Lord Narsimha Wrestling with Hiranyakashyap
Ellora Caves,Rashtrakuta Dynasty, 8th Century CE
In order to get rid of evil, the Lord has to undertake different forms: the fish, the tortoise, the Lion. Narsimha is considered the third incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Hiranyakashyap had prayed to Lord Shiva. From Him he got the boon that he could not be killed either by man or animal, either in day or at night, either in a building or outside. Having gotten the boon, power went to his head. Absolute power corrupted him absolutely. He became an arrogant, ruthless ruler to such an extent that he was cruel towards his own son (some claim his nephew) Prahlad.
He asked Prahlad to prove that God existed. For according to Hiranyakashyap, he himself was god. From a pillar, Lord Narsimha emerged as a half man, half lion.
Most of the time, the sculptors have depicted Hiranyakashyap lying on the lap of Narsimha; the Lord tearing his stomach with his sharp nails. But in Ellora, the sculptor has not depicted the last gasping moments of Hiranyakashyap. Here both are wrestling with each other.
Good and evil are equally matched. That is life where we struggle with the good and evil in our mind and in our society. The battle is eternal, full of struggle and fury. Every moment is ambiguous. We do not know which of the two would win. The sculptor has caught the uncertainty of life beautifully.
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