Nr̥simha Kṣētras

 

Ugranarasimha

 

Srīvaiṣṇavas have their own list of kṣētras documented as divya dēśas which are held in high regard by the followers of Rāmānujācarya. A distinctive set of Nr̥siṁha kṣētras has been revealed by the Lord to Brahmā and this is held close to heart by upāsakas of Mahāsaṅkarṣaṇa. These kṣētras with the names of the presiding deities are also used in nr̥siṁha Mātr̥kā nyāsa and in the worship of pīṭhas during the ārādhana of the powerful Nr̥siṁha vyūha. The kSēhtras and the associated mūrtis are sixty-eight in number. Of these, two pīṭhas emanate from every letter of the thirty-two lettered Mantrarāja. The remaining four emanate from aṣṭākṣarī, dvādaśākṣarī, ṣaḍakṣarī and Sudarśana mantras, which form the chief aṅgas of the Mantrarāja. The list is as below:

1. kōkāmukha (kṣētra): varāha (mūrti)
2. mandara: madhusūdana
3. kapiladvīpa: ananta
4. prabhāsa: ravinandana
5. vaikuṇṭha: nārāyaṇa
6. mahēndra: nr̥pātmaja
7. r̥ṣabha: mahāviṣṇu
8. dvārakā: bhūpati
9. pāṇḍusahya: dēvēśa
10. vasurūḍha: jagatpati
11. vallītaṭa: mahāyōga
12. citrakūṭa: narādhipa
13. nimiṣa: pītavasana
14. gavāṁ niṣkramaṇa kṣētra: hari
15. śālagrāma: tapōvāsa
16. gandhamādana: acintya
17. kubjāgāra: hr̥ṣīkēśa
18. gandhadvāra: payōdhara
19. sakala: garuḍadhvaja
20. sāyaka: gōvinda
21. vr̥ndāvana: gōpāla
22. mathurā: svyambhūḥ
23. kēdāra: mādhava
24. kāśī: kēśava
25. puṣkara: puṣkarākṣa
26. dhr̥śṭadyumna: jayadhvaja
27. tr̥ṇabinduvana: vīra
28. sindhusāgara: aśōka
29. kasēraṭa: mahābāhu
30. taijasa vana: amr̥ta
31. viśvāsayūpa: viśvēśa
32. mahāvana (vr̥ndāvana): nārasiṁha
33. halāṅgara: ripuhara
34. dēvaśālā: trivikrama
35. daśapura: puruṣōttama
36. kubjaka: vāmana
37. vitastā: vidyādhara
38. vārāha: dharaṇīdhara (bhūvarāha)
39. dēvadāruvana: guhya (guptagōpāla)
40. kāvērī: nāgaśāyī (śrīraṅganātha)
41. prayāga: yōgamūrti
42. payōṣṇī: sudarśana
43. kumāratīrtha: kaumāra (Ghati SubrahmaNya who is considered to be Skanda protected from Garuḍa by Nr̥siṁha)
44. lōhita: hayagrīva
45. ujjayinī: trivikrama
46. liṅgakūṭa: caturbhuja
47. bhadrā: harihara
48. kurukṣētra: viśvarūpa
49. maṇikuṇḍa: halāyudha
50. ayōdhyā: lōkanātha
51. kuṇḍina: kuṇḍinēśvara
52. bhāṇḍāra: vāsudēva
53. cakratīrtha: sudarśana
54. āḍhya: viṣṇupada
55. cchūkara: sūkara
56. mānasa sarōvara: brahmēśa
57. daṇḍakāraṇya: śyāmala
58. trikūṭa: nāgamōkṣa
59. mērupr̥ṣṭha: bhāskara
60. puṣpabhadrā: viraja
61. kēraḷa: bāla (guruvātapurī)
62. vipāśā: yaśaskara
63. māhiṣmatī: hutāśana
64. kṣīrābdhi: padmanābha
65. vimala: sanātana
66. śivanadī: śivakara
67. gayā: gadādhara
68. sarvatra: paramātman

The greatness of Nrsiṁha kṣētras is that the Lord appears as Viṣṇu, Sūrya, Skanda, Shiva and Bhairava in these kṣētras, bearing testimony to the statement in Yājnavalkya smr̥ti:

sarvadēvātmakō hariḥ ||

 

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