Avatar of the Man-Lion. - The deity Vishnu's fourth avatar or incarnation; the man-form lion's is commonly shown as a lion's head and shoulders with a man's torso and legs.
The Man Lion avatar, like all of Vishnu's avatars, arrives to restore cosmic balance that has been thrown out of whack by some individual's inordinate strength.
The cause of problems in this situation is the demon-king Hiranyakashipu, who gets three boons from the gods thanks to his asceticism (tapas): he cannot be destroyed by man or beast, by day or night, inside or outside.
These boons make Hiranyakashipu almost invulnerable, and he goes on to conquer the world and expel the gods from heaven.
He oppresses his son Prahlada, who stays a true devotee (bhakta) of Vishnu despite his father's dominance.
The more devotion Prahlada exhibits to Vishnu, the more abuse he receives from his father, until Hiranyakashipu becomes enraged at the prospect of someone refusing to worship him and kills Prahlada.
Prahlada appeals to Vishnu for assistance, and the Man-Lion emerges from a pillar in the palace, neither man nor beast.
The Man-Lion captures Hiranyakashipu at the palace entryway, which is neither inside nor outside, and uses his keen claws to rip out the demon's innards, killing him.
Vishnu appoints the saintly Prahlada as monarch of the kingdom after Hiranyakashipu is murdered.
This behavior illustrates a crucial fact about Hindu reality perception.
Despite the fact that Prahlada is a "devil" (asura), he is neither intrinsically malevolent or a creature to be eradicated.
In the Hindu world, all sorts of entities have their due place; the difficulty arises when they acquire excessive power and utilize it for their own objectives.
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