Shloka 175
Narasiṃha’s Greatness and the Slaying of Hiraṇyakaśipu
Boon, Portents, and Cosmic Restoration
तरुणादित्यसंकाशो मेरुश्चैव महान्गिरिः । यक्षराक्षसगंधर्वैर्नित्यं सेवितकंदरः
taruṇādityasaṃkāśo meruścaiva mahāngiriḥ | yakṣarākṣasagaṃdharvairnityaṃ sevitakaṃdaraḥ
Gunung Meru, gunung yang agung, bersinar seperti matahari muda; gua dan lurahnya sentiasa diziarahi serta dihormati oleh Yakṣa, Rākṣasa dan Gandharva.
Unspecified narrator (context not provided in the input excerpt)
Concept: There is a spiritual ‘center’ to existence—an axis of orientation; beings gravitate to luminous centers, just as the mind should gravitate to the divine.
Application: Create a ‘Meru’ in daily life: a steady practice (japa, pūjā, Ekādaśī discipline) that becomes the axis around which duties revolve.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: mountain
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Mount Meru towers like a pillar of sunrise, its slopes glowing with youthful solar light and its caves alive with music. Yakṣas guard jeweled grottoes, Rākṣasas lurk at shadowed crags, and Gandharvas drift through the air with vīṇās, turning the mountain into a living crossroads of realms.","primary_figures":["Meru (cosmic mountain)","Yakṣas","Rākṣasas","Gandharvas (with vīṇā)"],"setting":"Cosmic mountain with radiant slopes, jeweled caves, sky-paths, and terraces overlooking layered worlds","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["sunrise gold","saffron orange","sapphire blue","jade green","amethyst purple"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Meru as a central radiant mountain with gold leaf dominating the slopes, gem-studded cave entrances, Gandharvas with vīṇās in ornate crowns, Yakṣa guardians with jeweled maces, shadowed Rākṣasa figures at the edges, rich reds/greens, symmetrical sacred composition with embossed textures.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: luminous mountain bathed in dawn, delicate figures of Gandharvas floating with instruments, refined facial features, cool blues in distant skies, detailed flora on terraces, subtle contrast between bright slopes and shadowed ravines where Rākṣasas appear.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines of Meru with radiant yellow/orange fields, stylized Gandharvas and Yakṣas with large expressive eyes, patterned jewelry, rhythmic cave motifs, strong color blocks (red/yellow/green) and temple-wall grandeur.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Meru as a central lotus-mountain mandala, deep blue background with gold highlights, floral borders with lotus and kalpavṛkṣa motifs, Gandharvas arranged symmetrically like petals with vīṇās, jeweled cave patterns repeated as decorative elements."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"celebratory","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["vīṇā strains","soft temple bells","wind at high altitude","distant celestial chorus","conch shell (faint)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मेरुश्चैव = मेरुः + च + एव; महान्गिरिः = महान् + गिरिः; गंधर्वैर्नित्यं = गंधर्वैः + नित्यम्.
FAQs
It depicts Mount Meru as a radiant cosmic axis and a populated mythic landscape, emphasizing that divine or semi-divine beings inhabit and move through its caves and ravines.
Direct bhakti instruction is not explicit here; the verse primarily serves cosmographic narration. In Purāṇic reading, such descriptions support devotion indirectly by portraying the grandeur of the divine cosmos.
An explicit ethical injunction is not stated in this single verse; the implied lesson is reverence for the ordered cosmos and recognition that the world contains diverse classes of beings with their own domains.