Narahari · The man-lion · Protector of Prahlada
Narasimha
Narasimha is Lord Vishnu as the man-lion, who burst from a pillar at dusk to save the child Prahlada from his father, the tyrant Hiranyakashipu. Chant his mantra for protection, keep Narasimha Jayanti at twilight, and visit his temples from Ahobilam to Simhachalam.
- His day
- Thursday
- Next: Thu 5 Nov
- Next Narasimha day
- Holika Dahan, Prahlada’s fire
- In 140 days · Sun 21 Mar
The discus
Chakra
Sudarshana, the discus of Lord Vishnu, held in one of his hands in his four-armed images. With the conch it shows that the fierce man-lion is no other than Vishnu himself.
What his symbols mean →The conch
Shankha
The conch of Lord Vishnu, held opposite the discus in his four-armed images, as in every form of the preserver. Fierce or gentle, he carries the same two emblems.
The pillar
Stambha
The pillar Hiranyakashipu struck to mock his son: if the Lord is everywhere, is he in this too? Narasimha burst from it, to show that he is, even in stone. At Ahobilam a cleft in the rock, the Ugra Stambham, is held to be where he came out.
Neither inside nor out
The threshold
The doorway of the king’s own hall, where Narasimha held him at dusk. A threshold is neither inside nor outside, so there the boon could not protect him.
Neither earth nor sky
The lap
Where he laid the tyrant, neither on the ground nor in the sky. In his gentle form the same lap is Goddess Lakshmi’s seat, and he is worshipped as Lakshmi Narasimha, at peace.
Tap an emblem, or its name, to read what it means. They stand along the threshold at dusk. The discus and the conch are Lord Vishnu’s own; the pillar, the threshold and the lap are from his story.
His days, in your city
Dates and puja times for the city you pick
For New Delhi
The bonfire on the eve of Holi, when families remember how Prahlada came through the fire unharmed while his aunt Holika burned.
- Every Thursday
- Thu 5 NovHis day of the week
- Chandanotsavam at Simhachalam
- Sun 9 May
- Narasimha Jayanti
- Tue 18 May
Chant the Narasimha mantra
ॐ उग्रं वीरं महाविष्णुं ज्वलन्तं सर्वतोमुखम्।
नृसिंहं भीषणं भद्रं मृत्युमृत्युं नमाम्यहम्॥
Om Ugram viram mahavishnum jvalantam sarvatomukham,
Nrisimham bhishanam bhadram mrityumrityum namamyaham.
Om. I bow to Narasimha: fierce and brave, the great Vishnu, blazing, facing every way; terrible and yet kind, the death of death itself.
मैं नरसिंह को प्रणाम करता हूँ: जो उग्र हैं और वीर हैं, स्वयं महाविष्णु हैं, जो धधकते हैं और हर दिशा में देखते हैं; जो भयानक भी हैं और शुभ भी, और जो मृत्यु का भी अंत हैं।
The Nrisimha Tapaniya Upanishad calls it the Mantraraja, the king of mantras. It names him fierce and kind at once, and many chant it 108 times for protection and to be free of fear, above all at dusk on Narasimha Jayanti.
His prayers
- Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba StotramAdi Shankaracharya’s hymn asking for the support of his handSoon
- Jayadeva’s verse to the man-lionFrom the Dashavatara Stotram, on his avatar pageRead
- Om Jai Jagdish HareThe aarti of Vishnu, sung at the end of his pujaRead
- Vishnu SahasranamamThe thousand names, which call him the one in the man-lion’s formRead
A simple Narasimha Jayanti puja, at dusk
Narasimha Jayanti is kept with a fast through the day and a puja at dusk, the hour he appeared. His mantra can be chanted on any day, at that hour. At home a short and calm puja is enough. Follow your family’s way where it differs.
- Fast through the day if you can, leaving out grains, or eat simply.
- Before sunset, clean the place of worship and set a picture or image of Lakshmi Narasimha on a clean cloth.
- Light a ghee lamp, and offer flowers, sandal paste and dhoop.
- At dusk, chant the Ugra Narasimha mantra 108 times on a mala, or his root mantra.
- Offer panakam, water sweetened with jaggery, with fruit or sweets as naivedyam.
- Tell the story of Prahlada, sing Om Jai Jagdish Hare, wave the lamp in aarti and share the prasadam.
- End the fast after the puja, or after sunrise the next day, as your family keeps it.
What you need
- A picture or image of Lakshmi Narasimha
- A ghee lamp
- Flowers and sandal paste
- Dhoop, incense
- Jaggery and water for panakam
- Fruit or sweets for naivedyam
- A mala for the mantra
Prayers for the puja
Who is Narasimha
Lord Narasimha, also called Nrisimha and Narahari, is Lord Vishnu as the man-lion, the fourth of his ten avatars. His name joins nara, man, and simha, lion: he came as neither a man nor a beast but as both at once, to keep his word to a child who would not stop praying to him. Devotees call on him above all for protection, and to be free of fear.
Lord Narasimha is worshipped both fierce and gentle. As Ugra Narasimha he is the blazing form that burst from the pillar; as Yoga Narasimha he sits calm in meditation; and as Lakshmi Narasimha he is at peace, with Goddess Lakshmi seated on his lap. In his four-armed images he holds the discus and the conch of Lord Vishnu.
His temples stand thickest in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, above all at Ahobilam, where tradition places the story itself and nine shrines keep nine of his forms. His great day is Narasimha Jayanti, in Vaishakha, kept at dusk, the hour he appeared, and tradition gives him Swati as his star.
- Nrisimha his name as the Sanskrit mantras spell it
- Narahari the man-lion, as Jayadeva calls him
- Lakshmi Narasimha his gentle form, with Goddess Lakshmi on his lap
- Ugra Narasimha his fierce form, as he burst from the pillar
- Yoga Narasimha seated calm in meditation
- Prahladavarada the giver of boons to Prahlada, at Lower Ahobilam
- Narsingh his name as Hindi speakers say it
ॐ नृं नृं नृं नरसिंहाय नमः
Om Nrim Nrim Nrim Narasimhaya Namah
With his seed syllable, Nrim, said three times, I bow to Narasimha. It is his root mantra, and many chant it 108 times on a mala.
उनके बीज अक्षर नृं को तीन बार कहकर, नरसिंह को मेरा नमन। यह उनका मूल मंत्र है, और कई भक्त माला पर इसे 108 बार जपते हैं।
नमस्ते नरसिंहाय प्रह्लादाह्लाददायिने।
हिरण्यकशिपोर्वक्षःशिलाटङ्कनखालये॥
Namaste Narasimhaya prahladahladadayine,
Hiranyakashipor vakshah shila tanka nakhalaye.
I bow to you, Narasimha, who give joy to Prahlada, and whose nails cut like a chisel into the stone of Hiranyakashipu’s chest.
हे नरसिंह, आपको नमस्कार, जो प्रह्लाद को आनंद देते हैं, और जिनके नख हिरण्यकशिपु की पत्थर जैसी छाती पर छेनी की तरह चले।
Narasimha Jayanti and his days
When devotees worship him
Narasimha Jayanti
Vaishakha Shukla Chaturdashi, in April or May. Many devotees fast through the day, leaving out grains, and worship him at dusk, the hour he appeared, often with panakam, water sweetened with jaggery. Some end the fast after the evening puja, others after sunrise the next day.
Swati, his star
Tradition gives Swati as the nakshatra he appeared in. Each month, when the moon is in Swati, his temples hold special worship, and at Yadagirigutta devotees walk round the hill.
Akshaya Tritiya
At Simhachalam his image is covered in sandal paste all year. On Akshaya Tritiya, the Chandanotsavam, the paste is taken off and pilgrims see the image in its own form, before fresh paste is laid on again.
Holika Dahan
The bonfire on the eve of Holi remembers Prahlada in the fire, saved while his aunt Holika burned. Soon after, as the story goes on, Lord Vishnu came as Narasimha.
What his symbols mean
The pillar
He burst from the pillar Hiranyakashipu struck, to show that he is everywhere, even in stone.
Dusk
He came at twilight, neither day nor night, and his birthday puja is kept at that hour.
The threshold
He held the tyrant in the doorway of his hall, neither inside nor outside.
His lap
Neither earth nor sky: where he laid the tyrant, and where Goddess Lakshmi sits in his gentle form.
His nails
The only weapon he used, which is no weapon, so the last word of the boon was kept too.
The discus and the conch
Lord Vishnu’s own emblems, held in his four-armed images: fierce or gentle, he is Vishnu.
His stories
Across India
Andhra Pradesh
Ahobilam keeps nine shrines of his in its hills, where tradition places the story itself. At Simhachalam, near Visakhapatnam, the sandal paste comes off his image on Akshaya Tritiya; at Mangalagiri pilgrims pour panakam for him; and at Antarvedi, where the Vasishta Godavari meets the sea, his wedding to Goddess Lakshmi is kept in Magha.
Telangana
Yadagirigutta, rebuilt and reopened in 2022 as Yadadri, where the sage Yada saw him in five forms, draws crowds on Swati, his star. At Malluru, in the forests of Mulugu, his image is said to be soft to the touch.
Karnataka
Near Bidar pilgrims wade through a flooded cave to reach his shrine, and at Hampi his great stone image, made in 1528 under Krishnadevaraya, still sits among the ruins of Vijayanagara.
North India
Holika Dahan remembers Prahlada in the fire, saved while his aunt Holika burned, and families tell how Lord Vishnu came soon after as Narasimha.
His temples
- Ahobilam Nava Narasimha TemplesAhobilam, Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh
- Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Yadagirigutta (Yadadri)Yadagirigutta, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Telangana
- Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, SimhachalamSimhachalam, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
- Panakala Narasimha Swamy Temple, MangalagiriMangalagiri, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh
- Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, AntarvediAntarvedi, Konaseema, Andhra Pradesh
- Jharni Narasimha Cave TempleBidar, Karnataka
- Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, MalluruMalluru, Mulugu, Telangana
- Lakshmi Narasimha Monolith, HampiHampi, Vijayanagara, Karnataka
Questions
When is Narasimha Jayanti in 2027?
Narasimha Jayanti, his birthday, is on Tuesday 18 May 2027 in New Delhi. Pick your city at the top of this page for its own date and muhurat.
Who is Narasimha?
Lord Narasimha is Lord Vishnu as the man-lion, the fourth of his ten avatars. He burst from a pillar at dusk to save the child Prahlada from his father, the tyrant Hiranyakashipu, who had a boon that no man or beast could kill him.
What is the Narasimha mantra?
The best known is the Ugra Narasimha mantra, the Mantraraja: Om Ugram viram mahavishnum jvalantam sarvatomukham, Nrisimham bhishanam bhadram mrityumrityum namamyaham. His root mantra is Om Nrim Nrim Nrim Narasimhaya Namah. Many chant either 108 times, for protection and to be free of fear.
When is Narasimha Jayanti?
On Vaishakha Shukla Chaturdashi, the fourteenth day of the bright half of Vaishakha, in April or May. It is kept with a fast and a puja at dusk, the hour Lord Narasimha appeared.
Which day is Narasimha’s?
His great day is Narasimha Jayanti, and tradition gives him Swati as his star, kept each month in his temples. We found no day of the week given for him alone in two sources: this page shows Thursday, the day many keep for Lord Vishnu, so follow your family’s custom.
Why did Narasimha come at dusk, on the threshold?
To get round every word of Hiranyakashipu’s boon. He came at dusk, neither day nor night; on the threshold, neither inside nor outside; as a man-lion, neither man nor beast; and he laid the tyrant on his lap, neither earth nor sky, and used his nails, which are no weapon.
Who is Lakshmi Narasimha?
Lord Narasimha in his gentle form, at peace, with Goddess Lakshmi seated on his lap. He is worshipped so in many of his temples, from Yadagirigutta to Simhachalam, and Adi Shankaracharya’s Karavalamba Stotram is addressed to him.
What are the nine Narasimhas of Ahobilam?
The Nava Narasimha: Ahobila, Jwala, Malola, Kroda, Karanja, Bhargava, Yogananda, Chatravata and Pavana, nine shrines in and below the hills of Ahobilam in Andhra Pradesh. Ahobila is the main and oldest, and Jwala is where tradition says he tore the tyrant.
What is panakam?
Water sweetened with jaggery, offered to Lord Narasimha and shared as prasad on Narasimha Jayanti. At Mangalagiri pilgrims pour it for him on the hill, and tradition says he takes about half of whatever is offered.