Hiranyakashipu | |
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![]() 18th century painting depicting Hiranyakashipu seated on a throne, trying to kill his son, Prahlada (left). | |
Affiliation | Asura, Daitya |
Weapon | Mace |
Genealogy | |
Parents | |
Siblings | Hiranyaksha (younger brother), Holika (younger sister) |
Consort | Sumukhi and Kayadhu/Kamala |
Children |
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Hinduism |
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Hiranyakashipu (Sanskrit: हिरण्यकशिपु, IAST: Hiraṇyakaśipu), also known as Hiranyakashyap, was a daitya king of the asuras in the Puranas.[1]
In Hinduism, Hiranyakashipu's younger brother, Hiranyaksha, was slain by the Varaha (wild boar) avatar of Vishnu. Angered by this, Hiranyakashipu decided to gain a boon of invulnerability by performing tapas to propitiate Brahma. After his subjugation of the three worlds,[2] he was slain by the Narasimha (man-lion) avatar of Vishnu.[3]