Together with Indra and the other gods, their voices trembling with joy, they offered heartfelt homage to the eternal Boar—he who bears the mighty tusk, the Wielder of the Staff. They praised him, saying, “Homage to Nārāyaṇa, who is all; to Brahmā, the Supreme Self—the Creator, the Sustainer, the Uplifter of the Earth, the Destroyer of the enemies of the gods, the very leader and guide of the lords of the gods, and the author of all scripture. “You are the One with eight forms, the One with infinite forms, the primordial god known by the infinite. All this is accomplished by you. Be gracious, Lord of gods, Lord of the world, Boar, Viṣṇu!” In but a moment, with only a fraction of the tip of his single-tusked mouth, this wish-fulfilling Lord slew the chief demons, along with their sons and servants. By his power, the earth was lifted—O Lord of the earth!—with mountains resting upon his prominent tusk. All beings, oceans, gods, and demons attended him, his moon-like face shining as they served him. By him alone, O mighty Lord of gods, victory was granted to the gods over the lords of demons. The boon was given, and the goddess of speech, born from the lotus, was shown favor. The earth, which had been plunged into the netherworld, was set behind him, together with all the stars and other celestial bodies. For the good of the worlds, O blessed one, you took the earth into the depths of the netherworld, and then, O Lord, you alone lifted her up again. Truly, you alone uphold all things, O teacher of the world. Thus, the lord of speech, having worshipped Viṣṇu with many kinds of praise and having bowed with the immortals, Prajāpati obtained various boons from Hari—the one who bears the lotus from his navel—by Hari’s own grace. Then, the gods and great sages, having seen the earth lifted up, placed her upon their heads and bowed in reverence before the Wielder of the Discus. It was by this very Boar, O bestower of boons, that you, O Earth, were lifted up—by Kṛṣṇa, whose actions are effortless, by Viṣṇu of a hundred arms. O Earth of great form, you are the ground, the inexhaustible cow, the supporter of the worlds. O clay, remove our sin! O bestower of boons, lotus-eyed one, by mind, deed, and speech, through the destruction of sin by you, we live by your grace. Hearing these words, the goddess Earth spoke to the gods about the clay from the earth that had been pierced by the Boar’s tusks. She said, “Whoever bears this clay on their head with this mantra is freed from sin, becomes long-lived, strong, fortunate, and blessed with sons and grandsons. Step by step, having attained heaven on earth at the end of his deeds, he rejoices with the gods. Then, when the god departs, having left the Boar form, he enters the ocean of milk.” Again, the earth trembled as the sinless one in the form of the Boar, his mighty chest pressed by the weight of his tusks, stood—the wise Lord of gods. By chance, Bhava (Śiva), Lord of the universe, seeing this, took up the tusk for his own adornment. Mahādeva bore it at the end of his matted locks upon his great chest, and the gods, along with Indra, praised the glory of the Lord of gods. Thus, in sport, the earth was established by the Lord of gods—both at the time of the deluge of beings and as the body of Viṣṇu. Likewise, by the play of Brahmā and the other gods, the Lord is adorned by the division of their bodies, unless the Lord himself does not wish it. How, then, would there be liberation for the Brahmins unless Maheśvara bore the tusk? In ancient times, the elder brother of Hiraṇyākṣa was slain by Narasiṃha, as is well known. Now, let us hear how Hiraṇyakaśipu was destroyed by him. Hiraṇyakaśipu’s son, Prahlāda by name, was wise in righteousness, devoted to truth, ascetic, and of excellent intellect. From birth, he worshipped the imperishable Lord of gods—Viṣṇu, the all-knowing, all-pervading source of all the gods. That primeval person, the embodiment of the Supreme Brahman, the Lord of Brahmā, the cause of creation, preservation, and destruction—him Prahlāda worshipped with devotion. Seeing his son in such a composed and focused state, Hiraṇyakaśipu would hear him repeatedly utter, “Salutations to Nārāyaṇa! Salutations to Govinda!” Witnessing this, the enemy of the gods, burning with wicked thoughts, said, “You do not know me, fool, the eternal lord of all Daityas and gods. Prahlāda, misguided son, cause of distress to the twice-born and gods! Who is Viṣṇu, or the lotus-born, or Indra, or even Varuṇa? Vāyu, Soma, Īśāna, Pāvaka—whoever is equal to me—worship me alone with devotion; always disregard Nārāyaṇa as insignificant. Prahlāda, if you desire life, listen—if you have any wish.” Yet, even after hearing these words from Hiraṇyakaśipu, the wise Prahlāda continued to worship, saying, “Salutations to Nārāyaṇa!” He also taught all the sons of the Daityas to do the same, instructing them in that splendid knowledge of Brahman, which is insurmountable even by Indra and the other gods, having realized it himself. Seeing his command defied by his son, Hiraṇyakaśipu said to the Dānavas, “This wicked son, deserving death in many ways, should be killed by you.” Thus commanded by that Daitya of evil mind, they struck at Prahlāda, the imperishable servant of the Lord of gods. Yet, O best of the twice-born, whatever was done there by the gods to the son of the Daitya king—all became fruitless by the power of the Lord who lies upon the ocean of milk. Then, as Hiraṇyakaśipu’s pride was shattered, the Lord appeared there, assuming the fierce form of Narasiṃha, to slay him. He killed the wretched Dānava before his son’s eyes, tearing him apart in that very instant with hundreds of sharp claws. Having slain that Daitya and his kin, the remover of sin began to torment the Daitya king, like a second fire at the end of an age. By the terrifying roars of Narasiṃha, the world was struck with fear; even up to Brahmā’s realm, the steadfast ones trembled.