Narasimha Avatar: The Man-Lion

To protect the child devotee Prahlada, the Lord burst from a pillar as the man-lion and ended Hiranyakashipu.

Narasimha, half man and half lion, is the fourth avatar of Lord Vishnu. After his brother Hiranyaksha was slain, the demon king Hiranyakashipu performed severe austerities and won from Brahma a boon that seemed to make him undying: he could not be killed by man or beast, indoors or outdoors, by day or by night, on the earth or in the sky, by any weapon, nor by any being created by Brahma.

But his own son Prahlada was a devotee of Lord Vishnu from birth. The furious father tried to kill the child with weapons, poison, serpents, elephants, fire and by throwing him from a mountain, yet Prahlada remained unharmed, always remembering the Lord. At last Hiranyakashipu struck a pillar and demanded to know whether Vishnu was in it too. With a terrifying roar the Lord burst out of the pillar in the form of Narasimha. At twilight, on the threshold of the palace, placing the demon on his lap, he slew him with his nails, honouring every condition of the boon.

Even the gods were afraid of the Lord's fierce form, but little Prahlada approached him without fear and calmed him with his prayers. This took place in Satya Yuga. Narasimha teaches that the Lord is present everywhere, even in a pillar, and that he never fails to protect a sincere devotee.

Number

4

Yuga

Satya Yuga

Form

Man-lion

Source

Shrimad Bhagavatam, Canto 7