Chapter 13: The Appearance of Lord Varâha

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'After listening to Maitreya Muni's most sacred words oh King, the best of the Kurus full of adoration for the talks about Vâsudeva inquired further. (2) Vidura said: 'Oh great sage, what did Svâyambhuva Manu, the king of all kings and dear son of Brahmâ, do after he obtained his loving wife? (3) Be so good to tell me about the character of this saintly, original king oh best of all. I'd very much like to hear about that king who took to the shelter of Vishvaksena [the omnipotent Lord Vishnu]. (4) Persons of fortitude and great effort in listening to that what by pure devotees is elaborately explained, will by dint of the statements of those who installed the lotus feet of the Lord of Liberation in their hearts, find the transcendental quality of a faithful mind.' (5) S'rî S'uka said: 'After the most gentle Vidura who, receiving the lotus feet of the One with the thousand heads on his lap, thus had spoken, the sage, whose hairs in the spirit of the words about the Supreme Lord stood on end in ecstasy, complimented him and gave a reply.

(6) Maitreya said: 'After Svâyambhuva Manu had appeared along with his wife, he as the father of mankind with folded hands and obeisances addressed the reservoir of Vedic wisdom [Brahmâ]: (7) 'You are the one progenitor of all living entities, the father and source of subsistence, but we however who all were born from you, wonder how we can be of service to you. (8) Give us, with all respect oh venerable one, directions for that purpose. What are the duties within our reach to be performed for you? What must one do for fame [His fame] all around in this world and what must one do in order to progress to the next world?'

(9) Brahmâ said: 'I am very pleased with you, my son, let there be all my blessings for the both of you oh lord of the world, because you without any reservation in your heart have surrendered yourself to me for my instructions. (10) This is the exact way, oh hero, for offspring to honor the spiritual master. Those who have a sane mind and are beyond envy should to the full of their ability and most respectfully accept this instruction. (11) You therefore in that role take care to beget children by her with the same qualities as you have, so that they once they're born may rule over the world with the principles of religion, make their sacrifices and exercise respect for the Original Personality. (12) Consider protecting the living entities the best way to serve me, oh ruler of man. Hrishîkes'a, the Supreme Lord of the senses, will be pleased when you are the guardian of their lives. (13) The work of those who never satisfied the Supreme Lord Janârdana ['the Lord of all living beings'], the object of all sacrifice, is certainly of no avail because they did not respect their own self as being the Supreme Soul.'

(14) Manu said: 'I'll abide by what your powerful self has ordered oh killer of all sin, please tell me what my place and the place of the ones born from me is in this world. (15) Oh god of this planet, the earth, the dwelling place of all beings is immersed in the great waters [of the Garbhodhaka ocean of the created universe]. Could you please lift her up?'

(16) Maitreya said: 'The personality of transcendence [Brahmâ] who also saw that the earth was immersed in the waters thought: 'How shall I lift her up?' and spent a long time meditating as follows: (17) 'While I was engaged in her creation, the earth was inundated by a flood and got deeply immersed. What now would be the right course of action for us being engaged in this matter of creation? May the Lord from whose heart I was born guide me in this!' (18) While he was thinking thus all of a sudden from his nostril oh sinless one, a minute boar [Varâha] appeared not larger than the top of a thumb. (19) When he saw that happening all of a sudden the form expanded, miraculously transforming into the size of a gigantic elephant, oh son of Bharata. (20) Seeing the form of that boarlike appearance, he with Manu, the brahmins headed by Marîci and the Kumâras began to word the matter in different ways: (21) 'Who is this extraordinary being that pretends to be a boar? And how wondrous it is that he appeared from my nose! (22) One moment He has just the size of the tip of a thumb and in no time He is as big as a megalith! Would this be the Supreme Lord of sacrifice Vishnu? I am baffled!' (23) While Brahmâ thus was deliberating with his sons, the Supreme Lord of Sacrifice, the Original Person, produced a wild roar like He wanted to attack. (24) With the unprecedented voice that echoed in all directions the Lord created great joy in Brahmâ and the best of the brahmins. (25) Then the inhabitants of Tapoloka, Satyaloka and Janaloka [see 2.5: 39] hearing the sound of the loud roar of the all-merciful Lord who in the form of a boar ended all personal distress, all began to extoll Him with the holy mantras of the three Vedas.

(26) Knowing Himself very well as the form resulting from the spreading of the Vedic sound that originated from the knowledge of the authorities of the Truth, He roared once more in response to the transcendental glorifications of the wise and intelligent ones and playful as an elephant entered the water to their benefit. (27) Slashing His tail in the sky and quivering with the sharp and hard hairs of His skin, He scattered the clouds with His hooves and radiated with His glittering white tusks His glory as the Supreme Lord and Maintainer of the world. (28) Sniffing out the earth He who had assumed the transcendental body of a boar searched all around showing His frightening tusks, but all the brahmins in spite of it unafraid engaged in prayer when they saw Him  glancing them over as He entered the water. (29) The enormous mountain of His body drove by the force of the dive the ocean apart in two high waves because of which he like gifted with two arms in distress loudly prayed: 'Oh Master of all Sacrifices, please protect me!' (30) He as the Master of all Sacrifice penetrating with His arrow-sharp hooves the water then, reaching the limits of the unlimited ocean, found her. He saw her, the wealth of the living beings, lying there as she was before and lifted her up personally. (31) Rising to the surface He, with His tusks raising the submerged earth, appeared in His full splendor. But then He, glowing with a fierce anger, had to hold His cakra [His disc-weapon or wheel] against the demon [Hiranyâksha - 'the golden-eyed one'] who rushed towards Him with a club. (32) He then in an inimitable way skillfully killed the obstructive enemy the way an elephant disposes of a lion and had in the process His cheeks and tongue smeared with blood like he was an elephant that has been digging in the [reddish] earth. (33) Even as He bluish as a tamâla tree, like a playing elephant, upheld the earth on His curved tusks oh Vidura, they who were lead by Brahmâ could recognize Him as the Supreme Lord. Thereupon they with folded hands offered Him prayers from the Vedic hymns.

(34) The wise said: 'All glory and victory to You oh unconquerable One, You who are understood by the performance of sacrifices. All our obeisances are for Him who shakes His body consisting of the three Vedas and in whose pores of the hairs in His skin this [Vedic truth] lies hidden. Our respects for You who had the calling to assume the form of a boar! (35) Oh Lord, the miscreants have difficulty perceiving this form of Yours that can be worshiped by performing sacrifices: with the Gâyatrî and other mantras one honors Your skin; with the kus'a grass [on which one sits when one meditates] one honors the hairs on Your body; with the clarified butter [one uses in sacrifices] one honors Your eyes, and with the four functions of sacrifice one respects Your four legs [see 3.12: 35]. (36) Your tongue is the offering plate and Your nostrils are another one oh Lord. In Your belly we recognize the plate to eat from and the holes of Your ears also constitute such a plate. Your mouth is the [Brahmâ] plate for the spiritual aspect of performing sacrifices and Your throat is the plate for soma [a ritual drink], but that which is chewn by Your teeth oh Supreme Lord, is what You consume by the sacrificial fire [agni-hotra]. (37) The three [upasada ishthis or] consecrations together constitute Your neck: Your repeated incarnations are the introductory offerings of oblations in the fire [called the dîkshanîya ishthi] and Your tusks are the [prâyanîya ishthi] course of the consecration and the [udayanîya ishthi] end of the consecration. Your tongue constitutes the [pravargya] invocations [to the three upasadas]. Your head is respected with the fires without sacrifices [satya] and the fires with sacrifices [âvasatya] and Your life breath is constituted by the combination of all sacrifices. (38) Your semen is the soma sacrifice, Your stability is respected with the rituals in the morning, at noon and in the evening oh Lord, the different layers of Your body are the seven types of sacrifice [see 3.12: 40] and the joints of Your body are the different sacrifices [called the satrânis] one performs in twelve days. You oh Lord, who are bound by sacrifices only, are the object of all the soma and asoma sacrifices. (39) We offer You our obeisances who as the Supreme Lord for all the ingredients and types of sacrifice can be worshiped by universal prayers. When one renounced and with devotion conquers the mind one can arrive at the realization of You as the essence of all sacrifices. You as the spiritual master of such knowledge, we again and again offer our obeisances. (40) Oh Supreme Lord, with the earth and its mountains so beautifully situated on the tips of Your protruding teeth o Lifter of the Earth, You came out of the water like a lordly elephant that with its tusk captured a lotusflower together with its leaves. (41) This form of Yours of the Veda personified that as a boar sustains the planet earth on its tusks, shines with the splendor of great mountain peaks that look even more beautiful because of the clouds surrounding them. (42) You as a father lift up this mother earth as Your wife for the moving as also the nonmoving living beings to reside. Let us offer our obeisances to You and to her in whom You invested Your potency just as an expert setting ablaze arani wood. (43) Who else but You, oh master, could deliver the earth lying in the water? For You such deeds are not that wondrous, for the wonder of the miraculous universe that You by Your potencies created surpasses all others. (44) When You as the Vedas personified were shaking Your body, we as the inhabitants of Janaloka, Tapoloka and Satyaloka were sprinkled by the drops of water that remained in the hairs of Your shoulders and were thus completely purified oh Supreme Lord. (45) He who wants to know the limit of Your countless activities is out of his mind. The entire universe controlled by the material qualities is bewildered by the oneness of Your inner potency [of yogamâyâ]. Please oh Lord of the Opulences, grant us Your mercy!'

(46) Maitreya said: 'Thus being praised by the great sages and transcendentalists Lord Boar, the Maintainer, placed the earth on the water which He heavily touched with His hooves. (47) After the Almighty Personality of Godhead, Vishvaksena, the Master of All Living Entities, thus sportily had lifted the earth on top of the water the Lord returned to His abode. (48) With the one who in a devotional attitude listens to or recounts to others this auspicious and worthwhile story about Him who puts an end to the material motive, the Lord who is present in the heart [of everyone] very soon will be pleased. (49) What would be difficult to achieve for the one who enjoys the boundless mercy of His contentment? Anything removed from that mercy appears insignificant. Those devotees who wish nothing but His mercy He, personally residing in the heart, elevates to the supreme transcendence of His abode. (50) Indeed, can one be called a human being when one familiar with the true value of our human past resists the opportunity to drink in through one's ears the nectar of the stories about the Lord which puts an end to the pain of a material existence?'