Prahlada: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}

| caption = A mural of Prahlada in Srirangam RanganathsvamiRanganatha Ranganayaki Temple, Tiruchirapalli, Tamilnadu, showing him witness Narasimha as Gandaberunda disimboweling and killing both Hiranyakashipu and Sharabha.

| mother = [[Kayadhu]]

| predecessor = [[Hiranyakashipu]] and [[Hiranyaksha]]

| texts = [[Bhagavata Purana]], [[Vishnu Purana]], [[Yoga Vasistha]], [[Kurma Purana]], [[Vamana Purana]], [[Guru Granth]]

'''PrahladPrahlada''' ({{Lang-Langx|sa|प्रह्लाद|translit=Prahlāda}}) is an [[asura]] king in [[Hindu mythology]]. He is known for his staunch devotion to the preserver deity, [[Vishnu]]. He appears in the narrative of [[Narasimha]], the lion [[Avatar|avatara]] of Vishnu, who rescues Prahlada by disimboweling and killing his wickedevil father, the asura king [[Hiranyakashipu]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2013-05-29 |title=Prahlada, Prahlāda, Prāhlāda: 24 definitions |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/prahlada |access-date=2022-09-10 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref>

PrahladPrahlada is described as a saintly boy, known for his innocence and [[bhakti]] towards Vishnu. Despite the abusive nature of his father, Hiranyakashipu, and his uncle and aunt, [[Hiranyaksha]] and [[Holika]], he continues to worship Vishnu., and Vishnu as [[Varaha]] kills his paternal uncle Hiranyaksha by piercing and crushing him, and Vishnu kills his paternal aunt Holika by burning her to ashes alive., and Vishnu as Narasimha disimbowels and kills his father Hiranyakashipu, by disemboweling him toand savesaves Prahlada and the universe from destruction and chaos.<ref>{{cite web|title=The story of Prahlada|url=http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_4/lectures_and_discourses/the_story_of_prahlada.htm|publisher=Ramakrishnavivekananda.info }}</ref> He is considered a ''mahājana'', or great devotee, by followers of [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnava]] traditions. A treatise is attributed to him in the [[Bhagavata Purana]], in which Prahlada describes the process of his loving worship towards Vishnu.

[[File:Viṣṇu as Narasimha tearing Hiranyakasipu to pieces..jpg|thumb|Prahlada prays to Narasimha as Narasimha disembowels and kills Hiranyakashipu.]]PrahladPrahlada was born to Kayadhu and [[Hiranyakashipu]], an evil [[asura]] king who had been granted a boon from Brahma that he could not be killed off by anything born from a living womb, neither by a man nor an animal, neither during the day nor at night, neither indoors nor outdoors, neither on land nor in the air nor in water, and with no man-made weapon. However, after repeated attempts of filicide by Hiranyakashipu against Prahlada, Prahlada was finally saved by Narasimha, the fourth avatara of Vishnu, who descended to demonstrate the quality of divine rage and redemption and then Narashima killed Hiranyakashipu. The word "Narsimha" is derived from the Sanskrit words "Nara", meaning man, and "Simha", meaning lion. Thus, the preserver god took the form of a part-human, part-lion and killed Hiranyakashipu.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dalal |first=Roshen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zrk0AwAAQBAJ&dq=narasimha+killed+hiranyakashipu&pg=PT544 |title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide |date=2014-04-18 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-81-8475-277-9 |language=en}}</ref>

Because of his steadfast devotion to Vishnu as well as the teachings of [[Shukra]], Prahlada became the mighty King of the Asuras and Asuris. Prahlada was even more powerful than his father, Hiranyakashipu, who was killed by Vishnu as Narasimha, ever was. He enjoyed the love and respect of his subjects. Without lifting a single weapon and by virtue of his good behaviour, Prahlada conquered the three worlds easily, and [[Indra]] ran away from [[Svarga]]. In the disguise of a [[Brahmin|Brahmana]], Indra sought an audience with the asura and asked him to teach him about [[DharmaHinduism]]. Pleased with this pupil, he offered him a boon, and Indra sought the king's virtue and hence robbed Prahlada of his dharma as well.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Doniger |first=Wendy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nNsXZkdHvXUC&dq=prahalada+indra&pg=PA491 |title=The Hindus: An Alternative History |date=2010-09-30 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-959334-7 |pages=491 |language=en}}</ref>