brought to you by your demoniac father Hiraṇyakaśipu, that the Supreme Lord appeared in His wonderful form of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. O Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja, you are one of the twelve mahājanas, or great authorities of devotional service. Kindly bless me with the understanding of spiritual truths.”

On the altar of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva are 60 śālagrāma-śilās. I remove Them to offer abhiṣeka. The big śilā in the center is a Nṛsiṁha-śālagrāma, who wears a crown. On His back side are some interesting marks which picture Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva in a victory pose. He is standing, hands on His hips, with one foot resting on the body of Hiraṇyakaśipu.

Although it is a scriptural injunction that one should touch one’s head to the feet of the Deity, it’s not always possible or practical. Therefore, we bring out the satārī, the Deity’s shoes, mounted on what looks like a helmet, and place it over the heads of the devotees. One of the benedictions of being a pūjārī is that he can place his head directly on the Lord’s lotus feet. Receiving this benediction and begging forgiveness for any inconvenience I may cause Him, I undress the Lord and wipe His body with a soft, damp towel. His body begins to shine when I massage it with cooling oils like sandalwood or khus. His form is exquisite, slender and perfectly formed. He looks powerful but also graceful. The Lord’s knees are bent, ready to spring, and around His hips is an engraved girdle, bearing a face I don’t recognise, with large cheeks, open mouth and a protruding tongue. His navel is deep and His chest is broad. Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva’s transcendental body is smooth, soft to touch, and very much appealing to the eye. He is bedecked with bracelets and other ornaments. The Lord has eight arms and to keep the promise of Brahma, His two front hands yield no weapons. In His six other hands He bears sword, lotus flower, disc, conch, club, and shield.

The Lord cannot bear any intolerance against His devotees. It is said that the face is the index of the mind. If this proves to be true, then we can see how furious Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva must have been when He burst out from the pillar to attack the greatest of all demons, Hiraṇyakaśipu, who tried to kill the Lord’s pure devotee, Prahlāda. “His angry eyes resembled molten gold, and His shining mane expanded the dimensions of His fearful face. His deadly teeth and His razor sharp tongue moved about like a dueling sword. His ears were erect and motionless, and His nostrils and gaping mouth appeared like caves of a mountain. His jaws parted fearfully and His entire body touched the sky.”

When it was decided to bring a Deity of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva to Mayapur for the protection of the devotees and the temple, three of the main pūjārīs were called by the managers to discuss the importance of establishing this Deity. However, when it came to the point of who would perform daily pūjā, no one was willing to step forward. “After such a long waiting period, the Deity is finally ready, and now nobody wants to worship Him!” Their concern was obvious. And then I was singled out . . . “Why don’t you want to worship Him?” I was asked. “I’m much too scared”, I replied. They intimated me: “Oh, you probably don’t follow the four regulative principles . . .” “Of course, but . . .”

Fortunately, our fears were allayed by Ātmatattva Prabhu, who had procured the Deity in South India. He told us that first, even the sthapati refused to make such a Deity, saying that nobody worships this sthāṇu form of Nṛsiṁhadeva [the ferocious form of the Lord when He stepped out of the pillar to kill Hiraṇyakaśipu]. Generally one goes before the Deity of the Lord to ask for some benediction, but to ask for something when He is shaking with fury—just wouldn’t be a smart thing to do. It is certainly better to go for a more pacified form, e.g. after He has killed Hiraṇyakaśipu. But later, when the sthapati found out that it was for Mayapur Dhāma, he agreed, because any deity brought to the dhāma takes on the mood of the presiding deity of the dhāma. In this case it is audārya, “benevolence”, the mood of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Jaya Śrī Gaura-Hari!

“Although very ferocious, the lioness is very kind to her cubs. Similarly, although very ferocious to non-devotees like Hiraṇyakaśipu, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva is very, very gentle and kind to His devotees like Prahlāda Mahārāja.”

While dressing the Lord and remembering His mercy, I am thinking how some people misunderstand our purpose of worshipping Lord Nṛsiṁha. Sometimes devotees say that worship of Nṛsiṁhadeva is Vaikuṇṭha-bhāva, and it cannot take one to Goloka Vṛndāvana, the Lord’s supreme and most intimate abode. But Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva is particularly inclined towards the devotees of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, appearing especially in this form to reciprocate with our desire to remove all the obstacles in our devotional service. If one can always raise his hands and call out with great love the names of Nitāi-Gaura and Rādhā-Mādhava, that is wonderful. But if there is something in your heart that is stopping you from that spontaneous call, why not go in all humility before Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva and pray that with His sharp nails, He may pierce those crooked desires in your heart and throw them far away . . . This is His main function.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes: “Therefore, I will pray at the feet of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva to purify my heart and give me the desire to serve Kṛṣṇa. Weeping, I will beg at the lotus feet of Nṛsiṁha that I may worship Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Navadvipa Dhāma, free from all obstacles.” His prayers continue: “At that moment, by Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva’s mercy, I will exhibit symptoms of ecstatic love for Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and I will roll on the ground by the door of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva’s temple.”

Didn’t Lord Caitanya reveal His divinity to Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura while Śrīvāsa was worshipping his Nṛsiṁha Deity, by saying: “Śrīvāsa, don’t you know that I am the same person whom you are worshipping behind those closed doors?” And what about Advaita Ācārya, whose offerings of tulasī buds and Gaṅgā water, along with His loud calling, caused the Lord to descend? He worshipped a big Nṛsiṁha-śālagrāma!

I now begin putting ornaments on the Lord’s body. I adjust Śrī Nṛsiṁhadeva’s necklaces, so they hang symmetrically; tie shining bracelets on His wrist, and fix beautiful rings on His lotus fingers. “I am so close to you, oh Lord, and yet so far away. When will I become a devotee?” Prahlāda, your foremost bhakta, is indicating that he is not afraid of Your ferocious mouth and tongue; Your eyes as bright as the sun, and Your frowning eyebrows. He fears not Your sharp, pinching teeth, Your garland of intestines, and Your mane soaked with blood; nor Your tumultuous roaring, which makes elephants flee; nor Your nails meant for killing your enemies.

However, he says, “I’m very much afraid of my condition of life within this material world. When will that moment come when You will call me to the shelter of Your lotus feet?” I know, Śrī Prahlāda was saying that last point only for our benefit for he was always completely surrendered unto You.

One time, I also felt surrendered unto You—at least for a few minutes. That was during the big flood in 1987. While offering You pūjā, standing waist deep in water, a big, frightening snake swam in the temple, passing behind You, and stopped about five feet in front of me, finding its exit blocked. After examining me for some long moments, it dipped down, out of sight, in the muddy Gaṅgā water. Feeling myself in imminent danger, I noticed the hair on my arms standing on end with no weapon to defend myself, nor the ability to run away. I felt very insecure. In such a helpless condition, I turned to You, oh Lord, and I knew that my fate was completely in Your hands. “You are the Supersoul in everyone’s heart. If You want that snake to bite me, it will bite—if You don’t, it won’t. Let me continue my service; the result is always depending on You.” Then, I became peaceful again, feeling the safety of Your shelter. I finished the morning pūjā, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the incident. It reminded me of the description by Lord Kapila of the babies in the womb. In their helpless and painful condition, they get the darśana of Paramātmā, the Lord in the heart. If they are pious, they pray that if He relieves them from their suffering condition, they would—after being relieved from the womb—exclusively worship Him. But as soon as they’re out and in good shape, they forget everything.

Still, I have great hope that one day I’ll be able to serve You nicely for Your pleasure. By the way, as long as the temple room was filled with water from the flood, the snake would come every day, circumambulate the Deity once, and then go out. Who knows who this snake actually was?

Covering His body with fresh garlands of flowers and tulasī, offering fresh sandalwood paste, mixed with fragrant flowers and tulasī to His lotus feet (which symbolizes sacrificing everything to the Lord), the morning pūjā is now complete. Hearing the devotees gathering outside makes me hurry—it’s time for darśana. I blow the conch three times and open the doors to reveal the resplendent Lord. Jaya Śrī Prahlāda-Nṛsiṁhadeva! The devotees bow down, happy to see their Ugra-Nṛsiṁha again. In their heart they know that He’s not really as ugra as He looks.

Paṅkajaṅghri Dāsa (on the right) is the twin brother of Jananivāsa and joined ISKCON in 1973. He came to Mayapur in 1974. Since the appearance of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva in Mayapur in 1986, he serves Him as His head-pūjārī.