Pātāla Nṛsiṃha:

Introduction:

Pātāla Nṛsiṃha is a specific aspect of Lord Nṛsiṃha, the man-lion incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu. The term "Pātāla" in general refers to the netherworld or subterranean realms (atal, vital, sutal, talatal, mahatal, rasatal, patal) in Hindu cosmology. According to the Vihagendra-saṃhitā 4.17, Pātāla Nṛsiṃha is one of the 108 forms of lord Nṛsiṃha.

In Hindu cosmology, Pātāla specifically denotes the lowest of the subterranean realms of the universe, located at the end point of the vertical hierarchy of creation. It is often translated as the underworld or netherworld and is described as more beautiful than Svarga (heaven), filled with splendid jewels, beautiful groves, lakes, and lovely asura maidens. It's populated by nagas and rakshasas.

The Vihagendra-saṃhitā is a 24 chaptered paancharatrika treatise that deals primarily with meditation on mantras and sacrificial oblations related to lord Vishnu, his aayudhas and avataras. The seer of this text is Garuda or Vihagendra. In this text, Pātāla Nṛsiṃha is mentioned as one of the aspects of lord Nṛsiṃha. The story of Pātāla Nṛsiṃha originates from tantrik narratives that extend the exploits of Lord Narasimha, the fierce incarnation of Lord Vishnu, into the netherworld (Pātāla). This form of Narasimha is significant in the context of his universal guardianship, emphasizing that no realm is beyond his reach in the protection of dharma.

The Story of Pātāla Nṛsiṃha:

Even after Lord Narasimha slayed Hiranyakashipu and blessed Prahlada, his fury remained unpacified. The gods and sages approached Prahlada and Goddess Lakshmi to calm Him. However, his intense rage persisted, as he symbolized the destruction of adharma (unrighteousness) in all its forms. Hence, unless all the demons were vanquished from the universe he could not be at peace.Then the compassionate Prahlada prayed to Narasimha, asking him to cleanse the underworld as well which still harboured a lot of menace and evil in the form of nagas and rakshasas. Then lord Narasimha, in his extremely fierce and wrathful form, descended to the Pātāla or the netherworld, taking on a fierce and fiery battle to vanquish all the evil.

The Battle in Pātāla:

The battle in Pātāla is described as intense and prolonged. Narasimha manifested an even more terrifying form to combat the demonic forces. He assumed a terrible form resembling thousands of Suns in radiance with thousands of arms and faces. His blazing mane symbolized cosmic fire. His claws became sharper than ever, tearing through the armies of rakshasas and nagas. His eyes burned like the sun, dispelling the darkness of Pātāla. Ultimately, Lord Narasimha killed all the demons and restored balance in the world. In some accounts, He also blessed the netherworld, ensuring it to become a more harmonious realm under the kingship of his dear prahlad.

Other versions of Pātāla Nṛsiṃha story:

In some versions of the story, an asura (demon) named Andhaka, a follower of Hiranyakashipu, fled to Pātāla, the subterranean realm, to escape Narasimha's wrath. Andhaka sought refuge among the asuras and continued to spread unrighteousness, attempting to establish dominance in the netherworld.

Additionally, in the extreme shaivite narrative of Swacchanda bhairava traditions, Nṛsiṃha is described as the form of MahaRudra or Swacchanda bhairava. In chaakshush manvantar when shiva fails to kill andhakasura in a straight forward battle, he summons guhyakali, matruka ganas and yogini ganas to drink the blood of andhakasura and dry him up. As andhakasura had a boon like rakta beeja that more andhakas will be formed from each blood drop that falls from his body on the ground. As they start drinking the blood of andhaka, shiva starts to get an upper edge. But soon due to the increasing tamo guna in the chitta due to consuming the impure blood of andhaka the guhya kali, matruka ganas, yogini ganas start to go hey wire and uncontrollable, thereby attacking anything and everything that came their way.

They attacked the shaiva army and other devatas too. Shiva tries to stop them, but in this pursuit andhakasura escapes to the Pātāla. Due to the extreme pressure of the frenzied devi ganas Shiva gets overwhelmed and prays to the Maha Rudra Swacchanda Bhairava. He appears as Vishwaroopa Narasimha whose expanse knew no bounds. He was so fierce and terrifying that just at the glance of his everyone gets stupified. Then Narasimha generates 32 mātṛkās lead by Shushkarevati (their names have been given in one of our previous posts named: Retinue pf lord Narasimha) to pacify dazed devi ganas. After these Guhyakali, matrukas and yoginis are subdued, lord Nṛsiṃha pursues the demon andhakasura into Pātāla and slays him after a fierce battle.

Same story is given in the Garuda Purana glorifying the Vaishnavite version of lord Narasimha.

The symbolism of Pātāla Nṛsiṃha:

Universal Protection: Pātāla Nṛsiṃha signifies that Lord Narasimha is not limited to protecting dharma on Earth alone but extends His protection to all the realms, including the netherworld.

Defender of Devotees: This form highlights Narasimha’s eternal role as the guardian of His devotees, even in the darkest and most remote places.

Destruction of Adharma: The descent to Pātāla emphasizes that no force of unrighteousness can escape the justice of the divine.

These symbolisms aldo highlight the association of Lord Nṛsiṃha with the netherworld, emphasizing his role in subduing evil forces across all realms of existence.

🙏 Namo Narasimha 🙏