Narasimha Jayanti – The Day When Lord Vishnu Reincarnated Again

Narasimha Jayanti is the day when Lord Vishnu reincarnated himself as Lord Narasimha, the half-lion half-man representation, who appeared to protect his devotee Prahlad from his merciless father Hiranyakashyap. This pious and festive day is celebrated on the 14^th day of Shukla Paksha of the Vaishakha month of the Hindu calendar, and it falls on 9^th May this year.

The legend behind Narasimha Jayanti

King Hiranyakashyap had received a special boon from Lord Brahma that he could not be killed by any human being or animal, by any kind of weapon, neither during day nor night, and neither indoors nor outdoors. After receiving this boon, he became very cruel and considered himself as Supreme, and forced every person in his kingdom to worship him. However, in spite of everything, his son Prahlad worshipped only Lord Vishnu. Angered, Hiranyakashyap decided to get his son killed. Even after his many attempts to do so, Prahlad was saved by his unwavering faith in Lord Vishnu every single time. Finally, on the 14^th day of Shukla Paksha, Lord Vishnu came in the form of Narasimha to kill Hiranyakashyap. He appeared as half-man half-lion and killed him with his lion-like nails at dusk, sitting on the edge of the palace’s door, thus satisfying all the conditions of the boon.

Rituals performed on Narasimha Jayanti

Since Lord Narasimha appeared at dusk, devotees pray to him every year on Narasimha Jayanti in the evening. They take Sankalp during the afternoon and perform Lord Narasimha Pujan during Sandhyakaal before sunset. They also observe the Narasimha Jayanti Vratam, which is a fast similar to the rules and guidelines of Ekadashi fast. The devotees consume food only once a day and abstain from any kinds of cereals and grains for the entire day. This fast is broken the next day after sunrise by offering ‘Daan’ to Brahmins.

Nine forms of Lord Narasimha

Lord Narasimha is depicted in nine ferocious forms in Hindu scriptures and Puranas. All these nine forms are explained below.

Sri Jwala Narasimha – This is the form in which Lord Narasimha killed Hiranyakashyap. Worshipping this form can help attain success in all endevours.

Sri Ugra Narasimha – Worshipping this form of Lord Narasimha can help in developing business and winning over professional competition.

Sri Bhargava Narasimha – Worshipping this form of the Lord can help to gain leadership qualities, and attain political and administrative powers.

Sri Yoga Narasimha – As the name suggests, in this form Lord Narasimha taught Prahlad the Yog to attain eternal bliss. So, worshipping him in this form can help to attain peace, harmony, and eternal bliss.

Sri Malola Narasimha – This form of the Lord is worshipped to gain blessings for the family and to eliminate relationship problems. Also, debts can be removed by seeking blessings from Sri Malola Narasimha.

Sri Krodha Narasimha – This form of the Lord can remove obstacles from life and ensure growth in career, especially pertaining to land and real estate.

Sri Pavana Narasimha – Worshipping this form of Lord Narasimha liberates one from sins committed in the past and present life, filling oneself with love and compassion.

Sri Chatravata Narasimha – One can gain proficiency and excel in arts, and can gain all kinds of comforts in life by worshipping this form.

Sri Karanja Narasimha – All sorts of desires can be fulfilled while achieving enlightenment, and protection from enemies can also be achieved by worshipping this form of Lord Narasimha.

Since Lord Narasimha is the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, worshipping Lord Vishnu on this day is also equally substantial. If you are a strong devotee of Lord Vishnu, you can also perform the Satyanarayan Katha on this day with the help of professionals like MakeMyPuja to offer gratitude and seek blessings of the Lord.

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