As Prahlāda, with a heart full of devotion and humility, offered his praises with a focused mind, the blessed Lord Hari, radiant in yellow garments, manifested before him. Overwhelmed with emotion and reverence at the divine sight, Prahlāda rose hurriedly, his voice trembling as he repeatedly uttered, “Salutations to Viṣṇu!” With folded hands, he pleaded, “O Lord, remover of the suffering of those who seek refuge, bestow Your grace upon me, O Keśava. Purify me once more by allowing me to behold You.” Pleased by Prahlāda’s unwavering devotion, Lord Hari spoke, “Because of your steadfastness, I am delighted with you. Ask of Me, Prahlāda, whatever boon you desire.” Prahlāda replied, “O Lord, in whatever wombs I may be born, may my devotion to You, O Acyuta, remain firm and unshaken. May attachment to sense objects, which binds the undiscerning, depart from my heart as I remember You.” The Lord replied, “You already possess devotion to Me, and it shall remain so in the future. Yet, Prahlāda, ask of Me any boon you wish.” Prahlāda said, “O Lord, it is by my connection to You that I am able to sing Your praises. May the sins committed by my father be destroyed by Your grace. Weapons have been hurled at me, I have been cast into sacrificial fires, bitten by serpents, and poisoned; I have been bound and thrown into the ocean, hurled from mountain peaks, and suffered many other cruel acts. O Lord, whatever sin has arisen from the enmity of those devoted to You, may my father be instantly freed from it by Your compassion.” The Lord assured him, “Prahlāda, all this will come to pass for you by My grace. Now, ask another boon, O son of an Asura, whatever you desire.” Prahlāda replied, “O Lord, I am fulfilled by this boon alone, for unwavering devotion to You will be mine by Your grace. What use are righteousness, wealth, or worldly desires to one whose liberation is assured, whose steadfast devotion to You is the root of all?” Lord Hari said, “Just as your mind is unwavering and endowed with devotion to Me, so by My grace you shall attain the supreme liberation.” Having spoken thus, Viṣṇu vanished from sight as Maitreya looked on. Prahlāda then returned and bowed at his father’s feet. His father, overwhelmed with emotion, embraced him, smelling his head in affection, and with tears in his eyes, cried, “You are alive, my child!” Despite all that had happened, the great Asura felt joy in his son. Prahlāda, knowing righteousness, served both his teacher and his father. When his father was finally taken by Viṣṇu in the form of Narasiṃha, Prahlāda became friendly with the Daityas around him. In time, he enjoyed a long reign, filled with sons, grandsons, and great prosperity. When his authority waned, free from virtue and sin, he attained supreme liberation through meditation on the Blessed Lord. Such was the power and wisdom of Prahlāda, the Daitya, devoted to the Lord, about whom you inquired, O Maitreya. Whoever hears the deeds of that great-souled Prahlāda will have their sins immediately destroyed. Any sin committed by day or night is removed, O Maitreya, by hearing or reciting Prahlāda’s story—there is no doubt. Reciting it on the full moon, new moon, eighth, or twelfth day bestows the merit of gifting a cow, O twice-born. Just as Hari protected Prahlāda in every calamity, so does He protect anyone who listens to this story with devotion. Now, hear of Prahlāda’s lineage: His sons were the long-lived Śibi, Vāṣkala, and others. Virocana was also born from Prahlāda, and from Virocana came Bali. Bali had a hundred sons, the eldest being Bāṇa; all the sons of Hiraṇyākṣa were exceedingly powerful. Among them were Jharjhara, Śakuni, Bhūtasantāpana, Mahānābha, Mahābāhu, and Kālanābha. There were also Anupu, Dvimūrdhā, Śambara, Ayomukha, Śaṃkuśirā, Kapila, and Śaṃkara. Ekacakra, the mighty-armed, Tāraka the powerful, Svarbhānu, Vṛṣaparvan, and Puloma, all of great strength, were born as well. These are the renowned sons of Danu, along with the valiant Vipracitti. Svarbhānu had daughters: Prabhā, Śarmiṣṭhā, Vārṣaparvaṇī, Upadānī, and Hayaśirā, all famed maidens. Pulomā and Kālakā, daughters of Vaiśvānara, became the wives of Marīci, and from them were born sixty thousand excellent Dānavas, known as the Paulomas and Kālakeyas. Others of great might and fierce nature, utterly merciless, were born from Siṃhikā and also as sons of Vipracitti: Tryaṃśa, the powerful Śalya, Nabhā, Vātāpi, Namuci, Ilvala, and Khasṛma. There were also Āndhaka, Naraka, Kālanābha, Svarbhānu of great valor, and Vaktrayodhin, the great Asura. These are the foremost Dānavas, enhancers of the Danu lineage, whose sons and grandsons number in the hundreds and thousands. In Prahlāda’s line, through great austerity and self-control, were born the Nivātakavacas. Such is the lineage and legacy of the wise and devoted Prahlāda, whose story, when heard or recited, brings the Lord’s grace and destroys all sin.