Overcoming Material Desires by Praying to Nṛsiṁhadeva
The fierce and terrifying form of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva appears to annihilate the demonic forces and grant absolute protection to His surrendered devotees. By carefully studying the explanations provided by Śrīla Prabhupāda, one learns that approaching this half-man, half-lion incarnation is not meant for securing temporary bodily safety or worldly wealth. Rather, sincere souls pray to Him to tear apart the deep-seated material desires within the heart and grant them the eternal shelter of unalloyed devotional service.
The Eradication of Material Desire
Hiraṇyakaśipu perfectly represents the accumulation of gold and the comfortable cushion of worldly enjoyment. To conquer these deeply rooted mundane ambitions, a practitioner must seek the formidable grace of the Supreme Lord. As beautifully illuminated by Śrīla Prabhupāda, a pure devotee specifically prays to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva to cleanse the mind of all envy and completely uproot every trace of material desire from the core of the heart.
- We should always offer our prayers to Lord Nrsimhadeva, who killed Hiranyakasipu, the personification of material desire. Hiranya means "gold," and kasipu means "a soft cushion or bed."
- The devotee, on the positive side, wants to possess something, and this is very nicely described by Prahlada, who says, "If I must take some benediction from You (Nrsimhadeva), I pray that within the core of my heart there may be no material desires."
- Any devotee aspiring to be free of material desires should offer his respectful prayers to Nrsimhadeva as Prahlada Maharaja did in this verse - SB 5.18.8.
- Anyone who takes up Krsna consciousness and engages himself completely in the service of the Lord cleanses his mind of all envy (manas ca bhadram bhajatad adhoksaje). Therefore we should pray to Lord Nrsimha-deva to sit in our hearts.
The True Fear of Material Existence
When the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifested His ghastly, ferocious feature, even the greatest demigods in the universe were paralyzed with fear. However, a pure soul remains entirely unafraid of the Lord's terrifying appearance, reserving their dread strictly for the entanglements of worldly life. Highlighting this profound realization, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains how Prahlāda Mahārāja prayed that true danger lies in the materialistic way of life, where ordinary protectors like parents are completely powerless to save their dependents from the cycle of birth and death.
- Lord Nrsimhadeva was so very angry that the great demigods like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva and even the goddess of fortune, who is the Lord's constant companion, could not pacify Him, even after offering prayers of glorification and praise.
- Prahlada Maharaja, while praying to Lord Nrsimha, said, O my Lord, I am very much afraid of the materialistic way of life, and I am not the least afraid of Your present ghastly ferocious feature as Nrsimhadeva.
- Prahlada Maharaja prayed to the Lord (Nrsimhadeva), "But for Your Lordship, no one can save me." Prahlada Maharaja has also explained that a child's protectors, his parents, cannot save the child from the onslaught of birth and death.
- Prahlada Maharaja prayed: My Lord Nrsimha-deva, O Supreme, because of a bodily conception of life, embodied souls neglected and not cared for by You cannot do anything for their betterment.
Aspiring to Serve the Lord's Servants
The highest ambition of a surrendered soul is never direct personal association with God, but rather the invaluable opportunity to serve His intimate associates. Rejecting all offers of cosmic opulence and mystic perfection, a genuine practitioner begs only for the dust of the spiritual master's lotus feet. Through the exemplary prayers of Prahlāda Mahārāja, Śrīla Prabhupāda demonstrates that the prescribed and safest method of devotional service is to continuously pray for eternal engagement under the guidance of a pure Vaiṣṇava.
- When Prahlada Maharaja was offered a benediction by Nrsimhadeva, Prahlada rejected all kinds of material benedictions, but he prayed to become the servant of the servants of the Lord.
- Prahlada Maharaja also (like Caitanya Mahaprabhu) prayed to Lord Nrsimhadeva that he might be engaged as the servant of the Lord's servant. This is the prescribed method of devotional service.
- Prahlada Maharaja prayed to the Lord (Nrsimhadeva) that he might continue to engage in the service of his spiritual master, Narada Muni.
- Prahlada Maharaja prays that Lord Nrsimhadeva place him in touch with a pure devotee and servant instead of awarding him material opulence. Every intelligent man within this material world must follow Prahlada Maharaja.
The Supreme Ocean of Transcendental Bliss
By taking shelter of the Supreme Lord, the heart becomes completely flooded with spiritual joy, rendering all mundane and impersonal pleasures entirely insignificant. The continuous chanting of authorized prayers counteracts all sinful reactions and fixes the mind firmly on the path of pure devotion. Expanding upon this realization, Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that a devotee prays to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva simply to become stronger and steadier in their Kṛṣṇa consciousness, knowing that this service contains all other possible perfections.
- Prahlada prayed to Nrsimhadeva, "I now consider the happiness of brahmananda to be no more than the water in the impression left by a cow's hoof in the earth, compared to this ocean of bliss."
- Prahlada prayed to Nrsimhadeva, "My dear Lord of the universe, I am feeling transcendental pleasure in Your presence and have become merged in the ocean of happiness."
- Prahlada prayed to Nrsimhadeva, "I simply pray that my Krsna consciousness may be more strong and steady, because happiness derived out of Krsna consciousness and devotional service is so powerful."
- Prahlada prayed to Nrsimhadeva, "with it (happiness from devotional service) one can have all the other perfections of religiousness, economic development, sense gratification and even the attainment of liberation from material existence."
Divine Protection and Pacification
The terrifying anger of the Lord is directed exclusively at the demons who harass the innocent and disrupt universal religious principles. Conversely, to the surrendered soul, He is the supreme friend and the ultimate guarantor of safety in all dimensions of life. As vividly described by Śrīla Prabhupāda, the Lord is swiftly pacified by the sincere prayers of a pure devotee, promising to forever protect anyone who earnestly seeks His divine shelter and chants His glories.
- The great saint Narada said: Thus Lord Nrsimhadeva was pacified by the devotee Prahlada Maharaja with prayers offered from the transcendental platform. The Lord gave up His anger.
- In the Nrsimha Purana, Lord Nrsimhadeva says, "Anyone who prays unto Me and takes shelter from Me becomes My ward, and I protect him always from all sorts of calamities."
- One who always remembers your (Prahlada) activities and My (Nrsimhadeva) activities also, and who chants the prayers you have offered, becomes free, in due course of time, from the reactions of material activities.
- Thank you very much for taking so much care of my health for praying to Nrsimhadeva. He is very kind. By all your prayers He will surely take care of me.
Conclusion
The transcendental practice of offering prayers to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva is the ultimate remedy for the material disease. As beautifully taught by Śrīla Prabhupāda, these prayers lift the soul out of the terrifying ocean of ignorance and severe all ties to mundane enjoyment. By surrendering to the Supreme Protector and begging for the eternal service of the pure devotees, one easily conquers the illusions of the material world and attains the supreme destination.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Praying to Nrsimhadeva. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.