Purana, Volume 6, Part 1 (1964)

NOTES AND COMMENTS YAJÑA-VARĀHA-SOME MORE MATERIAL BY V. RAGHAVAN In the last issue of the Purana, several textual sources bearing on the concept of Yajñavarāha were presented. Further search has shown that, in addition to the sevaral Purāṇas already taken note of, Yajñavaraha is described in two more places in the Purāṇas, a second time in the Vayu and once in the Narasimha. (i). The context already noticed in Vayu is the earlier one, in 6.16 ff., which gives the vulgate version of the Yajña- varāha concept. In the same Purāya, in chapter 23, verses 103-108, we are given another description of the Yajñavarāha which has little to do with the general conception already noticed. Here is a special conception of Yajnavaraha as the embodiment of Kāla, Time, although this conception is not bereft of elements of the former sacrificial symbolism; in fact, the Samvatsara- equation is given a further extension to the equation with sacrifice. साध्यो नारायणश्चैव विष्णुस्त्रिभुवनेश्वरः । भविष्यतीह नाम्ना तु वाराहो नाम विश्रुतः ॥ चतुर्बाहुश्चतुष्पादः चतुनेंत्रश्चतुर्मुखः । तदा संवत्सरो भूत्वा यज्ञरूपो भविष्यति [sādhyo nārāyaṇaścaiva viṣṇustribhuvaneśvaraḥ | bhaviṣyatīha nāmnā tu vārāho nāma viśrutaḥ || caturbāhuścatuṣpādaḥ catuneṃtraścaturmukhaḥ | tadā saṃvatsaro bhūtvā yajñarūpo bhaviṣyati ] || षडङ्गश्च त्रिशीर्षश्च त्रिस्थानस्त्रिशरीरवान् । कृतं त्रेता द्वापरं च कलिश्चैव चतुर्युगम् ॥ एतस्य पादाश्चत्वारः अङ्गानि कतवस्तथा ॥ भुनाश्च वेदाश्चत्वारः ऋतुस्सन्धिमुखानि च । द्वे मुखे द्वे च अयने नेत्राश्च चतुरस्तथा ॥ [ṣaḍaṅgaśca triśīrṣaśca tristhānastriśarīravān | kṛtaṃ tretā dvāparaṃ ca kaliścaiva caturyugam || etasya pādāścatvāraḥ aṅgāni katavastathā || bhunāśca vedāścatvāraḥ ṛtussandhimukhāni ca | dve mukhe dve ca ayane netrāśca caturastathā || ] Jan., 1964] YAJÑA-VARĀHA शिरांसि त्रीणि पर्वाणि फाल्गुण्यापाढकृत्तिकाः । दिव्यान्तरिक्ष भौमानि त्रीणि स्थानानि यानि तु ॥ सम्भवः प्रलयश्चैव आश्रमौ द्वौ प्रकीर्तिती । स यदा कालरूपाभो बराहत्वे व्यवस्थितः [śirāṃsi trīṇi parvāṇi phālguṇyāpāḍhakṛttikāḥ | divyāntarikṣa bhaumāni trīṇi sthānāni yāni tu || sambhavaḥ pralayaścaiva āśramau dvau prakīrtitī | sa yadā kālarūpābho barāhatve vyavasthitaḥ ] || भविष्यति यदा साध्यो विष्णुर्नारायणः प्रभुः । [bhaviṣyati yadā sādhyo viṣṇurnārāyaṇaḥ prabhuḥ | ] 203 (ii). The second one is in the Narasimhapurana, Ch. 39,
verses 10-13, which gives the well-known Vedic and sacrificial
symbolism; some of the elements of the imagery here agree
with those in the Vispupurāna, Sīktas as Satā ( manes) and
charitable acts or Pürteṣta as ears.
अथ वेदमयं रूपं वाराहं वपुरास्थितम् । [atha vedamayaṃ rūpaṃ vārāhaṃ vapurāsthitam |]
वेदपादं यूपदंष्ट्रं केतुवक्त्र नराधिप । [vedapādaṃ yūpadaṃṣṭraṃ ketuvaktra narādhipa |]
व्यूढोरस्कं महाबाहु पृथुवक्त्रं नराधिप । [vyūḍhoraskaṃ mahābāhu pṛthuvaktraṃ narādhipa |]
अग्निनिहवं ध्रुवं तुण्डं चन्द्रार्कनयनं महत् ॥ [agninihavaṃ dhruvaṃ tuṇḍaṃ candrārkanayanaṃ mahat ||]
पूर्तेष्टधर्मश्रवणं दिव्यं तत्सामनिःस्वनम् । [pūrteṣṭadharmaśravaṇaṃ divyaṃ tatsāmaniḥsvanam |]
प्राग्वंशकायं हविर्नासं कुशदर्भतनूरुहम् ॥ [prāgvaṃśakāyaṃ havirnāsaṃ kuśadarbhatanūruham ||]
सर्ववेदमयं तच्च पुण्यसूक्तमहासटम् । [sarvavedamayaṃ tacca puṇyasūktamahāsaṭam |]
नक्षत्रताराहारं च प्रलयावर्त्तभूषणम् [nakṣatratārāhāraṃ ca pralayāvarttabhūṣaṇam ] ||
इत्थं कृत्वा तु वाराहं प्रविवेश वृषाकपिः । [itthaṃ kṛtvā tu vārāhaṃ praviveśa vṛṣākapiḥ |]
रसातलं नृप श्रेष्ठ सनकाद्यैरभिष्टुतः ॥ [rasātalaṃ nṛpa śreṣṭha sanakādyairabhiṣṭutaḥ ||]
(iii). A third reference to Yajnavaraha that may be added
is the one in the Taittiriya-Aranyaka X. i. where, in a verse to
Earth, Varaha who lifted her up is described as hundred-armed,
Sata-bahu----
उद्धृतासि वराहेण कृष्णेन शतबाहुना । [uddhṛtāsi varāheṇa kṛṣṇena śatabāhunā |]
What the hundred arms represent is not clear; there is no help
from Sāyaṇa or Bhatta Bhaskara; they could be understood if
Varāha is Surya, an equation underlying, although somewhat
darkly, the final line of the Yajña-varaha description in Matsya
etc. -- छायापत्नीसहायः [chāyāpatnīsahāyaḥ ] etc.