Goddess Varahi

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Invocation :

 

Goddess with the head of a boar,

We beseech you to let us ride with you upon your elephant tonight

Let us ride with you in your search for reason

In your quest for the ultimate sacrifice,

In your march towards responsibility and justice

You who are adorned with ornaments made of coral,

Bring to us your knowledge of the sea,

That primordial ocean of bliss from which you come

That reservoir of infinite love

That place of belly wrenching righteousness and surreal splendor

You who represent the color of clouds before illumination,

You who kill the enemies of freedom,

You who devour darkness, be with us now.

 

Om Varahi Namosture Namah

[ internet source ]

 

"Her lotus eyes quiver through drinking wine

Equal in glory to a thousand suns

Seated upon a lion with ten arms

In my heart praise Varahi"

 

 

"The Shakti of Hari, who assumed the incomparable form in a

sacrificial boar, she also advanced there in a boar-like form" [

Devi Mahatmaya, The slaying of Raktabija ]

 

"Shattered by the boar formed goddess ( Varahi ) with blows of her

snout, wounded in their chests by the point of her task and torn by

her discuss, (the asuras ) fell down " [Devi Mahatmaya , The

Slaying of Nishumbha]

 

"… some were powdered on the ground by the blows from the

snout of varahi" [ Devi Mahatmaya: The Slaying of Nishumbha]

 

"Salutation to you, O Narayani, O you who have a face terrible with

tusks …" [Devi Mahatmaya: The bestowing of boons].

 

Goddess Varahi is one of the Saptamatrkas. Created from the boar

avatara of Vishnu. Varahi is often associated with Goddess Kamala

( one of the Mahavidyas ). In her association with Tripura-sundari,

She is the animal sacrifice devata, one of Lalitha receivers of

offerings.

 

 

The worshipping of the female counterparts is widespread among the

tribes especially those of fierce disposition. Scholars have now

established the strong tribal links especially in Vishnu in his Varaha

and Narasimha avatars form and that the special nature of the

sacrifice offered to these goddess are more of an ancient aboriginal

practice. These Goddess which have tribal origins eventually

developed into major figures in Hindusism. Goddess Varahi is one

of them. [tribute to hinduism online]

 

How does the myth of the boar comes into being :

 

Hiranyaksha ( the golden_eyed demon) received a boon from

brahma after practiced sever austerities in his devotion to him. He

asked to become king of the whole world, and that no human or

animal which he mentioned by name should ever have the power to

harm him. He enumerate all the animals but he forgot to mention the

boar. Hiranyaksa wreaked havoc, plundering everything of value from

the creatures of the world, including the Hindu scriptures. He even

took the earth down into the ocean as a hostage. Vishnu assumed the

boar form and plunged into the depths of theprimeval ocean to rescue

Earth. It took him one thousand years to kill Hiranyaksha and to lift

the earth up with his great white tusks. He calmed it, and made it

ready for human use by molding its mountains and continents.

 

In relation to Buddhist, especially Tibetan Buddhist, Varahi is one of

the Daksini ( an enlightened compassionate spirit embodied in a

female form). She is the protector , the concealer and the one who

recovers spiritual communication, texts and other sacred objects.

She is often sought for interpretation of prophesies and signs. Also

in the Buddhist tradition, the boar is equated with desire in all its

forms that range from attachment to one's body through the general

attachment to material possessions as well as greet and lust.

 

The hindu Varaha-Purana relates Varahi representing the inauspicious

emotion of envy.