A brief note on prahlAda, hiraNyakashipu and an early nArasiMhAkhyAna

The daitya-s prahrAda/prahlAda and virochana are known in the veda itself. The killing of prahlAda and his clan by indra in a battle in the high heavens is alluded to in more than one post-RV vaidika text. This great battle between indra and prahrAda is also alluded to in the epics on multiple occasions:
jigIShator yudhAnyonyam indra-prahlAdayor iva | (mahAbharata 3.270.12cd)

prAhrAda is among the daitya-s killed by indra in the epics consistent with the vaidika account:
rathenAnena maghavA jitavA~n shambaraM yudhi |
namuchiM vala-vR^itrau cha prahlAda-narakAv api ||
bahUni cha sahasrANi prayutAny arbudAni cha |
rathenAnena daityAnAM jitavAn maghavAn yudhi || mahAbharata 3.165.18-19 (“critical”)

Seated on this car indra conquered shambara in battle. Seated on this chariot maghavAn conquered namuchi, vala, vR^itra, prahlAda and naraka along with thousands, millions and tens of millions of daitya-s.

In the taittirIya brAhmaNa 1.5.9-10 the daitya prahrAda kAyAdhava is said to hide his son virochana in a crater (termed a pradara) in the ground so that the deva-s might not kill him. Hence, the brAhmaNa in its characteristic style states that one must not drink water from a crater – implying that it might be poisoned by the presence of the daitya virochana.

prahrAda was an enemy of the deva-s in all early aitihAsika and paurANika narratives consistent with the vaidika account. In the kurma-purANa he is described as fighting viShNu during his attack on hiraNyakashipu and is defeated by a puruSha emanated by viShNu. Later he attacks nR^isiMha and flees to save himself after being struck by him. In the harivaMsha he attacks the deva-s along with his grandson bali and eventually subjugated by viShNu. In the shalyaparvan the arrogant prahlAda is defeated by kArttikeya. Only later the zealous vaiShNava-s in their drive to elevate viShNu over indra made him a positive figure and an ideal devotee of viShNu. In fact this is in contrast with the view of the early vaiShNava-s who mention his defeat along with that of other daitya-s and dAnava-s as an act of viShNu, evidently alluding to the famous dAnava-conquering strides of viShNu already known in the veda:

AsurIM shriyam AhR^itya trIMl lokAn sa janArdanaH |
saputradArAn asurAn pAtAle vinyapAtayat ||
namuchiH shambarash chaiva prahlAdash cha mahAmanAH |
pAda-pAtAbhi-nirdhUtAH pAtAle vinipAtitAH || (an old vaiShNAva AkhyAna found in certain recensions of the bhArata)

He janArdana having seized the wealth of the asura-s and the three worlds pushed the asura-s along with their sons and wives down to the netherworld. The mighty namuchi, shambhara and prahlAda were trampled under foot and pushed down into the netherworld [by viShNu].

However, their famous famous hiraNyakashipu is not mentioned in the shruti. Nevertheless there are hints that he existed in the ancient Indo-Aryan tradition:
1) The early vaMsha-s invariably mention him as a daitya the father of prahrAda. E.g. the ancient daitya-sR^iShTi in the mahAbhArata states-

eka eva diteH putro hiraNyakashipuH smR^itaH |
nAmnA khyAtAs tu tasyeme putrAH pa~ncha mahAtmanaH ||
prahrAdaH pUrvajas teShAM saMhrAdas tadanantaram |
anuhrAdas tR^itIyo .abhUt tasmAch cha shibi-bAShkalau ||
prahrAdasya trayaH putrAH khyAtAH sarvatra bhArata |
virochanash cha kumbhash cha nikumbhash cheti vishrutAH ||
virochanasya putro .abhUd balir ekaH pratApavAn |
balesh cha prathitaH putro bANo nAma mahAsuraH || mahAbharata 1.59.17-20 (“critical”)

diti bore one son who was known as hiraNyakashipu. Hear the names of his fives sons being narrated: prahrAda was the first, followed by saMhrAda thereafter; the third was anuhrAda followed by shibhi and bAShkala. prahrAda three sons O bhArata are said to be virochana, kumbha and nikumbha. virochana’s had one son the valiant bali. bali’s son was know by the name of bANa the great demon.
[Thus as in the veda the eldest son of prahrAda is described as virochana.]

2) In the rAmAyaNa there is an allusion the tale of indra capturing the wife of hiraNyakashipu. The paurAnika narratives (e.g. bhAgavata 4.18.12) indicate that she, kayAdhu (consistent with the vaidika form of prahrAda’s matronym) was the daughter of the dAnava jambha who was killed by indra. Other paurANika narratives suggest that indra abducted kayAdhu to preclude the birth of her dreadful and mighty son prahrAda, but subsequently released her (in some accounts upon nArada’s suggestion).

Continued…