O wise one, listen to this sacred tale, woven from the words of the ancient scripture. After the great deluge, it was by the mighty Boar—Krishna, whose actions are effortless, Vishnu of a hundred arms—that the Earth was lifted up. The gods addressed the Earth, praising her vast form: “You are the ground, the inexhaustible cow, supporter of the worlds. O clay, remove our sin!” They honored the bestower of boons, the lotus-eyed Lord, acknowledging that by his grace, through the destruction of sin by mind, deed, and speech, they lived. Thus addressed, the goddess Earth spoke to the gods about the clay pierced and raised by the Boar’s tusks. She declared, “Whoever bears this clay on his head with the proper mantra is freed from sin, becomes long-lived, strong, fortunate, and blessed with sons and grandsons. Step by step, he attains heaven on earth at the end of his deeds, rejoices among the gods, and when the Lord departs from the Boar form, he enters the ocean of milk.” Once more the earth trembled as the sinless Lord, in the form of the Boar, pressed his mighty chest against the weight of the tusks. By chance, Bhava—Shiva, the Lord of the universe—saw this and took up the tusk for his own adornment. Mahadeva bore it at the end of his matted locks upon his great chest, and all the gods, with Indra, praised the glory of the Lord of gods. Thus, in divine sport, the Lord of gods established the earth at the time of the deluge, and also the body of Vishnu. By the play of Brahma and the other gods, the Lord is adorned through the division of their bodies, unless the Lord himself does not wish it. For liberation of Brahmins, it is necessary that Maheshvara bears the tusk. The story then turns to the aftermath of these events. Once, the elder brother of Hiranyaksha was slain by Narasimha, as is known. Now, let us recount how Hiranyakashipu was destroyed by him. Hiranyakashipu’s son, Prahlada, was wise in righteousness, truthful, ascetic, and of excellent intellect. From birth, Prahlada worshipped the imperishable Lord of gods—Vishnu, the all-knowing, all-pervading source of all the gods. He worshipped that primeval person, embodiment of the Supreme Brahman, the lord of Brahma, the cause of creation, preservation, and destruction, with deep devotion. Seeing his son in such a composed and focused state, Prahlada repeatedly uttered, “Salutations to Narayana! Salutations to Govinda!” Witnessing this, Hiranyakashipu, burning with wicked thoughts, rebuked him: “You do not know me, fool, the eternal lord of all Daityas and gods. Prahlada, misguided son, cause of distress to the twice-born and gods! Who is Vishnu, or the lotus-born, or Indra, or even Varuna? Vayu, Soma, Ishana, Pavaka—who is equal to me? Worship me alone with devotion; disregard Narayana as insignificant. If you desire life, listen—if you have any wish.” Even after hearing these harsh words, Prahlada continued to worship, saying, “Salutations to Narayana!” He taught all the sons of the Daityas to do the same, instructing them in the splendid knowledge of Brahman, which is insurmountable even by Indra and others, having realized it himself. Seeing his command transgressed, Hiranyakashipu said to the Danavas, “This wicked son, deserving death in many ways, should be killed by you.” Thus addressed, the Danavas struck at Prahlada, the imperishable servant of the Lord of gods. Yet, whatever was done to him by the gods became fruitless by the power of the Lord who lies on the ocean of milk. As Hiranyakashipu’s pride was shattered, the Lord appeared, assuming the form of Narasimha, to slay him. He killed the wretched Danava, seeing his son, and in that instant tore him apart with hundreds of sharp claws. Having slain that Daitya along with his kin, the remover of sin began to torment the Daitya king, like another fire at the end of an age. By Narasimha’s terrifying roars, the world was struck with fear; even up to Brahma’s realm, the steadfast trembled. Seeing this, the gods, asuras, great serpents, siddhas, and sadhyas—led by Hari and Brahma—gained courage and strength, and departed in all directions, intent on protecting the asuras. After they had gone, Narasimha, the god of a thousand forms, all-pervading, with a thousand arms, a thousand eyes, with the moon, sun, and fire as his eyes, stood there, pervading all, the master of illusion. The best of the gods, stationed in the worlds and on the world-mountains, along with Brahma, the Sadhyas, Yama, and the hosts of Maruts, praised him: “You are the Supreme beyond the supreme Brahman, the essence beyond all essences; you are the supreme light among all lights, the supreme self, the one who pervades the universe. Gross, subtle, and most subtle, composed of the sound-Brahman, auspicious, transcending speech, unsupported, beyond duality, and free from disturbance. You are the enjoyer of sacrifices, the very form of sacrifice, the giver of fruits to sacrificers, O Lord; you have assumed the forms of the fish and the tortoise and are established in the world. Assuming the forms of the boar and the lion, you have stood firm, and for the protection of the gods, you slew the lord of the Daityas. By the pretext of a brahmin’s curse, you have descended playfully; for there is nothing other than you, O Lord, all that moves and does not move is you. You are Vishnu, you are Rudra, you are indeed the Grandfather; you are the beginning, you are the end, and you, O Lord, are indeed us. You alone are the entire universe; what is the use of further speech, O Lord? By your maya you exist in many forms, yet you are the non-dual essence, O Master.” Thus ends this sacred account, where the Lord’s play, his compassion, and his glory shine forth, as recounted by the wise, for all who seek the path of truth.