Here is my twenty ninth entry for BettyLouise’s, IdahoBlueBird50 Mysteries Blog, Animal of the Day (AOTD) challenge. Here is the link to BettyLouise’s blog https://idahobluebird50.com/2019/10/14/aotd-siamese-cat-october-13-2019/
Varaha is the third avatar in the ten primary avatars of Hindu god Vishnu and is the third of the Animal Avatars of Lord Vishnu. Varaha or “boar” is the avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu who takes the form of a boar to rescue goddess earth. Varaha is listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu.
In Hindu mythology, when the demon Hiranyaksha tormented the earth (personified as the goddess Bhudevi) and its inhabitants, Bhudevi was sank into the primordial waters. Vishnu took the form of the Varaha, descended into the depths of the oceans to rescue her. Varaha slew the demon and retrieved the Earth from the ocean, lifting Bhudevi on his tusks, thereby restoring her place in the universe.
Varaha may be depicted completely as a boar or in an anthropomorphic form, with a boar’s head and human body. The rescued earth lifted by Varaha is often depicted as a young woman called Bhudevi. The earth may be depicted as a mass of land balanced on his tusk.Varaha is a major deity in Vaikhanasas, Sri Vaishnavism and Madhwa Brahmins traditions.
The earliest versions of the Varaha legend are found in the Taittiriya Aranyaka and the Shatapatha Brahmana. They narrate that the universe was primordial waters. The earth was the size of a hand and was trapped in it. The god Lord Vishnu in the form of a boar (varaha) plunges into the waters and brings the earth out. He also marries the earth thereafter.
In some of the Puranas, the story begins with gate-keepers of Vishnu’s abode Vaikuntha, Jaya and Vijaya. They once block the four Kumaras, sages who roam the world in the form of children, from visiting Vishnu. The sages curse Jaya and Vijaya that they be born as asuras (demons). The two are born on earth as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu to the sage Kashyapa and his wife Diti and were one of the Daityas, a race of demons originating from Diti. The demon brothers are manifestations of pure evil and create havoc in the universe. The elder brother Hiranyaksha practises tapas (austerities) and is blessed by Brahma with a boon that makes him indestructible by any animal or human. He and his brother torment the inhabitants of earth as well as the gods and engage in war with the latter. Hiranyaksha kidnaps the earth (personified as the goddess Bhudevi) and hides her in the primordial waters. In some versions of the tale, the earth gives a loud cry of distress as she is kidnapped by the demon; in others, she assumes the form of a cow and appeals to Vishnu to rescue her from the clutches of the demon. Since Hiranyaksha had not included the boar in the list of animals that would not be able to kill him, Vishnu assumes this form with huge tusks and goes down to the primordial ocean. In the Bhagavata Purana, Varaha emerges as a tiny beast (a size of a thumb) from the nostrils of Brahma, but soon starts to grow. Varaha’s size increases to that of an elephant and then to that of an enormous mountain. The scriptures emphasize his gigantic size.
In the ocean, Varaha encounters Hiranyaksha, who obstructs his path and challenges him to a duel. In some versions, the demon also mocks Varaha as the beast and warns him not to touch earth. Ignoring the demon’s threats, Varaha lifts the earth on his tusks. Hiranyaksha charges towards the boar in rage with a mace. The two fiercely fight with maces. Finally, Varaha slays the demon. Varaha rises from the ocean with the earth in his tusks and places her gently above it in her original position, as the gods and the sages applaud Varaha’s rescue.
In one version, the earth goddess is called Bhumi Devi. She falls in love and marries her rescuer Varaha true form, the Maha Vishnu. Bhudevi gives birth to Varaha’s son, an asura called Narakasura. Narakasura is later killed by his father’s Lord Krishna Avatar. Now that really must make for a quite interesting family reunion.
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