In the sacred halls where the imperishable Lord Hari, the Supreme Master, resides within the heart, even the mighty thunderbolt loses its power—how much less, then, could the trident threaten those protected by Him? There, when the priests cast down the evil ones with their powerful rites, that destructive force was swiftly vanquished. Witnessing the enemies being consumed by this force, the wise Prahlāda cried out, “Save me, Krishna! Infinite One!” and surrendered himself completely. He prayed, “O all-pervading One, form of the universe, destroyer of the world’s afflictions, protect these Brahmins from the unbearable fire of the mantra.” Prahlāda recognized that just as Vishnu, the teacher of the world, dwells in all beings, so too do these priests live by His grace. He said, “I see Vishnu everywhere and not the fire; even among enemies, I believe these priests live through Him. Those who tried to kill me, who poisoned me, set fire to me, crushed me with elephants, or had me bitten by snakes—I regard them all equally, as friends. I do not consider myself sinful. Therefore, by this truth, may these priests of the demons live today.” Touched by Prahlāda’s words and his presence, all the priests were freed from their suffering and rose up, healed. With humility, the Brahmins blessed him: “May you, dear one, live long, endowed with unfailing strength and vigor, blessed with sons, grandsons, wealth, and prosperity.” Having spoken thus, they went to the great sage and reported everything to the king of the Daityas. When Hiraṇyakaśipu heard that the destructive force had failed, he summoned his son and demanded to know the source of this power. “Prahlāda, you are of great power—what is this you have done? Is it produced by some mantra, or is it innate to you?” Prahlāda, questioned by his father, bowed at his feet and replied, “Father, it is not by mantra or by any means, nor is it my own nature. This power belongs to anyone in whose heart the Imperishable One dwells. For one who does not think of others’ sins as his own, there is no arrival of sin, since there is no cause. Whoever harms others by deed, mind, or speech, the seed of that action bears abundant evil fruit at birth. I neither desire sin nor commit or speak it, for I contemplate Keśava, who dwells in all beings and in myself. Physical, mental, divine, and elemental suffering—where could any of these arise for one whose mind is auspicious everywhere? Thus, unwavering devotion must be practiced by the wise toward all beings, knowing Hari to be present in all creatures.” Hearing this, Hiraṇyakaśipu’s face darkened with anger as he stood atop his palace. He commanded his demon attendants, “Cast this wicked child from the palace, a hundred yojanas away; let him fall upon the mountain’s summit, his body shattered by the rocks.” The Daitya and Dānava demons seized Prahlāda and hurled him down. Yet, as he fell, Prahlāda carried Hari in his heart. The earth herself, devoted to Keśava, the sustainer of the world, approached and received him gently, filled with devotion. Seeing Prahlāda unharmed and his bones unbroken, Hiraṇyakaśipu turned to Śambara, the foremost magician. “We are unable to kill this wicked-minded boy; you know magic, so destroy him by your arts.” Śambara replied, “I will indeed destroy him, O lord of the demons. Witness the power of my magic—here are a thousand spells, and even a hundred million more.” Śambara unleashed his magic against Prahlāda, intent on his destruction, but Prahlāda saw all with equal vision, his mind composed and free from envy even toward Śambara, remembering Madhusūdana. For Prahlāda’s protection, the supreme disc Sudarśana, encircled with flames, arrived, summoned by the Lord. The swift-moving disc shielded the boy’s body, destroying each of Śambara’s thousand spells. Then the demon lord commanded, “Let the drying wind quickly, by my order, bring this wicked one to destruction.” The wind entered Prahlāda, harsh and cold, attempting to dry out his body and cause extreme suffering. Realizing he had been possessed by the wind, Prahlāda held the great Lord, the sustainer of the earth, in his heart. With Janārdana dwelling within, Prahlāda drank in the terrifying wind; enraged, Janārdana destroyed the wind. With all the magic exhausted and the wind destroyed, the wise boy returned to his teacher’s house. Day by day, the teacher instructed Prahlāda in the treatise on policy composed by Usanas for rulers, aiming to prepare him for kingship. When the teacher judged that Prahlāda had learned the treatise and was disciplined, he reported his training to Hiraṇyakaśipu. The teacher said, “Your son, O lord of the Daityas, has mastered the treatise on policy; Prahlāda understands in essence what was taught by Bhargava.” Hiraṇyakaśipu then asked, “How should a king behave among friends and among enemies? Prahlāda, how should one act among those neutral in the three worlds?