Prahlada and the man-lion

The asura boy Prahlada survives his father's every attempt to kill him; Vishnu bursts from a pillar as Narasimha and kills Hiranyakashipu in a way that slips past every clause of his boon.

The story, beat by beat

1. Hiranyakashipu wins from Brahma a boon that he cannot be killed by man or beast, by any weapon, by day or night, indoors or out.
2. His son Prahlada, taught by Narada while still in the womb, loves Vishnu and will not stop saying so.
3. The king tries poison, elephants, serpents and a fall from a cliff; the boy is unharmed each time.
4. His aunt Holika, who cannot be burned, sits in a fire with Prahlada on her lap; she burns and he walks out.
5. Asked where his god is, Prahlada says he is everywhere, even in the pillar; the king strikes it.
6. A roar seems to split the shell of the universe and a shape neither man nor lion comes out.
7. At dusk, on the threshold, Narasimha lays the king across his lap and opens him with his claws — no weapon, no man, no beast, no day, no night, no inside, no outside.
8. Prahlada calms the raging god with a hymn and is made king of the asuras.

devotion boon demon slaying father and son pillar