prahrAdaH · prahlAdaH
prahrA(hlA)daH 1 Great joy, pleasure, delight, happiness. 2 Sound. 3 N. of a son of the demon HiraṇyaKaśipu. [According to the PadmaPurāṇa, he was a Brāhmaṇa in his previous existence, and when born as son of Hiraṇya-Kaśipu, he still retained his ardent devotion to Viṣṇu. His father, of course, did not like that his own son should be such a devout worshipper of his mortal enemies, the gods, and with the object of getting rid of him, he subjected him to a variety of cruelties; but Prahlāda, by the favour of Viṣṇu, was quite unscathed, and began to preach with even greater earnestness than before the doctrine that Viṣṇu filled all space and was omni-present, omni-scient, omni-potent. Hiraṇya-Kaśipu in a fit of exasperation asked him “If Viṣṇu is omni-present how do I not see him in the pillar of this hall”? Whereupon Prahlāda struck the pillar with his fist (according to another account, Hiraṇya-Kaśipu himself angrily kicked the pillar to convince his son of the absurdity of his faith), when Viṣṇu came out half-man and half-lion, and tore Hiraṇya-Kaśipu to pieces. Prahlāda succeeded his father, and reigned wisely and righteously.]
prahrA(hlA)daH 1 Great joy, pleasure, delight, happiness. 2 Sound. 3 N. of a son of the demon HiraṇyaKaśipu. [According to the PadmaPurāṇa, he was a Brāhmaṇa in his previous existence, and when born as son of Hiraṇya-Kaśipu, he still retained his ardent devotion to Viṣṇu. His father, of course, did not like that his own son should be such a devout worshipper of his mortal enemies, the gods, and with the object of getting rid of him, he subjected him to a variety of cruelties; but Prahlāda, by the favour of Viṣṇu, was quite unscathed, and began to preach with even greater earnestness than before the doctrine that Viṣṇu filled all space and was omni-present, omni-scient, omni-potent. Hiraṇya-Kaśipu in a fit of exasperation asked him “If Viṣṇu is omni-present how do I not see him in the pillar of this hall”? Whereupon Prahlāda struck the pillar with his fist (according to another account, Hiraṇya-Kaśipu himself angrily kicked the pillar to convince his son of the absurdity of his faith), when Viṣṇu came out half-man and half-lion, and tore Hiraṇya-Kaśipu to pieces. Prahlāda succeeded his father, and reigned wisely and righteously.]