While for thousands of years, the story of Narasimha (alternatively transliterated as “Nrsimha”) avatara of Vishnu ended with Prahlada placating the form that slayed his father Hiranyakashipu, when the Shaiva sect emerged, they introduced a story of Sharabha unlike the one mentioned in the Mahabharata. This form of Shiva is said to have subdued Narasimha who had lost His cool following the fury He had unleashed to kill the first birth of Jaya of the duo Jaya-Vijaya, the guards of Vaikuntha cursed by Brahmakumaras for not letting them meet Vishnu. Not to be outdone, Vaishnavas came up with a new form of Vishnu post-Narasimha: Gandabherunda. This story is now widely known, thanks to the world wide web, but few websites offer citations from holy texts that support the story.

The Wikipedia articles on Sharabha and Gandabherunda do not have it; tourism websites that help locate shrines dedicated to these gods don’t have it either. A volume of Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) comics (illustration below), which deals with the story, says that the two gods — Shiva’s form Sharabha and Vishnu’s form Gandabherunda — patched up after a fight. However, while ACK backs the Sharabha part with citations, it does not look for Sri Vidya commentaries to back the Gandabherunda story.

In the Mahabharata, Sharabha appears in the list of edible animals, the mrigajatis, the animal group of antelope, deer, hare, bear, ruru deer, sambar, gayal, boar and buffalo, which were offered as part of food at dinner to guests. The older epic, the Ramayana, while mentioning Sharabha primarily as an incarnation of Shiva, is the name of a monkey king. It is also a reference to heroes and serpent nāgas and one of the names of Vishnu or a name of Buddha.
In defining the ecological theme in Hindu medicine related to the jungle and the aroma of meats, Sharabha is a deer native to Kashmir, Nepal and Sikkim. However, the features explained are of an eight-legged animal the size of a camel with huge horns and conjectured as a large Himalayan goat.
Shaivas claim Gandabherunda is a concoction, but…
According to T Richard Blurton’s Hindu art — Sharabha, Harvard University Press (page 123), and Janmajit Roy’s Bhagavata Purana, Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (pages 93–95), the legend of Sharabha fighting Narasimha brings out the rivalry between the devotees of Vishnu (the Vaishnava sect) and those of Shiva (the Shaiva sect).
David Smith’s The Dance of Siva Religion, Art and Poetry in South India, Volume 7, Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions, Cambridge University Press (page 193), says that the Chola dynasty based in what is now Tamil Nadu was Shaiva. They pushed their sectarian agenda during their reign, evident from the four Sharabha images, the earliest at the Vikramsolishwaram temple near Kumbakonam built by Vikrama Chola (1118–35), the book of history says. The other images are at Darasuram and Kampahareshvarar temple, Thirubuvanam built by a Chola ruler, Kulottunga Chola III where Sharabha’s image is housed in a separate shrine.

Shaivas claim that there is no description of Gandabherunda in any authentic Purana or Agama Vedic texts, but Sharabheshwara is found in a plethora of scriptures including Skanda Purana, Bramahanda Purana, Shiva Purana, Linga Purana etc. They cite Sharabha Upanishad in Gyana Khanda of Atharvaveda, which declares Him as the Vedic god and most fierce incarnation of Veerbhadra.
Tantra and Agama texts describe Sharabha with detailed procedures for sadhana on the deity, His worship, rituals, Tantra, mantra and yantra. He is also known as the Akasha Bhairava in Agamas and Tantra.
Shaivas say Gandabherunda is a recent interpolation of a bird that never existed whereas the fact is that all the Puranas were not written in one go and several Shaiva Puranas are newer than the oldest Vishnu Puranas. Therefore, if Gandabherunda is an afterthought, at one point in time, Sharabha was an afterthought too.
Gandabherunda in Tantra
The Gandabherunda form of Narasimha is worshipped mainly by believers of Tantra. There are multiple sub-forms of Sri Gandabherunda that are but revealed only by a qualified guru to the disciple. They are Ashtamukha Gandabherunda Narasimha (eight-faced), Dwaadasha Mukha Gandabherunda Narasimha (12-faced), Ūrdhwa Mukha Gandabherunda Narasimha (22-faced), Dwaatrimshanmukha Gandabherunda Narasimha (12-faced), Panchaashanmukha Gandabherunda Narasimha (50-faced).
The qualification for the worship of these forms is Narayana Ashtaakshari and Nrsimha Mantraraja (also known as the Nrsimha anushtubh mantra). The Mysore royal family has been worshippers under the Sri Vidya order. They were initiated into the secret Sri Vidya sect centuries ago.
Gandabherunda Nrsimha Aradhana is considered a part of some Sri Vidya schools. The Gandabherunda symbol (the double bird) in the coat of arms was borrowed/extended by Karnataka from the Mysore royal family tradition when the State was formed on 1 November 1950. Some information in this section was taken from Kamakoti Mandali (an online forum of Sri Vidya worshippers).
Gandabherunda: Scriptures backing the story
The Astamukhagandabherunda Kalpa of Vishnu Yamal Tantra talks about Gandabherunda. This is a secret tantric deity, disclosed only to advanced sadhakas and the unavailability of Vishnu Yamala, the Sharabha-created Ashtamukhi Gandabherunda Stuti is available online, which can be authenticated by Tantric sadhakas of Lakshmi-Narasimha from Vishnu Yamal.
The stuti is as follows:
ॐ नमो भगवन्विष्णो आदिवैकुण्ठनायक। परात्पराय देवाय परेशाय नमो नमः॥1॥
The above means: “Om! Salutations to Bhagavan Vishnu, the god of Adi Vaikuntha, the god who is higher than the highest, I bow to the supreme lord.
परब्रह्माय विश्वाय विश्वनाथाय ते नमः। परमात्माय गुह्याय जगज्जननहेतवे। सृष्टिस्थित्यन्तरूपाय आदिभूताय ते नमः॥2॥
“O supreme Brahman, you are the universal master of the universe. O mysterious supreme soul, You are the cause of the creation of the universe. Obeisances unto You, who are the original form of creation, maintenance and end.”
नमस्ते नारसिंहाय गण्डभेरुण्डरूपिणे। नमस्ते व्याघ्रवक्त्राय सर्वदुःखविनाशिने॥3॥
“Obeisances to You, who is Narasimha in the form of Ganda bherunda . O tiger-faced god, You destroy all suffering.
नमस्ते अश्ववक्त्राय सर्वविद्याप्रदायिने। नमो वराहवक्त्राय सर्वसम्पत्प्रदायिने ॥ ४॥
“Obeisances unto You, who have the mouth of a horse and who bestow all knowledge. Obeisances unto You, who have the mouth of a boar and who bestow all opulences.”
नमो वानरवक्त्राय सर्वशत्रुविनाशिने। नमो गरुडवक्त्राय दुष्टपन्नगहारिणे॥5॥
“Obeisances to the monkey-faced god who destroys all enemies. Obeisances to the face of Garuḍa, who destroys the evil serpents.
नमो भल्लुकवक्त्राय शत्रुस्तम्भनकारिणे। अष्टास्य गण्डभेरुण्डरूपाय शीघ्रगामिने॥6॥
“Obeisances to You, whose face is like that of an owl, and who stuns the enemy. O eight-headed one, you have the form of Gandabherunda and you move swiftly.
कल्पान्तकालनिर्घोषगर्जितायोग्ररूपिणे। अनेककोटि शरभभक्षणाय महात्मने॥7॥
“O form of the fierce, thunderous roar of the end of the millennium. O great soul, you have devoured millions of Sharabhas.”
द्वात्रिंशत्कोटिहस्ताय द्वात्रिंशायुधधारिणे। महते भीमरूपाय नारसिंहाय ते नमः॥8॥
“He holds 32 crore hands and 32 weapons. O great and frightening form of Narasimha, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.
श्रीअष्टमुखगण्डभेरुण्डनृसिंहकल्पे ब्रह्मसनत्कुमारसंवादे शरभशिवकृतः स्तवस्सुसम्पूर्णः॥
“This ends the stava for the sankalpa of Ashtamukha Gandabherunda from the dialogues of BrahmaSanatkumaras created by Sharabha-Shiva.”

This form of Narasimha devoured millions of Sharabhas. Quotations of different Puranas like Vamana, Garuda, Kurma, Agni, Varaha etc from works like Śaiva Sarvasva Khandanam of Vijendra Teertha and Paramatika Upanishad Bhashya of Srinivas Dikshit (12th century) mention Narasimha Himself kills Sharabha with his nails.
Srinivas Dikshit of the 12th century quotes the following shloka from Garuda Purana in his bhashya (commentary):
हन्तुमभ्यागतं रौद्रं शरभं नरकेसरी। नखैर्विदारयामास हिरण्यकशिपुं यथा॥ निकृत्तबाहूरुशिरा वज्रकल्पमुखैर्नखैः। मेरुपृष्ठे नृसिंहेन सहस्रार्कसमं च तत्॥
“Narasimha came ready to kill Sharabha; He split Him with His nails just as he split Hiranyakashyapu. He cut off Sharabha’s arms and heads with His diamond-like claws and mouth, via the back of Meru by Narasimha who was shining like a thousand suns.”
Padma Purāña hails Narasimha as “नृसिंहो वीरभद्रजित्” — one who conquered Virabhadra (in the form of Sharabha as in the context of Narasimha, it was Virabhadra who showed Shiva’s Sharabha form).
Vijendra Teertha in his Shaiva Sarvasva Khandanam quotes the following verses from a Purana:
निकृत्य बाहूरुशिरा वज्रकल्पमुखैनखैः। मेरुपृष्ठे नृसिंहेन शरमश्छाय सोऽपतत्॥
“Chopping off many heads (of Sharabha) with His nails that were equal to adamantine (vajra), Narasimha who towered like Meru (mountain), also (in addition to Hiranyakashipu) overcame Sharabha.” (Vamana Purana)
स. छुपञ्छाननमष्टपाद पक्षद्वयाढ्यं घननीलगात्रम् स्फुरन्महातीव सहस्रहस्तं सहस्रशस्त्रं शरभस्वरूपम्॥ करदादय प्रत्येक मुखं छुपुटद्वयम्। विदार्य छ नृसिंहस्तं हिरण्यकशिपु यथा॥
“The form of Sharabha had a beak, the face of a lion, with eight feet and limbs which were a dense black. It was throbbing with the intensity (of anger), had bloodied hands, with a thousand weapons. Narasimha, acting mercilessly as in the case of Hiranyakashipu, tore apart with His hands (ie, nails), the beaks on every single one of Sharabha’s faces at their folds.” (Kurma Purana)
ततः क्शणेन शरभो नादपूरितदिण्मुखः। अभ्याशमगमद्विष्णोर्व्यनददैरवस्वनम्॥ स तमभ्यागतं दृष्ट्वा नृसिंहः शरभं रुषा। नखैर्विदारयामास हिरण्यकशिपु यथा॥
“Thereupon, in a moment, the sound from Sharabha’s mouth intensified in all directions, approaching Vishnu (the all-pervading one) with a terrible roar. Narasimha, having seen that arrival of Sharabha with that (sound), became furious and disposed (of Sharabha) with His nails as He had done in the case of Hiranyakashipu.” (Agni Purana)
Shaivas object
Shaivas may say that these shlokas are not there in the print versions of the said Puranas (Motilal and Geeta Press versions, for example) and so, these shlokas must be fake. But before these verses, Vijendra Teertha quotes a verse from Skanda Purana as purvapaksha, which mentions Sharabha pacifying Narasimha and asking Him not to manifest such fury ever again and even that verse is not found in today’s version of the Skanda Purana.
Moreover, making up shlokas would mean giving his opponents like Shaiva Advaitin Appaya Dikshit (his staunch opponent), a chance to defame him. So, it is unlikely Vijendra Teertha concocted shlokas in such an explosive context.
Even today, several Puranas like Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Dharmottara (a part of Visnu Purana), Narasimha, Garuda, Matsya and Padma Puranas establish the supremacy of Narasimha over all gods including Shiva.
Here’s how Shiva prays to Narasimha in the Dhanvantari Samhita of the Garuda Purana:
“I meditate upon Nrsimha, whose eyes are like the rising sun, and tongues of a blazing fire are emitted from whose lotus-white mouth. I meditate upon the endless, originless Nrisinha, the original subjectivity, the most excellent lord of the universe and its final refuge.” This source says Narasimha defeated Sharabha without needing to transform into a different manifestation. More corroboration follows from Padma Purana (which is older than Skanda Purana).
Brahmā said (189b-193a), praising Vishnu, “You are Brahmā, Rudra, and Indra, o best of gods. You are the author, the destroyer and the eternal source of the worlds. They call you the highest attainment, the highest being, the greatest secret and the best oblation. They call you the most ancient one; they call you the greatest truth, the greatest penance, the highest pure (form), the best path, the greatest sacrifice, the best oblation, the first, the greatest and the ancient one. They call you the best body, the highest Brahman, the highest yoga and the best speech. They call you the greatest secret, the best recourse, the first, the greatest and the ancient one.”
Brahma, the creator in the Trinity according to a large section of Hindus, says in 193b-197: “Speaking thus, the lord, the grandsire of all the worlds, having praised god Nārāyaṇa, went to the Brahmaloka. Then, SriHari (Nārāyaṇa) went to the northern shore of the Kshirodha (milky ocean) as the musical instruments played and the celestial damsels danced. Then the very brilliant lord placed the Narasiṃha form (there), took up His ancient form and He, having Garuḍa as His banner, and His nature unmanifested, left (the place) in a bright vehicle having eight wheels, (and) went to His own abode.”
Verses 37-39 in the same Purana state about Narasimha, “O child! Resorting to that assembly, gods headed by Brahmā, Indra, Śiva and others, sages, manes (pitṛs), demigods like Siddhas, and Vidyādharas, great Nāgas, Manus (who preside over aeons called Manvantaras), Prajāpatis (lords of creation), celestial musicians like Gandharvas, Apsaras and Cāraṇas, other demi-gods like Yakṣas, Kimpuruṣas, Vetālas and illustrious Kinnaras and all the attendants of the Lord like Sunanda, Kumuda — all these placed their folded hands to their heads (to pay respects), and from a distance not far from Him, severally offered their prayers to the Man-Lion of dazzling splendour, Who was seated (on the throne).”
In 1-10, Vaishampayana says, “Hearing the words of Pralhada, Hiranyakashipu said to the daityas, “Hold this lion that has assumed a wonderful form. And if you entertain any doubt, kill this forest ranger.” Hiranyakashipu witnessed that His subjects paid heed to His words. He was delighted that the danavas had surrounded that huge-bodied lion and showed Him fear.
“Thereupon sending up a leonine shout, that man-lion, like unto death with His mouth wide open, dispersed the assemblage. Worked up with anger, Hiranyakashipu discharged various weapons at the lion. But the highly powerful Lord remained unmoved like Himalaya. And leaping up into the sky, the man-lion tore Hiranyakashipu into pieces with His nails and killed him.”
“After the destruction of this son of Diti, the earth, lunar region, solar region, all the quarters, rivers, oceans and mountains again came into view. Thereupon pleased all the gods chanted the glories of the Eternal Purusha with various hymns.”
Disclaimer
Regardless of the historicity of the stories of Sharabha and Gandabherunda, if enough devotees of either deity repose their faith in Him, the form of Shiva or Vishnu respectively will accumulate spiritual power of the type as wished by the bhakta. The Hindu domain in the world, extending from present-day Afghanistan to Cambodia and beyond, has several deities that took shape in the mediaeval era. Their respective devotees vouch for the strength they gain from the worship of these forms.
Indeed, as Srimadbhagavadgita notes in the 7th chapter, this happens, albeit the seekers of lesser gods get lesser gods, falling short of reaching Him.
कामैस्तैस्तैर्हृतज्ञानाः प्रपद्यन्तेऽन्यदेवताः।
तं तं नियममास्थाय प्रकृत्या नियताः स्वया॥7:20॥
“All human beings in this world are ‘controlled’, constant with their nature inherent in the vasanas (desires) arising from association with objects made of the gunas (attributes). Their knowledge of My (God’s) essential nature is plundered by various karmas — objects corresponding to their desire and produced by their actions and created by the attributes. To satisfy these different kinds of desires, they take refuge — seek and worship other deities who are regarded as separate from Me, observe various disciplines, that is perform rituals such as practices that are specifically meant to please only these deities.”
यो यो यां यां तनुं भक्तः श्रद्धयार्चितुमिच्छति।
तस्य तस्याचलां श्रद्धां तामेव विदधाम्यहम्॥7:21॥
“These divinities constitute My body too. Whichever devotee seeks to worship with faith whatever form of Mine, although not knowing these divinities to be My forms, I consider his faith as being directed to My bodies or manifestations, and make his faith steadfast — make it free from obstacles.”
स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते।
लभते च ततः कामान्मयैव विहितान् हि तान्।।7.22।।
“He, endowed with that faith without obstacles, performs the worship of lesser gods. Thence, that is from the worship of Indra and other divinities, who constitute My body, he attains the objects of his desire, which are in reality granted by Me alone. Although he does not know at the time of worship that lesser divinities, who are his objects of worship, are partially My body too, and that such gods’ worship is My worship, inasmuch as this worship is, in reality, My worship, he attains his objects of desire granted by Me alone.”
अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम्।
देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि।।7.23।।
“The fruits of worshipping lesser divinities by men of ‘little understanding’ are finite because such worship goes to those lesser divinities that possess limited joy and live only for a limited time. While such people attain some sukha (happiness) with them, they also fall along with the lesser deities in due course. But My devotees, knowing that their acts are of the nature of My worship, renouncing attachment for finite fruits, reach Me, having had the purpose of pleasing Me alone. They never again return to Samsara.”
अव्यक्तं व्यक्ितमापन्नं मन्यन्ते मामबुद्धयः।
परं भावमजानन्तो ममाव्ययमनुत्तमम्।।7.24।।
“Ignorant people do not know My higher nature, immutable and unsurpassed. They do not know that it is I, worshipped through all rites, am the lord of all, and whose nature is beyond speech and mind, that has incarnated as the son of Vasudeva, without abandoning My divine nature, out of My supreme compassion and parental love for those who resort to Me and in order that I may be the refuge of all. They consider Me as only a worldly prince who was not manifest before and who has now become manifest by Karma and has secured a special form. Therefore, they do not resort to Me, nor do they worship Me.”
To extrapolate, the “I” or “Me” above may be taken for any Ishta that is the supreme authority of a given Hindu sampradaya (sect). To Vaishnavas, it is Vishnu or any of His forms; to Shaivas, it is Shiva or any of His forms; to Shaktas, it is Durga or any of Her forms, and so on and so forth.