Two great mighty sons were born to Dakshaputri Diti, the wife of Maharishi Kashyap. Of these, the name of the elder was Hiranyakashyap and the name of the younger was Hiranyaksha. Both were very powerful, very mighty and full of self-power. Both the brothers defeated the gods in the war and captured heaven.
Once upon a time, when Hiranyaksha hid the earth by taking it to the sea, then Lord Vishnu incarnated as a boar killed Hiranyaksha to protect the earth. Saddened by the killing of his brother Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashyap ordered the demons to oppress the people and went to the Mahendrachal mountain and started doing severe penance to Brahma ji. So that he can avenge the killing of his brother by Lord Vishnu.
Seeing the kingless kingdom of the demons, the deities attacked them. The demons were defeated in this war and fled to Hades. Devraj Indra captured his wife Kayadhu from the palace of Hiranyakashyap. Kayadhu was pregnant at that time, so Indra took her along and started going towards Amaravati. On the way, he met Devarshi Narad. Narad ji asked - Devraj! where are you taking it?
Indra said - Devarshi! A part of Hiranyakashyap is growing in its womb, I will kill it and leave it. Narad Muni told Indra that you cannot torture a pregnant woman and that too when a devotee of Lord Vishnu is growing in her womb.
After this Narad Muni freed Kayadhu from the clutches of Indra and brought him to his ashram and kept him in his ashram till Hiranyakashyap's penance was completed. During this, Narada Muni used to recite Hari Bhajan to Kayadhu and describe the stories of Lord Vishnu in detail. Narada Muni's narration of Lord Vishnu's stories had a positive effect on the unborn Prahlad growing in Kayadhu's womb. Because of this, when he was born, he became a devotee of Vishnu.
Hiranyakashyap's penance ended and after receiving the boon from Lord Brahma to be omnipotent in all the three worlds, he again returned to his demon city and saw the authority of the gods there. He not only took back the demonic city with his boon, but also established his authority over all the three worlds and took away the heaven and throne of Indra Dev.
After getting information about the end of Hiranyakashyap's penance and returning to his city, Kayadhu and devotee Prahlad also returned to their city after taking blessings from Narada Muni.
Hiranyakashyap had become super-powerful after getting a boon from Lord Brahma. In this arrogance, he refused to consider Vishnu as God and started considering himself as God. Whoever worshipped Vishnu in the three worlds, he would have killed him, but when he saw his own son engrossed in devotion to Vishnu, he started burning in the fire of anger.
He tried many times to kill his five year old son Prahlad but every attempt was unsuccessful. He threw Prahlad in front of mad elephants so that he could be crushed under their feet, threw him in a well full of snakes, threw him from the top of a mountain into a ditch, tied him in chains and threw him in the sea, killed him with weapons. Tried and finally tried to get him burnt in the fire by his sister Holika but every time Lord Vishnu himself would come to save Prahlad's life.
When the attempt to burn Prahlad was unsuccessful, Hiranyakashyap tied Prahlad to a pillar and said, is your God in this pillar also, then Prahlad said, this pillar is also there, then Hiranyakashyap hit the pillar with his mace.
After striking the pillar, Lord Vishnu appears from the pillar in the form of Narasinga and kills Hiranyakashyap. And makes Prahlad sit on the royal throne. Pleased with Prahlad's devotion to Vishnu, Lord Vishnu gives him the kingdom of all the three worlds.
After the death of his father Hiranyakashyap, Prahlad became the king of the three worlds. Despite being from the demon clan, he adopted the path of non-violence and religion and protected everyone. And all the subjects in the kingdom were living well and happily. He used to donate to Brahmins everyday and used to win over everyone without taking up arms.
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