Thiruppuliyur (Kuttanadu)

Kerala seems as they normally advertise as Gods own country all the temples here have a pitures description of the surroundings. no doubt as the full state is surrounded by water mostly and God's abode on earth seems to be next to water bodies. where water is trees flowers birds and nature survive and thus make it beautiful to behold.
the Moolavar is Mayappiran seen standing facing east. the thayar is Porkodi Nachiyar. the two theerthas are Pragnasaras and Poonshunai theertha. the vimanam is known as Purushothama vimanam. The Lord appeared to the saptha rishis. The temple is on a small hillock, Nammalwar describes the temple as "Karimanickkathu malai mel manithadam chadukal pol" this description stands good even today the beautiful lotus tank and the emerald like hill described is seen even today like in the glorious past.
the Mahabharata war is too well known the Pandavas had a lot of hesitation to fight against their guru and teacher Dronacharya. The plan was that Dharmaraja was to utter in the hearing of their guru Aswathama Hatathaha at a feverish pitch and at a more softer tone Kunjaraha. Even on hearing this it seems Dronacharya was continuing to fight and engage the pandavas in the encounter. then Bhima is said to have uttered even louder the words Aswathama Hatathaha and it was true what dharmaraja had said. now on hearing Bhima, Dhronacharya is said to have swooned. Drishtadumnya is said to have let loose an arrow and killed the great acharya. here Bhima is said to have been greatly disturbed for what he had done. they the Pandavas lived so righteous a life that this action of theirs caused them so much mental torture and they had to atone for the fault committed. Bhima decided to go on a pilgrimage he went in search of peace and saw the beautiful hill he enquired from the locals and on learning that the God had blessed the saptha rishis there he decided he would also worship the lord at Thiruppuliyur and worship Mayappiran. Very interesting stories are related of the sapta rishis being blessed by perumal and also of Bhima being associated with this temple and of his worshipping and installing the idol here.also the namboodri brahmins and one Nair amoung the 28 member council who administered the affairs of the temple is quiet interesting. everything offered in the temple is of gigantic size the appamas and adas and also a payasam called Chathushatham the minimum quantity of rice used to prepare this payasam is 400 measures. today there is a long list of devotees waiting to perform this feat to express their gratitude to the lord here.
Namallawar has sung 10pasurams on this deity they are in a nature of words uttered by a companion describing the mental anguish of her mistress. the three sets of ten called tholi pasurams of thiruvaimozhi are 3062 -3072;3271- 3281; and 3535- 3545; In all the three sets of pasurams the alwar expounds the philosophy ofananyarhatwam  which is enshrined in the word om which relates I belong to him and to none else.
the first set starting with Theerpaarai yaam eni.....  the lady companion notices that the elderly ;ladies in the village look at her love lorn mistress parankusa nayaki and mistake her behaviour as that of a woman in danger of loosing her senses and they arrange for a veriaattam a dance to exorcise the deamon that they believe has taken hold on the mistress. however the lady companion knows of what has smitten the mistress and tells them that the disease and medicine do not match and that she can be cured if her mistress could get the basil garland of the Perumal and explains the ananyarhathwa state of her mistress.
The second set of pasurams starting with Thuvalil maamani maadam..... here Parankusanayaki has lost her heart to Aravindalochana perumal of Tholaivilli mangalam, the tholi also says ini umakku aasai illai vidumino. meaning she belongs to Aravindalocana and not to herself or you or me or the other. 
The third set starting with Karu manicka malai....... here Parankusa nayaki has attained marriageable age, the parents have fixed a date for her swayamvara and send invitations to select eligible bachelors. the companion learns of this and knows too well that her mistress has voiced her choice of not marrying mortals and that she would willingly give up her life too. She tells the parents after much thoughtthat their daughter is for ever talking of Thirupuliyoor perumal and his great qualities his great achievements and that they should give up the thought of arranging any svayamvara for her. the parents wanted to know if the Thirupuliyoor perumal was a fit companion for their daughter  if he was proficient in vedas was he equally beautiful like their daughter and if he had enough wealth fame qualities of generosity affection etc. she assures them that the Perumal of Kuttanad Puliyoor fulfills all these criteria, even if he does not meet with their approval, their daughter has already set her heart on him. though this reads like a love story the beauty lies in reveling the fundamental truth of life itself. swaroopa gnana. refer 3540 pasuram of Nammalwar.

Thirunavai.

The Moolavar here is Naavai Mukundan or Narayanan seen standing facing east. the Thayar is Malar Mangai Nachiyar. the only shrine in Kerala to have a separate shrine for the thayar. she is also known as Siru devi the theertham is Sengamala saras, the Vimanam is Veda Vimanam. the lord appeared to Gajendra and nine yogis here. this temple has a glorious past even today in its dilapidated condition there is a aura of mysticism and greatness here. the temle is situated on the right bank of the Bharatpuzha river. the river is to kerala what ganga is to the whole country.The great poet of Kerala paid glowing tributes to this river he said the river ganges fascinated poet Kalidasa, the godavari cast a spell on poet Bhavabhooti, the river padma to poet Rabindranath tagore, and the heart of mahakavi Kunhiraman Nair is lost to the rustic and bewitching beauty of Bharatpuzha river seen at its broadest here. This river is equalled to Kasi and Rameswaram and  as in all temples of Kerala here too there are lots of stories connected to the temple.
The Lord appeared to 9 yogis in this kshetram They were Satwanathar, Saalokanathar, Adinathar, Arulithannathar, Mathanganathar, Machendranathar, Kadayanthiranathar, Gorakanathar, Kukutanathar. All of them lived here and worshipped their own Vigraha murthy, but in course of time eight of them disappeared and their vigrahamurthi theywere praying too also disappeared the ninth yogi was greatly disturbed and gave up worship, the lord appeared and wanted to know why he had stopped worshipping him. he promised to worship again if he got to see his eight friends again and god is said to have made it possible for him alone to see them.
another interesting story is of the Maha makam festival that was celebrated here every twelve years just as it is done even today at Kumbakonam. the festivities were conducted in a grand scale but they also had competitions of various sorts. all this is stopped now 
but teltale signs of them still continue as if it were to haunt the place.
then there is a legendary story quoting how Markandeya rushi approached the lord here to escape from Yama and how god advised him to go through the door behind his vigraha and how he should make a linga and worship lord siva. The door was locked by the lord and is not opened to this day. also a bottomless pit at the rear of the vigraha are stories that exist with evidence but hard to believe. there are stories of Adi shankara having taught the haughty people a lesson. also how the eight vigrahamurthy vanished and to this day the vigraha of the lord is seen only knees upwards as on consecration of the idol the garbagriha was opened on the third day itself for the people were afraid that this ninth vi graham also would vanish.  The story of the goddesses  eyes closed etc are all connected to this place. there is even today a shrine next to the sri koil dedicated to lord Vigneswara and there is a concrete slab next to it covering a hollow this slab is not cemented but still seems to be there for centuries with out any dislocation in spite of the no of years this is believed to cover another pit.
The people who lived here were very pious and by the grace of the lord were rich too. this definitely is a blessed place.
Nammalwar has sung in praise of this lord and it is said how Ramanuja charya once when on his visit here is seemed to have asked the local residents how far was Navai divya desam and they replied Kurukum kurukum meaning not far and how ramanujacharya was imagining as to how Nammalwar described this lord and the place so well and also used the local lingo in his verse. he has written 11 pasurams and thirumangai alwar composed two pasurams on the lord here. 

Thirukatkarai

The Moolavar is Katkarai Appan seen standing facing south, the Thayar is Perunselva Nayaki or Vatsalyavalli. the theertha is Kapila theertha. the vimana is Pushkala vimanam. Perumal appeared to Kapila Maharishi. This place was very famous and important also known as Vamana Kshetram or the place were the foot was placed.
The place Thirukkatakarai is very beautiful and scenic. Kapila Maharishi once on his visit was so impressed that he dug a pond grew lotuses and Sengaalineer flowers and worshipped the lord Vishnu. God appeared to him and he requested the lord to continue to stay here and bless the visitors. the area around the temple is sprawling with beauty and is said to have twenty seven other shrines in its 11 acres for various gods and goddesses. each having imposing gopurams and each having its own priest and priests. the dwajasthambha was made of gold and it had a wide amphitheatre as well as an auditorium for presenting events that were prevailing in those times. The temple is a Vamana avatara shrine and even today the broad square mantapam before the magnificent huge presiding deity is impressive. The Chera king Kulasekar Varma or Kulasekar perumal as popularly known has gifted a lot of land and a lot of work here. the onam festival the state festival has its origin from this place.
The hey day when the onam festival lasted for one whole month. Each family in Kerala used to send one member of the family to this place for the festival, the 64 revenue divisions with their local chieftains and the regional representatives would come and camp here each had a place here. each had a duty assigned to him the Zamorin of Kozhikode used to take his station here. the Raja of Edapally officiated as the priest and he used to nominate the person who would perform the pooja. the festivities ended on the thiru onam day in the month of Chingam. the last ten days was specially grand. The pageantry of 64 Caparisoned elephants the decoration, the great feast, the fireworks, the people in the most joyful mood. even to imagine the happenings gives one joy even today the poovidal that is the floral decoration in the mantapam is part of what used to happen in those times the starting of the ruler of cochin proceeding to take part in the festivities itself used to be an impressive function called Atha chamayam of Thirupunithura. this is practiced even today for ten days the important final days in memory of the great festivities happening during days gone by. today the 64 divisions celebrate the festivities in their own place and each makes a clay image of thirukkatkarai appan and pooja is offered to him symbolically. Mahabali the great ruler was blessed with the Lord putting his foot on his head as the true bhakta here.It is said that Mahabali wished to visit his kingdom every year to witness his kingdom. so the people of Kerala perform the festival of onam to welcome their just king and ruler  who had created a paradise on earth for them. when the festivities of Onam are celebrated today is a small replica of what used to be in olden times.

kerala divya desams. Aramula; Thiruvithvacode.

Aramula or Thiruvaranvilai.

The moolavar is Thirukkuralappan also as Parthasarathy. the consort is Padmasini Nachiar. the moolavar is seen standing facing east. the veda vyasa theertha is also called Pampa theertha. the vimana is called Vimana only. Lord appeared to Brahma and Veda vyasa. Its a religious, cultural and historical center. The scenic beauty of Aramula with the hillocks in the north, the captivating quiet river pampa with rich paddy fields, the sugarcane and bamboo groves is bewitching. it is said that the bamboo shoot is cut and taken to temples as flag mast for festivals. the ground is very fertile. even used bamboo when discarded is capable of forming and growing a bamboo fields here. there are four gopurams on the four sides the eastern one being the main and most impressive one. it has eighteen steps leading to it and is compared to the Sabarimala shrine. some believe that these eighteen steps represent the eighteen forces which one has to conquer to attain moksha. no 18 has been very significant in Hindu philosophy. the eastern gopuram is in typical kerala style with two gopuras. the northern gopura has 57 steps at the foot of these steps the river pampa flows. and is the bathing ghat. this temple is 3000 years old.

In Kerala divya desams five temples are associated with the pandavas as already stated.

Dharmaputra at Tiruchitraaru.

Bhima with Kuttanadu Puliyur.

Nakula with Thiruvanvandoor.

Sahadeva with Thirukodidanam.

Arjuna with Aramula.

Arjuna is said to have personally renovated the temple and this was the idol he was worshipping. he had consecrated this idol at a place called Nilakkal Narayanapuram which was surrounded by forests and wild animals the Lord himself decided to move to Aramula and one day disguised as a young brahmachari came southwest wards with the insignia of an umbrella and a stick typical of vamana avatara. when he came to the banks of the pampa river he was taken in by the beauty and scenic splendor, he saw some local workmen building a catamaran which would be used as float to carry bag baggage and persons. the brahmachari requested those workmen to accommodate him too on their craft, as he too planned to go down the stream. Seeing the effulgence on the face of the Brahmachari the workmen felt that He was a holy person and so they built another barge with six bamboo pieces which would float on the water to carry the brahmachari, he boarded the float and reached a place called Idayaranmula as it was almost dusk, the local people accompanied him and placed a lamp before him to enable the brahmachari to perform his evening prayers, this place now is called vilakkumadam. after his prayers the brahmachari started moving the locals followed him he reached a place called Keezhthrikovil and rested there for the night as the area was a low level area, the brahmachari who was god himself  is believed to have ordered the demons residing there to erect overnight a raised platform for a temple. thus a plateau like platform was prepared on the bank of the river. the gigantic hollow dug on the northern bank of the river for raising mud is now known as Ottakuzhi. the idol from Nilakkal was also shifted here on the plateau erected. and the place came to be known as Aramula as the brahmachari came here on a raft or barge of six bamboos. mula means barge and ara is six.
In the Mahabaratha war Krishna is at one point faced with two of his most ardent devotees Arjuna and Bhishma. Krishna had promised that he would not take arms to fight in the war. now Arjuna had to fight with Bhishma his teacher. he was no match to the rain of arrows let loose by the great Bhishma. it looked as if Arjuna would be felled. Krishna lost his cool he got down from the chariot and took a chariot wheel lying on the ground and proceeded towards Bhishma looking as if he was his disc he was holding in his hand. Bhishma then smiled and awaited his end at the hands of Krishna with folded hands. Krishna also realised he had momentarily lost his cool and it is said that it was his love for Arjuna which drove him to this action. the image of Parthasarathy in Aramula is said to represent this pose of Krishna.
The Aramula boat race, is a religious ceremony held on New years day Onam, but this is not like the ones held as sports event. the story goes that a Namboothri family called Mangad  had a senior of the family offering bhiksha to brahmins on the onam day before conclusion of the noon pooja. this was followed religiously for a long time. on one such year on the onam day the senior of the family was quiet anxious as he saw no brahmin approaching his home, he prayed to the Lord of Aramula and said if no brahmin came he would have to fast on onam day. and lo behold when he opened his eyes he saw a young brahmin lad entering his home and he also asked for food. he fed the boy well and said that he should come well on time for the next and succeeding onam days as well. that night the lord appeared in his dream and said that from the next onam the chieftain should make arrangements to send the provisions for the neivedyams to the temple at Aramula itself as he would not be able to make the trip to Kattoor where the chieftain resided. The chieftain from the next onam onwards carried out the Lords command and carried on a big country craft all the provisions to Aramula. on one such occasion some anti social elements planned to way lay the craft and steel the provisions. when word of this plan reached the ears of the villagers it spread like wild fire and from all the 28 villages in the neighbourhood people set out in small catamarans with weapons to protect the thiru Ona thona carrying the provisions this later was followed every year with the tiny bots being well decorated with people  and festoons and music etc its a sight to watch today. the tiny boats were replaced with bigger boats and they travel as a convoy. This has now become a religious ritual, people on either bank of the river receive the procession with religious fervour offering obeisance. the well decorated canoes got replaced with snake boats each carrying not less than a 100 people.   Other important festivities are Khandavadahanam, then there is the bamboo shoots which are transported from Idayaranmula to Aramula this too is done with elephants today. There is a temple for the Goddesses about four kilometers east of Aramula, The Arathu festival of Devi celebrated in the month of meenam takes place on the banks of river Pampa in front of the temple towers of Lord Parthasarathy of Aramula. On that day Lord Parthasarathy is taken to the river bank dressed in all his regal splendor seated on Garuda. The goddess and the God are worshipped together and then the two leave for the respective temples.
Aramula is also the place where the Jewellery of Lord Ayyappa of Sabarimala are kept in safe custody and taken out in a procession for adorning the idol on the eve of Makarajoythi at Sabarimala.

THIRUVITHVACODE.
Thiruvichicode or anju murthy koil. The moolavar here is Uyyavandha Perumal seen standing facing south. the consort is Vithvacodevalli and also Padmapani Nachiyar. the theertha is chakra theertha. the vimana is Thatwakanchana vimana. the lord appeared to Ambarisha rishi. This temple is located on one of Keralas longest rivers Bharatpuzha. Kulashekar alwar has sung 10 verses in praise of the Lord here.
The temple located in the heart of a village entertains no sound that tends to unsettle its tranquility. amidst the stillness it holds sway to the rhythmic ripples of the tiny waves of the gentle river, timelessly complemented by the rustles of long leaved trees that encircle the complex. the sparrow chirping from the wooden shed lends a background music creating a sylvan backdrop. no speeding vehicle cries can reach the vicinity of this temple as though it is in the heart of the village there are no motorable roads. The beautitude that envekops the temple atmosphere overwhelms the devotee the moment he steps into the temple complex. the rustic simplicity of this area is a blessing in disguise which takes you back in space and time. the temple has four vishnu idols and one shiva idol in the same complex and interesting stories connected to this unique temple. The following story was narrated to the Pandavas after the Mahabaratha war when they were visiting holy places to pray and get some peace of mind. the rishis who were living in this beautiful peaceful village narrated the story of The Just King Ambarisha who followed all the rules laid down by Manu for ruling a kingdom. as he had no heir to the throne he undertook severe penance and the lord appeared to him but at first he wanted to test the king so he appeared as Indra and requested the King to ask for a boon. the King was saddened and said he would continue to do penance until Lord Narayana himself appeared to him. the Lord was pleased with his devotion and disclosed his true form. he asked god for the heir to the throne and god promised him a daughter and requested him to perform putra kameshti yaga and he would be blessed with a son too. he went back to his kingdomand was soon blessed with a daughter first who he named Srimathi and later on performing Putra kameshti yaga he got three sons too. he gave his daughter in marriage to Lord Narayana and handing over his kingdom to his sons he proceeded to the forest to meditate and pray to god in due course he got moksha. when the lord had appeared to the Ambarisha rishi he had requested god to show him all his four forms that is how we have all the four as Pradyumna, aniruddha, Sankarshana, and Para Vasudeva. this is a unique feature of this temple. 
How the Siva idol manifested of its own accord here. a devotee of Kasi Viswanatha was residing at kasi and worshipping the lord there one day however he heard that his mother was not well back home he was in a fix as to what to do he asked God to resolve his problem that night in his dream the  Lord told him to go home and that he would accompany him there. the devotee left for home and enroute at Thiruvithvacode as he reached the temple it was time to perform Sandhyavandanam so by the river he placed the umbrella which he was carrying near the altar stone in front of the idol of Lord Vishnu and went and performed his evening prayers and when he came back to retrieve his umbrella he found the umbrella had got entrenched in the altar. he tried to pull out with force when the stone broke and a Siva linga emerged. those were the times when Saivism and Vaishnavism flourished together. the walls of the temple have beautiful murals of Dasavatara, pootana vada kamsa vada etc. 
Kulashekar alwar has sung ten beautiful verses extolling the Lord here.

Thiruchengannoor.(idols prayed to by the Pandavas.)

The Pandavas are said to have toured the region of Kerala extensively while travelling incognito. it is believed that they have installed the idols they were worshipping in five different places, these places are in and around Chengannoor, these are temples at Thiruchittat i.e. Chengannoor itself; Thiruppuliyur, Thiruvanmandoor, Thiruaranmula and thirukodithanam. all within less than 10 mile distance.
The Moolavar here is seen standing facing west known as Imaya Varappar. thayar is Sengamavalli, the theertham is Sanga theertham, or Thiruchittrar and the Vimana is Jagajyothi vimanam. the lord appeared to Shiva.
It is believed that this idolwas installed by and worshipped by Dharmaputra the eldest of the Pandavas. this in bygone days used to be a place vested with Vanchi Puzhachiefs, there were no of priests in charge of daily pooja, with regular Neivedyam and feeding of many brahmins. there are records that nearly 23 measures of rice used to be cooked, the temple also had 200 paras of paddy fields attached to it. festivals were conducted with pomp and pageantry. temple arts such as Chakkiyar koothu, Nangayar koothu, Koodiattam, Koothukoli and Panchavadyam.
Two interesting stories connected to this place begs relating them here again as they are very interesting.
Kasyapa manasaputra of Brahma had two sons named Suran and Padman. one day they approached their father and requested him to advice them as to how they could become powerful immortal and become one body instead of two. they wanted invincibility at the hands of the trimurthis. their father advised them to do japa and seek boon from Shiva. They did as they were advised and Lord Shiva appeared before them and granted their wish. thus sura and padman became Surapadman. they became bloated with pride and started disturbing the yagas being performed by the rishis, they could take different forms and they started disturbing the devas too. the devas approached Siva and asked him to withdraw the boon granted to surapadman. Lord Siva sat meditating by the river Thiruchittrar. Lord Narayana appeared before him, he reminded Siva as how he always caused problems by being very generous in granting boons. he gave a solution to Siva that the boon was only invincibility by the Trimurthi. so Sivas son Subramanya could be asked to solve the problem. Lord Siva was pleased and thus Subramaniam was asked to put an end to the evil deeds of the asura. The fight was fierce towards the end they took the form of a gigantic Mango tree, Now Subramaniam split the tree in two and saw to it that it was flung far away in opposite directions. surapadman lost their identity and they fell at the feet of Subramania and sought forgiveness. and explanation as to how it was possible that they were defeated. As they were now humbled Subramaniam told them that they were eternal and had not lost their lives only as before they were again two entities. they begged Subramaniam to grant them a boon just as Garuda defeated by Perumal sought a gift and got the boon from Narayana. they too requested that their request to become his vahana and insignia be conceded to that is how one became the cock on the flag post and the other a peacock his vahana. 
The Dharmaraja story  runs like this Dharmaputra was given the task of having to utter a part lie during the Mahabarata war. he was to say within hearing of Dronacharya who could not be defeated easily a sentence in such a way that the first few words must be said in a higher pitch and the ending more silently. As they all knew that Dharmaraja would not under any circumstance utter a lie.
He was to say Aswathama hathaha and elephant at the lower pitch.
But doing this too caused much pain to Dharmaputra. his mental peace was disturbed he had to atone for the sin he felt, he left for a pilgrimage, he came to Chengannoor, when he heard the local story of the Lord Imaya Varappa Perumal had given darshan to Shiva he too wanted to Lord to set his mind at rest, he therefore prayed to the Lord, he was blessed, as thanks giving he renovated the temple and installed the idol worshipped by him here.
Another feature to be noted is the Vishnu Idol here has the Conch in the right hand and the Sri chakra in the left hand.

Urellam

The Populace sleeps, the world is pitch-darkness.
The waters have calmed, night stretches into eternity.
The Lord who swallowed the earth sleeps on a serpent couch,
He comes not, alas! who can save my soul now?

A ghastly pail engulfs the sea, earth and sky
Stretching into one sinister night.
My golden hued Lord does not come, alas!
O sinful heart, you too are not with me: who can save me anymore?

See, you are not with me, O heart!
The long night stretches into an aeon.
My Kakutstha wielding the scorching bow does not come.
Sinner, born as a female, I know not how to end my life.

The radiant sun too has hid himself,
Unable to bear the sight of a maiden in distress.
My black bull, Lord with large eyes and red lips
Does not come; who can cure my love-sickness?

Who enquires of me My mother and my sakhis
Sleep through the night never asking what happened,
My dark hued Lord too does not come.
Wicked me, my name will tell tales and not let me die!

An incurable love sickness torments my soul,
An aeon of darkness hangs over my sunken eyes,
Mt discus Lord eternal too does not come.
who on earth can save this soul?

The sky is filled with dense powered pitch.
The long night stretches like an aeon.
The lord of spotless conch and discuss does not appear.
Yea gods! what shall I do? My acts are wicked as fire.

A single night stretches into seven aeons, ye gods!
Hanging over my person and thinning my soul.
Alas my Lord with discus does not come.
The cool spring breeze scorches like fire, what shall i do?

Darkness packed with fine pitch scorches like fire.
The beautiful tall chariot of the sun does not appear, alsas,
The wealthy Lord of lotus eyes too does not come, alas,
Who can cure my heart's malady?Alas! I stand and melt.

Like me the wide sky too melts
Passing into fine droplets into the night.
The world sleeps tight, alas, not once saying:
The Lord who measured the earth then shall not come.

This decad of the colourful radiant andadi of thousand songs
By Satakopan of Kurugur surrounded by excellent groves,
Is addressed to the Lord who did yoga like one sleeping:
Singing this will secure heaven after death.

another for Kale Narasimha

Another useful reference in this context is Sri Thyagaraja Swami's Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam where Sadguru Thyagaraja portrays Lord Narasimha as his Abhimana Daivam Sri Rama in the Kriti Daya Rani Daya Rani. Interestingly, this work is devoid of the Ugra (violent) aspect of Lord Narasimha and focusses exclusively on Prahlada's Bhakti. The Krithi Kambadinda Vodadu Bandayo Narasimha, provides a very moving description of Lord Narasimhar emerging from the pillar to the rescue of his Bhakta, Prahlada. 

Further references to Bhagavan Narasimha can be found in thePanchamruta Stotram of Lord Rama (cf: Harivamsha PuraNam). The Stotram begins with Ahobilam Narasimham Gatva Rama PratapavAn. It is important to note that this Stotram includes salutations of Lord Narasimha in Para, Vyuha, Vibhava, Archa and Antaryamitva forms. In particular, the line "Narayana Achyuta Nrisimho Namo Namaste" dwells on the Antaryamitva aspect of Lord Narasimhar and points to the fact that Narasimha is Achyutan personified. At the arrival of Lord Krishna during her Swayamvara, Rukmini exclaims "KalE Narasimha Narasimha", in 

reference to the timely appearance of Lord Krishna, akin to that of 

Lord Narasimha. The line Meena Krute... of the Venkateshwara Suprabatham dealing with the Dashavataram dwells on Bhagavan Narasimha as "Nrisimha VarNin". 

The greatness of Bhagavan Narasimha is brilliantly described by Swami 

Desikan in the KamasikAshtakam. This Stotram containing eight verses, 

dwells on the Archa Murthy of Bhagavan Narasimhar seated in Yogic posture on the banks of the Vegavathi river. Bhagavan Narasimha is considered to have arrived at this Kshetram on his own accord and worship offered to him confers the seekers with the boon of fulfilling their desires. In the salutation "Tapaneeya RahasyaNAm Sara: KamAsikhA Hari:" Bhagavan Narasimhar is extolled as the secret of the (Purva and Uttara) Tapaneeya Upanishad of the AtharvaNa Vedam. This Upanishad contains a brilliant Gayathri Mantram in praise of Bhagavan Narasimha. Perhaps in keeping with the statement of Tapaneeya RahasyaNam, this Gayathri Mantram is not very well known and is seldom used in Homams. 

Swami Desikan uses the description Adbhuta Kesari to salute Bhagavan 

Narasimha. This salutation ties in very nicely with the reference "Narasimhavapu Sriman Keshava Purushottama" from the Vishnu Sahasranam. 

The import of Swami Desikan's message is that the half-man-half lion was beautiful to look at. The beauty (Adbhuta) of Narasimhar was that he had manifested himself in every atom surrounding the Sabha of HiraNyakashipu in his anxiety to help Prahlada. Bhagavan Narasimha decided to reveal his omnipresence in this manner so that he could be found anywhere HiraNyan went looking for proof of His all-pervasiveness. 

KamasikAshtakam dwells on the three eyes of Bhagavan Narasimhar (Sun, Moon and Agni). A benevolent glance of Lord Narasimhar is capable of curing anyone from the three kinds of illness (Adhyatmika, Adi Bhowdika and Adi Daivika).

The hands (competing with each other to destroy Hiranyan and grace Prahlada) and eyes of Bhagavan Narasimha simultaneously radiating compassion for Prahlada and striking terror in HiraNyan is beautifully brought out by Swami Desikan in the salutations Vikasvara Nakhasvarukshata: Hiranya Vakshasthalee and SatapatalabheeshaNe SarabasAttahasOtpateh, respectively. 

This symbolizes the Pida Pariharam (for Bhaktas) and Pida Pradanam (for Dushtas) attributes of Bhagavan Narasimha. Further connections between 

the Pida Pradanam and Pida Pariharam aspects of Bhagavan Narasimhar can be inferred from the Vishnu Sahasranamam salutation "ParitrANaya SadhUnAm VinAshayacha DushkritAm" with emphasis on ParitrANaya SadhUnAm, i.e., protection of Sajjanas. The destruction of evil is only a by product which results from the protection of the righteous. 

Further indications of the Pida Pariharam and Pida Pradanam aspects of Bhagavan Narasimhar are evident from the fact that he is the only incarnation of Lord Narayana who is seen wearing his Padhukas constantly, i.e., he is ever willing and ready to rush to the succour of his Bhaktas.