Narasimha

The man-lion avatāra of Viṣṇu, who bursts from a pillar at twilight to disembowel the daitya king Hiraṇyakaśipu on his own threshold — satisfying every clause of the boon that protected him (neither man nor beast, neither day nor night, neither inside nor outside, no weapon) — and so rescues the devotee Prahlāda.

Domains

• protection

Powers

• Disembowel the boon-proof tyrant on the threshold

Epithets

• नृसिंह sanskrit · Nṛsiṃha · epithetThe Man-Lion avatāra of ViṣṇuBhāgavata Purāṇa 7.8 (slaying of Hiraṇyakaśipu); Viṣṇu Purāṇa (primary)
• उग्रनृसिंह sanskrit · Ugranṛsiṃha · cultThe fierce Man-LionBhāgavata Purāṇa 7.8; Ahobilam temple tradition (primary)
• लक्ष्मीनृसिंह sanskrit · Lakṣmīnṛsiṃha · cultNarasiṃha enthroned with Lakṣmī; the benign formLakṣmīnṛsiṃha temple iconography; Pāñcarātra Vaishnava tradition (secondary)

Relations

• avatar of: VishnuFourth of the daśāvatāra in the standard list.Bhāgavata Purāṇa 7.8; Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.17-20 (primary)

Sources

• existence: Bhāgavata Purāṇa 7.8-7.10 (primary); Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.17-20 (primary)