Chapter 13 - The Boar (Varāha) Incarnation

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Śrī Śuka said:

1. Oh king, hearing the holiest discourse of the sage, Vidura (a descendant of Kuru) who cherished high respects for narratives of Hari, again asked (Maitreya).

Vidura said:

2. The emperor Svāyambhuva was verily the favourite son of god Brahmā. Oh sage, what did he do after obtaining a loving wife?

3. Oh foremost among the good, narrate to me, who am full of faith, the life of the king-sage, the first ruler of the world, because he also resorted to Vāsudeva (Viṣvaksena).

4^[1]. (The act of) listening to the virtuous deeds of those who cherish in their hearts the lotus-like feet of Mukunda, is eulogised by the wise, as the main fruit (result) of men’s study of the śāstras with long efforts.

5. The sage (Maitreya) who was thus urged to narrate the episodes of the Lord had his hair standing on ends (due to intense devotion), and narrated to Vidura who was modest and was (as if) a pillow to the feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa^[2] (lit. the thousand-headed god) requested him (Maitreya) thus.

Maitreya said:

6. When Svāyambhuva Manu was born along with his wife, he folded his hands and bowing to Brahmā (Vedagarbha) he said:

7. “You are the sole progenitor and nourisher and protector of all beings. But how (in what way) are we, your creatures, to render you service?

8. Oh praiseworthy one, I bow to you. Tell me what action, out of those within our capacity, I should do whereby my fame will spread everywhere (here) and lead to Heaven hereafter.”

Brahmā said:

9. “Oh child, I am pleased with you. Oh king, blessed be you both. You have offered yourself to me with a guileless (sincere) heart for guidance.

10. Oh warrior, this much worship should be rendered by children to their father that they should abide by his order respectfully, to the best of their capacity without jealousy or negligence.

11. Have from her children who are like you in qualities. Protect the earth according to law. Worship the Puruṣa (the Supreme Man) with sacrifices.

12. Oh king, the highest service (rendered) to me will be the protection of the subjects. Lord Hṛṣīkeśa (Viṣṇu) will be ever pleased with you for your being the protector of the subjects.

13. Fruitless are the efforts of those with whom Lord Kṛṣṇa (Janārdana) whose form is sacrifice, is not pleased; for, thereby, the Soul (ātman) itself is disrespected.”

Manu said:

14. “Oh destroyer of sins, I shall abide by the order of your lordship. But fix up a place for me and for my progeny here.

15. The earth which is the place for all beings is submerged in the great ocean. Oh god, make some efforts to lift up this goddess (earth) (from the ocean)”^[3].

Maitreya said:

16. Seeing that the earth is submerged that way in waters, god Brahmā pondered over for a long time, “How can I lift her (the earth) up?^[4]

17. While I was engaged in creation, the earth was engulfed by waters and it sank down to Rasātala. What can we, who are entrusted with the duty of creation, do now here? Let the Lord from whose heart I came into existence, do it for me.”

18. Oh sinless one, while he was reflecting thus, a thumbsize small boar suddenly dropped down from his nostril.

19. Oh Vidura (of Bharata clan), while he (Brahmā) was looking on, a great miracle took place: The small boar in the sky shot up to the size of an elephant in a moment.

20. Along with Brāhmaṇas with Marīci as their chief, with Kumāras (Sanaka, Sanandana etc.) and with Manu, he saw the boar form and began to think in various ways.

21. “Is it the transcendental Being appearing in the form of a boar? What a miracle that it should come out of my nose!

22. It appeared like the tip of a thumb and in a moment it became as big as a great boulder. Can this be the Divine Sacrifice (i.e. Lord Viṣṇu) himself who is trying my mind to exhaustion (by concealing his real form)?”

23. While Brahmā was deeply thinking over it along with his sons, the glorious Supreme Sacrifice-Man (Yajña-Puruṣa) who was like a mountain thundered forth.

24. The all-pervading Hari thrilled with rapture, god Brahmā and the excellent Brahmins, by his roar which reverberated the directions.

25. Having heard the grief-removing roar of the (Being who had assumed the) Boar form by his Māyā, the sages who were residents of the same Tapas and Satya Iokas (worlds) praised him with the holy trinity (of the Vedas).

26. Knowing that it is the Veda extolling his attributes that is chanted by the great (god Brahmā and the sages), he whose personality is described in the Vedas^[5] again roared and for the prosperity of gods, rushed into the water like a big sporting elephant.

27. He moved through the sky with his tail held aloft. With his shaking mane and kicking hoofs he dispersed the clouds. His boḍy was hard with tough hide bristled with sharp, erect hair. The Lord, the saviour of the earth, appeared brilliant with his white tusk and shining eyes.

28. Though he was sacrifice itself in person, He assumed the form of a boar and was scenting the track of the earth. Though his tusks were sharp, he gently looked at the Brāhmaṇas who were praising him and dashed into water.

29. The roaring ocean whose side was shattered by the velocity of the falling of his body which was like a mountain of adamantine peaks, spread out his arms in the form of swelling surges and as if out of affliction, yelled out, ‘Oh Lord of Sacrifices, protect me’.

30. Then cutting down the unfathomable waters to the bottom with his sharp arrow-like hoofs, the Lord who was sacrifice incarnate (lit. who had three joints in the form of savanas or sacrificial acts), saw the earth in rasātala where at the time of Deluge (Pralaya) he desired to sleep, placing the earth along with the beings, in his stomach.

31-32. He appeared extremely resplendent when he rose up pulling out by his tusks the submerged earth from the rasātala. Even there (in the sea), he whose intensified rage was like the Sudarśana Cakra^[6], saw a demon (Daitya) of irresistible prowess attacking him with a mace and (thus) obstructing him. He killed him easily as a lion kills an elephant. With his cheeks red with the (mudlike) clotted blood of the demon, he appeared like a big elephant who had turned up (red chalk from) the earth.

33.^[7] Oh Vidura, (sages and gods) of whom Brahmā was the leader recognised the Lord (Varāha) of tamāla-like blue complexion, who was sportively lifting up the earth by the tip of his tusks like an elephant. They folded their hands and prayed him with words like Vedic sūktas.

Sages said:

34. “Victory to you, Oh unconquerable Lord! Oh creator of sacrifices!^[8] We bow to you who are shaking your body composed of three Vedas. We salute to you who have assumed this boar form (to lift up the earth), in the pores of whose hair sacrifices lie hidden.

35.^[9] Oh Lord, the sacrificial form of your body is really very difficult to look at by the sinful people. The Vedic metres are found in your skin, the kuśa grass in your hair, the sacred clarified butter in your eyes, and the fourfold duties of the sacrificial priests in your feet.

36. Oh Lord, sruk is in your mouth, sruvas are in your nostrils, Iḍā in your stomach, and camasas in your ears; prāśitra (the vessel for Brahmā’s share) in your mouth, grahas (a kind of cup for soma) in your throat. Agnihotra in your chewing.

37. Your frequency of incarnation is the iṣṭi (sacrificial act) called dīkṣā. The three iṣṭis called upasads form your neck. Prāyaṇīya (iṣṭi after dīkṣā) and udayanīya (iṣṭi after completion of sacrifice) are your two tusks. The Pravargya Mahāvīra^[10] ceremony preliminary to Soma sacrifice) is your tongue. The two fires sabhya and āvasathya form your head. You are the sacrifice. The arrangement of bricks for sacrifice is your vital breath.

38. Your semen is the soma juice. The three savanas (morning, noon and evening) form your seat. The seven sacrifices (Agniṣṭoma, Atyagniṣṭoma, Ukthya, Ṣoḍaṣī, Vājapeya, Atirātra and Āptoryāma) are your dhātus (constituents of the body). All kinds of satras (sacrificial sessions) are the joints of your body. You are both kratus (sacrifices in which soma juice was extracted) and yajñas (sacrifices without the extraction of soma juice). Iṣṭis in sacrifices are your tendons.

39. We bow again and again to you who are all the mantras, deities, sacrificial materials, sacrificial acts and the performance of all acts. We repeatedly salute to you who are knowledge realised by nonattachment, devotion and self-control, and who are the preceptor of that knowledge.

40. Oh Supreme Lord, the support of the earth, the earth along with the mountains which you have borne upon the tip of your tusk, appears beautiful like a lotus plant with leaves resting on the tusk of a big elephant.

41. This your boar form consisting of three Vedas, with the sphere of the earth supported by your tusk, appears shining like a great enchantingly beautiful Kula Parvata^[11] with a cloud resting on its peak.

42. Establish firmly your consort, this earth, the mother of the world of the movables and immovables, for the residence of the people; for you are the father or the Protector. We offer our salutations to her along with you. You have deposited your vital power in her as the Fire is dormant in araṇi—(a piece of Śami wood used for creating sacrificial fire by friction with another piece).

43. Oh Supreme ruler, who else can aspire or determine to lift up the earth which sank down to the nethermost region (rasātala)? In your case, this is not a miracle as you have created this extremely wonderful world by your Māyā power.

44. Oh Almighty, we, the residents of the Jana, Tapas and Satya regions have been thoroughly purified by the sanctifying drops of water sprayed from the ends of your bristle like hair while you shake your body which is composed of the Vedas.

45. He who aspires to reach to the end of (i.e. to know thoroughly) all your deeds which are endless, must really have lost his senses. The whole universe is deluded by the association of the attributes of your yoga māyā. Oh Supreme Lord, bless (us) with happiness.”

Maitreya said:

46. While the Protector (Varāha) was thus praised by the sages, the knowers of Brahman, he stabilised the waters by his hoofs and placed the earth on them.

47. The Supreme Lord Hari, the Viṣvaksena and the protector of the world, placed on waters the earth which he easily lifted up from rasātala and disappeared (lit. departed).

48. Janārdana (Hari) will be immediately pleased in his heart on him who will thus devotedly hear or make others hear this extremely auspicious and enchanting tale of Hari whose miraculous deeds are worth describing and knowledge about whom destroys all miseries.

49. What is there difficult to be achieved when the Lord of all blessings is pleased? Enough with those (pleasures) of insignificant value. The Supreme Lord, the Dweller in the hearts of all, of his own accord, confers summum bonum on those who are devoted to him without any ulterior motive.

50. Out of the stories of yore, the nectar-like narratives of the Lord put an end to Saṃsāra. Having drunk these through the ears (comparable to the cavity of folded hands) what person who has understood the essential purpose of life, can get satiated (with them). (If such there be), he must be other than a human being.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Subodhinī Even though the virtuous deeds of the Lord are heard with great exertions, they are not properly fixed in the heart and hence do not bear fruit. They are properly fixed by listening to the deeds of those who are his devotees. Hence the propriety of listening to Manu's life.

[2]:

As Śrī Kṛṣṇa used to rest his feet on Vidura’s laps—Bhāvāratha Dīpikā

[3]:

Kramasandarbha. This indicates that this is the introduction to the Varāha incarnation at the beginning of the present Kalpa.

[4]:

Bhāvāratha Dīpikā explains: At the beginning of creation Brahmā drank up the ocean and restored the earth to its place. He did not understand how suddenly it was immersed in water again.

[5]:

Veda-vitāna-mūrti [mūrtiḥ]— (i) One whose body is sacrifice (Bhāgavata Candrikā)

(ii) Whose form was entire Veda itself (VC.)

[6]:

‘Whose rage was intensified by Sudarśana’—Subodhinī

Subodhinī explains: When the mace and weapons of Viṣṇu proved ineffective to kill the demon, the Suḍarśana disc had to remind Viṣṇu of the misdeeds of the demon and intensified his anger to finish with the demon.

[7]:

VC. and Bhāvārtha-dīpikā-prakāśa quoting Bhāgavatāmṛta kārikā maintain that Maitreya has mixed up two Boar incarnations—the white one in Svāyambhuva Age and the blue one in the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara.

[8]:

yajña-bhāvana: (i) Who is invoked by sacrifices—Bhāvāratha Dīpikā (ii) The creator or cause of all sacriñces—Bhāvārtha-dīpikā-prakāśa, Bhāgavata Candrikā,VC. Subodhinī (iii) Who manifests himself by sacrifices—Dīpinī (iv) Who is worshipped as Yajña with its different parts—Bhāgavata Candrikā (v) Who is propitiated by sacriñces—Bālaprabodhini

[9]:

The conception of Yajña-Varāha was formulated first in Va P. 6.16.23. It was adopted later by MP. 248.67-73, Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.4.32-33, BRP. 213.33.7. PP. Sṛṣṭi-kāṇḍa 16.55.61, Harivaṃśa P. 1.41.29-33. The concept was so popular that in addition to literary reference in Viṣṇu Smṛti I.3-9, Viṣṇudharmottara 1.2.3-8 we have Yajña-Varāha images (e.g. that at Vihāra in North Gujarat). The two aspects of this concept viz. (i) its significance as the symbol of Vedic cosmogony and (ii) the correspondence between the elements of sacrifices and the parts ofVarāha’s body are discussed by V.S. Agrawala MP—A Study, pp.313ff.

[10]:

Apte’s PSD 668. Mahāvīra is a sacrificial vessel. When it is red hot, ghee and milk is to be put in it(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā-prakāśa). This is performed before every upasad (Bhāvāratha Dīpikā).

[11]:

Kulācala: A class of seven mountains which are supposed to exist in each division of the continent. Their names are: Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Śuktimān, Ṛkṣaparvata, Vindhya and Pāriyātra.