It was a strange form. As Hiraṇyakaśipu was observing thus in astonishment, the Supreme Lord Srihari manifested before him as Narasimha! How fortunate was Hiraṇyakaśipu! The face was that of lion. The legs were that of human. Narasimha’s eyes were glowing radiantly like purified gold. The ferocious eyes were spitting fire! His neck as well as His mouth which appeared frightening with his long razor-sharp teeth, was covered with a gleaming mane. His tongue, which was sharp like a razor blade, moved like a sharp sword.

His appearance was cruel and frightening. His ears were raised and upright. His mouth was wide open. His deep nostrils, which resembled mountain caves, were bewildering. His long body appeared as if it was touching the heavens. His neck was sturdy and strong. His chest was broad while His waist was slim. His body was covered with white hair that resembled the Moon’s cooling rays. It appeared as if He had hundreds of arms which seemed to cover the entire place. This Lord who retained nails as weapons was so frightful in appearance that even the most valourous hero feared to approach Him! Using His discus, conch and all other weapons this mighty Lord killed and scattered all the demons belonging to the Diti and Danu clans.

Seeing this, Hiraṇyakaśipu murmured, “Srihari is a supreme conjurer. Perhaps to kill me he has devised this plan. Because, when seeking boons I never prayed that I should never meet death in the hands of queer man-animals. So perhaps it is the cunning Srihari who has come in this form. Anyway, even using his best capacities he cannot kill me. Why should I fear? What is the use of all his meticulous planning?”

With this thought, Hiraṇyakaśipu took up his club and pounced upon the Lord! Just as a tiny insect becomes invisible when it jumps into the fire, the mighty demon Hiraṇyakaśīpu, who pounced upon the Lord, became invisible in the Lord’s radiance. Such was the intensity of the rays that emanated from the Lord!

Can it be surprising that Hiraṇyakaśipu turned invisible in the presence of Lord, who is forever composed of traits of absolute goodness (sattva)? After all, this Lord had, in the beginning of creation, merely with His radiance dissipated the darkness which had emerged during annihilation!

The infuriated demon struck the Lord violently with his club. However, the Supreme Lord Narasimha deftly caught Hiraṇyakaśipu, who was attacking Him with his club, just as swiftly and playfully as his vehicle, the eagle Garuda, catches a huge snake.

Just as a snake tries to wriggle out of the eagle’s grip, Hiraṇyakaśipu too tried to release himself from the Lord’s grip. All the Devatas, who had lost their positions to Hiraṇyakaśipu, now hid behind the clouds and were keenly watching this fight. When Hiraṇyakaśipu freed himself from Narasimha’s grip, they grew apprehensive”.

Here it appears as if the Devatas did not have complete faith in the Lord and were doubting His abilities in killing Hiraṇyakaśipu. In their eagerness to see him dead, they were worried that he would escape from the Lord’s clutches using his illusory techniques. They feared that he would continue to torment them.

“The powerful demon Hiraṇyakaśipu never felt exhausted even after prolonged wars. Hence the Devatas feared that Lord Narasimha would fail to handle his might. Meanwhile Hiraṇyakaśipu roared and taking up his sword and shield, once again rushed madly towards the Lord. Rotating the sword and shield frenziedly and rapidly, he rushed forth to attack the Lord. He was running everywhere trying to attack the Lord. Seeing the approaching demon, Lord Narasimha laughed boisterously”.

Hiraṇyakaśipu’s actions here can be compared to a single person performing the role of thousands of kung-fu martial artists.

“The Lord’s boisterous laughter caused Hiraṇyakaśipu’s eyes to momentarily close. At this moment, the Lord who moves at lightening speeds, caught the demon tightly in His grip. The mighty Hiraṇyakaśipu, who could not be wounded even by Lord Indra’s thunderbolt, was now totally in the Lord’s grip”.

The power of the thunderbolt is such that it can cause thousands of planets to crash. Hiraṇyakaśipu was so mighty that even this thunderbolt failed to have any effect on him. Such demon was now in the Lord’s grip.

Nārasimhāya namah