Nrisimha (also known as Nrisimhadeva or Narasingha) is the half-man, half-lion avatar of Lord Vishnu, one of the most famous and widely worshiped manifestations in the Vaishnava pantheon. As narrated in the Seventh Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Nrisimha descended into the material world to protect His pure devotee, the child Prahlada Maharaja, from the persecution and torment inflicted by his cruel father, the demon king Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu had obtained a blessing that prevented him from being killed by a human, an animal, a god, indoors or outdoors, during the day or night, and by weapons made of metal or wood. Nrisimha assumed a hybrid form that was neither man nor beast, killing the demon at dusk on the threshold of the doorway using His fingernails, thus perfectly fulfilling all conditions of the blessing without violating them. In the Gaudiya tradition, Nrisimha is worshiped as the supreme protector of pure devotion and the dispeller of internal and external demonic influences. Practitioners of bhakti-yoga chant specific prayers to Nrisimhadeva at the start of their daily activities to implore His protection on the spiritual path.