Sharabha Deva

शरभ देव

Sharabha Deva, what beautiful form is Yours,
Neither a lion, nor human, nor bird are You.
How many arms have You, how many legs,
Why did You appear this way to Narasimha?
You have come to show, Lord, this fiery form,
To Your devotees who wish to see You,
Neither as human, nor animal, nor bird,
But all three in One, combined, united.
Those sharp claws and those pointy teeth,
Fear in our hearts and minds You instill.
Yet the wise always know, O dear Sharabha Deva,
That You are the epitome of compassion itself.

O Shiva, You have shown Yourself as Sharabha,
To tear asunder our worldly pangs of desire.
This creation is held together by You, Sharabha,
And indeed ripped apart by You alone at the end.
Sharabha, Your bodies are many, limbs unlimited,
Your forms unknown, Your glory unbound.
Deign make Yourself known to us, dear Lord,
For we see You not in every atom of world,
Embracing us within every fiber of our very being.
It is only Your painted image, blazing with flames,
That we look up to, awe-struck, and meditate upon.

Sharabha Deva, Lord mine of mighty wing span,
You must be the one the Vedas call Garutman.
For none else can encompass the universe like You,
Who is but that Nataraja, who spans the universe.
You are that Omkara, You are existence and bliss,
Ignorant indeed is He who sees not whom You are.
Your limbs and great body is the abode of all beings,
Your feet the earth, Your midsection the ethereal world,
Your head, O Lord, is the causal world so glorious.
In this splendid form You have flown into my heart,
Yet, O Sharabha Deva, You are beyond form all the same.

|| Aum Sharabhaya Namah ||

© Agnideva, 2007

Read the chapter on Appearance of Sharabha from the Shiva Purana.