Figure in the Hindu festival stories
Hiranyakashipu
The proud demon king undone by his own son's faith
Also known as Hiranyakashyap.
In short
Hiranyakashipu is the demon king of the Prahlada story — father of the devotee Prahlada. Granted a boon of near-invincibility, he demanded to be worshipped as god and persecuted his own son for loving Vishnu. He was finally slain by Vishnu's man-lion avatar, Narasimha; his downfall is remembered at Holi.
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Hiranyakashipu’s story and role
By his boon, Hiranyakashipu could not be killed by man or beast, indoors or outdoors, by day or night, on earth or in the air, by any weapon. Believing himself beyond death, he turned tyrant and tormented his own son Prahlada for worshipping Vishnu instead of him.
Vishnu circumvented every clause of the boon: as Narasimha — neither wholly man nor beast — at twilight, on a threshold, with the king on his lap, torn by claws rather than weapons, he slew the tyrant. The story is a lesson that pride and cruelty, however clever, cannot outwit dharma.
What Hiranyakashipu represents
Hiranyakashipu represents pride and tyranny that believes itself beyond all limits — undone, at Holi, by the devotion of Prahlada and the justice of Vishnu.
Festivals with Hiranyakashipu
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About Hiranyakashipu
Who was Hiranyakashipu?
A demon king granted near-invincibility, who demanded to be worshipped as god and persecuted his devout son Prahlada.
How was Hiranyakashipu killed?
By Vishnu as Narasimha, the man-lion, who satisfied every condition of his boon — at twilight, on a threshold, on his lap, with claws — and so ended his tyranny.
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