Stuti on other Avataras of Vishnu

On Narasimha. Vaishnavites worship Lord Narasimha during pradosham.

प्रयान्ति दोषाः सकला हि सद्यः

प्रजायते सर्वसुखञ्च सत्यम् ।

प्रकुर्वतस्तस्य नरस्य भक्त्या

प्रदोषकाले नरसिंहसेवाम् ।। 1 ।।

प्रयान्ति leave दोषाः doshas  सकलाः all हि indeed  सद्यः  soon प्रजायते born सर्वसुखञ्च all happiness सत्यम् truly प्रकुर्वतस्तस्य to the one who does नरस्य person भक्त्या with bhakti  प्रदोषकाले during pradosham नरसिंहसेवाम् worship to Lord Narasimha.

To the one who worships Lord Narasimha with bhakti during pradosham, all doshas go away and all sorts of happiness are born very soon.

Anecdote: this was composed some two years back during pradosha puja, while i was just in front of Lord Malola of Ahobila mutt, in a village outside chennai. Even before I completed the fourth pada of the sloka fully, I was blessed by H.H. 46th Jeer with monetary reward for some other work....

His blessings indeed!

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We all know Lord Narasimha took avatar as man-lion form due to the boon of Hiranyakashipu. In this verse an idea is conveyed for the mixed-form avatar. Man’s portion due to Prahlada's bhakti and Lion portion due to Hiranyakashipu's hatred.

The main point to be noted is that the Lord will never allow the words of His devotees to be falsified. Prahlada said 'The Lord is here' and so the Lord appeared from there only.

तप्तस्य वत्सस्य परानुरागात्

तातस्य तस्यैव विरोधभावात् ।

सन्धीकृतांशद्वयदैवतं तत्

सत्यं हि चक्रे निजभक्तवाचम् ।। 2 ।।

तप्तस्य of the afflicted वत्सस्य son's परानुरागात् from devotion तातस्य father's  तस्यैव of his विरोधभावात् from hatred सन्धीकृतांशद्वय mixed the two parts (from them) दैवतं तत् that God  सत्यं true हि indeed चक्रे made निजभक्तवाचम् his own devotee's words.

That God, which took a mixed form, a part (man) out of highest bhakti (in Him) of the afflicted son and another part (Lion) out of hatred (towards Himself) of his own father and made his devotee's words become true!

Same idea expressed in the following two in a different metre

सुररिपुवपुरूरौ स्थापयित्वा विदार्य

    निजपदपतितं तं तत्सुतं भक्तरत्नम् ।

वचनमपि तदीयं चाव यो नस्सदा सः

    नरहरियुतरूपो भद्रमेवातनोतु ।।

सुररिपुवपुरूरौ हस्तजैरस्तकाले

   दरयति सति नूनं तत्सुतं भक्तरत्नम् ।

वचनमपि तदीयं चाव यो नस्सदा सः

    नरहरियुतरूपो भद्रमेवातनोतु ।।

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This one is on Lord Narasimha in a metre called मत्ता matthaa.

धृत्वा युक्तं नरहरिरूपं

भित्त्वा स्तम्भं सुररिपुकुक्षम् ।

सत्यं चक्रे दितिसुतवाक्यं

वन्दे तं वै नतजनपालम् ।। 3 ।।

I salute that (God) protector of his devotees, who took a suitable man-lion form, broke open a pillar and the chest of the enemy of Devas (Hiranyakashipu) and proved the words of the daitya Prince (Prahlada) who had told that 'God exists in this pillar even'.

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The devotees are never let down by the Supreme Lord and when there arises a cry of the devotee, the Lord rushes to protect. But during the Gajendra moksa there was a delay! (though not on account of the Lord directly, the elephant shouts only 'Adimoola' and a vivid sequence of events happen).

I am wondering at Him 'Is it to make up for that delay you were waiting in the pillar beforehand in Narasimha avatara?'

त्वरितस्त्वं गजं त्रातुं विलम्बोऽभूत्तथाप्यहो ।

तन्मा भूदिति निश्चित्य सज्जस्स्तम्भे परे हरे! ।। 4 ।।

त्वरितः Rushed त्वं you गजं the elephant त्रातुं to save विलम्बः delay अभूत् occurred तथापि even then अहो alas! तन् मा भूत् let it (Delay) not be there इति thus निश्चित्य having decided सज्जः ready स्तम्भे in a pillar परे later (Narasimha avatara) हरे! Hari!

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This is on Varaha Avatara. Written for the sake of being in touch with writing!

यो वराहो वरारोहां पयोमग्नां स्थिरां पुरा।

उन्निनाय नसान्यस्तां दैत्यारिं तं स्मराम्यहम् ।। 5 ।।

यः that वराहः boar वरारोहां the beautiful lady नसान्यस्तां placed on the nose स्थिरां earth पुरा before उन्निनाय brought her up पयोमग्नां immersed in ocean दैत्यारिं killer of demon तं that स्मराम्यहम् I meditate

I meditate upon that killer of demon, the Lord in the form of boar, who lifted the beautiful lady, mother earth from ocean by placing on his nose.

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This one is on Mahabali, grandson of Prahlada who was instrumental in having the whole world measured by the Lord's foot. Despite being warned by his Guru he went ahead to fulfill his promise.

त्रिलोक्या लोकितं येन बलवत् बलवत् पदम् ।

दैत्यं सौरगुणोपेतं भजे हि तं महाबलिम् ।। 6 ।।

I salute that Mahabali, an asura (but) possessing the qualities of sura (deva) by whom forcibly (balavat) the powerful (balavat) foot (of Hari) was seen by the three worlds.

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This one is on Bheeshma pitamaha! Krishna took a vow not to take any weapon in the battle field. Bheeshma, an ardent bhakta, took a counter vow to compel Krishna to take a weapon! Bheeshma won! Krishna, by himself losing, made his bhakta win!

धारयित्वा करे चक्रं चक्रे चक्रकरस्य यः ।

व्रतभंगञ्च भक्त्या वै तं भीष्मव्रतिनं भजे ।। 7 ।।

I salute him, a person of terrible vow, who, with bhakti indeed, made (cakre) Cakrakara (Krishna) hold a cakra (wheel) in his hand and thus broke his vow!

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It is usual to call all the three - Parashuram, Sriram and Balaram - as 'Ram'. Krishna, is called as Ramanuja, the brother of Ram, being the youngest avatar after them. The three have an axe, bow and arrow, and plough as weapons respectively. Krishna is a cowherd with just a flute. Let all the four stay in my mind, a forest, in different capacities. It is filled with lot of wild trees and wild animals (bad vasanas). They have to be eliminated. It has to be ploughed and some cattle (good bhavanas) domesticated in it.

आद्योऽस्तु काष्ठिकोऽन्यश्च भूतारिः कृषिकोऽपरः ।

तदनुजस्तु गोपालः सदा मे वै मनोवने ।। 8 ।।

Let the first one (Ram) be a wood cutter, the next be a hunter and the other be a farmer. Their younger brother be a cowherd in my mind, a forest!

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This verse compares and contrasts the two avatars - Parashurama and Srirama. Parashurama was a brahmarishi but with anger he destroyed the pride of kshatriyas. Rama was a kshatriya but with composure he won over the pride of Parashurama.

सम्भूय रोषरामश्च क्षत्रदर्पं जघान वै ।

शान्तरामः पुनर्भूत्वा ब्रह्मदर्पमहो हरिः ।। 9 ।।

Hari, became Rosharama (Parashurama, a Brahmin) and destroyed the pride of kshatriyas. But again he became Shantarama (Srirama, a kshatriya) and won over the pride of Brahmarishi.

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Wanted the number of slokas to be ten. So adding this one also in the group thought this is not an avatara to be presice. This one is in a metre called mattA मत्ता

धृत्वा चक्रं प्रधवलशड़्खं शार्ड़्गं खड्गं गुरुमुसलञ्च ।

वैकुण्ठं योऽधिवसति नित्यमस्मान् पायान्नतजनपालः ।। 10 ।।

Let He, Hari, who always lives in Srivaikuntha with the five weapons cakra, pure shankha, bow, sword and the heavy mace protect us!

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