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Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam - SLOKA 58

542.mahA-varAhah

He Who appeared in the form of the Great Boar.

om mahA-varAhAya namah.

This nAma refers to the varAha incarnation.SrI BhaTTar gives reference to the description in
vishNu purANam

- - -- --

tatahsamutkshipya dharAm sva-damshtrayA mahA-varAhah sphuta-padma-locanah |

rasAtalAtutpala-patra-sannibhah samutthito nIla ivAcalo mahAn || (1.4.26)

"The Great varAha bhagavAn, Who has eyeslike full-blown lotuses and the complexion like that
of blue lotus-petal, liftedthe Earth from the rasAtala (nether-world) by His tusk and emerged as a
greatblue mountain".

Similar description of the beauty of the eyesof varAha mUrti is found in tiruc-canda viruttam 45 -
"perum kEzhalAr tanperum kaN malarp-puNDarIkam nam mEl oru'ngE pizhara vaittAr (SrI v.v.
rAmAnujan).SrI cinmayAnanda comments that the varAha rUpa was taken to heave up the
worldfrom the slush that formed naturally when the waters of the deluge receded.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives theinterpretation based on mahA + vara + Aha = He who bestows
great blessings onothers.

.
542. Maha-Varaahah He appeared as the Great Boar
 Sri Adi Sankara explains this as Mahaan cha asau Varaahash
cha MahaVaraahah He incarnated as the great boar and hence He is called MahaVaraahah. This Nama refers to
Bhagavans Avataar as the great Boar, the AdiVaraaha. When Hiranyaaksha was about to sink the earth under the
depths of Primordial Ocean, Bhagavan emerged as a mammoth Boar and rescued the Earth with His tusk and hence
He is known as MahaVaraah, the gigantic Boar.
Sri Parasara Bhattar gives reference to the description from the Vishnu Puranam
Tatah samutkshipya dharaam sva-damshtrayaa
Maha-Varaahah sphuta-padma-locanah |
Rasaatalaat utpala-patra-sannibhah
Samutthito neela ivaacalo mahaan || (1.4.26)
Meaning: The Great Varaaha Bhagavan, Who has eyes like full-blown Lotus and the complexion like that of blue
lotus-petal, lifted the Earth from the Rasaatala (nether-world) by His tusk and emerged as a great blue mountain.
Sri NammAzhwar in his Thiruviruttam (45) describes the beautiful eyes of Sri Adi Varaaha Perumal:

,
?
? . [2522]
Meaning: The Lord Varaaha (the big Boar) who came to rescue the Earth from the depths of the Ocean, cast His
Divya Kataksham with His big beautiful Lotus eyes on us. Arent we fortunate to receive His Kataksham (
), now can bad times afflict us in this Samsara? Please tell.
Swami ChinmayAnanda comments that the Varaaha Rupa was taken to heave up the world from the slush that
formed naturally when the waters of the deluge receded.
Sri Satyadevo Vasishta gives the interpretation based on Maha + Vara + Aha which means He who bestows great
blessings on others.

,
Jalamadhye Varaham Cha
When you are in the middle of waters, Think of Varaha.

-
Slashing His tail forcefully in the sky,
The very hard, sharp hairs on His shoulder quivering,
He scattered the very clouds with His hooves and His glittering tusk,
As He shone bright, the supreme, His very glance luminous
- Srimad Bhaagavatham.

Varaha was the third avataara of Maha Vishnu after Matsya and Koorma, in
which He assumed the form of a humongous wild boar. The puranas refer
to Him as being the originator of the boar species; therefore I am slightly
puzzled as to what came first the word Varaha or the Varaha avataara as
a result of which the boar is generally referred to as Varaha in Sanskrit.
Either way, Varaha refers to the holy boar, which came to the rescue of the
drowning Bhooma Devi. Hiranyaksha, the brother of Hiranyakashipu, had
obtained powerful boons from the gods and he tortured the three worlds to
no end. His last and perhaps his greatest act of tormenting Brahma was to
steal the earth and hide it under the oceans. In response to Brahmas
anguished prayers, a boar shot out through his nostril, the size of his
thumb. The boar grew in size and plunged into the swirling ocean to rescue
Mother Earth. After restoring the earth to safety, the Boar, who was Vishnu
Himself, fought with Hiranyaksha and vanquished him. At this wonderful act
of the Lord, Brahma and other rishis praise Him thus:
|

-
kah raddadhtnyatamastava prabh rasm gaty bhuva udvibarhanam|
na vismay'sau tvayi vivavismay y myaydam sasrj'tivismayam||44||

Who else but you, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

Could deliver the earth from within the water?
It is not very wonderful for you, because you acted most wonderfully in the
creation of the universe.
By your energy you have created this wonderful cosmic manifestation.
-Srimad Bhaagavatham
Since MahaaVishnu had saved the earth goddess from drowning in the
cosmic ocean, it appears to be very appropriate to propitiate Him when we
are caught amidst turbulent waters. This is what we come up with if we take
the naama in its literal sense. However, looking under the layers, we can
infer that it also makes sense to invoke Him to save us from the churning
waters of this Samsaara Saagara (the ocean of mundane life). What else is
capable of lifting us from the suffocating situations that we encounter in
daily life, than His powerful, luminous tusks? He alone can save us from
drowning into the ocean of worldly life which is infested with dangerous
creatures like Kaama, Krodha, Lobha and Moha. And we need not search
anywhere to seek Him, but look within ourselves. Just like He came out of
the very nostril of Brahma, a tiny form;


ity abhidhyyato ns-vivart sahasnaghavarha-toko
niragdaguha-parimaka- SB.3.13.18
Word for word:
iti thus; abhidhyyata while thinking; ns-vivart from the
nostrils; sahas all of a sudden; anagha O sinless one; varha-toka
a minute form of Varha (a boar); niragt came out; aguha the
upper portion of the thumb; parimaka of the measurement.
Translation:
O sinless Vidura, all of a sudden, while Brahm was engaged in thinking, a
small form of a boar came out of his nostril. The measurement of the
creature was not more than the upper portion of a thumb.


sva-damrayoddhtya mahm nimagnmsa utthita samruruce
rasytatrpi daityam gadaypatantamsunbha-sandpita-tvra-
manyu- SB.3.13.31.
Translation:
Lord Boar very easily took the earth on His tusks and got it out of the water.
Thus He appeared very splendid. Then, His anger glowing like the
Sudarana wheel, He immediately killed the demon [Hirayka], although
he tried to fight with the Lord.
Thus Lord Varaha saves the earth. Then the Rishis and Devas praise the
Lord Varaha.


namo namas te khila-mantra-devat-dravyya sarva-kratave
kriytmanevairgya-bhaktytmajaynubhvita-jnya vidy-gurave
namo nama- SB 3.13.39.
O Lord, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead and are worshipable
by universal prayers, Vedic hymns and sacrificial ingredients. We offer our
obeisances unto You. You can be realized by the pure mind freed from all
visible and invisible material contamination. We offer our respectful
obeisances to You as the supreme spiritual master of knowledge in
devotional service.
Sri Parashara Bhattar says,to get rid off from the samsaric ailments catching the feet of Jnana Piraan (Sri Varaha Swami ) is better than else one.
Because
* Matsya avatara - he himself is in the ocean and not willing to come out..,
* Kurma avatara - he is also in ocean and already having heavy weight on his back.,
* Vamana avatara - he asked land with little feet and measured with big feet.,
* Narasimha avatara - his head is different and body is different, don't know how he will react.,
* Krishna avatara - Sri Andaal says he says lots of lies.,
* Rama avatara - he left his wife in some critical situation.,
* Parashu Rama & Bala Rama - both are easily getting angry.,
* Varaha avatara - he uplifted the bhoomi from the ocean with his power and so he can only uplift us from the ocean called samsara.
Om Varaha Swamine namah.


utksiptavlah khacarah kathrah sat vidhunvankhararmaatvak|
khurhatbhrah sitadamstra ks jytirbabhs bhagavnmahdhrah||27||

SB 3.13.27
utkipta-vla kha-cara kahora
sa vidhunvan khara-romaa-tvak
khurhatbhra sita-dara k-
jyotir babhse bhagavn mahdhra

WORD FOR WORD:

utkipta-vla slashing with the tail; kha-cara in the sky; kahora very
hard; sa hairs on the shoulder; vidhunvan quivering; khara sharp; romaa-tvak
skin full of hairs; khura-hata struck by the hooves; abhra the clouds; sita-dara
white tusks; k glance; jyoti luminous; babhse began to emit an
effulgence; bhagavn the Personality of Godhead; mah-dhra the supporter of the
world.

TRANSLATION:

Before entering the water to rescue the earth, Lord Boar flew in the sky, slashing
His tail, His hard hairs quivering. His very glance was luminous, and He scattered
the clouds in the sky with His hooves and His glittering white tusks.

PURPORT:

When the Lord is offered prayers by His devotees, His transcendental activities are
described. Here are some of the transcendental features of Lord Boar. As the residents of the
upper three planetary systems offered their prayers to the Lord, it is understood that His
body expanded throughout the sky, beginning from the topmost planet, Brahmaloka, or
Satyaloka. It is stated in the Brahma-sahit that His eyes are the sun and the moon;
therefore His very glance over the sky was as illuminating as the sun or the moon. The Lord
is described herein as mahdhra,which means either a big mountain or the sustainer of
the earth. In other words, the Lords body was as big and hard as the Himlayan Mountains;
otherwise how was it possible that He kept the entire earth on the support of His white
tusks? The poet Jayadeva, a great devotee of the Lord, has sung of the incident in his
prayers for the incarnations:

vasati daana-ikhare dhara tava lagn

aini kalaka-kaleva nimagn
keava dhta-kara-rpa jaya jagada hare

All glories to Lord Keava [Krsna], who appeared as the boar. The earth was held between
His tusks, which appeared like the scars on the moon.


kah raddadhtnyatamastava prabh rasm gaty bhuva udvibarhanam|

na vismay'sau tvayi vivavismay y myaydam sasrj'tivismayam||44||

SB 3.13.43
ka raddadhtnyatamas tava prabho
ras gaty bhuva udvibarhaam
na vismayo sau tvayi viva-vismaye
yo myayeda sasje tivismayam

WORD FOR WORD:

ka who else; raddadhta can endeavor; anyatama anyone besides

Yourself; tava Your; prabho O Lord; rasm in the water; gaty while lying
in; bhuva of the earth; udvibarhaam deliverance; na never; vismaya
wonderful; asau such an act; tvayi unto You; viva universal; vismaye full of
wonders; ya one who; myay by potencies; idam this; sasje
created; ativismayam surpassing all wonders.

TRANSLATION:

Who else but You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, could deliver the earth
from within the water? It is not very wonderful for You, however, because You
acted most wonderfully in the creation of the universe. By Your energy You have
created this wonderful cosmic manifestation.

PURPORT:

When a scientist discovers something impressive to the ignorant mass of people, the
common man, without inquiry, accepts such a discovery as wonderful. But the intelligent
man is not struck with wonder by such discoveries. He gives all credit to the person who
created the wonderful brain of the scientist. A common man is also struck with wonder by
the wonderful action of material nature, and he gives all credit to the cosmic manifestation.
The learned Krsna conscious person, however, knows well that behind the cosmic
manifestation is the brain of Krsna, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gt (9.10): maydhyakea
prakti syate sa-carcaram. Since Krsna can direct the wonderful cosmic manifestation, it
is not at all wonderful for Him to assume the gigantic form of a boar and thus deliver the
earth from the mire of the water. A devotee is therefore not astonished to see the wonderful
boar because he knows that the Lord is able to act far more wonderfully by His potencies,
which are inconceivable to the brain of even the most erudite scientist.
mahA-varAhah

He Who appeared in the form of the Great Boar.

This nAma refers to the varAha incarnation.

Sri Adi Sankara explains this as

He incarnated as the great boar and hence He is called MahaVaraahah. This Nama refers to Bhagavans Avataar as
the great Boar, the AdiVaraaha. When Hiranyaaksha was about to sink the earth under the depths of Primordial
Ocean, Bhagavan emerged as a mammoth Boar and rescued the Earth with His tusk and hence He is known as
MahaVaraah, the gigantic Boar.

Sri Parasara Bhattar gives reference to the description from the Vishnu Puranam
Tatah samutkshipya dharaam sva-damshtrayaa
Maha-Varaahah sphuta-padma-locanah |
Rasaatalaat utpala-patra-sannibhah
Samutthito neela ivaacalo mahaan || (1.4.26)
Meaning: The Great Varaaha Bhagavan, Who has eyes like full-blown Lotus and the complexion like that of
blue lotus-petal, lifted the Earth from the Rasaatala (nether-world) by His tusk and emerged as a great blue
mountain.

Sri NammAzhwar in his Thiruviruttam (45) describes the beautiful eyes of Sri Adi Varaaha Perumal:

,
?
? . [2522]
Meaning: The Lord Varaaha (the big Boar) who came to rescue the Earth from the depths of the Ocean, cast
His Divya Kataksham with His big beautiful Lotus eyes on us. Arent we fortunate to receive His Kataksham
( ), now can bad times afflict us in this Samsara? Please tell.

Swami ChinmayAnanda comments that the Varaaha Rupa was taken to heave up the world from the slush that
formed naturally when the waters of the deluge receded.

Sri Satyadevo Vasishta gives the interpretation based on Maha + Vara + Aha which means He who bestows great
blessings on others.

SB 3.13.27
utkipta-vla kha-cara kahora
sa vidhunvan khara-romaa-tvak
khurhatbhra sita-damra k-
jyotir babhse bhagavn mahdhra

WORD FOR WORD:

utkipta-vla slashing with the tail; kha-cara in the sky; kahora very hard; sa hairs on
the shoulder; vidhunvan quivering; khara sharp; romaa-tvak skin full of hairs; khura-hata
struck by the hooves; abhra the clouds; sita-damra white tusks; k glance; jyoti
luminous; babhse began to emit an effulgence; bhagavn the Personality of Godhead; mah-
dhra the supporter of the world.

TRANSLATION:

Before entering the water to rescue the earth, Lord Boar flew in the sky, slashing His tail, His hard
hairs quivering. His very glance was luminous, and He scattered the clouds in the sky with His
hooves and His glittering white tusks.

PURPORT:

When the Lord is offered prayers by His devotees, His transcendental activities are described. Here are
some of the transcendental features of Lord Boar. As the residents of the upper three planetary systems
offered their prayers to the Lord, it is understood that His body expanded throughout the sky, beginning
from the topmost planet, Brahmaloka, or Satyaloka. It is stated in the Brahma-samhitthat His eyes are
the sun and the moon; therefore His very glance over the sky was as illuminating as the sun or the moon.
The Lord is described herein as mahdhra,which means either a big mountain or the sustainer of the
earth. In other words, the Lords body was as big and hard as the Himlayan Mountains; otherwise how
was it possible that He kept the entire earth on the support of His white tusks? The poet Jayadeva, a great
devotee of the Lord, has sung of the incident in his prayers for the incarnations:

vasati daana-ikhare dhara tava lagn

aini kalaka-kaleva nimagn
keava dhta-kara-rpa jaya jagada hare

All glories to Lord Keava [Ka], who appeared as the boar. The earth was held between His tusks,
which appeared like the scars on the moon.

kah raddadhtnyatamastava prabh rasm gaty bhuva udvibarhanam|

na vismay'sau tvayi vivavismay y myaydam sasrj'tivismayam||44||

 SB 3.13.43
ka raddadhtnyatamas tava prabho
rasm gaty bhuva udviba rhaam
na vismayo sau tvayi viva-vismaye
yo myayedam sasjetivismayam

WORD FOR WORD:

ka who else; raddadhta can endeavor; anyatama anyone besides Yourself; tava
Your; prabho O Lord; rasm in the water; gaty while lying in; bhuva of the
earth; udvibarhaam deliverance; na never; vismaya wonderful; asau such an act; tvayi
unto You; viva universal; vismaye full of wonders; ya one who; myay by
potencies; idam this; sasje created; ativismayam surpassing all wonders.

TRANSLATION:

Who else but You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, could deliver the earth from within the
water? It is not very wonderful for You, however, because You acted most wonderfully in the
creation of the universe. By Your energy You have created this wonderful cosmic manifestation.

PURPORT:

When a scientist discovers something impressive to the ignorant mass of people, the common man,
without inquiry, accepts such a discovery as wonderful. But the intelligent man is not struck with wonder
by such discoveries. He gives all credit to the person who created the wonderful brain of the scientist. A
common man is also struck with wonder by the wonderful action of material nature, and he gives all credit
to the cosmic manifestation. The learned Ka conscious person, however, knows well that behind the
cosmic manifestation is the brain of Ka, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gt (9.10): maydhyakea
prakti syate sa-carcaram. Since Ka can direct the wonderful cosmic manifestation, it is not at all
wonderful for Him to assume the gigantic form of a boar and thus deliver the earth from the mire of the
water. A devotee is therefore not astonished to see the wonderful boar because he knows that the Lord is
able to act far more wonderfully by His potencies, which are inconceivable to the brain of even the most
erudite scientist.

Since MahaaVishnu had saved the earth goddess from drowning in the cosmic ocean, it appears to be very appropriate to propitiate Him when we are
caught amidst turbulent waters. This is what we come up with if we take the naama in its literal sense. However, looking under the layers, we can infer
that it also makes sense to invoke Him to save us from the churning waters of this Samsaara Saagara (the ocean of mundane life). What else is
capable of lifting us from the suffocating situations that we encounter in daily life, than His powerful, luminous tusks? He alone can save us from
drowning into the ocean of worldly life which is infested with dangerous creatures like Kaama, Krodha, Lobha and Moha. And we need not search
anywhere to seek Him, but look within ourselves. Just like He came out of the very nostril of Brahma, a tiny form;

ity abhidhyyato ns-vivart sahasnaghavarha-toko niragdaguha-parimaka- SB.3.13.18

Word for word:

iti thus; abhidhyyata while thinking; ns-vivart from the nostrils; sahas all of a sudden; anagha O sinless one; varha-toka a
minute form of Varha (a boar); niragt came out; aguha the upper portion of the thumb; parimaka of the measurement.
Translation:
O sinless Vidura, all of a sudden, while Brahm was engaged in thinking, a small form of a boar came out of his nostril. The measurement of the
creature was not more than the upper portion of a thumb.

sva-damrayoddhtya mahm nimagnmsa utthita samruruce rasytatrpi daityam gadaypatantamsunbha-sandpita-tvra-manyu-

SB.3.13.31.

Translation:
Lord Boar very easily took the earth on His tusks and got it out of the water. Thus He appeared very splendid. Then, His anger glowing like the
Sudarana wheel, He immediately killed the demon [Hirayka], although he tried to fight with the Lord.
Thus Lord Varaha saves the earth. Then the Rishis and Devas praise the Lord Varaha.

namo namas te khila-mantra-devat-dravyya sarva-kratave kriytmanevairgya-bhaktytmajaynubhvita-jnya vidy-gurave namo

nama- SB 3.13.39.

O Lord, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead and are worshipable by universal prayers, Vedic hymns and sacrificial ingredients. We offer our
obeisances unto You. You can be realized by the pure mind freed from all visible and invisible material contamination. We offer our respectful
obeisances to You as the supreme spiritual master of knowledge in devotional service.

Sri Parashara Bhattar says,to get rid off from the samsaric ailments catching the feet of Jnana Piraan (Sri Varaha Swami ) is better than else one.
Because
* Matsya avatara - he himself is in the ocean and not willing to come out..,
* Kurma avatara - he is also in ocean and already having heavy weight on his back.,
* Vamana avatara - he asked land with little feet and measured with big feet.,
* Narasimha avatara - his head is different and body is different, don't know how he will react.,
* Krishna avatara - Sri Andaal says he says lots of lies.,
* Rama avatara - he left his wife in some critical situation.,
* Parashu Rama & Bala Rama - both are easily getting angry.,
* Varaha avatara - he uplifted the bhoomi from the ocean with his power and so he can only uplift us from the ocean called samsara.
Om Varaha Swamine namah.