Hiraṇyakaśipu, the mighty Daitya king, confronted his son Prahlāda and spoke, “Prahlāda, if you desire life, listen—if you have any wish.” Yet even after hearing his father’s words, wise Prahlāda remained undisturbed. He continued to worship, offering salutations to Nārāyaṇa, and taught all the sons of the Daityas to do the same. With deep realization, Prahlāda also instructed them in the splendid knowledge of Brahman, a wisdom so profound that even Indra and the other gods could not surpass it. Witnessing his own command disregarded by Prahlāda, Hiraṇyakaśipu’s wrath grew. He addressed the Dānavas, declaring, “This wicked son, deserving death in many ways, should be killed by you.” Thus urged by their leader, the Dānavas struck at Prahlāda, who remained imperishable as a devoted servant of the Lord of gods. Yet, O best of the twice-born, whatever harm the gods or demons attempted against the son of the Daitya king was rendered fruitless by the power of the Lord who lies upon the ocean of milk. At that moment, as Hiraṇyakaśipu’s pride was shattered, the Lord Himself appeared in the form of Narasiṃha—a being neither man nor beast—to slay the Daitya king. With hundreds of sharp claws, Narasiṃha tore apart the wretched Dānava in an instant, seeing his devoted son Prahlāda. Having slain Hiraṇyakaśipu and his kin, the remover of sin, Narasiṃha, began to torment the Daitya king like a blazing fire at the end of an age. The terrifying roars of Narasiṃha echoed throughout the worlds, striking fear into all beings—even those steadfast up to Brahmā’s realm trembled. Witnessing this awe-inspiring sight, the gods, asuras, great serpents, siddhas, and sādhyas—all led by Hari and Brahmā—gained courage and strength, departing in all directions with the intent to protect the asuras. When they had gone, Narasiṃha, the god of a thousand forms, all-pervading, with a thousand arms and eyes—his eyes being the moon, sun, and fire—stood there, pervading all, the master of illusion. The best of the gods, stationed throughout the worlds and upon the world-mountains, along with Brahmā, the Sādhyas, Yama, and the hosts of Maruts, praised Him. They extolled Him, saying, “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 Viṣṇu, 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 māyā you exist in many forms, yet you are the non-dual essence, O Master. How shall we praise you, O God of gods, Lord of beasts? Even when praised with various hymns and with manifold feelings, you remain the Lord.” They declared, “He who, with devotion, recites or reflects on this hymn to Nṛsiṃha for its meaning, O twice-born, does not attain peace or another birth for his soul. Or if he causes all the twice-born to hear it, he is honored in the world of Viṣṇu; meanwhile, the gods with Indra and Brahmā worship the Lord Śiva.” Having approached the Lord, they praised Him entirely, informing the One in the form of the beast; then Brahmā and the others quickly praised the Supreme Lord. For their own protection, they took refuge in the ultimate cause—the great god dwelling on Mandara, sporting with Umā. Served by hosts of Gaṇas and Gandharvas, by Siddhas and groups of Apsarases, together with the gods, Brahmā, greatly afraid and with faltering speech, bowed down flat on the ground and praised the Supreme Lord. They offered salutations: “Salutations to you, the ender of time; salutations to you, Rudra, the wrathful; homage to Śiva, to Rudra, to Śaṅkara, to you who are auspicious. You are fierce, the controller of all beings, you are our Śiva; homage to Śiva, to Śarva, to Śaṅkara, the remover of suffering. Homage to the maker of delight, to the all-pervading, to Viṣṇu, to Brahmā; homage to the ender, to you, to the husband of Umā. Homage to the golden-armed, directly to the lord of gold; homage to Śarva, to the one of all forms, to the Person, repeated homage. To you, devoid of manifestation as existence or non-existence, the cause of the great, the eternal, of universal form, the ever-born, homage to you. Born in many ways in the world, great in power, repeated homage to you; to Rudra, to Nīlarudra, to Kadrudra, to Pracetas. Salutation to the One who is Time, who takes the form of Time, who seizes the limbs of Time; to the most generous God, to the blue-throated One, I bow to You. Homage to You, the most exalted, the constant destroyer of the enemies of the gods; to the Savior, the Supreme Savior, the Deliverer—again and again, I bow. To the god with tawny hair, to Śambhu, the Supreme Self, to the benefactor of the gods, to the benefactor of beings—I bow to You. To Śambhu, to the wrath of Pārvatī, to the one who assumes the form of Rudra, to the matted-haired One, I bow to You; to the dark-throated One, I bow. To the golden One, to the Great Lord, to the illustrious blue-throated One, I bow again and again; to the One whose body is smeared with ashes, to the Lord of skulls and staff. Salutations to the short One, to the tall One, to the dwarf—I bow again and again; to the fierce trident-bearer, to the terrible One, I bow repeatedly. To the formidable One, to the One with a terrible form, to the One delighting in terrible deeds; having become the slayer at the forefront, I bow, and also to the slayer from afar. To You who bear the bow, the spear, the mace, and the plough, I bow; to the discus-bearer, the armored One, ever the destroyer of the deeds of demons.” Thus, the gods, sages, and all beings offered their heartfelt praises and salutations to the Supreme Lord, recognizing Him as the One who pervades all, the protector, the destroyer, and the eternal essence beyond all forms and names.