Hiranyaksha (Sanskrit: हिरण्याक्ष, lit. 'golden-eyed', IAST: Hiraṇyākṣa), also known as Hiranyanetra (Sanskrit: हिरण्यनेत्र) was an asura king as per Hindu history. He is described to have submerged the earth and terrorised the three worlds. He was slain by the Varaha (wild boar) avatar of Vishnu, who rescued the earth goddess Bhumi and restored order to the earth.
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👉 Hiranyaksha in the context of Narasimha
Narasimha (Sanskrit: नरसिंह, lit. 'man-lion', IAST: Narasiṃha, or Sanskrit: नृसिंह, IAST: Nṛsiṃha), is a deity in Hinduism, revered as the fourth of the ten principal avatars (Dashavatara) of the god Vishnu. Depicted with a human torso and a lion's head and claws, Narasimha is venerated as a fierce protector who destroys evil and safeguards his devotees. He is most widely known for protecting his devotee Prahlada and for slaying the tyrannical demon king Hiranyakashipu.
According to Hindu texts, Hiranyakashipu, the elder brother of Hiranyaksha—who was killed earlier by Vishnu's Varaha avatar—received a boon from the creator god Brahma that made him nearly invulnerable. The conditions of the boon prevented his death by man or beast, indoors or outdoors, during day or night, on earth or in the sky, and not by any weapon. Empowered by this, Hiranyakashipu persecuted Vishnu’s devotees, including his own son Prahlada. To circumvent the boon, Vishnu incarnated as Narasimha—neither man nor animal—and killed Hiranyakashipu at twilight, on a palace threshold, placing him on his lap and tearing him apart with his claws.
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Hiranyaksha in the context of Bhūmi
Bhumi (Sanskrit: भूमि, romanized: Bhūmi), also known as Bhudevi, Dharani, and Vasundhara, is a significant goddess in Hinduism, personifying the Earth. Her earliest form is reflected in the Vedic goddess Prithvi, though their roles, attributes and depictions are drastically different. Bhumi features prominently in the post-Vedic texts such as the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and various Puranas.
Bhumi plays a central role in Hindu mythology, where she is often portrayed as a supplicant, oppressed by evil forces, demons, or corrupt rulers. These stories frequently depict her appealing to the god Vishnu for assistance, and in response, Vishnu intervenes to alleviate her distress by taking different avatars. In one instance, Vishnu takes the Varaha (boar) avatar to save her from the asura Hiranyaksha and later marries her, resulting in birth of a son, Mangala. In another narrative, Vishnu takes the avatar of King Prithu to tame Bhumi, who had ran away in the form of a cow. Sita, the female protagonist of Ramayana, is described being born from the earth and regarded as Bhumi's daughter. Bhumi also incarnates as Satyabhama to help defeat Narakasura, an asura who was born from her due to Hiranyaksha's influence.
Hiranyaksha in the context of Varaha
Varaha (Sanskrit: वराह, Varāha, "boar") is the avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of a boar. Varaha is generally listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu.
In legend, when the demon Hiranyaksha steals the earth goddess Bhumi and hid her in the primordial waters, Vishnu appears as Varaha to rescue her. Varaha kills Hiranyaksha and retrieves the earth from the cosmic ocean, lifting her on his tusks, and restores her to her place in the universe.
Hiranyaksha in the context of Hiranyakashipu
Hiranyakashipu (Sanskrit: हिरण्यकशिपु, IAST: Hiraṇyakaśipu), was a daitya king of the asuras in the Puranas.
In Hinduism, Hiranyakashipu's younger brother, Hiranyaksha, was slained by the Varaha (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, he was slain by the Narasimha (man-lion) avatar of Vishnu.
Hiranyaksha in the context of Narakasura
Narakasura, also known as Naraka, was a mythical asura king, the legendary progenitor of all three dynasties of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa, and the founding ruler of the legendary Bhauma dynasty of Pragjyotisha. Though the myths about Naraka are first mentioned in the Mahabharata, later texts embellish them. According to later post-Vedic texts such as the Brahma Purana and Vishnu Purana, he was the son of Bhudevi, fathered either by the Varaha incarnation of Vishnu or Hiranyaksha. He was killed by Krishna and Satyabhama. His son Bhagadatta—of Mahabharata fame—succeeded him.
The 10th/11th-century Kalika Purana embellishes the myths further and he is claimed to have come from Mithila and said to have established the kingdom of Pragjyotisha after overthrowing the last of the Kirata kings, Ghatakasura, of the Danava dynasty. It was foretold that he would be destroyed by a later incarnation of Vishnu. His mother, the earth, sought the boon from Vishnu that her son should have a long life, and that he should be all-powerful. Vishnu granted these boons.
Hiranyaksha in the context of Prahlada
Prahlada (Sanskrit: प्रह्लाद, romanized: Prahlāda) is an asura prince in Hindu scriptures. He is known for his staunch devotion to the preserver deity Vishnu. He was rescued from his evil father, the asura king Hiranyakashipu by Narasimha, the lion avatar of god Vishnu.
Prahlada is described as a saintly boy, known for his innocence and bhakti towards god Vishnu. Despite the abusive nature of his father, Hiranyakashipu, and his uncle and aunt, Hiranyaksha and Holika, he continued to worship Vishnu. Thus, in order to protect Prahlada, Vishnu took the form of Varaha to kill his paternal uncle Hiranyaksha by piercing and crushing him. Thereafter, Vishnu saved Prahlad from his paternal aunt Holika, by burning her to ashes alive. Following this, Vishnu took the form of Narasimha and disembowelled Hiranyakashipu to save Prahlada and the universe from destruction and chaos.