Chapter 13 – The Boar (Varāha) Incarnation
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. (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 (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)”.
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?
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 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, 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. 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! 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. 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.
Special Note :
Sruk = the large sacrificial ladle used for pouring ghee into the fire.
Sruva = the smaller spoon used to take ghee and pour into the sruk.
Iḍā = the sacrificial food offering, usually a mixture of rice, barley, and ghee.
Camasa = the wooden bowls used to drink soma.
Prāśitra = the vessel that contains the sacrificial share of Brahmā (priest).
Grahas = the special cups used for drinking soma (e.g., Āditya-graha, Indra-graha, etc.).
Agnihotra = the daily obligatory fire offering (basic sacrifice).
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.
Special Note :
Upasad iṣṭis = three preparatory sacrifices performed on the days before the Soma sacrifice.
Prāyaṇīya iṣṭi = performed at the beginning (after dīkṣā).
Udayanīya iṣṭi = performed at the end (completion). These two are likened to His two tusks.
Pravargya ritual = an important preliminary rite to the Soma sacrifice, involving the preparation of a hot milk offering in a large vessel called mahāvīra. This is said to be His tongue.
Sabhya fire = the fire in the assembly hall. Āvasathya fire = the domestic sacrificial fire.
These two together are His head.
The bricks (iṣṭakās) used in laying the altar (vedi) are said to be His prāṇa (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.
Thus ends the thirteenth discourse entitled “The Boar (Varāha) Incarnation”, in Book Three of the great and glorious Bhāgavata Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahaṁsa-Saṁhitā (the book of the God-realized Souls).
Summarization Of The Entire Chapter :
King Vidura, a devoted son of the Kuru dynasty, approached the sage Maitreya with heartfelt humility and deep faith, eager to hear the pastimes of the great souls who were surrendered to the lotus feet of Bhagavān. In particular, Vidura’s mind was drawn toward the divine life of Svāyambhuva Manu, the first king-sage of the world, whose devotion to Viṣvaksena (Lord Viṣṇu) was exemplary. Recognizing that hearing the exploits of such devotees is the greatest fruit of scriptural study, Vidura requested the sage to narrate with full detail the sacred acts of the Lord and his intimate associates. Maitreya, overwhelmed with devotion, bowed internally and began to recount the wondrous events to Vidura, whose heart was a pure cushion at the feet of the Lord.
Svāyambhuva Manu, upon being born with his beloved consort Śatarūpā, approached his father Brahmā with folded hands, seeking guidance on how he could serve the Creator and attain fame both in this world and the next. Brahmā, delighted by the child’s sincere devotion, instructed Manu to protect the earth, uphold dharma, perform sacrifices, and ensure the welfare of his subjects. The sage emphasized that the highest service to Brahmā is the protection of all living beings, for by doing so, one earns the pleasure of Lord Hṛṣīkeśa, the Supreme Sacrifice himself.
When Manu requested Brahmā to prepare a place for his progeny on earth, he was told that the earth had been submerged in the great ocean. Brahmā pondered deeply, recognizing that even the creator himself was unable to lift the earth, and that only the Supreme Lord could restore it. At that moment, through the divine play of His Māyā, a small thumb-sized boar appeared from Brahmā’s nostril, which immediately expanded to the size of a colossal elephant. This miraculous Varāha form of Lord Hari moved with majestic power, sensing the submerged earth and preparing to rescue it from the depths of Rasātala.
The sages, Marīci and the Kumāras, along with Brahmā and Manu, observed with awe as the Lord, the personification of Yajña, roared like thunder and surged into the ocean. With his mighty tusks, sharp yet gentle, and body resplendent with the brilliance of the Vedas, he cut through the waters and lifted the earth onto his back. Even the forces of the demons who sought to oppose him were effortlessly vanquished, highlighting the invincible power of the Lord and the effortless play of His will. As Varāha lifted the earth, his very body became the sacrificial altar: the hairs contained kuśa grass, the eyes were clarified butter, the mouth was the ladle, the ears held bowls for offerings, and every aspect of his form represented sacred rites and Vedic wisdom.
The sages, filled with reverence and ecstatic devotion, praised the Lord who manifested the Vedas and sacrifices in his body. They glorified him as the supreme protector of the earth, whose appearance as a blue-hued boar displayed the miraculous lila of the Supreme Sacrifice. The earth, borne upon his tusks, was established firmly as the nurturing mother for all beings, while the sages understood that such deeds could only be performed by the omnipotent Lord, whose Māyā governs creation itself. Through the Lord’s divine play, the waters were calmed, the earth was restored, and cosmic order was reaffirmed.
Maitreya concluded by emphasizing that those who hear or narrate this divine pastime with devotion, without desire for worldly gain, immediately earn the favor of Janārdana. The chapter teaches that the Lord of all beings, through his grace, bestows the highest well-being on his devotees and ends the cycle of suffering. The nectar-like stories of the Lord, absorbed through loving ears and hearts, offer eternal bliss and liberation, for no soul who truly understands and relishes them can remain unsatisfied. The Varāha incarnation thus stands as a supreme example of Bhagavān’s protective love and the ultimate beauty of divine devotion.
Short Questions & Answers :
Q1. Who approached Sage Maitreya to hear about the pastimes of Svāyambhuva Manu?
A1. King Vidura, a descendant of the Kuru dynasty, full of faith and devotion to Bhagavān, humbly approached Sage Maitreya to hear about the life of Svāyambhuva Manu.
Q2. Why did Vidura wish to hear about the life of Svāyambhuva Manu?
A2. Vidura wished to hear about Svāyambhuva Manu because he was a king-sage devoted to Vāsudeva (Lord Viṣṇu), and listening to the deeds of devotees of the Lord is considered the highest fruit of studying the scriptures.
Q3. What did Manu do after being born with his wife Śatarūpā?
A3. Manu approached Brahmā with folded hands and asked how he could serve the Creator, protect the earth, and act in a way that his fame would spread and he would attain the ultimate spiritual benefit.
Q4. How did Brahmā respond to Manu’s question?
A4. Brahmā blessed Manu and instructed him to protect the earth, uphold dharma, perform sacrifices, and ensure the welfare of his subjects, emphasizing that this service pleases Lord Hṛṣīkeśa (Viṣṇu), the Supreme Sacrifice.
Q5. What problem did Manu report to Brahmā regarding the earth?
A5. Manu informed Brahmā that the earth was submerged in the great ocean and requested that a place be prepared for his progeny on the earth.
Q6. How did Brahmā respond to the submerged earth?
A6. Brahmā pondered deeply, realizing that even the creator could not lift the earth, and concluded that only the Supreme Lord could restore it.
Q7. How did the Varāha incarnation appear?
A7. By the Lord’s divine Māyā, a tiny boar emerged from Brahmā’s nostril, which quickly expanded to the size of a huge elephant. This boar form was the Supreme Lord, Yajña-Puruṣa, manifesting to lift the earth.
Q8. Who witnessed the appearance of Varāha?
A8. Brahmā, the great sages including Marīci and the Kumāras (Sanaka, Sanandana, etc.), and Manu witnessed the Lord in his magnificent boar form.
Q9. What miraculous acts did Varāha perform to rescue the earth?
A9. Varāha dived into the ocean, located the submerged earth, lifted it with his tusks, cut through the opposing waters, and defeated demons who tried to obstruct him, demonstrating his supreme power and divine lila.
Q10. How did the sages describe the Lord’s body?
A10. The sages described Varāha’s body as a living sacrificial altar: his hairs held kuśa grass, eyes were clarified butter, mouth was the ladle, ears contained bowls for offerings, and all aspects of his form represented Vedic rituals, mantras, and sacrifices.
Q11. What did the sages say about the earth when lifted by Varāha?
A11. The earth, supported on the Lord’s tusks, was described as shining like a lotus, firm and beautiful, and the sages praised the Supreme Lord for establishing it for the residence of all beings.
Q12. How did Varāha stabilize the earth and the waters?
A12. After lifting the earth, Varāha stabilized it on the waters with his hooves and disappeared, leaving the cosmos in perfect order and restoring the world for the benefit of all beings.
Q13. What spiritual benefit is gained by hearing or narrating this pastime of the Lord?
A13. Listening to or recounting the Varāha incarnation with devotion pleases Lord Janārdana and confers supreme well-being, destroys miseries, and leads to liberation. The story itself is nectar-like and offers eternal satisfaction to the devotee.
Q14. What is the essential teaching of this chapter?
A14. The chapter teaches the supreme power and loving protection of Bhagavān, the importance of serving the earth and upholding dharma, and the spiritual benefit of hearing and meditating upon the pastimes of the Lord and His devotees with unwavering devotion.
