“I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Naṛsiḿhadeva, the source of all power.O my Lord who possesses nails and teeth just like thunderbolts, kindly vanquishour demonlike desires for fruitive activity in this material world. Please appear inour hearts and drive away our ignorance so that by Your mercy we may become fearless in the struggle for existence in this material world.” SB 5.18.8
Sri Jagannatha Mandir celebrated Sri Narsimha Caturdasi with great devotion and grandeur. Since it was wesak day it was a public holiday for the country. It facilitated devotees to come early and to be part of the various services. Decoration of the temple and altar went on till 1am early in the morning. Needless to say Nrsimha altar was gorgeous with the red roses. Programme started in the evening with Tulasi puja and Srila Prabhupada gurupuja. Then was the abhishekam which went on for more than an hour. Special arati for Lord Narsimhadeva followed that. H G Simhesvara prabhu spoke on Lord Narsimhadeva’s pastimes and importance of observing this festival. Sumptuous prasadam was served before everyone gathered for the group prayers. Dasavatara stotram, Narsimha Kavaca, Sri Laxmi Narsimha stotra and 108 names of Lord Narsimhadeva were chanted in a prayerful mood. Everyone was given an opportunity to offer ghee lamps to Lord Narsimhadeva. Festival came to an end with a dance drama depicting the Lord’s pastimes performed by the youth and children of Sri Jagannatha Mandir.
By SJMKL
