Chapter 94 - Uplifting the Earth (varāha-prādurbhāva)

The sages said:

1-2. How was his father the terrible demon Hiraṇyākṣa, slain by Viṣṇu? How did Viṣṇu assume the form of a Boar? How did his horn attain the status of an ornament of Maheśa. O Sūta, it behoves you to narrate all this to us in detail.

Sūta said:

3. The brother of Hiraṇyakaśipu is known as Hiraṇyākṣa. He was comparable to Kala the destroyer. He was the father of Andhaka the lord of the Asuras.

4. This leading Daitya defeated all Devas. He bound the earth that has the lustre of blue lotus and took it to Nether regions. He made it his prisoner.

5-8. Devas including Brahmā were oppressed, struck and bound by this cruel leader of the Daityas, Hiraṇyākṣa, the strong and wicked soul. Their facial splendour became faded. They bowed down their heads to Viṣṇu who formerly had suppressed crores of Daityas. They submitted to him the news about the imprisonment of the earth. On hearing this. Lord Viṣṇu assumed the form of Yajñavarāha^[1] as at the time of the manifestation of the Liṅga. With the tip of his curved fangs he killed Hiraṇyākṣa the leading Daitya of great strength. After killing him along with other Daityas, the lord the slayer of the Daityas shone splendidly.

9-14. Just as in the beginnings of kalpas before, he entered the Nether regions and brought the earth out of the ocean and made her seated on his lap. Then Brahmā, the best of Devas, accompanied by Indra and others eulogised Viṣṇu the lord of Devas with words choked with great emotion.

Obeisance to the perpetual Varāha with the curved fangs and the staff. Obeisance to Nārāyaṇa who is identical with all. Obeisance to Brahman the greatest Atman. Obeisance to the maker of all. Obeisance to the holder of the earth. Obeisance to the slayer of the enemies of Devas. Obeisance to the creator and leader of the chiefs of Devas and the chastiser of all. You are Aṣṭamūrti (having eight cosmic bodies). You have infinite forms. You are the primordial Deva. You are known as Ananta (Eternal Being). Everything has been created by you, O lord of Devas, be pleased, O lord of the worlds, O Varāha, O Viṣṇu.

O Viṣṇu the fulfiller of our desires, all the important Daityas were killed in a trice by you with half of a hundred millionth part of the tip of one of your curved fangs, along with their sons and servants.

15. O lord of earth, the earth was lifted up by you and held at the tip of your curved fangs, O lord, having the lustre of clouds, O lotus-faced God, served by all the people, all the mountains, all the oceans, and by all Devas and Asuras.

16. O lord, it was by you alone that the victory of the Devas was brought about. Ha! a boon has been given; the goddess of speech has been bestowed on the lotus-born deity, O lord, be pleased.

17. All the leading immortal beings find a place in your hairs; the moon and the sun in your eyes; the earth that had been taken to the nether worlds was placed at the pair of your feet. All the constellations find a place on your back.

18. O lord, O preceptor of the universe, the earth that had been taken to the cavity of the nether regions, has been uplifted by you without the help of any army, for the welfare of the worlds. Every thing has been held by you alone.

19. Thus, the lord of speech, Prajāpati, bowed down to Viṣṇu along with Devas repeating different hymns and worshipping him in different ways. From Viṣṇu he (Brahmā) obtained different boons. He was himself having the body originating from the umbilical lotus of Viṣṇu.

20. Devas and the leading sages received on their heads the earth that had been uplifted by him. In the presence of the discus-bearing lord they kept the earth on their heads and bowed down to him.

21-22. “O earth, O bestower of boons, you have been redeemed by this Varāha alone, by Kṛṣṇa, by Viṣṇu who has hundreds of hands and whose activities are not strained. O earth, you are highly blessed. O unchanging one, you are an extensive being. O earth, you are the supporter of all the worlds. Dispel our sins.

23. O lotus-eyed bestower of boons, it is by your favour that we live after our sins have been destroyed by you, mentally, verbally and physically.”

24-26a. On being thus addressed by Devas the earth said:—

“O brahmins, he who keeps on his head the pinch of earth broken by the curved fangs of Varāha, repeating this Mantra, shall be liberated from sins. He shall be long-lived and strong. He shall be blessed with sons and grandsons. After leaving the earth he reaches heaven and rejoices along with Devas. At the end of his Karman he returns to the earth.

26b-27. When Varāha the lord had gone back to milk ocean after leaving off the form of the boar, the earth shook again. The curved fangs of intelligent lord of Devas, pressed down by the weight of the earth fell down there.

28-32. Bhava, the lord of the universe, who casually went that way, saw that curved fang and took it up for his own embellishment. Mahādeva kept it on his head as well as on his chest. Devas including Indra eulogised Bhava, the lord of Devas.

The earth was thus stabilised sportingly by the lord of Devas during dissolution. If the lord had not thus decorated himself with parts of Viṣṇu, Brahmā and other Devas sportingly how could the brahmins attain salvation. Hence, Maheśvara wears curved fang (Daṃṣṭrā) as his ornament.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Yajñavarāha—The boar-form of Viṣṇu. On the symbolic interpretation of Yajñavarāha, see Matsyapurāṇa—A Study, pp. 311-334.