gOpaayEth anisam jaganthi kuhanaa pOthree pavithree kritha
brahmANDa: praLayOrmi gOsha gurubhir gONaaravai: gurguraih: /
yath dhamshtra ankura kOTi ghaaTa ghaTanaa nishkampa nitya sthithi:
brahma sthambham asoudasou bhagavathee mushEva visvambharaa // 4
MEANING:
“At the time of the great deluge, mother earth was wholly drowned under the waters. The Lord took the form of a huge wild boar and diving deep under the waters salvaged Her. At that time, He exhaled so heavily making a roaring sound that purified the three worlds. The boar bore Mother earth who bears the entire universe firmly on His horn as if She was a tuber root stuck in it”.
STORY:
VARSHA AVATAR (Wild Boar)
The Maanasa putras of Brahma viz. Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanaatana and Sanatkumara – visited the abode of SRI NARYANA. At the seventh entrance, the gate keepers, Jaya and Vijaya stopped them even though they had the right to meet with the Lord without prior appointment. Enraged at this, the RISHIS cursed them to be born in the world. The Lord appeared and approved of the curse but since they were repentant, modified the fiat by offering them to be born on three occasions as demons to be killed by himself in his three future Avatars after which they could re-enter the Kingdom of god.
It is these Jaya and Vijaya who were born as Hinanya-aksha (Golden eyed) and Hiranya kasipu (Golden dressed) during the period of Varaaha and Nrisimha Avatars respectively; Ravana and Kumbakarna during Rama Avatar and Sisupala and Dantavaktra during Krishna Avatar and were killed by Lord Vishnu in the respective Avatars after which they ascended the Kingdom of God.
In the first case, they were born to the sage KASYAPA and his wife THITHI. It is believed that the disposition of progenies would be determined by the time the parents united for procreation purposes. And, they were born with
demoniac traits as the couple united at an inauspicious time. The two demons developed a hostile attitude towards Lord Vishnu and when sage NARADA narrated a prognosis of the next Avatar of NRISIMHA, they vowed to hide the earth under Patala so that they could prevent the manifestation of the Lord on earth. They set about to conquer the Devas with their newfound power and started tormenting virtuous souls.
The Devas pleaded with Lord Vishnu, the protector and preserver of the Universe. He assured them that he would do the needful.
Brahma was meditating on the Lord, when a tiny boar emerged from one of his nostrils. Even as Brahma wondered what it was, the boar grew in size and became as big as a huge mountain with a roar that reverberated through the universe, it took a mighty leap into the air and plunged down into the ocean and reached the fathomless Patala where mother earth (Bhumi Devi) was kept concealed by the demons. Digging his tusk, the boar lifted Bhumidevi and held her secure in its horn.
Hiranyaksha was itching for a fight and when he confronted VARUNA, the latter pleaded inability to give a fight and suggested that he call Lord Vishnu who alone would be match for the demon. Hiranyaksha learned from Sage NARADA that Lord Vishnu had taken the form of a boar and was seeking to salvage mother earth from the hideout. Immediately, he rushed to charge the boar and hurled insults on the boar.
The boar, however, ignored all the taunts as it measured the earth with one foot, in this Avatar, The Lord held the entire earth in His horn says POIGAI ALWAR. THIRUMAZHISAI ALWAR calls the MAHAVARAHA MURTHY as GNANAPIRAN. Other Alwars described him as BHUVARAHAN as the Lord lifted BHU DEVI and ADHIVARAHAN since He is the primordial Iswara. It is believed that this Avatar took place at the time of deluge ending the Padma kalpa. ANDAL praised the Lord since out of his love for BHUMIDEVI, he did not mind plunging into dirt and slime in order to retrieve her.
To save devotees, he will not hesitate to take even the lowliest of forms and the form of the boar came only next to those of fish and tortoise. The same horn which tore apart the demon, also held gently the mother earth.
Sri Swami Desikan in his Dasavatara stotra extols this avatar as `MAHA POTRIN' referring to the gigantic size of the boar.
COMMENTS:
1. During the saving, Lord advised Bhudevi, which is known as “Varaaha Puraana”
2. Andal is none other than this Bhudevi reincarnated.
3. Tip of His single horn – “Eka Sringhee Varaahas Tvam” says Ramayana.
4. Anisam: “without night” i.e. always, while in sleep and while awake. (Cf Sadaa pasyanthi Sooraya:) In the previous verse, the Lord is shown as being lulled into sleep. Here, He is shown as fully awake all through! Anisam can also be taken as Paramapadam where it is always bright (athi raatram uthamam ahar bhavathi)
5. Varaaha is NOT a country pig as popularly believed but a huge wild boar like a rhinoceros
6. Nish kampa nitya sthithi = Holding the ever revolving, ever rotating earth firm and steady. The modern scientific concept of earth rotating is brought out here.
7. Viswam bharaa = Bhu devi bore the massive earth; the Lord bore her. Can we imagine the mammoth form of the Lord? It is said the Meru mountain looked like dirt at the feet of the boar.
8. How did mother earth look like? Mustheva = Like a small piece of root (Korai kizhangu)
9. SD describes Him as “Mahaa potrin” – Gigantic. Mahatvam is also a leela!
10. GONa aravair gurgurai: = The roar of the boar was verily the Varaaha Charama Slokam that is the ultimate promise of the Lord to the fallen souls!
11. Pavithree kritha Brahmaanda: = The sound issuing forth from the boar is said to be more forceful than the tornado at the time of deluge reverberating through all directions purifying the entire space.
12. Varaaha is also known as “Jnaana moorthi”- the source of knowledge.
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