Hiranyakashipu

This page is not complete. You can help us to prepare this page.

Hiranyakashipu / हिरण्यकशिपु

Name of a Daitya (Daemon) king, son of Kashyap by his wife Diti, and the twin-brother of Hiranyaksh.
Hiranyakashipu had obtained a boon from Brahma that he should not be slain by either god or man or animal, by night or by day, hence he be-came all-powerful.
He prohibited his subjects from talking or thinking of Vishnu, who he hated, specially more so after Vishnu had killed his brother Hiranyaksh.
When, however, his pious son Prahlad praised Vishnu, Hiranyakashipu tried to kill him.
Vishnu then took on his fourth incarnation. He appeared out of a pillar at twilight, in the form of Narasimha, half man, half lion, and tore Hiranyakashipu to pieces.