Lord Narasimha The Doctor Divine

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LORD NARASIMHA THE DOCTOR DIVINE

 

By K.V. Krishnan

 

" I prayed fervently, and my grandson had a divine dream that very

night, " the old lady shed tears of joy by the temple courtyard. " The

resplendent Man-Lion came up to him by his bedside, and swathed the

boy's wounded leg with medicine and plaster. And miracle of miracles,

it was all cured! Gone were the wound and pain - all which was left,

was a mysterious pale mark where the wound once was. This skin

coloration peculiarly bore a resemblance to freshly removed plaster

cast! Strange are ways of the Divine Doctor of Yadagiri.... "

 

It sounded like a dream to me. Coincidentally enough, a few moments

before, I was listening to many such wonders of the Lion-God from the

temple priest, Sudarshanacharulu. The lady had just walked in to add

to the many such wonderful tales of divine cure that abound in this

place.

 

" There once lived the son of the legendary sage Vibhandaka,

Rishyasringa by name, " the priest told me. " Rishyasringa had a devout

son called Yadava, who practiced strict austerities in this " giri " or

hillock to have a glimpse of the Man-Lion incarna­tion of Lord Vishnu.

Pleased by his devotion, the mighty Lord of Prahlada manifested

himself in five aspects for posterity. The fiery Jwala

Narasimhaswamy, the meditative Yoga Narasimha, the eremite

Gandabheranda, the ever-contended Lakshmi Narasimha, and the roaring

Ugra Narasimha -- all within the quiet of the hallowed cave in this

mount.

 

It had been a two-hour journey of just sixty kilometers from

Hyderabad, and a patient wait for the crowded Devasthanam bus that

winded up the 300-feet rocky hillock of Yadagiri. Past the " Vaikunta

Dwaram " , an archway at the base of the rocky mount, I was there

within twenty minutes by the gopuram that forms the en­trance to the

temple complex here. Past the gopuram within a sloping cave hallowed

by the worship of the centuries, lay four self-manifested forms of

the Man-Lion aspect that sanctifies the legendary mount of Yadava.

 

At the end of this cave roof, there is a foot-wide recess formed by

the junction of two huge rocks. Behind a `kavacha' or a metal bas-

relief, lies the fiery Jwala Narasimha perched atop the rock. The

priest told me that once the `kavacha' is removed, one can see a

rocky protuberance that resembles the serpentine tail of the mythical

Adi Sesha on which the Lord reposes.

 

On the adjacent rock, seated in yogic repose, is the quieti­tude of

Yoga Narasimha. It is said that this mighty preceptor of Yoga grants

spiritual upliftment for all that pray here. Directly adjacent to

this rock, is the self-manifestation of Lakshmi Narasimha. The Lord

seated with Goddess Lakshmi by his side, is imbued with the power of

granting domestic felicity to his devo­tees. His divine consorts --

Bhoodevi and Sri­devi, flank an `utsavamurthi' or an image of the Lord

for processional worship. Another silver image of Lord Lakshmi

Narasimha has been installed alongside for ritual worship.

 

" Lord Ugra Narasimha, or the fourth of Lord Vishnu's revela­tions to

Yadava is the cave by itself, " the priest told me. Within the shrine

are temples dedicated to Andal, and the Alwars. Beyond the holy cave,

after a flight of steps, is a temple to Lord Anjaneya. Along the

circumambulatory path of this little shrine, there projects a rocky

ledge. Right under this scarp runs a foot-wide hollow that is not

visible, unless one places a mirror underneath. Therein lies the

mysterious Gandabheranda, forever lost from the sight of mortals,

wrapt in the exhilara­tion of yogic bliss. Legend has it that the lamp

alongside has been kept alive over the centuries of worship.

 

" The magic of the Lord of Yadagiri is fantastic, " Sudarsha­nacharulu

whispered. " Incurable diseases get remedied here, by the Divine

Surgeon of this holy mount. The afflicted ones are accommodated in

rooms provided near the temple premises for the period of this

worship or `mandala' that continues for forty days. This time is

spent in religious worship and prayer of the Lord with faith in his

magic cure.

 

" The Man-Lion here always works his remedies through his patients'

dreams. He performs complicated surgeries and adminis­ters injections

with allopathic ease. At times, he seems to whisper mystic mantras

that cure even malignant afflictions. He has worked wonders on

cancerous growths, fractures, and ailments

 

Of the minds and hearts, afflictions of the eyes. Thousands have

personally told me of the Divine Doctor of the holy hill.

 

" It is also said that that once the cure is effected, there comes

immediately a divine commandment to return. It is impossi­ble to stay

here beyond this. People have complained of an over­powering heat that

causes them to return to their homes after their cure! "

 

There is a temple dedicated to Sudarshana by the side. There is

nothing much really of architectural importance near the shrine.

History has it that this holy cave would have been forever lost to

mankind, but for a divine dream to an officer nearby to rediscover

the lost cave and consecrate the manifested forms for ritual worship.

Another legend has it that the revelation to Yadava actually occurred

atop another hill about five kilometers away, where a Narasimhaswamy

temple now stands. It is said that the Lord moved from that hill to

the present spot, more conducive for his meditations.

 

" The sanctity of the shrine is all the more enhanced by the

mysterious sounds and signs of ritual worship in the late hours of

the night, " the priest told me. The locals contend that is the

divinities of the skies and sages of yore who perform this worship

hidden to mortal eyes. "

 

What was the mystery of the Divine Doctor of Yadagiri? Every pilgrim

seems to swear by his magic remedies. I wondered, as the mountain

breeze fluted through the trees. Probably I would have to stay back

and find out...

 

How to get there: Yadagirigutta is well connected by hourly bus-

services from the Gowliguda bus-stand at Hyderabad, 69 kms away. This

journey up to Yadagirigutta bus-stand takes roughly two hours. From

here, one has to take the Devasthanam bus-service to the top of the

mount. The nearest railhead is Raigir, 6 kms away, on the

Secunderabad-Kazipet route - bereft of transport and hence not

advisable.

 

Tourist cars are probably a lot more comfortable, and would cost you

roughly Rs. 500 for a round trip from Hyderabad. The Tourism

department operates an economical every-Sunday tour, but this again

is subject to minimum bookings and prone to a casual cancellation.

Decent hotels in Yadagirigutta are wanting, but the Devas­thanam

arranges choultries if you want to spend a few days here.

 

The Old Narasimhaswamy temple, five kms away is worth a visit. For

this excursion, one can easily engage auto-rickshaws at the bus-stand.

 

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