01
Origins and family
After Vishnu killed his brother, he performed terrible austerities and won protection from seemingly every form of death.
← Character library
Character Chronicle
Puranas · Asura king and enemy of Vishnu
Hiranyakashipu
Powerful ruler whose boon-driven arrogance led him to persecute his own devoted son.
PuranasComplex boonAttempts
✦✧✦
Biography
The story of Hiranyakashipu
Hiranyakashipu is powerful ruler whose boon-driven arrogance led him to persecute his own devoted son. Son of Kashyapa and Diti; brother of Hiranyaksha; father of Prahlada.
After Vishnu killed his brother, he performed terrible austerities and won protection from seemingly every form of death.
He conquered the worlds and demanded worship as supreme ruler.
Prahlada's devotion enraged him because it placed a higher authority beyond his control.
Narasimha killed him at twilight, on a threshold, with claws, satisfying every condition outside the boon.
Life journey
Four defining chapters
02
Rise and relationships
He conquered the worlds and demanded worship as supreme ruler.
03
Defining crisis
Prahlada's devotion enraged him because it placed a higher authority beyond his control.
04
Final phase and legacy
Narasimha killed him at twilight, on a threshold, with claws, satisfying every condition outside the boon.
Attempts to eliminate all vulnerability often create the exact form through which pride is defeated.
✦✧✦