Twenty Foot Flames: Lord Nrsimhadeva

By Amogha das - 5.5 2017

Pankajanghri Prabhu told me a few months ago that one Mataji had been suffering a health condition that would not go away for years. When she read about Lord Nrsimhadeva curing devotees, she realized that she could pray to Him for this purpose and she did. The condition disappeared.

A few weeks ago Jananivas Prabhu told me that a married couple could not conceive a child. A year ago the doctor examined the wife and said that in the past some disease had occurred and her tubes were permanently closed. The couple took shelter of Lord Nrsimhadeva.

Just recently they again went to the doctor, who revealed that now the tubes are open, which normally does not happen. And, he was happy to say, she is pregnant!

Manohar Shyam Prabhu told me that recently there were massive bushfires in Argentina. There were raging hot winds and the flames were devouring everything in their path. Emergency workers were evacuating people from their homes.

Manohar Shyam’s mother, who worships Mayapur Nrsimhadeva, could see the flames rising twenty feet into the air coming directly towards her home. She immediately went to pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva. Suddenly the wind changed direction, and the flames blew away from her home to another destination.

We have asked his mother for her account in detail. Devotees often are humble and sometimes will not tell us all about what they have experienced. But other devotees will feel inspired by their revelations, so pleaase, anyone who has something to tell us about their experiences, please write it down and send to amogha.acbsp@pamho.net or amoghadas8@gmail.com.

A few days back we had an ecstatic Rathayatra at Klang near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There are 25 Rathayatras a year in this country. In my little speech afterwards I declared that the kirtans at these Rathayatras are as ecstatic as the kirtans in Rathayatras when Srila Prabhupada was present. Sometimes it seems they are more ecstatic. If Krsna can be more beautiful and more beautiful at every moment forever, the kirtans can also seem more ecstatic and more ecstatic! Why not? If you want a transcendental holiday, come to Malaysia when there are Rathayatras every weekend and dive in. They are mainly around July and December-January. (see http://www.iskcon.com.my/)

After Rathayatra by mercy I was sitting next to a sannyasi, talking about the above Nrsimhadeva pastimes, when he kindly said, “We should be preaching about how to develop love of God, not karmakandiya practises. We should be careful. Non-devotees may take advantage. Has anyone attained love of God by praying to Lord Nrsimhadev?”

I thought about the quote below: “Bhaktivinode Thakur?” I said.

“Bhaktivinode Thakur got love of God from Nrsimhadeva?” he asked.

I tried to recount the passage from the Navadvipa-bhava-taranga I had place on narasimhalila. com.”At that moment, by Lord Nrsimha’s mercy, I will exhibit symptoms of ecstatic love for Radha and Krishna…” I tried to explain that Bhaktivinode Thakur considered Lord Nrsimhadeva paramount in attaining love of Krsna. I said to Maharaj, who has been my dear friend for many years, “Even if someone comes to Mayapur to worship Lord Nrsimhadev desiring something selfishly material, wouldn’t he or she get the mercy of Nitai and Gauranga?” How can anyone go to Mayapur without getting the mercy of Nitai and Gauranga?

This reminds me of the statement: “One easily becomes free from the bondage of Maya by even once visiting Mayapur.

The power of Maya will go far away, and the cycle of birth and death will cease for one who simply walks in Mayapur.” (Navadvip Dham Mahatmya) (on the website under Mayapur)

Afterwards I considered the situation: Devotees praying to avert disease, death and injury. The Lord revives them. Is that karmakandiya? Didn’t Nanda Maharaj and all the devotees cry out to Krsna for help when a huge snake had half-swallowed him in the night? And Krsna saved him. Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared to save his devotee Prahlad. He loves to save His devotees! I don’t think this reciprocation between the Lord and His devotees is karma-kandiya, or about worshiping the Lord just to get some material thing.

As mentioned in the Preface to narasimhalila. com, Jananivas Prabhu told me that Lord Nrsimhadeva derives transcendental ecstasy from serving Gauranga by saving His sankirtan devotees from obstacles.

What about having children? One might say praying for children is materialistic. But isn’t the appearance of Vaishnava and Vaishnavi children one of the most auspicious aspirations of married couples? We need devotees to appear in the world to purify the place. If a couple cannot bear a child, and Lord Nrsimhadeva intervenes, is that karma-kandiya? How special a devotee is that child?

I leave you with the words of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur:

“In my heart reside duplicity, insincerity, the desire for fame, and the six enemies: lust, anger, envy, fear, illusion and intoxication. Therefore I will pray at the feet of Lord Nrsimha to purify my heart and give me the desire to serve Krishna.

“Weeping I will beg Lord Nrsimha that I may worship Radha-Madhava in Navadvip, free from obstacles. Although this form of the Lord is terrible for the evil, He is exceedingly auspicious for the devotees headed by Prahlada. When will Lord Nrsimha become pleased to mercifully speak to me, a worthless fool, and remove my fears?

‘Dear child, stay here happily in Gaura Dham. Worship Radha-Madhava, and develop attraction for the holy name. By the mercy of My devotees, all obstacles are transcended.’ After speaking like this, when will that Lord joyfully place His feet upon my head? At that moment, by Lord Nrsimha’s mercy, I will exhibit symptoms of ecstatic love for Radha and Krishna, and will roll on the ground by the door of Lord Nrsimha’s temple.”