Padmanābhāya namah

In the land known as Hari Varṣa, the Lord incarnates as Narasimha (man-lion). I will later narrate to You the reason for him to incarnate in this form. Prahlāda is the repository of unflinching supreme devotion and noble qualities. His character and discipline have rendered the demon-clan pure. In the Hari varṣa, together with attendants, Prahlāda with absolute concentration and devotion chants the Narasimha mantra. He prays,

“I offer reverential obeisance to Lord Narasimha, the Self-effulgent Lord who is the cause for the illumination of Sun and other stars. O Lord, Your teeth and nails are as sharp as thunderbolts. Please make yourself visible to me. Please destroy the habitual tendencies and subtle inclinations towards fruitive activities in me. I surrender whole-heartedly to You. This mantra itself is auspicious to me. Please remain in my mind in Your form which blesses me with fearlessness.

Svasty astu viśvasya khalaḥ prasīdatāṁ dhyāyantu bhūtāni śivaṁ mitho dhiyā Manaś ca bhadraṁ bhajatād adhokṣaje āveśyatāṁ no matir apy ahaitukī

May this entire world be rendered auspicious! May the wicked be blessed with a pure mind! May all the living beings always wish good for others! May only auspicious intentions arise in us! May we be blessed with unflinching devotion towards Lord Srihari, who cannot be understood through direct visible proofs! May we be freed from our attachment towards our house, wife, children, relatives, wealth and other assets! May our attachments if any be directed solely towards your devotees!

The person with such noble intentions eats only as much as necessary to sustain the body, controls his senses and thereby quickly obtains liberation. Contrary to this, the person who is attached to material sensory pleasures can never ever obtain liberation. He will never be successful in obtaining the Lord’s grace.

**All noble qualities arise in the person who develops unflinching devotion towards the Lord. Devotion aimed at fulfillment of selfish desires is not acceptable. True results are obtained only when devotion is selfless and pure. In addition, Devatas reside within such persons. ** The person who lacks faith in Lord Srihari and the person who eternally chases the fulfillment of his material desires can never acquire noble traits. They can never be addressed as Mahatmas.

Just as fish cannot sustain without water, living beings cannot exist without the presence of Srihari, who is the Self within them. Those elderly house-holders who are lost in marital bliss and material pleasures and thereby forget Srihari will merely obtain respect from others due to their age and not due to their noble qualities.

This samsāra is the root for repeated births and deaths. Excessive desires, attachments, sorrows, anger, fear, helplessness, jealousy and pride are the root for all mental ailments. Hence they should be discarded. Instead the person should seek shelter in the lotus feet of Lord Narasimha. Such person will be totally freed from fears of every kind” prayed Prahlada.

Let us now discuss about the land known as Ketumāla varṣa.

In Ketumāla varṣa, the Supreme Lord Srihari incarnates as Pradyumna, who is Kāmadeva (Lord of desires). He causes joy to Goddess Lakshmi and to Samvatsara Prajāpati (presiding Lord of a year). He also showers immense happiness and bliss upon the sons and daughters of Prajāpati, who is the leader of Ketumāla varṣa.

The sons of Prajāpati are the presiding deities for the day while his daughters are the presiding deities for night. Human being has a lifespan of 100 years which means he spends 36,000 days and 36,000 nights during his lifetime. Hence Samvatsara Prajāpati has 36,000 daughters and sons respectively. In other words, each night and each day has one presiding deity.

The wheel of time is the weapon of the Supreme Lord Puruśottama. This wheel causes great fear and agitation in the minds of his daughters, who are in the form of night. As soon as a year’s time is complete all of them suffer miscarriages, collapse and become lifeless.

The limbs of time i.e. second, minute, hour, day, fortnight and month are referred to as their wombs. Getting destroyed and becoming lifeless means, after the completion of the year, these time periods merge back into it (year).

Srihari’s beautiful charming smile is extremely enchanting. The wonderous plays of His charming gaze are further enhanced by the grandeur in His walk. Through these actions this Lord situated in Ketumāla varṣa causes great delight and joy to Goddess Lakshmi. He too is eternally joyful.

In Ketumāla varṣa during nights Mother Goddess Lakshmi merges into the presiding deities of night and during days She merges into the presiding deities of days and worships the māyāmaya form of the Lord. She prays,

oṁ hrāṁ hrīṁ hrūṁ oṁ namo bhagavate hṛṣīkeśāya sarva-guṇa-viśeṣair vilakṣitātmane ākūtīnāṁ cittīnāṁ cetasāṁ viśeṣāṇāṁ cādhipataye ṣoḍaśa-kalāya cchando-mayāya anna-mayāya amṛta-mayāya sarva-mayāya sahase ojase balāya kāntāya kāmāya namaste ubhayatra bhūyāt.

O Lord Kāmadeva! You are the Lord for all the 10 senses (5 organs of perception and 5 organs of action), mind, intelligence, memory and egoism within this body. You are also the Lord of the sense perceptions i.e. sound, touch, form, taste and smell that are grasped through the medium of the senses. Human beings are able to understand Your infinite eternal form through the five gross elements, which are the creation of the trigunas. Here it means that devotees are able to understand about His gross visible form (saguna swaroopa) through His transcendental auspicious qualities.

You exist in the form of the living entity who is a combination of the 11 indriyas (10 senses plus mind) and the 5 gross elements, totaling 16 elements. O Lord, You are the embodiment of Vedas. You are the embodiment of nectar. Not just the food we eat, but everything in this world is only Your manifestation. You are the epitome of beauty. You are the Lord who grants the results both in this world and the next. O Lord, I offer plentiful obeisance to You.

You are the Lord of the senses. O Lord, in this world ladies pray to You seeking a suitable husband. However these husbands do not have the freedom and hence cannot protect their wives, children, wealth, longevity and other dearest objects. Only He who is absolutely fearless can offer complete protection to the person who is agitated, anxious and fearful. You are the only one who can thus protect”.

Om Padmanābhāya namah