Aṣṭamukha Kālāgnirudra Narasimha

 

Ashtamukha Narasimha

 

विधिवेदप्रदं वीरं विघ्ननाशं रमापतिम्‌ ।
वज्रखड्गधरं धीरं श्रीं क्ष्रौं ह्रीं नृहरिं भजे ॥

म्हं म्हं म्हं शब्दसहितं मन्त्रराजपदस्तुतम्‌ ।
भल्लूकवक्त्रं भीतिघ्नं श्रीं क्ष्रौं ह्रीं नृहरिं भजे ॥

सर्वाण्डकोशमालाढ्यं सर्वाण्डान्तरवासिनम्‌ ।
अष्टास्यगण्डभेरुण्डं श्रीं क्ष्रौं ह्रीं नृहरिं भजे ॥

vidhivēdapradaṁ vīraṁ vighnanāśaṁ ramāpatim |
vajrakhaḍgadharaṁ dhīraṁ śrīṁ kṣrauṁ hrīṁ nr̥hariṁ bhajē ||

mhaṁ mhaṁ mhaṁ śabdasahitaṁ mantrarājapadastutam |
bhallūkavaktraṁ bhītighnaṁ śrīṁ kṣrauṁ hrīṁ nr̥hariṁ bhajē ||

sarvāṇḍakōśamālāḍhyaṁ sarvāṇḍāntaravāsinam |
aṣṭāsyagaṇḍabhēruṇḍaṁ śrīṁ kṣrauṁ hrīṁ nr̥hariṁ bhajē ||

Srīvidyā can be approached through various āmnāyas. The popular way, especially in Southern India, is through the Dakṣiṇāmnāya where the upāya is of Bhakti Yoga. Only accomplished sādhakas can enter śrīpura through Uttarāmnāya utilizing the upāya of Jñānayōga. Here, the preceptor is Svacchanda Bhairava and the śakti is Mahācaṇḍayōgēśvarī. Bhagavatī Mahākālasaṅkarṣiṇī can be approached through one of these forms: Siddhilakṣmī, three forms of Guhyakālī (Siddhikarālī, Siddhikarālika, Siddhikapālinī) or Kāmakalā Guhyakālī. In our lineage, the procedure is to propitiate all of these, with the exception of Siddhikapālinī, whose practice is prohibited in the current age, though there are some disagreements here. Also, the aṣṭādaśākṣarī vidyā of Kāmakalākālī is not prescribed here as she is not considered to be Prakr̥tirūpā, but is instead a vikr̥ti or vibhūti of Mahācaṇḍayōgēśvarī. Hence, Baḍabānala Tantra teaches the practice of Kāmakalā Guhyakālī in its place.

Nr̥simha is of great importance to Uttarāmnāya. The well-known form of Svacchanda Bhaṭṭāraka is invoked as Gurumūrti for other āmnāyas of Nirvāṇasundarī krama but he assumes Nr̥siṁharūpa when he is the preceptor of the Mahāvidyā of Uttarāmnāya. However, this Nr̥siṁha is not Mahāviṣṇu.

 

Bhagavati Guhyakali

 

कालाग्निरुद्रो भगवान्‌ स्वयमेव महेश्वरः ।
निरीक्ष्याकारमेतस्या विकरालं महोत्कटम्‌ ॥
सौम्यरूपैः सन्निधातुमशक्तः साध्वसाकुलः ।
कृत्वा घोरतरं रूपं सिंहाकारं विभीषणम्‌ ॥
उपासांचक्र ईशानीं दुर्निरीक्ष्यतराकृतिम्‌ ॥
कालाग्निरुद्ररूपस्य भीषणस्य महेशितुः ।
ज्वालामालीनृसिंहेति तस्य नाम निगद्यते ॥

When Lord Mahākālāgnirudra was unable to approach the fierce Goddess, he assumed the form of Narasimha and came to be known as Jvālāmālī Nr̥simha. He worshiped her, both as her consort, as well as her upāsaka, thus becoming the first in this line of ācāryas.

Nr̥siṁha can be propitiated along with the Mahāvidyā in various ways, based on one’s capacity. The beginner worships the Devī with Narasimha at her feet, as the mūlaguru, employing the famous Mantrarāja of Ugraviṣṇu. At the next stage, he is worshiped as the consort, stationed to her right. In the next stage, the divine couple is meditated upon in the yuganaddha fashion. Finally, Parāmbā is worshiped with an added Nr̥simha mukha (the eleventh, ēkādaśa mukha), representing the secret beyond the secrets (pūrṇāhantā). The mantras at each stage are different – the 28-lettered Jvālāmālī mantra is typically used in practice for the last stage, where this form represents pure Chidagni.

 

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