44-755: Bhakta Prahlada means "devotee Prahlada ", a devotional character in Hindu mythology. It may refer to: Bhakta Prahlada (1932 film) Bhakta Prahlada (1942 Telugu film) Bhakta Prahlada (1942 Kannada film) Bhakta Prahlad (1946 film) , Hindi film Bhakta Prahlad (1958 film) , Assamese film Bhakta Prahlada (1958 film) , Kannada film Bhakta Prahlada (1967 film) , Telugu film Bhakta Prahlada (1983 film) , Kannada film See also [ edit ] Prahlada (disambiguation) Prahlada (film) , Malayalam film made in 1941 Prahalada (film) , Tamil film made in 1939 Topics referred to by
88-433: A bed for him with their bodies. Prahalada was then thrown from a valley into a river but was saved by Bhumi , the companion of Vishnu and Lakshmi . Holika , the sister of Hiranyakashipu , was blessed in that she could not be hurt by fire. Hiranyakashipu put Prahlada on the lap of Holika as she sat on a pyre. Prahlada prayed to Vishnu to keep him safe. Holika is burned to ashes and killed, as Prahlada goes away. This event
132-505: A boon, and Indra sought the king's virtue and hence robbed Prahlada of his dharma as well. Prahlada once commanded the asuras to accompany him to the holy tirtha of Naimiṣa, where he hoped to see a vision of Vishnu. They went hunting along the banks of the Sarasvati River . Prahlada observed two ascetics with matted hair, bearing the bows of Sharanga and Ajagava . The asura king asked them why they held weapons while performing
176-577: A curse from the Four Kumaras . In the Satya Yuga , Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha - together called the Hiranya s - were born to Diti (a daughter of Daksha ) and sage Kashyapa . It is said that asuras were born to them as a result of their union at the time of dusk, which was said to be an inauspicious time for such a deed. After Hiranyakashipu's younger brother, Hiranyaksha, was slain by
220-533: A folk dance-theatre from Ganjam, Odisha enacts the story of Narasimha and Hiranyakashipu. This art form dates back to the 18th century, when Rāmakruṣṇa Chhoṭarāya, the erstwhile king of the Jalantara state, wrote the text and the songs of the drama and started it. The story of Prahlada has been the theme of various films. Hiranyakashipu Traditional Hiranyakashipu ( Sanskrit : हिरण्यकशिपु , IAST : Hiraṇyakaśipu ), also known as Hiranyakashyap ,
264-519: A mid-air collision, Prahlada wielded his mace against Narayana. His mace broke, and Prahlada found himself growing helpless and sought Vishnu's assistance. Vishnu told his devotee that the Nara-Narayana brothers were invincible as they were the sons of Yama and could only be conquered in devotion rather than combat. The king left the regency to Andhaka and erected an ashrama to propitiate Nara-Narayana and apologise for his folly. According to
308-448: A penance, and the two ascetics responded that all those who held power were righteous in their conduct. One of the rishis assured the king that none of the three worlds could conquer them in a duel. Prahlada rose to the challenge. Nara fired arrows at the king with his Ajagava, but the latter was able to defeat him with his own gold-plated arrows. Prahlada employed the divine Brahmastra against Nara's Narayanastra. Seeing them neutralised in
352-440: Is He not present before me in this pillar?" Prahlada then answered, "He is in the pillar, just as he is in the slightest dust." Hiranyakashipu, unable to control his anger, smashed the pillar with his mace. A tumultuous sound was heard, and Vishnu in the form of Narasimha appeared from the broken pillar and moved to attack Hiranyakashipu in defence of Prahlada. Narasimha had appeared in circumstances that would allow him to slay
396-444: Is celebrated as the Hindu festival of Holi . The asuras Shambara and Vayu were tasked with slaying the prince, but both of them were driven away and were killed by Vishnu. The boy was entrusted to Shukra , who educated him regarding his duties, the sciences, and justice, and was returned to his father after he was deemed to have become humble. The asura king once again broached the topic of deities with his son, only to discover that
440-496: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Prahlada Prahlada ( Sanskrit : प्रह्लाद , romanized : 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 avatara of Vishnu, who rescues Prahlada by disimboweling and killing his evil father,
484-523: Is often interpreted as depicting one who is fond of wealth and sensual comforts. In the Puranas , however, it is also stated the name was derived from a golden throne called 'Hiranyakashipu' the asura sat in or nearby during the atiratra (soma) sacrifice. According to the Bhagavata Purana , Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha are Vishnu's gatekeepers Jaya and Vijaya, born on earth as the result of
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#1732782978788528-623: The Anushasana Parva of the Mahabharata , the sage Upamanyu briefly mentioned to Krishna that Hiranyakashipu also performed tapas to propitiate Shiva . Shiva granted Hiranyakashipu the boon that he would have unrivalled combat prowess, exceeding skill in the use of bow and other weapons, as well as the powers of all the gods, including Indra , Yama , Kubera , Surya , Agni , Vayu , Soma , and Varuna . In consequence of these two boons, Hiranyakashipu became so mighty that he
572-599: The Kurma Purana , Prahlada always served thousands of Brahmanas daily. One day, Prahlada accidentally forgot to serve one Brahmanas. The latter cursed the asura, saying that he would forget Vishnu and become unrighteous. The curse soon came into fruition, with Prahlada ignoring the Vedas and the Brahmanas and soon deviating from the path of dharma. Determined to avenge his father's death, he waged war against Vishnu. When he
616-479: The Asura throne and ruled peacefully and virtuously. He was known for his generosity and kindness. He sowed similar seeds in his son, Virochana , and grandson, Mahabali . When the ruler of the asuras, Hiraṇyakashipu, was performing a penance in the forest to gain the boon of destroying Vishnu, the devas attacked the asura realm. A great battle ensued, in which the devas were defeated. While fleeing, Indra abducted
660-522: The asura king Hiranyakashipu . Prahlada 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 and saves Prahlada and
704-459: The asura king. Hiranyakashipu could not be killed by human, deva, or animal, but Narasimha was none of these, as he was an incarnate that was part human and part animal. He attacked Hiranyakashipu at twilight (when it is neither day nor night) on the threshold of a courtyard (neither indoors nor outdoors), and placed the asura on his thighs (neither earth nor in the air). Using his claws (neither living nor non-living things), he disembowelled and killed
748-425: The asura. Even after Hiranyakashipu's death, none of the gods and the demigods present were able to placate Narasimha's fury. So, all the gods and goddesses called his consort, the goddess Lakshmi , but she was also unable to do so. Then, at the request of Brahma, Prahlada was presented before Narasimha, who was finally calmed by the prayers of his devotee. One of Hiranyakashipu's attempts to kill his son Prahlada
792-466: The daitya soldiers attacked their prince with weapons, Prahlada informed them that their efforts were futile since Vishnu resided within them. The asura then had the Prahlada trampled by the aṣṭadiggajas , the eight elephants who bear the weight of the earth, but their tusks were broken to bits upon contact with him and they went away. He placed Prahlada in a room with venomous, dark snakes, and they made
836-479: The day of full moon, of new moon, or on the eighth or twelfth day of the lunation, shall yield fruit equal to the donation of cattle. As Vishnu protected Prahlada in all the calamities to which he was exposed, so shall Vishnu protects them who listens constantly to the tale. 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
880-447: The death from any entity, living or nonliving. Grant me, further, that I not be killed by any demigod or demon or by any great snake from the lower planets. Since no one can kill you in the battlefield, you have no competitor. Therefore, grant me the benediction that I too may have no rival. Give me sole lordship over all the living entities and presiding deities, and give me all the glories obtained by that position. Furthermore, give me all
924-489: The following request: O my lord, O best of the givers of benediction, if you will kindly grant me the benediction I desire, please let me not meet death from any of the living entities created by you. Grant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground or in the sky. Grant me that my death not be brought by any being created by you, nor by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal. Grant me that I not meet
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#1732782978788968-532: The following statement in regard to Prahlada, showing his favour towards him: prahlādaścāsmi daityānāṁ kālaḥ kalayatāmaham . mr̥gāṇāṁ ca mr̥gēndrō’haṁ vainatēyaśca pakṣiṇām .. 10-30.. Translation: "Among the Daityas, I am the great devotee Prahlada and of calculators, I am Time; among quadrupeds, I am the lion; and among birds, I am Garuda." In the Vishnu Purana , the sage Parasara ends narrating
1012-465: The goddess pacified both of them, and they returned to their abodes. Prahlada, Virochana, Bali, and Banasura fought against Shiva and Parvati with the devas and devis when Andhaka attacked Kailasha . Prahlada had strongly advised Andhaka against the invasion of Kailasha, but Andhaka refused. Andhaka was eventually killed by Shiva and Parvati, and Prahlada once more became the King of the Asuras. Prahlada
1056-469: The hands of the Varaha avatar of Vishnu, Hiranyakashipu came to hate Vishnu. He decided to kill him by gaining a boon of invulnerability from Brahma. This initially seemed to work as planned, with Brahma becoming pleased by Hiranyakashipu's tapas. Brahma appeared before Hiranyakashipu and offered him a boon of his choice. But when Hiranyakashipu asked for immortality, Brahma refused. Hiranyakashipu then made
1100-449: The harvest of Narada's prenatal training and gradually became recognised as a devout follower of Vishnu, much to his father's anguish. Hiranyakashipu eventually became so angry and upset at his son's devotion to Vishnu (whom he saw as his mortal enemy) that he decided that he must kill him, but each time he attempted to kill the boy, Prahlada was protected by Vishnu's mystical power. When asked, Prahlada refused to acknowledge his father as
1144-407: The latter had never wavered in his faith. Finally, the wicked daitya commanded all the daityas and the danavas to collect all the mountains of the earth to construct a barrier over the boy in the ocean, so that his son would be submerged for a year. Even though they spread over him for a thousand kilometres, Prahlada, bound hands and feet, prayed to Vishnu, who granted him a number of boons, moved all
1188-486: The mountains of the earth to their places from the seas and moved the asuras away and had Prahlada returned to prostrate before his father, who was left bewildered. After tolerating repeated abuse from Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada is eventually saved by Narasimha , an avatara of Vishnu in the form of a lion, who emerges from within a stone pillar in the palace, caught and placed Hiranyakashipu on his thighs, and then disemboweled and killed Hiranyakashipu with his sharp nails at
1232-584: The mystic powers attained by long austerities and the practice of yoga, for these cannot be lost at any time. In other Puranas, many variations of the boon are given. The Shiva Purana mentions that Hiranyakashipu asked Brahma that he would be invulnerable to dry or wet weapons, thunderbolts, mountains, trees, and missiles or any form of weapon. The Vayu Purana mentions that Hiranyakashipu asked to be so powerful, only Vishnu would slay him. Other variations include not being slain by any living being, not at daytime or nighttime and not above or below. In section 14,
1276-418: The opportunity in his absence. At this point, the divine sage Narada intervened to protect Hiranyakashipu's wife Kayadhu, whom he described as 'sinless'. Narada took Kayadhu into his care, and while she was under his guidance, her unborn child (Hiranyakashipu's son) Prahlada became influenced by the transcendental instructions of the sage, even in the womb. Later, growing as a child, Prahlada began to reap
1320-430: The pregnant Kayadhu, the wife of Hiranyakashipu, as a spoil of war. Narada listened to the wails of the poor asuri and got her released from Indra’s captivity. She stayed in the ashrama of the divine sage in gratitude. Prahlada, while inside his mother's womb, listened to Narada 's chants of devotion towards Vishnu . He was taught by Narada during his early childhood. As a result, he grew devoted to Vishnu . His father
1364-427: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Bhakta Prahlada . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bhakta_Prahlada&oldid=1255179343 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
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1408-417: The supreme lord of the universe, and claimed that Vishnu was all-pervading and omnipresent. To which Hiranyakashipu points to a nearby pillar and asked if 'his Vishnu' is in it: "O most unfortunate Prahlada, you have always described a supreme being other than me, a supreme being who is above everything, who is the controller of everyone, and who is all-pervading. But where is He? If He is everywhere, then why
1452-453: The tale of Prahlada to Maitreya with the following proclamation: Such, Maitreya, was Prahlada, the wise and faithful worshipper of Vishnu, of whom you wished to hear; and such was his miraculous power. Whoever listens to the history of Prahlada is immediately cleansed from their sins: the iniquities that they commits, by night or by day, shall be expiated by once hearing, or once reading, the history of Prahlada. The perusal of this history on
1496-494: The threshold to his home at dusk and Hiranyakashipu died after being disemboweled by Narasimha, thus nullifying all of Hiranyakashipu's boon of virtual immortality and destroying it fully and Narasimha disembowels and kills Hiranyakashipu. Prahlada eventually becomes the king of the asuras and attains a place in the abode of Vishnu and Lakshmi ( Vaikuntha ) after his death. In the Bhagavad Gita (10.30) Krishna makes
1540-459: The universe from destruction and chaos. He is considered a mahājana , or great devotee, by followers of Vaishnava traditions. A treatise is attributed to him in the Bhagavata Purana , in which Prahlada describes the process of his loving worship towards Vishnu. The majority of stories in the Puranas regarding him are based on the activities of Prahlada as a young boy, and he is usually depicted as such in paintings and illustrations. Prahlada
1584-768: Was Prahlada who asked Shukracharya to acquire the Mritasanjivani mantra from Shiva to save the asuras from the devas and devis. After a long life, Prahlada attained Vaikuntha . Prahlada's great-grandson was the thousand-armed Banasura , who was defeated in battle by Krishna and later, Banasura was killed by Kartikeya in the Mahabharata . The following sites in Maharashtra , Andhra Pradesh , Telangana and Uttar Pradesh in India, are associated with Prahlāda or Narasiṁha as places of pilgrimage: In Pakistan: The Prahallada Nataka (also spelled Prahlada-Naṭaka),
1628-599: Was a daitya king of the asuras in the Puranas . In Hinduism , Hiranyakashipu's younger brother, Hiranyaksha , was slain by the Varaha (wild boar) avatar of Vishnu . Angered by this, Hiranyakashipu decided to gain a boon of invulnerability by performing tapas to propitiate Brahma . After his subjugation of the three worlds , he was slain by the Narasimha (man-lion) avatar of Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu literally translates to "person desiring wealth and material comforts" ( hiranya "gold" kashipu "soft bed"), and
1672-604: Was able to shake the Himalayas down to their roots. Ravana once tried to lift Hiranyakashipu's earrings but he was unable to do so because they were very heavy. Hiranyakashipu felt invincible and conquered the three worlds , assuming the throne of Indra . According to the Skanda Purana , Hiranyakashipu ruled the universe for 107.28 million years. While Hiranyakashipu was performing tapas to be granted these boons, Indra and other devas attacked his home, seizing
1716-561: Was antagonised by his spiritual inclination and tried to warn Prahlada against offending him since he had greatly desired to turn his son against Vishnu in particular. Despite several warnings from his father Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada continued to worship Vishnu instead of the former. The child is successful in converting other students of the Asura clan into Vaishnavism by teaching them the Narayana mantra . His father then decided to commit filicide and poison Prahlada, but he survived. When
1760-434: 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
1804-489: Was defeated, he realised his folly and ruled on the throne, making Andhaka also to reign as king. According to the Devi Bhagavata Purana , Prahlada was compelled to wage war against Indra and the devas by the daityas. In the fierce devasura war that ensued, Prahlada emerged as the victor. Fearing that the asura king would destroy the devas, Indra prayed to Parvati , and Prahlada responded in kind. Pleased,
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1848-460: 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 Brahmana , Indra sought an audience with the asura and asked him to teach him about Hinduism . Pleased with this pupil, he offered him
1892-477: 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. After the death of his father, Prahlada ascended
1936-530: Was present during the Samudra Manthana and also fought in the Tarakamaya War against the devas and devis alongside the asuras and asuris. Prahlada's son was Virochana , who was the father of Bali . The devas had Virochana killed by taking advantage of his generosity. Prahlada raised his grandson, Bali. Later on, Prahlada and Bali lived on Sutala Loka under the instructions of Vishnu. It
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