Whatever is good for your devotees and for us, O Narahari, O Hari, accomplish it swiftly, O knower of what must be done, O you whose radiance equals ten thousand suns of the final dissolution.
O you of roaring, fierce mane, of hard knitted brow and fierce curving eye; O man-lion whose face blazes with leaping flames — destroy my enemies, O Hari, destroy.
హరే శిఖిశిఖోద్భాస్వదురః క్రూరనఖోత్కర । అరీన్ సంహర దంష్ట్రోగ్రస్ఫురజ్జిహ్వ నృసింహ మే ॥
hare śikhiśikhodbhāsvaduraḥ krūranakhotkara | arīn saṃhara daṃṣṭrograsphurajjihva nṛsiṃha me ||
O Hari, whose chest blazes like the crest of a flame, bristling with cruel claws — with your terrible fangs and quivering tongue, destroy my enemies, O Nṛsiṃha.
jaṭharasthajagajjāla karakoṭyudyatāyudha | kaṭikalpataṭitkalpavasanārīn hare hara ||
O you who hold the web of the worlds within your belly, weapons upraised in your millions of hands, your garment flashing at the waist like lightning — destroy the enemies, O Hari.
This new Naraharyaṣṭaka, spoken by the ascetic Vādirāja — one who recites it, by the grace of Nṛsiṃha, destroys his foes in an instant.
About Naraharyaṣṭaka
Naraharyaṣṭaka is a Sanskrit stotra, composed by Śrī Vādirāja Tīrtha, addressed to Narasimha — a Ashtakam. It is presented here in Devanagari, Roman (IAST), Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, each verse with its English meaning. Source text: sanskritdocuments.org.
Also known as: Narahari Ashtaka.
A revered Mādhwa saint and pontiff of Sode, and a prolific poet-scholar renowned for works such as the Daśāvatāra Stuti and Lakṣmī Śobhāne.
Naraharyaṣṭaka is an eight-verse hymn to Narasiṃha, the man-lion form of Viṣṇu, by Śrī Vādirāja Tīrtha. It recalls the avatar's ferocity and mercy — the pillar that tore open, Prahlāda's devotion, and the lord who is simultaneously terrible and tender.
Who composed the Narahari Ashtaka?
Naraharyaṣṭaka is attributed to Śrī Vādirāja Tīrtha, the Dvaita philosopher-saint of Uḍupi. The hymn reflects the Mādhwa tradition's devotion to Narasiṃha as a form of Viṣṇu who protects devotees with fierce compassion.
What is the meaning of the Narahari Ashtaka?
"Narahari" is a compound of nara (man) andhari (lion) — the man-lion. Each verse of Naraharyaṣṭaka addresses Narasiṃha with specific epithets and recalls the narrative of Prahlāda's rescue from Holikā and the demon king Hiraṇyakaśipu.
How do I read the Narahari Ashtaka on Avabodhak?
Every verse of Naraharyaṣṭaka is shown in Devanagari, Roman (IAST) and English meaning. Free to read, no login required; the practice view lets you chant along verse by verse.