Prahlada

Prahlada (Sanskrit: प्रह्लाद, romanized: Prahlāda) is an asura prince in Hindu scriptures. He is known for his staunch devotion to the preserver deity Vishnu. He is rescued from his evil father, the asura king Hiranyakashipu by Narasimha, the lion avatar of god Vishnu. Prahlada is described as a saintly boy, known for his innocence and bhakti towards god Vishnu. Despite the abusive nature of his father, Hiranyakashipu, and his uncle and aunt, Hiranyaksha and Holika, he continues to worship Vishnu. Thus, in order to protect Prahlada, Vishnu takes the form of Varaha to kill his paternal uncle Hiranyaksha by piercing and crushing him. Thereafter, Vishnu kills his paternal aunt, Holika, by burning her to ashes alive. Following this, Vishnu takes the form of Narasimha and disembowels his father Hiranyakashipu and saves Prahlada and the universe from destruction and chaos. He is considered a Mahajanas, or great devotee, in the Vaishnava tradition. 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 Prahlada are based on his activities as a young boy; he is usually depicted as such in paintings and illustrations.