While singing the Nrsimha prayers today, I was struck by the juxtaposition of two very different moods of the Lord—prahladahlada-dayine: He gave bliss to Prahlada, and hiranyakasipor vaksah-sila-tanka-nakhalaye: He cracked the stonelike chest of Hiranyakasipu with His sharp chisel-like nails.
namas te narasimhaya
prahladahlada-dayine
hiranyakasipor vaksah-
sila-tanka-nakhalaye
“I offer my obeisances to Lord Narasimha who gives joy to Prahlada Maharaja and whose nails are like chisels on the stonelike chest of the demon Hiranyakasipu.”
And I thought of the great Bhagavatam commentator Sridhara Svami’s beautiful verse in which he juxtaposes the Lord’s kind and ferocious dealings:
ugro ’py anugra evayam
sva-bhaktanam nr-kesari
kesariva sva-potanam
anyesam ugra-vikramah
“Although very ferocious, the lioness is very kind to her cubs. Similarly, although ferocious to nondevotees like Hiranyakasipu, Lord Nrsimhadeva is very, very soft and kind to devotees like Prahlada.” (Sridhara Svami, commentary on SB 7.9.1).
All glories to Lord Nrsimhadeva and His devotees, among whom I pray to be counted.
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