Ahobila- the name itself conjures up the euphoria upon the sudden and unexpected discovery of a cave (bila). Aho! Ahoy! It's a cave! It's a cave! It's a bila...aho! bila! And what if....what if... it's not an empty cave, but a cave where you stumble upon the most fascinating idol of the Lord? How heightened the excitement would be! That's Ahobilam- a set of shrines where Lord Narasimha is found in the recess of a cave, dotting the hills of the Eastern Ghats. These hills are compared to a serpent- a serpent with Srisailam as the tail, Ahobilam as its coils and Tirupati as its hood.
Lord Narasimha, as Hari..as Nara-hari....sits nestled in these caves at Ahobilam. Can I see Him only at Ahobilam? Doesn't He exist everywhere- even in my own heart?
The heart is often compared to a cave, a guhaa, a bila. And in the cave of the heart, lighting up each thought, is the Self. "Yo veda nihitam guhaayaam"- Recognize Him, the Self, the Narasimha....in the cave (guha) of your own heart- says the Upanishad. That discovery is verily Ahobila, a subjective Ahobila! That the Lord is present like a lion, like Narasimha, in the cave of the heart is seen in the Shivananda Lahari too - "kuharey pancha mukhah asti". In the kuhara (cave) of my heart, He resides as pancha-mukhah (pancha-mukha has two readings- five-faced shiva as well as a lion!).
And now for a little quiz question. What raga is most appropriate to be sung for Narahari at Ahobila? Think! Think! Think! It has to be Bilahari! In the name of the raga, we find the connection.....Hari found in a cave...is Bilahari! Interestingly, in Hindustani music, raga Bilahari is called Alaiya Bilaval! It's as if, the more we look, the more patterns we find centered on bila! And one of the well known compositions in raga Bilahari is Tyagraja's composition called "Narasimha"! Thus, bila, hari, bilahari, narahari, ahobila and narasimha are all intertwined inseparably with each other!
Adi Shankara and Ahobilam:
Ahobilam is well known as a prominent Vaishnava Kshetra. Not so well known are incidents from another point in time- involving Adi Shankara and Ahobilam. As we read the Shankara Vijayam, we find that from Srisailam, Adi Shankara definitely visited Ahobilam. His "Lakshmi Nrsimha karaavalamba stotram" is well known. Each verse has the refrain - "Lakshmi Nrsimha mama dehi karaavalambam" - Let me hold on to Him; may that Lakshmi-Nrsimha be my helping hand, my karaavalamba so that I can find security in an insecure world!
We have another stotra from Adi Shankara called the Lakshmi-Nrsimha Pancharatnam where we find a beautiful reference to the subjective Ahobila we talked about earlier. If you want to decorate your reflected face in a mirror, Shankara says, with a mark on the forehead, you don't have to apply the decoration on the mirror! It will serve no purpose and will spoil the mirror too! All you have to do is tackle the original face; with that, the reflection takes care of itself automatically! Shankara, the master-poet that he is, deftly blends devotion with the highest philosophy in this work.
These hymns are dedicated to Lord Narasimha on these hills.
Sanandana and Lord Narasimha:
Shankara's prominent disciple was Padmapada, who was believed to be Narasimha's amsha-avatara. In his purvashrama, Padmapada was called Sanandana. Sanandana was initiated into a Narasimha mantra. He sat in the jungle and was engaged in intense upasana. A hunter was curious about what Sanandana was up to. Sanandana was in no mood to engage the hunter. He flippantly replied that he was meditating on an animal which was to be found in the jungle and had a lion's head and a man's body. The hunter was naïve and actually went in search of the animal. For two days, he searched everywhere. Pleased with his single-pointed zeal, Lord Narasimha revealed Himself to the hunter and allowed the hunter to capture him. The hunter led the Lord to Sanandana. But Sanandana could not see the Lord. Sanandana was distraught that the Lord had chosen to reveal Himself to the hunter but not to him. But the Lord made a promise which was heard by Sanandana- that the Lord will come to his help when he needed it most!
Lord Narasimha saves Shankara:
Later, Sanandana met Shankara and became his disciple. Renamed Padmapada, he followed Shankara as he walked the length and breadth of the country. Soon, they were in the hills around Ahobilam. A kapalika accosted Shankara and asked permission so that he could offer Shankara as a human sacrifice! Shankara acceded to the request. As the kapalika was on the verge of decapitating Shankara, something stirred within Padmapada. He was transformed into Narasimha murti and tore the kapalika to shreds. Thus, Lord Narasimha, through Padmapada protected Shankara. This incident is found in the Shankara Vijayam. It does not explicitly mention Ahobilam. However, considering the chronology of this incident, just after Shankara's stay at Srisailam and its association with Lord Narasimha, it is most likely that the setting should have definitely been Ahobilam.
Lakshmi Narasimha and Ugra Narasimha:
Nine Narasimha shrines dot these hills. We covered two- "Lakshmi Narasimha" and "Ugra Narasimha".
The Lakshmi Narasimha Temple is at the base of the hills. The Lakshmi-Narasimha idol is immensely captivating and "alive"! We gaze at the deity for long and even catch the sparkle in the eye! Such beauty! We are told the deity also bears the name "Venkata Narasimha" since the Lord of Tirupati Himself visited the place. Amritavalli thaayaar is grace personified.
A little drive up the hills takes us to the Ugra Narasimha Temple. It is scenic with mountains on either side...their tops covered in a tuft of green and their sides embedded with boulders. The temple is set at a spot where the two mountain ranges meet- atop a rock-façade which appears to have been cut with precision- like a fresh-cut chocolate-cake slice! The rock is scooped out at the center revealing an enormous V-shaped cleft, through which a little stream of water trickles down.
Surely, it has to be Lord Narasimha's handicraft! Ugra Narasimha, austere and impressive, sits inside a cave with a shallow, rugged roof. Outside the cave, we strain our eyes to peer into a little shrine with a shiva-linga. The Goddess is Chenchu Lakshmi- supremely beautiful.
Beyond the Ugra Narasimha shrine...the trek begins to other hill-top shrines. But we go no further. The blessing of "punar-darshana" at the temple strengthens us.
We hope to return to these hills another day. We hope to visit that cave on the topmost hill and exclaim in excitement..."Aho! bila! Ahobila!! We hope to discover Him in the cave of our heart and exult in triumph....just like that sage in the Taittirya Upanishad..."Aho! Aho! Aho!"- "I've found It! I've found It! I've found It!!"
Notes:
1. The Taittiriya Upanishad actually uses the expression "Haavu! haavu! haavu!". It is the same as "Aho! Aho! Aho!" The exclamation "Aho" becomes "Haavu" in "saama-gaana". The reader can look up this verse in the Bhrigu Valli of the Upanishad.
2. Chenchu Lakshmi- "Chenchu" is apparently a tribe found in these parts. We are reminded of the raga "Chenchu kambhoji" and Tyagaraja's composition "vara raaga laya". May be, the raga was borrowed from this tribe much like "yadukula kambhoji". It is likely that the folk-raga commonly pronounced as "Senjurutti" is in fact "Chenchurutti" and owes its origin to this Chenchu tribe.
Lord Narasimha, as Hari..as Nara-hari....sits nestled in these caves at Ahobilam. Can I see Him only at Ahobilam? Doesn't He exist everywhere- even in my own heart?
The heart is often compared to a cave, a guhaa, a bila. And in the cave of the heart, lighting up each thought, is the Self. "Yo veda nihitam guhaayaam"- Recognize Him, the Self, the Narasimha....in the cave (guha) of your own heart- says the Upanishad. That discovery is verily Ahobila, a subjective Ahobila! That the Lord is present like a lion, like Narasimha, in the cave of the heart is seen in the Shivananda Lahari too - "kuharey pancha mukhah asti". In the kuhara (cave) of my heart, He resides as pancha-mukhah (pancha-mukha has two readings- five-faced shiva as well as a lion!).
And now for a little quiz question. What raga is most appropriate to be sung for Narahari at Ahobila? Think! Think! Think! It has to be Bilahari! In the name of the raga, we find the connection.....Hari found in a cave...is Bilahari! Interestingly, in Hindustani music, raga Bilahari is called Alaiya Bilaval! It's as if, the more we look, the more patterns we find centered on bila! And one of the well known compositions in raga Bilahari is Tyagraja's composition called "Narasimha"! Thus, bila, hari, bilahari, narahari, ahobila and narasimha are all intertwined inseparably with each other!
Adi Shankara and Ahobilam:
Ahobilam is well known as a prominent Vaishnava Kshetra. Not so well known are incidents from another point in time- involving Adi Shankara and Ahobilam. As we read the Shankara Vijayam, we find that from Srisailam, Adi Shankara definitely visited Ahobilam. His "Lakshmi Nrsimha karaavalamba stotram" is well known. Each verse has the refrain - "Lakshmi Nrsimha mama dehi karaavalambam" - Let me hold on to Him; may that Lakshmi-Nrsimha be my helping hand, my karaavalamba so that I can find security in an insecure world!
We have another stotra from Adi Shankara called the Lakshmi-Nrsimha Pancharatnam where we find a beautiful reference to the subjective Ahobila we talked about earlier. If you want to decorate your reflected face in a mirror, Shankara says, with a mark on the forehead, you don't have to apply the decoration on the mirror! It will serve no purpose and will spoil the mirror too! All you have to do is tackle the original face; with that, the reflection takes care of itself automatically! Shankara, the master-poet that he is, deftly blends devotion with the highest philosophy in this work.
These hymns are dedicated to Lord Narasimha on these hills.
Sanandana and Lord Narasimha:
Shankara's prominent disciple was Padmapada, who was believed to be Narasimha's amsha-avatara. In his purvashrama, Padmapada was called Sanandana. Sanandana was initiated into a Narasimha mantra. He sat in the jungle and was engaged in intense upasana. A hunter was curious about what Sanandana was up to. Sanandana was in no mood to engage the hunter. He flippantly replied that he was meditating on an animal which was to be found in the jungle and had a lion's head and a man's body. The hunter was naïve and actually went in search of the animal. For two days, he searched everywhere. Pleased with his single-pointed zeal, Lord Narasimha revealed Himself to the hunter and allowed the hunter to capture him. The hunter led the Lord to Sanandana. But Sanandana could not see the Lord. Sanandana was distraught that the Lord had chosen to reveal Himself to the hunter but not to him. But the Lord made a promise which was heard by Sanandana- that the Lord will come to his help when he needed it most!
Lord Narasimha saves Shankara:
Later, Sanandana met Shankara and became his disciple. Renamed Padmapada, he followed Shankara as he walked the length and breadth of the country. Soon, they were in the hills around Ahobilam. A kapalika accosted Shankara and asked permission so that he could offer Shankara as a human sacrifice! Shankara acceded to the request. As the kapalika was on the verge of decapitating Shankara, something stirred within Padmapada. He was transformed into Narasimha murti and tore the kapalika to shreds. Thus, Lord Narasimha, through Padmapada protected Shankara. This incident is found in the Shankara Vijayam. It does not explicitly mention Ahobilam. However, considering the chronology of this incident, just after Shankara's stay at Srisailam and its association with Lord Narasimha, it is most likely that the setting should have definitely been Ahobilam.
Lakshmi Narasimha and Ugra Narasimha:
Nine Narasimha shrines dot these hills. We covered two- "Lakshmi Narasimha" and "Ugra Narasimha".
The Lakshmi Narasimha Temple is at the base of the hills. The Lakshmi-Narasimha idol is immensely captivating and "alive"! We gaze at the deity for long and even catch the sparkle in the eye! Such beauty! We are told the deity also bears the name "Venkata Narasimha" since the Lord of Tirupati Himself visited the place. Amritavalli thaayaar is grace personified.
A little drive up the hills takes us to the Ugra Narasimha Temple. It is scenic with mountains on either side...their tops covered in a tuft of green and their sides embedded with boulders. The temple is set at a spot where the two mountain ranges meet- atop a rock-façade which appears to have been cut with precision- like a fresh-cut chocolate-cake slice! The rock is scooped out at the center revealing an enormous V-shaped cleft, through which a little stream of water trickles down.
Surely, it has to be Lord Narasimha's handicraft! Ugra Narasimha, austere and impressive, sits inside a cave with a shallow, rugged roof. Outside the cave, we strain our eyes to peer into a little shrine with a shiva-linga. The Goddess is Chenchu Lakshmi- supremely beautiful.
Beyond the Ugra Narasimha shrine...the trek begins to other hill-top shrines. But we go no further. The blessing of "punar-darshana" at the temple strengthens us.
We hope to return to these hills another day. We hope to visit that cave on the topmost hill and exclaim in excitement..."Aho! bila! Ahobila!! We hope to discover Him in the cave of our heart and exult in triumph....just like that sage in the Taittirya Upanishad..."Aho! Aho! Aho!"- "I've found It! I've found It! I've found It!!"
Notes:
1. The Taittiriya Upanishad actually uses the expression "Haavu! haavu! haavu!". It is the same as "Aho! Aho! Aho!" The exclamation "Aho" becomes "Haavu" in "saama-gaana". The reader can look up this verse in the Bhrigu Valli of the Upanishad.
2. Chenchu Lakshmi- "Chenchu" is apparently a tribe found in these parts. We are reminded of the raga "Chenchu kambhoji" and Tyagaraja's composition "vara raaga laya". May be, the raga was borrowed from this tribe much like "yadukula kambhoji". It is likely that the folk-raga commonly pronounced as "Senjurutti" is in fact "Chenchurutti" and owes its origin to this Chenchu tribe.
only you are capable of writing so beautifully shankar. It is so well written that even a person wasn't present in Ahobilam would have felt that he/she was physically present at the Lord's Sannidhi!! Great work shankar. loved every word of your beautiful writing. cheers
ReplyDelete