Hiranyakashipu

Glossaries

Term	Definition
Hiranyakashipu	Hiranyakashipu is a powerful demon in Hindu mythology, known for his role in the legend of Vishnu's fourth avatar, Narasimha, and for attempting to kill his own son, Prahlada, a devotee of Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu is a demonic king in Hindu mythology, renowned for his immense power and arrogance. He is the son of the sage Kashyapa and Diti, and the brother of Hiranyaksha, another famous demon. Hiranyakashipu obtained a boon from Brahma that made him nearly invincible: he could not be killed by man or beast, inside or outside, during day or night, nor by conventional weapons. Empowered by this boon, Hiranyakashipu became arrogant and tyrannical, demanding to be worshipped as a god. However, his son Prahlada remained a steadfast devotee of Vishnu, which infuriated Hiranyakashipu. Despite numerous attempts to kill Prahlada, the boy was consistently saved by Vishnu. Ultimately, Vishnu appeared in the form of Narasimha, a half-man, half-lion avatar, to bypass Hiranyakashipu's boons. Narasimha killed Hiranyakashipu at twilight (neither day nor night), on a threshold (neither inside nor outside), with his claws (neither weapon nor tool), demonstrating divine protection and the triumph of good over evil.

Term

Definition

Hiranyakashipu is a powerful demon in Hindu mythology, known for his role in the legend of Vishnu's fourth avatar, Narasimha, and for attempting to kill his own son, Prahlada, a devotee of Vishnu.

Hiranyakashipu is a demonic king in Hindu mythology, renowned for his immense power and arrogance. He is the son of the sage Kashyapa and Diti, and the brother of Hiranyaksha, another famous demon. Hiranyakashipu obtained a boon from Brahma that made him nearly invincible: he could not be killed by man or beast, inside or outside, during day or night, nor by conventional weapons.

Empowered by this boon, Hiranyakashipu became arrogant and tyrannical, demanding to be worshipped as a god. However, his son Prahlada remained a steadfast devotee of Vishnu, which infuriated Hiranyakashipu. Despite numerous attempts to kill Prahlada, the boy was consistently saved by Vishnu.

Ultimately, Vishnu appeared in the form of Narasimha, a half-man, half-lion avatar, to bypass Hiranyakashipu's boons. Narasimha killed Hiranyakashipu at twilight (neither day nor night), on a threshold (neither inside nor outside), with his claws (neither weapon nor tool), demonstrating divine protection and the triumph of good over evil.