God Is Lord Varāha - The Transcendental Boar Incarnation
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in many wonderful forms to protect the universe. Manifesting as Lord Varāha, the gigantic boar incarnation, the Lord exhibited His supreme compassion and strength by rescuing the earth from the depths of the cosmic ocean and vanquishing the great demon Hiraṇyākṣa.
The Transcendental Boar Incarnation
Foolish materialistic men often deride the animal incarnations of God, thinking them to be ordinary beasts. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Lord Varāha is an eternal līlā-avatāra, possessing a fully spiritual body that is completely free from the contamination of material energy.
- Demons cannot understand the incarnations of the Lord; they think that His incarnations as a fish or boar or tortoise are big beasts only. They misunderstand the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even in His human form, and they deride His descent.
- The Lord descends either as Kapila or Rama, Nrsimha or Varaha, and whatever forms He assumes in the material world are all manifestations of His own personal internal energy. They are never forms of the material energy.
- There are many incarnations of the Supreme Lord: Varaha murti (the boar form), Kurma murti (the tortoise form), Hayagriva murti (the form of a horse) and so on. Yet we should never think any of Them material.
- In different millennia there are different incarnations, and they are innumerable, although some of them are very prominent, such as Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Rama, Nrsimha, Vamana and many others. These incarnations are called lila incarnations.
Rescuing the Planet Earth
When the universe faces a catastrophic disturbance, the Supreme Lord intervenes to protect His creation. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how Lord Varāhadeva plunged into the dark Garbhodaka Ocean to locate the displaced earth and effortlessly carried it to safety on His tusks.
- The asura Hiranyaksa had dislocated the earth from its orbit and thrown it beneath the waters of the Garbhodaka Ocean. Then the Lord, in the shape of the original boar, rescued the earth.
- The Supreme Lord appeared in the transcendental incarnation of Lord Varaha (the boar) just to please His devotees by lifting the planet earth from the Garbhodaka Ocean.
- In His incarnation as Lord Boar, He raised the planet earth from the water at the bottom of the universe and kept it on His pointed tusks. May that Lord protect me from rogues on the street.
- The Lord placed the earth within His sight on the surface of the water and transferred to her His own energy in the form of the ability to float on the water.
Annihilating the Demon Hiraṇyākṣa
The Lord is always the ultimate protector of the demigods and the pious souls. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights that to rid the universe of the terror caused by Hiraṇyākṣa, Lord Varāha engaged the demon in battle and decisively struck him down.
- After thus killing the most formidable demon Hiranyaksa, the Supreme Lord Hari, the origin of the boar species, returned to His own abode, where there is always an uninterrupted festival. The Lord was praised by all the demigods, headed by Brahma.
- When delivering the earth from the Garbhodaka Sea, Lord Visnu, in His incarnation as a boar, killed Hiranyaksa, who had appeared before Him. The fight was severe, and the Lord killed Hiranyaksa with great difficulty.
- Then with His mace the Lord (Varahadeva) struck the enemy (Hiranyaksa) on the right of his brow, but since the demon was expert in fighting, O gentle Vidura, he protected himself by a maneuver of his own mace.
The Personified Vedas
Every aspect of the Lord's body is absolute and full of spiritual significance. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that Lord Varāha, who appeared from the breathing of Lord Brahmā, is the personification of Vedic knowledge and the supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices.
- The breathing from the nostril of Brahma caused the appearance of Lord Boar, and therefore the boar incarnation of the Lord is the personified Vedas.
- Lord Varaha appeared from the nostril of Brahma, and Lord Kapila appeared from the semen of Kardama.
- These hairs of the Lord (Varahadeva) later grew as green grass, and the sages used to worship the Lord with that grass after the time when the Lord killed the demon Hiranyaksa.
- The supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices accepted the incarnation of a boar - the second incarnation, - and for the welfare of the earth He lifted the earth from the nether regions of the universe.
Conclusion
To protect the earth and maintain the cosmic order, the Supreme Lord exhibits boundless strength and compassion. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that Lord Varāha is not an ordinary animal, but the omnipotent, fully spiritual Personality of Godhead who descended to vanquish the demonic forces of Hiraṇyākṣa and restore the planet to its rightful orbit. By understanding the transcendental nature of the boar incarnation, a sincere soul becomes freed from materialistic conceptions and attains the shelter of the Lord's eternal, unalloyed devotional service.
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