Does Lord Narasimha Scare Away Srimati Radharani?
BY: PAYONIDHI DAS
Oct 14, MARYLAND, USA (SUN) — One Gaudiya Math sannyasi has stated that too much worship of Lord Narasimha is not favorable to Vraja Bhakti, and the worship of Ugra Narasimha scares away Sri Radha. In his Manah Siksa, Srila Raghunath das Goswami writes:
TEXT 4
asad-varta-vesya visrja mati-sarvasva-haranih
katha mukti-vyaghrya na srnu kila sarvatma-gilanih
api tyaktva laksmi-pati-ratim ito vyoma-nayanim
vraje radha-krsnau sva-rati-mani-dau tvam bhaja manah
"O mind, give up friendship with nondevotees, which is nothing but a prostitute who will steal the treasure of your heart, your desire to serve Radha-Krsna. Don’t listen to talks of impersonal liberation, which are a tigress who devours everyone. You should even give up attraction for Lord Narayana, which leads to the world of Vaikuntha. Instead, O mind, just worship Sri Sri Radha-Krsna in Vraja, for They bestow upon their worshipers the jewel of pure love for Themselves."
But we are not on the level where we can say 'I do not need Lord Narayana, Lord Ramachandra, Lord Narasimha', etc. Srila Sanatana Goswami has instructed us to do Nirjala fasting in Hari Bhakti Vilasa on Their Appearance days. Due to being very fallen, Srila Prabhupada allowed those who are unable to do such fasting to fast until Sunset for Lord Ramachandra, and to dusk for Lord Narasimha and take anukalpa (ekadasi style of prasadam).
In his Gita Mala, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur has given the prayers of Yamunacarya, Stotra ratna, and made them into prayers to Krsna, because we are on the path of Vaidhi Bhakti.
Yamuna Bhavavali – Song 1
(1)
hari he!
ohe prabhu doyamoy, tomar carana-dwaya,
sruti-siropari sobha pay
guru-jana-sire punah, sobha pay sata guna
dekhi amar parana juray
"Oh my Lord, oh most compassionate Personality! Your two divine lotus feet are beautifully decorating the summit of all the scriptures. And when those lotus feet in turn decorate the heads of all the spiritual masters coming in the disciplic succession, then their beauty and splendor increases hundred fold. Seeing this truth, my heart has become fully satisfied."
These 27 songs help situate us in proper Vaidhi Bhakti. Srila Prabhupada states one can not approach Radha-Krsna until one is in ragamarg. this is explained nicely in Bhaktirasamrita Sindhu and Raga Vartma Chandrika and such books.
In the Radha Sahasranama translated by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura from Sanskrit into Bengali, and later into English by Kusakrata Prabhu (this book is part of Narada Pancaratra by Sri Narada Muni), one of the names of Sri Radha given is Narasimhi -- Lord Narasimha's beloved goddess of fortune. She is the wife of Lord Narasimha. It is also mentioned in the Caitanya-caritamrta:
Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 13.105
"Dressing themselves as the wives of brahmanas, all the celestial ladies, including the wives of Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Lord Nrsimhadeva, King Indra and Vasistha Rsi, along with Rambha, a dancing girl of heaven, came there with varieties of gifts. (to offer gifts to "newborn" Lord Caitanya)
Sometimes Sarasvati is also considered the wife of Lord Narasimha.
vag-isha yasya vadane
laksmir yasya cha vakshasi
yasyate hridaye samvit
tam nrisimham aham bhaje
"Lord Nrisimhadeva is always assisted by Sarasvati, the goddess of learning and He is always embracing to His chest the goddess of fortune. The Lord is always complete in knowledge within Himself. Let us offer obeisances unto Nrisimhadeva."
The great Acarya Srila Sridhara Swami was favored so much by Sarasvati and Lord Narasimha then when Mayavadis went to pray to Lord Siva in Kasi, because Sridhara Swami was destroying the Mayavadi philosophy left and right, Lord Siva said to the Mayavadi sannyasis:
Aham Vetti suko vetti vyaso vetti na vetti va
sridharah sakalam vetti sri nrsimha prasadatah
"I (Siva) may or may not know, Vyasadeva may or may not know, Sukadeva may or may not know, but Sridhara Swami knows all by the grace of Lord Nrsimha."
Lord Caitanya also glorified Srila Sridhara Swami:
CC Antya 7.132: "You have dared criticize Sridhara Svami, and you have begun your own commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam, not accepting his authority. That is your false pride.
CC Antya 7.133: " Sridhara Svami is the spiritual master of the entire world because by his mercy we can understand Srimad-Bhagavatam. I therefore accept him as a spiritual master.
CC Antya 7.134: "Whatever you might write due to false pride, trying to surpass Sridhara Svami, would carry a contrary purport. Therefore no one would pay attention to it.
CC Antya 7.135: "One who comments on Srimad-Bhagavatam following in the footsteps of Sridhara Svami will be honored and accepted by everyone.
CC Antya 7.136: "Put forth your explanation of Srimad-Bhagavatam following in the footsteps of Sridhara Svami. Giving up your false pride, worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.
CC Antya 7.137: "Abandoning your offenses, chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, the holy names of the Lord. Then very soon you will achieve shelter at the lotus feet of Krsna."
So if Narasimhi or Laxmidevi is afraid of Lord Narasimha, is Sri Radha also?
Let's first carefully study what Srimad Bhagavatam 7.9.2 states, with Srila Prabhupada's purport:
TEXT 2
saksat srih presita devair
drstva tam mahad adbhutam
adrstasruta-purvatvat
sa nopeyaya sankita
SYNONYMS
saksat--directly; srih--the goddess of fortune; presita--being requested to go forward before the Lord; devaih--by all the demigods (headed by Lord Brahma and Lord Siva); drstva--after seeing; tam--Him (Lord Nrsimhadeva); mahat--very big; adbhutam--wonderful; adrsta--never seen; asruta--never heard of; purvatvat--due to being previously; sa--the goddess of fortune, Laksmi; na--not; upeyaya--went before the Lord; sankita--being very much afraid.
TRANSLATION
"The goddess of fortune, Laksmiji, was requested to go before the Lord by all the demigods present, who because of fear could not do so. But even she had never seen such a wonderful and extraordinary form of the Lord, and thus she could not approach Him.
PURPORT
The Lord has unlimited forms and bodily features (advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam). These are all situated in Vaikuntha, yet Laksmidevi, the goddess of fortune, being inspired by lila-sakti, could not appreciate this unprecedented form of the Lord. In this regard, Srila Madhvacarya recites the following verses from the Brahmanda Purana:
adrstasruta-purvatvad
anyaih sadharanair janaih
nrsimham sankiteva srir
loka-mohayano yayau
prahrade caiva vatsalya-
darsanaya harer api
jnatva manas tatha brahma
prahradam presayat tada
ekatraikasya vatsalyam
visesad darsayed dharih
avarasyapi mohaya
kramenaivapi vatsalah
In other words, for the common men the form of the Lord as Nrsimhadeva is certainly unseen and wonderful, but for a devotee like Prahlada Maharaja such a fearsome form of the Lord is not at all extraordinary. By the grace of the Lord, a devotee can very easily understand how the Lord can appear in any form He likes. Therefore the devotee is never afraid of such a form. Because of special favor bestowed upon Prahlada Maharaja, he remained silent and unafraid, even though all the demigods, including even Laksmidevi, were afraid of Lord Nrsimhadeva. Narayana-parah sarve na kutascana bibhyati (Bhag. 6.17.28). Not only is a pure devotee of Narayana like Prahlada Maharaja unafraid of any dangerous condition of material life, but also if the Lord appears to mitigate the fear of a devotee, the devotee maintains his status of fearlessness in all circumstances."
So due to Lila sakti, Laksmidevi did not go forward, as Lord Narasimha wanted to be pacified by Prahlada stuti, the prayers of Sri Prahlada. Thus the Sri Vaisnavas have given so much respect to these prayers, as do we in the Gaudiya Madhava Sampradaya. Lord Caitanya used to recite this Prahlada stuti and the teachings of Prahlada hundreds of times.
So is Sri Radha afraid of Narasimha also? Yes, in the sense she in Her expanded form of Narasimhi honors Lord Narasimhadeva's lila. But this is the interesting part -- Srimati Radharani is lila sakti personified and She arranges Krsna's pastimes in His various incarnations in Her expanded forms, so She is not afraid of Ugra Narasimha, like Laxmi.
devi krishna-mayi prokta
radhika para-devata
sarva-lakshmi-mayi sarva
kantih sammohini para
"The transcendental goddess Srimati Radharani is the direct counterpart of Lord Sri Krishna. She is the central figure for all the goddesses of fortune. She possesses all the attractiveness to attract the all-attractive Personality of Godhead. She is the primeval internal potency of the Lord."
Worship of Lord Narasimha is not an obstacle to Vraja Bhakti. When it is done to gain eternal service to Mahaprabhu and Radha Krsna, it is favorable. Nrsimhananda brahmacari, also known as Padyumna Brahmacari, spent time in Nrsimhapalli in Godruma Dvipa worshipping Mahaprabhu and Radha Krsna, under the full protection of Lord Narasimha, as is mentioned in Jaiva Dharma.
Sri Radha never leaves Vrindavan. Only separation from Krsna scares Her, but She sees Krsna everywhere, and is never separated from Sri Krsna. Everything in this world is Her expanded energies, as She is the Supreme Sakti and Krsna is the possessor of that supreme Sakti, Sri Radha.
These are some of Her divine names:
Text 86
kali-kalmasa-bhanga ca
kali-kalmasa-nasini
kali-kalmasa-rupa ca
nityananda-kari krpa
"She breaks and destroys the sins of Kali-yuga (kali-kalmasa-bhanga and kali-kalmasa-nasini). She is expert at enjoying pastimes of quarreling with Lord Krsna (kali-kalmasa-rupa). She brings Lord Krsna eternal bliss (nityananda-kari). She is kindness personified (krpa)."
If we chant the names of Sri Radha like this Radha Sahasranama in the month of Karika, we will invoke Her mercy as She is Kartiki, this month personified. There is a warning as to who these 1000 names are not for, spoken by Lord Siva:
Text 15
mama prana-samam hy etat
tava pritya prakasitam
nabhaktaya pradatavyam
pasandaya kadacana
nastikayaviragaya
raga-yuktaya sundari
"This prayer is dear to me as life. That is why I have revealed it to you, my beloved. O beautiful one, this prayer should never be given to one who is not a devotee, to a blasphemer, to an atheist, to one who is not austere, or to one filled with material desires."
Otherwise if one is qualified, these sweet names of Sri Radha, these holy names of Sri Radha help us see Her in everything -- even in Narasimha's lilas.
Jaya Sri Radhe
Text 156
karttika-vrata-kartri ca
vasana-harini tatha
jala-saya jala-tala
sila-tala-nivasini
"She performs the vow of Karttika-vrata (karttika-vrata-kartri). She takes away material desires (vasana-harini). She resides on the milk-ocean (jala-saya and jala-tala) and on a hill (sila-tala-nivasini).
Text 157
ksudra-kitanga-samsarga
sanga-dosa-vinasini
koti-kandarpa-lavanya
kandarpa-koti-sundari
She will show Her mercy to the most insignificant creature (ksudra-kitanga-samsarga). She cures the disease born of contact with the material energy (sanga-dosa-vinasini). She is more beautiful than many millions of Kamadevas (koti-kandarpa-lavanya and kandarpa-koti-sundari
namas te ’stu damne sphurad-dipti-dhamne
tvadiyodarayatha visvasya dhamne
namo radhikayai tvadiya-priyayai
namo ‘nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam
I bow down to the bright rope that binds your belly, within which the cosmos is completely contained. To your beloved Radha I bow yet again, and to you the hero who plays wonderfully."
