Shankara's Narasimha stuti in the Shankara Vijaya

[V Subrahmanian]

In the 11th Canto of the Madhaviya Shankara Vijaya there is a Narasimha stuti by Shankaracharya. The context is the Kapalika's death in the hands of the Lord.

A noteworthy feature of the stuti is:  Shankara says: Are you not famous for being endowed with Sattva? Taking this ferocious form, you have assumed the Tamo guna of Hara.  

A little later in the same stuti Shankara says: By assuming Rajas you create the world. By taking on sattva you protect it and destroy it in the name of Rudra.

Vamshidhara, a commentator for the Srimadbhagavatam has said that samhara forms such as Narasimha are not without the Rudramsha.

This idea is present in the Vishnu Puranam:

In the Vishnu Purana, at the very beginning, we have this message that tells us in no uncertain terms that the cosmic functions such as creation and destruction are ‘really’ that of Brahman. The functions require the operation of guna-s and thereby it is only Brahman, assuming the appropriate gunas indulges in those functions:  

जुषन् रजो गुणं तत्र स्वयं विश्वेश्वरो हरिः  ।

ब्रह्माभूत्वास्य जगतो विसृष्टौ संप्रवर्तते  ॥ १,२.६१ ॥

सृष्टं च पात्यनुयुगं यावत्कल्पविकल्पना  ।

सत्त्वभृद्भगवान्विष्णुरप्रमेयपराक्रमः  ॥ १,२.६२ ॥

By attaching himself to Rajo guna, and himself having become Brahma, Vishnu (Brahman/Ishwara) engages in the creation of the world. And assuming the Sattva guna, Vishnu himself of mighty power engages in maintaining the created world. [the particle ‘bhrt’ after sattva in the above verse teaches that Brahman ‘assumes’ sattvaguna. This is a strong refutation of the unvedic idea that Vishnu is ‘always of sattva guna.’ For, the Vedanta teaches that Brahman is beyond all gunas, even sattva.]

तमोद्रेकी च कल्पान्ते रुद्ररूपी जर्नादनः  ।

मैत्रेयाखिलभूतानि भक्षयत्यतिदारूणः  ॥ १,२.६३ ॥

भक्षयित्वा च भूतानि जगत्येकार्णवीकृते  ।

नागपर्यङ्कशयने शेते च परमेश्वरः  ॥ १,२.६४ ॥

At the end of the Kalpa, Janardana of Rudra-form, who is of immense Tamas, O Maitreya, gobbles up the entire creation. And having made the world one mass, Parameshwara rests on the serpent-couch. [Sridhara Swamin says here: Parameshwara sleeps in his mula svarupa of brahma, shiva, etc. avatara.  

Here the Purana clearly says it is Vishnu alone, owing to immense Tamas, who has become Rudra.  

प्रबुद्धश्च पुनः सृष्टिं करोति ब्रह्मरूपधृक् ॥ १,२.६५ ॥

सृष्टिस्थित्यन्तकरणीं ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवात्मिकाम्  ।

स संज्ञां याति भगवानेक एव जनार्दनः  ॥ १,२.६६ ॥

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मया त्वं रक्षितो युद्धे महान्तं प्राप्तवाञ्जयम्।।
यस्तु ते सोग्रतो याति युद्धे संप्रत्युपस्थिते। तं विद्धि रुद्रं कौन्तेय देवदेवं कपर्दिनम्।।
कालः स एव विहितः क्रोधजेति मया तव। निहतांस्तेन वै पूर्वं हतवानसि यान्रिपून्।।
अप्रमेयप्रभावं तं देवदेवमुमापतिम्। नमस्व देवं प्रयतो विश्वेशं हरमक्षयम्।।
यश्च ते कथितः पूर्वं क्रोधजेति पुनः पुनः। तस्य प्रभाव एवाग्रे यच्छ्रुतं ते धनंजय।।

Shankara has maintained this idea in the VSN Bhashya while commenting on the names 'bhUtakrit, bhUtabhrt...'

Regards

subbu