Narasimha is shown in a popular narrative of tearing apart King Hiranyaksha. The king had requested a blessing from Brahma, the god of creation. His plan was to be indestructible so he asked that he cannot be killed by a man or a beast, in daytime or at nighttime, on the earth or in the air, inside or outside, and without weapons. The King then took over the universe, and the other gods sought Vishnu’s help. Vishnu appears as half man half beast, at twilight, and disembowels the king with his bare hands by placing him on his lap within the doorway, thus working within the confines of the blessing. A unique element of this image is Narasimha’s jacket composed of the repeated word “Ram” in nagari script. Also he is rarely depicted with a third eye.
