Marble Narasimha Killing the Demon 15"

The Story of Narasimha and the sculpture: Hiranyakashipu (the brother of Hiranyaksha who was killed by the Varaha Avatar of Lord Vishnu) wanted to take revenge on the devotees and in particular on Lord Vishnu. He wanted to become the master of all the three worlds - Heaven, Earth & Pathala. He went to Mount Mandarachala and began penance which continued for years. Due to the intensity of Penance, Lord Brahma appeared before Hiranyakashipu.  He asked Lord Brahma for immortality as a reward for his years of penance . Brahma, however, declined, saying "All living beings must face death Hiranyakashipu. You can, however, choose your death wish."

Hiranyakashipu then asked for three conditions, as his death wish, "'O Brahma, let not death come to me either by man or beast, nor devil, nor god shall cause my death by day or by night with steel or stone or wood, indoors or outdoors, or earth or in sky. Grant me undisputed lordship over the world". Brahma agreed and Hiranyakashipu got his death wishes granted. Thus he became practically immortal.

After securing his death wishes Hiranyakashipu conquered  the worlds and became a demon tyrant.  He banned all pujas to Lord Vishnu and declared himself a God. The devotees of Vishnu approached Lord Vishnu for help.  Lord Vishnu asked them to be patient. Hiranyakashipu's wife Kayadhu gave birth to Prahlad in the Ashrama of Narada.  Prahlad grew up and became an ardent devotee of Vishnu.  Hiranyakashipu, however, wanted his son to be a strong and ruthless King like himself.  Realizing that Prahlad always prayed to Lord Vishnu, Hiranyakashipu tried to school his son against the influence of Lord Vishnu.  All their efforts to influence Prahlad against Lord Vishnu failed and Prahlad was still as devoted as ever to Lord Vishnu.

Hiranyakashipu ordered his servants to kill Prahlad if he refused to accept the supremacy of his father. They tried to kill him by throwing down a mountain, drowning, poisoning, and burning him.  They failed in all their attempts because Lord Vishnu was protecting his devotee.  King Hiranyakashipu was very angry on hearing the reports on the failed attempts on the life of his son, Prahlad.

One day the king challenged his son in the open court:

"Prahlad! Is my enemy, whom you worship, present anywhere here?".

Prahlad replied, "Vishnu is omnipresent. There's not a single place where he's not found."

Hiranyakashipu's fury was at its climax. He heated an iron pillar and then asked Prahlad, "Can you embrace this pillar if your Vishnu is in it also?"

Prahlad did not hesitate for a moment but rushed towards the pillar and embraced it.  The heated iron did not burn him.  The king got up from his throne in fury and hit the pillar with his mace.

And to his surprise! The pillar cracked with a thundering sound and Vishnu appeared there in the form of Narasimha.

One half of his body was of a lion and the other half of a man. He had matted hair on his head, large moustaches on the face and terrible teeth in the mouth. His paws had terrible nails on them..

Hiranyakashipu remembered his first death wish, "To be killed by some one who is neither human nor beast." It was also the twilight hour, neither day nor night, the second death wish.

He sat on the threshold of the court room, placed the body of the demon on his thighs, and pierced his nails into the body of the demon and broke open his stomach. The demon was killed on the spot in a moment. The place was neither inside nor outside. This was Hiranyakashipu�s third death wish.

Lord Narasimha was furious and roared.  However, he was pacified when Prahlad touched his feet and goddess Lakshmi also tried to cool him.  Lord Narasimha then made Prahlad the King. 

About Makrana White Marble:  Makrana marble is regarded as being the oldest marble in age and the finest quality.  Makrana marble is named after a small town in Rajasthan, India where it is mined.  Artists have always sought out makrana marble because of its pure white color and its hardness.  Makrana marble was made famous for its use as the principle stone in the building of the Taj Mahal.  In sculpture the marble is often hand painted in vibrant colors giving a beautiful contrast to the pure white of the marble.

The Ten Avatars of Lord Vishnu

Vishnu's preserving, restoring, and protecting powers have been manifested in the world in a series of ten earthly incarnations known as avatars.  The avatars arrive either to prevent a great evil or to affect good upon the earth.  Nine are said to have descended already: three in non-human form, one in hybrid form and five in human form.  The most important are Rama, fearless upholder of the law of dharma and Krishna; youthful hero of the Bhagavad-Gita Vishnu's final avatar is expected to arrive at a time when the earth is at the end of its present cycle, with the purpose of destroying the world and subsequently recreating it.

1.   Matsya the Fish - Saved humanity and the sacred Veda text from the flood.
2.   Kurma the Turtle - Helped create the world by supporting it on his back. 
3.   Varaha the Boar - Raised the earth out of water with his tusks.
4.   Narashima, half-man, half lion - Destroyed a tyrant demon king.
5.   Vamana the Dwarf - Subdued king Bali, a powerful demon.
6.   Parashurama the Brahmin - Destroyed the warrior caste.
7.   Noble Rama - Rescued his wife Sita and killed the demon Ravana. Upholder of the dharma.
8.   Krishna the Divine Cowherder - told the Epic poem Bhagavad-Gita to the warrior Arjuna.
9.   Buddha - The enlightened one.
10. Kalki the Horse - Destroyer of the world.  Yet to come to the earth.

The piece is for indoor use only. Dust the piece as needed using a cotton piece of cloth. Do not use any cleaing solutions on the painted areas.

USA Shipping

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This sculpture is in our Oceanside, California store and ready for immediate shipping. The shipping charge is automatically calculated by UPS for shipping within the United States. Each sculpture is usually shipped within 24 hours of the order with the exception of the weekend. To obtain a shipping quote simply add the statue you are interested in to your shopping cart and then select click on the "Calculate Domestic Shipping" button. Lotus Sculpture uses Instapak foam injection packing system or bubble wrap and recycled peanuts to ensure that all our pieces arrive undamaged. Click here to learn more about Lotus Sculptures packing.

International Shipping

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This sculpture is in our Oceanside, California store and ready for immediate shipping to anywhere in the world. If you are in Canada please select "UPS Standard to Canada" for the shipping option. If you are an international customer please select "International Shipping" during checkout. The shipping charge will be calculated as $0. Lotus Sculpture will email you the correct shipping cost subject to your approval or you may call us at 760-994-4455 or email us at info@lotussculpture.com for a shipping quote. Lotus Sculpture uses Instapak foam injection packing system or bubble wrap and recycled peanuts to ensure that all our pieces arrive undamaged. Click here to learn more about Lotus Sculptures packing.