Varaha Avatara (The Boar Incarnation)

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Varaha Avatara (The Boar Incarnation)

 

BY SRILA BHAKTI BALLABHA TIRTHA GOSWAMI MAHARAJ

 

EDITORIAL, Feb 14 (VNN) - His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha Goswami

Maharaj

 

On the holy occasion of the appearance day of Lord Varahadev( 13 Feb 2003), The

following is an english translation from the book "Dasavatara" by His Divine

Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha Goswami Mharaj.

 

The third incarnation among the Ten Incarnations is Varaha avatara, or the Boar

incarnation. The story of the lila-avataras has been discussed previously in

the description of Matsya avatara.

 

When Brahmaji received the order to carry out the creation, he started thinking

about the subject matters of creation. At that moment, a male named Svayambhuva

Manu and a female named Satarupa manifested from his body. By the desire of

Brahma, Svayambhuva Manu accepted Satarupa as his wife for the purpose of

creation. Seeing the earth submerged in the water of annihilation and desiring

to seek a dwelling place for the living beings, Manu approached his father

Brahmaji and prayed to him to rescue the earth. When Brahmaji saw the earth

submerged in the water, he thought for a long time about how it could be

rescued. He had earlier established the earth after removing all the water but

he could not understand why the earth had sunk into the water again. He had

been appointed for the work of creation but the earth had become inundated in a

deluge and had sunk down to the Rasatala planetary system. How was the creation

to be done? How was the earth to be rescued?

 

Even after much effort, Brahmaji was not able to think of any solution. At

last, he took shelter of the Supreme Lord Visnu. While Brahmaji was still deep

in thought, a small boar the size of the tip of a thumb manifested from his

nose. But the most surprising thing is that the small boar expanded in front of

Brahmaji and within moments, filled the sky and assumed a form as big as an

elephant. Brahma, together with the great brahmanas like Marici, as well as the

Four Kumaras and Svayambhuva Manu saw the transcendental Varaha form and began

to discuss among themselves. Lord Brahma thought that this was some denizen of

the transcendental world in disguise; traveling in the form of a boar. 'Oh!

What a great surprise! It is very wonderful that this expanding Varaha form has

come out of my nostril. Is Sri Hari, the Lord of sacrifice, hiding His form and

trying to agitate us?'

 

In this way, while Brahma was deliberating with his associates, Sri Hari roared

tumultuously like the great mountain Giriraja. The omnipotent Sri Hari

enlivened Brahma and the other highly elevated brahmanas by again roaring with

His uncommon voice. The sound of His roar was so sweet that it destroyed all

the miseries of the hearer. Brahma, Svayambhuva Manu, and other sages who

reside on Janaloka, Tapaloka and Satyaloka, chanted auspicious mantras from the

Vedas as offerings to Varahadeva. Lord Visnu in the form of Varaha accepted the

prayers of Brahma and other sages and for the benefit of the demigods, entered

into the waters of annihilation. Before entering into the water, Lord Varaha

rose into the sky lashing His tail. The Lord raised the hair on His shoulders

and scattered the clouds in the sky with His hooves. With raised hairs and

white tusks, and with luminous effulgence, the Lord's form was brilliant. This

is Sri Hari's unique transcendental pastime. Just the remembrance of it causes

shivering in the body. He was omnipotent and omniscient, yet like an animal, He

searched for the earth by the sense of smell. His external appearance was

fearful; however, He pleased the sages engaged in offering prayers by glancing

over them and entered into the water. His dive into the water with his

thunderbolt-like body divided the ocean. The ocean prayed to Lord out of fear,

"Please protect me, O Supreme Lord!"

 

The Lord of all sacrifices penetrated the water with His hooves, and in the

depths of the Rasatala ocean, He saw the earth lying there as it was carried by

Him in his stomach during the time of devastation. Lord Varaha lifted the earth

on His tusks and appeared very splendid. At that time, a very powerful demon

named Hiranyaksa challenged Him with a huge mace. Lord Varaha expressed great

anger. Thereupon, Lord Varaha killed the demon within the water, just as a lion

kills an elephant. The body, head and face of the Lord became red with the

blood of the demon. (see note) The sages headed by Brahma, offered prayers to

the Supreme Lord with folded hands. The Lord, being thus satisfied with the

prayers of the great sages, placed the earth on the water with His hooves.

There is one point to understand here.

 

In the Laghu-Bhagavatamrta, it says, "Lord Varaha appeared twice in one kalpa

(day of Brahma). He appeared during the Svayambhuva-manvantara from Brahma's

nostril to rescue the earth, and during the sixth manvantara

(Caksusa-manvantara), He appeared to rescue the earth and kill Hiranyaksa."

 

According the Bhagavatamrta, in Uttanapada's lineage, the son of Praceta was

Daksa, the daughter of Daksa was Diti, and the son of Diti was Hiranyaksa. At

the time of Varahadeva's appearance or in the beginning of the kalpa, Manu did

not have any children. So how could Hiranyaksa have taken birth in the reign of

Svayambhuva Manu? Therefore, it is seen that in the Bhagavatam, in answer to

Vidura's question, Maitreya Muni has described the pastimes of Lord Varaha in

both the Svayambhuva devastation and Caksusa devastation. Svayambhuva Manu and

Satarupa gave birth to two sons, Priyavrata and Uttanapada, and three

daughters, Akuti, Devahuti and Prasuti:

 

dvitiyam tu bhavayasya

rasatala-gatam mahim

uddharisyann upadatta

yajnesah saukaram vapuh

 

(S.B. 1.3.7)

 

"For the creation and for the welfare of the earth which had gone to the nether

regions of the universe, the supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices accepted His

second incarnation as a boar."

 

Here, Lord Varaha is described as the second incarnation:

 

yatrodyatah ksiti-taloddharanaya bibhrat

kraudim tanum sakala-yajna-mayim anantah

antar-maharnava upagatam adi-daityam

tam damstrayadrim iva vajra-dharo dadara

 

(S.B. 2.7.1)

 

"The unlimitedly powerful Lord assumed the form of a boar for the rescue of the

earth and pierced the first demon Hiranyaksa with His tusks."

 

jalakridasu ruciram

varahim rupamasthitah

adhrsyam manasapyanyair

vamayam brahma-sajnitam

 

prthivyuddharanarthaya

pravisya ca rasatalam

damstrayabhyujjaharai na

matmadharo dharadharah

 

drstva damstragravinyastam

prthivim prathita paurusam

astavan jana-lokastham

siddhi brahmarsayo harim

(Matsya Purana 6.8-10)

 

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is imperceptible to the mind, who

plays beautifully in the water, and who is the knower of all knowledge,

appeared as Varaha to save the life-giving earth. He entered into the depths of

the ocean and rescued the earth with His tusks. Seeing the earth resting

between the tusks of the Lord, the sages of Janaloka offered prayers to the

most celebrated Sri Hari."

 

Here, it is said that Lord Narayana, the cause of creation and destruction,

appeared as Varaha:

 

vasati dasana-sikhare dharani tava lagna

sasini kalanka-kaleva nimagna

kesava dhrta-sukara-rupa jaya jagadisa hare

(Jayadeva's Dasavatara Stotra)

 

"O Kesava! O Supreme Lord who have assumed the form of a boar! O Lord! The

planet earth rested on Your tusks, and it appeared like the moon engraved with

spots."

 

When the Lord manifested in the womb of Devaki while she was in the prison of

Kamsa, Brahma offered prayers to the Lord. This is the last verse of those

prayers:

 

matsyasva-kacchapa-nrsimha-varaha-hamsa-

rajanya-vipra-vibudhesu krtavatarah

tvam pasi nas tri-bhuvanam ca yathadhunesa

bharam bhuvo hara yaduttama vandanam te

 

(SB 10.2.40)

 

 

"O supreme controller, Your Lordship previously accepted incarnations as Matsya

(fish), Asvagriva (horse), Kurma (tortoise), Nrsimhadeva, Varaha (boar), Hamsa

(swan), Lord Ramacandra, Parasurama and, among the demigods, Vamanadeva, to

protect the entire world by Your mercy. Now please protect us again by Your

mercy by diminishing the disturbances in this world. O Krsna, best of the

Yadus, we respectfully offer our obeisances unto You."

 

Notes:

 

1. In the depths of the Rasatala water, the demon Hiranyaksa misunderstood Lord

Varaha to be only a boar, and considering Him to possess meager strength, spoke

many deriding words to Him. The Lord, however, returned his taunts with equal

vigor. Lord Varaha dodged the violent mace-blows of the angry demon Hiranyaksa,

and thus a violent mace-fight began between the two. Lord Brahma prayed to the

Supreme Lord that in the demoniac hours, the power of the demon would increase

manifold. Therefore, before that time arrived, He ought to kindly kill the

demon in the loka-samhara-karini hours and auspicious period known as abhijit.

 

2. Hiranyaksa displayed his prowess by using the mace and trident, and finally

by casting illusions and striking hard with his fists, but the Lord killed the

demon with the blow of His mace. This pastime has been described in the 3rd

canto, chapters 18 & 19 of the Srimad-Bhagavatam.