Now invincible, Hiranyakashipu had his sway over the entire earth. Atrocious and cruel as he was, he proclaimed that no body in his dominions would commemorate Vishnu's name. In the due course he had a son by the name of Prahlad. Prahlad was Vishnu's devotee by birth. It is said that the first word that he uttered was Vishnu. This greatly upset Hiranyakashipu. When Prahlad grew to age, he appointed a teacher to divert his mind from Vishnu but instead, Prahlad, the child, converted the teacher into a Vishnu's believer. The enraged Hiranyakashipu threw Prahlad before a mad elephant. The elephant charged at Prahlad but instead of hitting him elephant's tusks struck to the ground and broke. Venomous snakes were deployed to kill Prahlad but the moment a snake bit him its fangs were destroyed. Hiranyakashipu put him into blazing fire but the moment fire touched Prahlad's body it turned cool and soothing. According to one version, there rose out of the fire a ghost that attacked Prahlad to kill him but instantly there emerged in the air a wheel which beheaded the ghost. Burning with rage Hiranyakashipu cried and asked Prahlad where his Vishnu was. Prahlad coolly replied, "He is everywhere and in everything." Hiranyakashipu asked sarcastically if he was also in the doorjamb. Before Prahlad could say, "yes", the door-pillar burst and out of it emerged a horrible-looking Narasimha - half lion-half man. It was evening, neither the day nor the night and the place was neither inside the house nor outside it. Narasimha caught hold of Hiranyakashipu, pushed him to ground and with its horrible claws tore his breast and killed him.
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