He appears in the narrative of Narasimha, the lion avatara of Vishnu, who rescues Prahlada by disimboweling and killing his evil father, the asura king Hiranyakashipu.

The majority of stories in the Puranas regarding him are based on the activities of Prahlada as a young boy, and he is usually depicted as such in paintings and illustrations.

His father was antagonised by his spiritual inclination and tried to warn Prahlada against offending him since he had greatly desired to turn his son against Vishnu in particular.

When the daitya soldiers attacked their prince with weapons, Prahlada informed them that their efforts were futile since Vishnu resided within them.

The asura then had the Prahlada trampled by the aṣṭadiggajas, the eight elephants who bear the weight of the earth, but their tusks were broken to bits upon contact with him and they went away.

The boy was entrusted to Shukra, who educated him regarding his duties, the sciences, and justice, and was returned to his father after he was deemed to have become humble.

[9] Prahlada eventually becomes the king of the asuras and attains a place in the abode of Vishnu and Lakshmi (Vaikuntha) after his death.

[10] In the Bhagavad Gita (10.30) Krishna makes the following statement in regard to Prahlada, showing his favour towards him: prahlādaścāsmi daityānāṁ kālaḥ kalayatāmaham .

10-30..Translation: "Among the Daityas, I am the great devotee Prahlada and of calculators, I am Time; among quadrupeds, I am the lion; and among birds, I am Garuda."

Without lifting a single weapon and by virtue of his good behaviour, Prahlada conquered the three worlds easily, and Indra ran away from Svarga.

Pleased with this pupil, he offered him a boon, and Indra sought the king's virtue and hence robbed Prahlada of his dharma as well.

Vishnu told his devotee that the Nara-Narayana brothers were invincible as they were the sons of Yama and could only be conquered in devotion rather than combat.

Fearing that the asura king would destroy the devas, Indra prayed to Parvati, and Prahlada responded in kind.

[15] Prahlada, Virochana, Bali, and Banasura fought against Shiva and Parvati with the devas and devis when Andhaka attacked Kailasha.

Prahlada was present during the Samudra Manthana and also fought in the Tarakamaya War against the devas and devis alongside the asuras and asuris.

It was Prahlada who asked Shukracharya to acquire the Mritasanjivani mantra from Shiva to save the asuras from the devas and devis.

[citation needed] The following sites in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh in India, are associated with Prahlāda or Narasiṁha as places of pilgrimage: In Pakistan: The Prahallada Nataka (also spelled Prahlada-Naṭaka), a folk dance-theatre from Ganjam, Odisha enacts the story of Narasimha and Hiranyakashipu.

This art form dates back to the 18th century, when Rāmakruṣṇa Chhoṭarāya, the erstwhile king of the Jalantara state, wrote the text and the songs of the drama and started it.