Devoted to detachment and sovereignty, untouched by passion and utterly pure, the infinite Lord stood as the worthy protector of all. For truly, the Supreme Lord is the guardian of the universe. At that time, the lotus-eyed Lord, who had been resting, awakened from his yogic sleep. Clad in yellow garments, the enemy of the asuras, he addressed those assembled before him. “Having come to this place,” he asked, “what task do you wish me to accomplish for you?” The gods and sages, oppressed by a mighty demon, replied, “O Lord, a terrible asura is afflicting all the gods and sages together. You alone are the protector of all, O embodiment of the universe. You ought to destroy him.” For the destruction of this foremost among demons, the Lord himself created a mighty Man. This being, holding conch, discus, and mace in his hands, stood ready. Then Garuḍa-bannered Viṣṇu spoke to him, “By your power, you must quickly come to this place.” That great, unmanifest Man journeyed to the city of the demon. Mounted upon Garuḍa, the god appeared, resplendent like another great Meru mountain. Fear seized the followers of the demon king, and they reported the terrifying sound that announced the Lord’s arrival. “Emitting a dreadful sound, we know him, O destroyer of immortals,” they said. Then the demon king, with his sons led by Prahlāda, armed and armored, went out to confront the threat. There, he beheld a Man, vast as a mountain—another Nārāyaṇa. “This is that god, the protector of the gods, Nārāyaṇa, our enemy,” he declared. But the Lord, with effortless might, destroyed all the asuras completely—Prahlāda, Anuhrāda, Saṃhrāda, and Hrāda as well. Saṃhrāda’s sons, Kaumāra and Āgneya, and Hrāda’s sons joined the battle, but none could harm Viṣṇu, Vāsudeva, in any way. With overwhelming strength, the Lord seized the demon by the feet, hurled him, and roared mightily. Then, striking the demon forcefully on the chest with his foot, he subdued him utterly. One among them escaped and went to report all that had transpired. Then, the Lord assumed a wondrous form: half man, half lion. In this bewildering form, he appeared suddenly, confounding the foremost of the Daityas. Nārāyaṇa, the infinite, shone forth like the midday sun. Desperate, the asura sent forth Narasiṃha for the act of killing. But Narasiṃha and all his followers were swiftly destroyed by the Lord’s māyā. The asura fought with all his might, but was defeated by Narasiṃha. In his last effort, he meditated upon the weapon of Paśupati, released it, and roared. Yet, that weapon caused no harm to the Lord Śūlin. At last, the asura recognized Vāsudeva, the eternal Lord, as the soul of all. He bowed his head to the Lord, who dwells in the hearts of yogis. Restraining his father and brothers, Prahlāda spoke to Hiraṇyākṣa, saying, “The ancient Person, the divine Lord, the great yogi, is the very essence of the universe. He is the Supreme Person of primordial matter, the fundamental nature, imperishable. Go to him for refuge—Viṣṇu, the unmanifest, the undecaying.” Yet, deluded by Viṣṇu’s māyā, Hiraṇyākṣa spoke intensely to his son, “Driven by time, he has now come to our abode. Do not revile this Lord, the one, imperishable ruler of beings.