Fortunately, our fears were allayed by Atma-tattva Prabhu, who had procured the Deity in South India. He told us that first, even the sthapati refused to make such a Deity, saying that nobody worships this sthanu form of Nrsimhadeva [the ferocious form of the Lord when He stepped out of the pillar to Kill Hiranyakasipu]. Generally one goes before the Deity of the Lord to ask for some benediction. But to ask for something when He is shaking with fury, just wouldn’t be a smart thing to do. It is certainly better to go for a more pacified form, e.g. after He has killed Hiranyakasipu. But later, when the stapati found out that it was for Mayapur Dhama, he agreed, because any Deity brought to the dhama takes on the mood of the presiding Deity of the dhama. In this case, it is audarya, “benevolence”— the mood of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Gaura-Hari!
Although very ferocious, the lioness is very kind to her cubs. Similarly, although very ferocious to non-devotees like Hiranyakasipu, Lord Nrsimhadeva is very, very [gentle] and kind to [His] devotees like Prahlada Maharaja. 2
While dressing the Lord and remembering His mercy, I am thinking how some people misunderstand our purpose for worshiping Lord Nrsimha. Sometimes devotees say that worship of Nrsimhadeva is Vaikuntha- bhava, and it cannot take one to Goloka Vrindavana, the Lord’s supreme and most intimate abode. But Lord Nrsimhadeva is particularly inclined towards the
2 This verse was composed by Sridhara Swami in his commentary on the Seventh Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam (7.9.1).
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