Prahlāda was a
daitya king, the son of
Hiranyakashipu, and the father of
Virochana. He is often described as a saintly boy from the
Puranas known for his piety and
bhakti to
Vishnu. Despite the abusive nature of his father, Hiranyakashipu, he continued his devotion towards
Vishnu. He is considered to be a
mahājana, or
great devotee, by followers of
Vaishnava traditions and is of special importance to devotees of the
avatār Narasiṁha. A treatise is accredited to him in the
Bhāgavata Purāṇa in which Prahlāda describes the process of loving worship to his lord, Vishnu. The majority of stories in the Puranas are based on the activities of Prahlāda as a young boy, and he is usually depicted as such in paintings and illustrations.
