Bhashya
दानां मूलनृसिंहव्यूहे द्वात्रिंशद्व्यूहे च व्याख्यातत्वात् उभ-योद्देशेन होमं कुर्यात् ।ततश्च क्षीरोदार्णवशायिने नृसिंहायत्रिनेत्राय पिनाकहस्तायोग्रायेदम् इति हुत्वा ब्रह्मादिद्वात्रिं-शद्व्यूहात्मकाय नृसिंहायोप्रायेति जुहुयात् इत्येवं प्रतिपदंमूलमन्त्रावृत्तिः ।यद्वा अनुष्टुभा इत्येकवचनात् सकृन्मूल-मन्त्रमुच्चार्य स्वाहाकारान्तं जुहुयात् प्रतिपदम् उद्दिश्य त्यागःकार्यः ।तथा सामाभिव्यक्तानुष्टुभा अर्चनं षोडशोपचारादिकुर्यादित्यनुषङ्गः ।अत्रापि होममन्त्रवन्मन्त्रावृत्त्यनावृत्तीएष्टव्ये ।तदेतन्महाचक्रं रक्षोघ्नं मृत्युतारकं गुरुप्रसादाल्लब्धंकण्ठे बाहौ शिखायां वा बध्नीत य. तस्मै गुरवे यस्मात्सप्र-द्वीपवती द्विगुणावृत्तापि भूमिः पृथिवी दक्षिणार्थे नावकल्प-ते, तस्माच्छ्रद्धया भक्त्या या कांचिद्भूमिं यथाशक्त्यनुरूपांदद्यात् सा दक्षिणा भवति ।एवं प्रागुक्तं श्रुतित उपासन-मवगतं पञ्चाङ्गन्यास उपसंहृतमेकस्मान्मतात् ।अथ मता-न्तरपर्यालोचनया महाचक्र एवोपसंहृतं तस्मात्प्रत्यक्षरमु-भयत ओंकारो भवतीत्यत्र मूलमन्त्राक्षराणां प्रणव उप-संहृतत्वात् प्रणवप्रधानमेवेदं महाचक्रं तस्मिञ्शक्तिबाहुल्य-श्रवणान्मायया बहिर्वेष्टितं भवति ।बहिर्मायया वेष्टितंभवतीत्यसकृच्छ्रवणात् उद्धृतपदव्याख्यानावसरे प्रतिपदंयस्मात्स्वमहिम्ना सर्वांल्लोकान्सर्वान्देवान्सर्वानात्मनः सर्वाणि भूतानीयमकृन्महिमशब्दवाच्याया मायायाः सर्वलोकसर्वदेवात्मभूतानां साधनत्वेन श्रवणात् तद्वेष्टितमायाधारत्वेन यथासंख्यं पृथिव्यादिलोकग्वेदादिवेदाग्न्यादिदेवभूतानामात्मनां च साधनत्वश्रवणान्महाचक्रान्तर्गतवेष्टितमायाधारमेवेदुपासनम् ।न तु मूलनृसिंहगतं पञ्चाङ्गन्यासार्थं च अन्तरङ्गत्वाान्महाचक्रमेवेदुपासनम् ।तदपि संप्रदायागतमुपादेयमित्युपासनाविकल्पः ।तत्रापि बहुतरं संप्रदायानुकूल्यागतत्वात् अन्त्यमेवोपासनमुपादेयमिति केचित् ।तस्मिन्मते प्रणवसावित्रयजुर्लक्ष्मीनृसिंहगायत्रीति मन्त्रचतुष्टयमङ्गं सामाभिव्यक्तं यथायोग्यतया महाचक्रप्रकाशकत्वेन योज्यं तथैवोपास्यं महाचक्रमिति रहस्यं तत्त्वं च इति ॥
In plain words
Because the deity-placements have already been explained for both the root Nṛsiṃha array and the thirty-two-fold array, the fire-offering covers both together. First: 'To Nṛsiṃha, who lies on the Ocean of Milk, three-eyed, the pināka in hand, the fierce one — this is for you,' poured into the fire. Then again: 'To Nṛsiṃha, who is the thirty-two-fold array beginning with Brahmā, the fierce one' — so the root mantra is offered phrase by phrase. Or, since the text says 'by the anuṣṭubh' in the singular, you may instead recite the root mantra just once, closing with svāhā, and mentally dedicate the offering to each foot of the verse in turn. The same choice holds for the worship done with the Sāma-revealed anuṣṭubh — sixteen ritual courtesies and the rest — repetition or a single recitation, whichever you choose, exactly as with the fire-offering. This Mahācakra — killer of demons, ferry across death, received only through a guru's grace — should be worn at the throat, the arm, or the crown of the head. And for that guru: even the whole earth twice over, islands and all, is not gift enough. So whatever land you can manage, given in faith and devotion, however small, is itself the true gift. That is the meditation as the Śruti hands it down, and on one reading it comes to rest in the five-limbed placement. But looked at another way, it comes to rest in the Mahācakra itself — because the line 'Om stands on both sides of every syllable' shows the root mantra's own syllables converging into Om, so this whole Wheel is really governed by Om, and because the text keeps speaking of its vast power, it is wrapped, on the outside, in māyā. That phrase — 'wrapped outside in māyā' — recurs more than once, and where the text unpacks it word by word, the reason becomes clear: this māyā, called 'greatness' because by its own greatness it produces every world, every god, every self, every being, is the means behind all worlds, all gods, all beings-as-selves — and, matched item for item, behind the earth and the other worlds, the Ṛgveda and the other Vedas, Agni and the other gods, and every being and self. So this meditation is really meditation on the ground beneath it all: the enveloping māyā, held within the Mahācakra. That does not undo the other reading — the five-limbed placement keeps its own intimate claim on the root Nṛsiṃha, so the Mahācakra is not the only seat of meditation. Both readings come down through genuine tradition, so both remain open. Some hold that the weight of tradition favors the second, and that it alone should be taken up. On that view, four mantras together — Om, the Sāvitrī, a Yajus verse, and the Lakṣmī-Nṛsiṃha-Gāyatrī — drawn out by the Sāma, serve as the limb that lights up the Mahācakra, and it is worshipped in just that light. That is the secret of it, and the truth of it.
Close to the Sanskrit
Because [the placement] of the deities has been explained both in the root Nṛsiṃha array and in the thirty-two-fold array, one should perform the fire-oblation with reference to both. And then, having offered with the formula 'to Nṛsiṃha who reclines on the Ocean of Milk, three-eyed, holding the pināka in hand, the fierce one — this [offering]', one should offer with 'to Nṛsiṃha who has the nature of the thirty-two-fold array beginning with Brahmā, the fierce one' — thus, the root mantra is repeated word by word. Or, because of the singular number in 'by the anuṣṭubh', having recited the root mantra only once, one should make the offering ending in svāhā, designating the relinquishing to each foot of the verse. Likewise, with the anuṣṭubh manifested by the Sāma, one should perform worship — the sixteenfold ritual offering and so forth — this is carried over from context. Here too, as with the fire-oblation mantra, repetition or non-repetition of the mantra may be chosen as one prefers. This Mahācakra, destroyer of demons, that which ferries one across death, obtained through the grace of the guru, one should bind on the neck, the arm, or the crest — to that guru, because even the whole earth, together with its islands, given twice over, does not suffice as a gift, therefore whatever bit of land, fitting to one's ability, one gives with faith and devotion — that alone becomes the gift. Thus, the meditation stated earlier, as understood from the Śruti, culminates, on one view, in the five-limbed placement. But, upon reflection on the alternate view, it culminates precisely in the Mahācakra; because, in the statement 'on both sides of every syllable there is Om,' the syllables of the root mantra converge in the praṇava — this Mahācakra is precisely dominated by the praṇava, and, because of hearing of an abundance of power in it, it is enveloped on the outside by māyā. Because it is repeatedly heard that 'it is enveloped on the outside by māyā' — as explained, word by word, at the point of expounding the extracted words: because it is heard that this māyā, denoted by the word 'greatness,' which by its own greatness has brought about all the worlds, all the gods, all the selves, and all beings, is the means with respect to all worlds, all gods, and all beings-as-selves; and because it is heard, correspondingly, that it is the means with respect to the worlds beginning with the earth, the Vedas beginning with the Ṛgveda, the gods beginning with Agni, and the selves — therefore this meditation is precisely on the substratum of the enveloping māyā situated within the Mahācakra. But it is not that, because of being the intimate purpose of the five-limbed placement belonging to the root Nṛsiṃha, this meditation rests on the Mahācakra alone. That too, being received through tradition, is to be adopted — hence there is a choice in meditation. There too, some say that, because of the greater weight of conformity with tradition, the latter [view] alone is to be adopted as the meditation. On that view, the tetrad of mantras — the praṇava, the Sāvitrī, a Yajus [formula], and the Lakṣmī-Nṛsiṃha-Gāyatrī — manifested by the Sāma, is to be employed, as a limb and as appropriate, in its role as illuminator of the Mahācakra; and in just that way the Mahācakra is to be worshipped — this is the secret and the essential truth of the matter.