Parva 1 Chapter 40: varāha utpatti –janamejaya praśnāḥ - advent of sacred-boar – enquiry of janamejaya

“O brahman, in the purāṇā-s the sages have described the incarnations of viṣṇu of unlimited energy... we have heard from them that the Lord incarnated himself as a boar. But we do not know his history fully... what accomplishments he has; what are his objectives, conduct and prowess, and what kind of god he is when he assumed this form of a boar... and what he was doing before it... yajṣa arthaṁ samavetānāṁ miṣatāṁ ca dvi-janmanām | mahāvarāhacaritaṁ kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Iritam || 1-40-4 yathā nārāyaṇo brahman vārāhaṁ rūpamāsthitaḥ | daṁṣṭrayā gāṁ samudrasthām ujjahāra ari-sūdanaḥ || 1-40-5 vistareṇaiva karmāṇi sarvāṇi ripu-ghātinaḥ | shrotum icchāmi aśeṣeṇa hareḥ kṛṣṇasya dhīmataḥ || 1-40-6 We have heard that sage kṛṣṇa-dwaipāyana described this great boar-incarnation before the twice-born ones when they assembled at a sacrifice, and detailed as to how that enemy-eradicator, viṣṇu, incarnating himself as a boar, saved the earth sunk in the ocean with his tusks; now I would like to hear at length the various deeds performed by the intelligent slayer of enemies hari in his incarnation of boar... karmaṇām ānupūrvyāt ca prādurbhāvāḥ ca ye vibhoḥ | yā ca asya prakṛtir brahman tāṁ me vyākhyātum arhasi || 1-40-7 It will be apt of you to tell me in detail about the history of his manifestations and their nature... kathaṁ ca bhagavān viṣṇuḥ sura-śatru-niṣūdanaḥ | vasudeva kule dhīmān vāsudevatvam āgataḥ || 1-40-8 Why god viṣṇu, the slayer of enemies of gods, took birth as vāsu-deva, taking birth in family of vasu-deva... amarair āvṛtaṁ puṇyaṁ puṇya kṛtbhir niṣevitam | deva lokaṁ sam-utsṛjya martya lokam iha āgataḥ || 1-40-9 deva mānuṣayor netā yaḥ bhuvaḥ prabhavo vibhuḥ | kimarthaṁ divyam ātmānaṁ mānuṣye saṁ-nyayojayat || 1-40-10 yaḥ cakraṁ vartayeti eko mānuṣāṇām anāmayam | mānuṣye sa kathaṁ buddhiṁ cakre cakra-bhṛtāṁ-varaḥ || 1-40-11 You say that he will always be in the thick of immortals and pious souls, then why he stepped out of such a realm of gods and supersouls, and stepped into the mortal world... you say that he is the soul-a-priori, either of mortals or of gods – divya ātmā – and even the mortal world has emanated from him, then why he defrocked his celestial nature into a trifling mortal being... you say that he is the single unpernicious wheelsman of the universe, -anāmaya para brahma - then why did he make up his mind to wheelspin this pernicious world from within – Amaya bhūyiṣṭa prapancham –that too on taking a pernicious birth... gopa ayanaṁ yaḥ kurute jagataḥ sārva laukikam | sa kathaṁ gāṁ gato devo viṣṇur gopatvam āgataḥ || 1-40-12 You say that he implicitly moves the universe composed of kalā-kāṣṭā-muhurtā-s, seconds, minutes, hours etc time divisions aggregating to yuga-manvantara-parārthā-s, eras, grand-eras etc... Then, how did he get into this world only to circuit the ranch moving the cows from dawn to dusk... mahā-bhūtāni bhūtātmā yaḥ dadhāra cakāra ca | śrī-garbhaḥ sa kathaṁ garbhe striyā bhūcharayā dhṛtaḥ || 1-40-13 yena lokān kramair jitvā tribhis trīn tridaśepsayā | sthāpitā jagato mārgās tri-varga prabhavāḥ trayaḥ || 1-40-14 You say that he creates and bears all the five subtle and gross beings of whole universe – pancha bhūtā-s - and thus call him as śrī-garbha, the fount of all creation, rather omni-wombed, then how did he contain himself in a petty womb of a female earthling – pancha bhūtātmaka mātṛ garbham; he is said to have triumphed over all the upper and nether worlds, and established a triad of worlds, where heavens for celestials and earth to humankind with a threefold system... yaḥ anta-kāle jagat pītvā kṛtvā toya-mayaṁ vapuḥ | lokam ekārṇavaṁ cakre dṛśya adṛśyena vartmanā || 1-40-15 yaḥ purāṇe purāṇa ātmā vārāhaṁ rūpam āsthitaḥ | viṣāṇa agreṇa vasudhām ujjahāra ari-sūdanaḥ || 1-40-16 He is said to be devouring entire universe at the end of era, himself becoming a sheet of primordial waters – jala swarūpa; and how that antediluvian soul - purāṇa-ātmā - with a nebulous manifestation - dṛśya adṛśya ātmā- extolled in legends upheaved the submersed earth in the very primordial waters on the points of his tusks when he donned a sacramental-boar, yajṣa-varāha mūrti, incarnation... yaḥ purā puruhūta arthe trailokyam idam avyayaḥ | dadau jitvā asura gaṇān surāṇāṁ sura-sattamaḥ || 1-40-17 How, in the days of yore, he vanquished the demons on behalf of indra and how that foremost of gods nārāyaṇa conferred the triad of worlds upon the celestials... yena saiṁhaṁ vapuḥ kṛtvā dvidhā kṛtvā ca tat punaḥ | pūrvaṁ daityo mahāvīryo hiraṇyakaśipur hataḥ || 1-40-18 How he assumed the form of a two-in-one personality, man-lion, and how he eliminated the prime daitya, namely the highly energetic hiraṇyakaśipu... yaḥ purā hi analo bhūtvā aurvaḥ saṁvartako vibhuḥ | pātālastho arṇava gataṁ papau toya-mayaṁ haviḥ || 1-40-19 How, in the days of yore, did he sip the subterranean lava-like oceanic oblation assuming the form of a submarine-fire, called samvartaka-agni... sahasra śirasaṁ brahman sahasrāraṁ sahasra-dam | sahasra charaṇaṁ devaṁ yam āhur vai yuge yuge || 1-40-20 Who in various eras will be with umpteen cogitations, umpteen watches, umpteen transits, and who bestows everything in a number of ways, whereby he is called a god... nābhyā araṇyāṁ sam-utpannaṁ yasya paitāmahaṁ gṛham | eka arṇava jalasthasya naṣṭe sthāvara jaṅgame || 1-40-21 Who is he from whose naval the abode of brahma, a golden lotus with a stalk that looks like one of the two rubbing sticks to produce fire in Vedic rituals - araṇi – has emerged, whereby that creator brahma himself is created with a peduncle–like substructure of Veda-s and their rites, that too, when whole of the sessile and mobile universe has metamorphosed into a single ocean of primordial waters... yena te nihatā daityāḥ saṁgrāme tārakāmaye | Who is he at whose hand the demon tāraka-asura met his end... sarva devamayaṁ kṛtvā sarva Ayudha dharaṁ vapuḥ || 1-40-22 garudaḥ tena ca utsiktaḥ kālanemir nipātitaḥ | nirjitaḥ ca mayo daityaḥ tārakaḥ ca mahāsuraḥ || 1-40-23 Who is he assuming the consistorial form of all gods, wielding every weapon with every limb, while his eagle-vehicle garuḍa proudly airlifted him, slew the demons called kāla-nemi... besides, who is said to have vanquished demons like maya and tāraka... uttara ante samudrasya kṣīrodasya amṛta udadheḥ | taḥ shete śāśvataṁ yogam āsthāya timiram mahat || 1-40-24 He, who obtained ambrosia from the northerly fringe, i.e., at heavenward fringe, of Milk Ocean...; who on devising a kind of haze – timiram = yoga māya – reposes eternally on the billows of that Milk Ocean... who is he... sura-araṇiḥ garbham adhatta divyaṁ tapaḥ prakarṣāt aditiḥ purāṇaṁ | śakraṁ ca yaḥ daitya-gaṇa-avaruddhaṁ garbha-avasāne nibhṛtaṁ cakāra || 1-40-25 He, whom the consummate ascetic lady aditi has begotten, and he, who on coming into being from lady aditi is said to have saved indra, who by then is beset by hosts of demons... who is he... padāni yaḥ lokamayāni kṛtvā cakāra daityān salile śayān tān | kṛtvā ca devān tridivasya devān cakre sura-īśaṁ tridaśa-ādhipatye || 1-40-26 Who covered the triad of worlds in triple strides in his tri-vikrama incarnation, and duly posited indra in heaven, emperor bali in netherworld, and demons in briny deep... pātrāṇi dakṣiṇā dīkṣā chamasa ulūkhalāni ca | gārhapatyena vidhinā anvāhāryeṇa karmaṇā || 1-4-27 Who devised various procedures dakṣiṇa, dīkśa, and paraphernalia for Vedic rituals such as chamasā-s - a wooden vessels used for consuming soma juice; ulūkhala-s – wooden mortar; gārhapatya fireplace with samidhā-s – household fireplace with fuel; procedures for anvāhārya rituals that for the monthly beatification of manes; agnim-āhavanīyaṁ ca vedīṁ caiva kuśaṁ sruvam | prokṣaṇīyaṁ dhruvāṁ caiva āvabhṛthyaṁ tathaiva ca || 1-40-28 Who devised āhavanīya fireplaces and yajṣa-vedi-s - the sacrificial altar; made material like kusha – holy grass; sruva – a ladle, long spoon to pour oblations into fire; dhruva – a beaker-like mug; prokśaṇa pātrāṇi –vessels with which other vessels can be anointed; material for āvabhṛtha baths – finishing baths of rituals... sudhā trīṇi ca yaḥ cakre havya kavya pradān dvijān | havya ādān ca surān yajṣe kravya ādān tu pitr+īn api || 1-40-29 He who created the three sorts of ambrosial life principle sudhā - in the triad of worlds; who made the brāhmaṇa-s as the officiators to oblate havyā-s – for gods, and kavyā-s - for manes, and who simultaneously made gods and ancestors as the receivers of those offerings... bhāga-arthe mantra-vidhinā yaḥ cakre yajṣa-karmaṇi | yūpān samit srucaṁ somaṁ pavitrān paridhīn api || 1-40-30 He who hymn-wise segmented the Vedic rituals for proper issuance of oblations among gods; who hymnally devised yūpā-s – sacrificial posts; samit-s - fuel, wood, grass, etc employed for enkindling fire; srucaṁ – sruk -s – offertories; soma lata - a creeper from which juice is crushed for drinking; pavitrā-s – strainers with straining cloths; paridhi-s – wooden frame to guard ritual fire... yajṣiyāni ca dravyāṇi yajṣān ca sa chayanalān | sadasyān yajamānān ca medhya ādīn ca kratu-uttamān || 1-40-31 vibabhāja purā sarvaṁ pārameṣṭhyena karmaṇā | yāga anurūpānyaḥ kṛtvā lokān anuparākramat || 1-40-32 He who devised arenas of rituals where iṣṭikā-chayanam – layering of brick altar will be done according to specific measurements, to place ritual fire; and apparatus for rituals like sadasyā-s – assembly of scholars; yajamānā-s – performers; medhya – kratu upayoga paśū - sacrificed; and the like that have been classified by him on the lines laid down by pārameṣṭhi, parama iṣṭi – highest vedic ritual in himself, namely brahma, for the conduct of best vedic rituals... and he who aestivated himself into a yogic trance on making all these paraphernalia and procedures likeable to people... who is he... kṣaṇā lavāḥ ca kāṣṭhāḥ ca kalāḥ trai-kālyam eva ca | muhūrtāḥ tithayo māsāḥ pakṣāḥ saṁvatsarāḥ tathā || 1-40-33 ṛtavaḥ kāla-yogāḥ ca pramāṇaṁ trividhaṁ triṣu | āyuḥ kṣetrāṇi upachayo lakṣaṇaṁ rūpa-sauṣṭhavam || 1-40-34 trayo varṇāḥ trayo lokāḥ trai-vidyaṁ pāvakāḥ trayaḥ | trai-kālyaṁ trīṇi karmāṇi trayaḥ upāyāḥ trayo guṇāḥ || 1-40-35 He who has systematized the time right from an instant to the unscalable time factor as kṣaṇā, lava, kāṣṭha, kala, tri-kāla, muhūrta, tithi, pakṣa, māsa, ṛtu, saṁvatsara; and then tenets like kāla-yoga, threefold validations, namely shruti, smṛ, śiṣṭācāra-s; and the threesome functions of nitya, naimittika, kāmya karmā-s undertaking which the lifespan – āyu, physiques – kṣetrāṇi, development – upachaya, vṛddhi, characteristics – lakṣaṇaṁ, physical bearing - rūpa-sauṣṭhavam, of all the mobile and sessile beings will function; and who created the threesome social system - traya varṇā-s - brahma, kshatriya, vaishya, śūdrā-s implied; triad of worlds - bhū, bhuvaḥ, suvaḥ; triplex education – Rik, yajur, atharva, sāma implied; trinity of sacred fires – dakśinātya, āhavanīya, gārhapatya agni-s; triune of time - bhūta, bhaviṣyat, vartamāna – all in one factor called the time; triple action types – gentle, aggressive, moronic actions according to sattva, rajas, tamo guṇā-s; triple cravings – putraiṣaṇa, vittaiṣaṇa, lokai ṣaṇa - and threesome subtle factors... trayo lokāḥ purā sṛṣṭā yena anantyena karmaṇā | sarva-bhūta-gaṇa-sraṣṭā sarva bhūta-guṇa-ātmakaḥ || 1-40-36 He who has created the triad of worlds by his incessant action; who has created all the hosts of beings, yet who is the inferential soul of all beings... nṛṇām indriya pūrveṇa yogena ramate ca yaḥ | gatā-gatābhyāṁ yaḥ netā sarvatra jagat-īśvaraḥ || 1-40-37 He is anywise said to be the lord of universe, because he is involved in those that are involved the cycle of birth and death, and mankind in particular, because he takes delight in mankind alone, because he is experienceable only to mankind through their sense faculties... who is he... yaḥ gatiḥ dharma-yuktānām agatiḥ pāpa karmaṇām | cātur-varṇyasya prabhavaḥ cātur-hotrasya rakṣitā || 1-40-38 cātur-vidyasya yaḥ vettā cātur-āśramya-saṁśrayaḥ | He, who is the refuge of the pious and who is the punisher of the wicked... who is the causer of four-grade system of society, and a preserver of fourfold officiators of vedic rituals - hotR, adhvaryu, udgāta, and brahma.... who is the master of the fourfold knowledge – anvīkaśaki, trayī, vārtā, daṇḍanīti; an upholder of the fourfold system of living – brahma-carya, gRahasta, vānaprastha, sannyāsa... dik-antarāḥ nabho-bhūtaḥ vāyuḥ āpaḥ vibhāvasuḥ || 1-40-39 candra sūrya-maya jyotiḥ yogi-īśaḥ kṣaṇada-antakaḥ | He, whose quiddity is manifest in the sky inclusive of directions and inter-directions, air, water, fire, or earth, because earth is also vi+bhā+vasu – i.e. – viśeṣeṇa bhāti= vibhā, jyotiḥ; vasumati - pṛthvī; and the light with which sun and moon are aglow- candra sūrya prathānam jyotiḥ; or mano-jyothi, chakshur jyothi - illuminist of the eye, or heart, because he is the destroyer of kṣaṇada = night, say darkness, that too without a ripple in his attitude - yogi-īśa = nirvikalpa... who is this yogīśa... yat paraṁ śrūyate jyotir yat paraṁ śrūyate tapaḥ || 1-40-40 1yaṁ paraṁ prāhur aparaṁ yaḥ paraḥ parama-ātmavān | nārāyaṇa parā-vedā nārāyaṇa parāḥ-kriyāḥ || 1-40-41 nārāyaṇa paro-dharmo nārāyaṇa parā-gatiḥ | nārāyaṇa paraṁ-satyaṁ nārāyaṇa paraṁ-tapaḥ || 1-40-42 nārāyaṇa paro mokṣo nārāyaṇa para-ayaṇam | He is identical with the most excellent lustre and tapas of which we hear. The sages designate him as the thread that connects all the souls; and the whole universe is his form. The Vedas and all the works exist in ṇarayana. ṇarayana is the greatest virtue and is the most most excellent condition. Truth exists in ṇarayana and Tapas exists in him. Salvation exists in ṇarayana and ṇarayana is the most excellent refuge... [m.n.d] These foots are constructed on the lines of Vedic hymn nārāyaṇa parodhyātā dhyānam nārāyaṇa paraḥ... ādityādiḥ tu yaḥ divyaḥ yaḥ ca daitya-antako vibhuḥ || 1-40-43 He who is the lord of all the skywalkers, i.e., gods – divyaḥ – divi-charaḥ – like āditya-s and others, and he is the slayer of demons... yuga anteṣu antako yaḥ ca yaḥ ca loka-antakān antakaḥ | setuḥ yaḥ loka setūnāṁ medhyo yaḥ medhya karmaṇām || 1-40-44 vedyo yo veda-viduṣāṁ prabhur yaḥ prabhava-ātmanām | soma-bhūtaḥ tu saumyānām agni-bhūto agni-varcasām || 1-40-45 manuṣyāṇāṁ mano-bhūtaḥ tapo-bhūtaḥ tapasvinām | vinayo naya-vṛttīnāṁ tejaḥ tejasvinām api | sargāṇāṁ sarga-kāraḥ ca loka-hetuḥ anuttamaḥ || 1-40-46 vigraho vigraha-arhāṇāṁ gatiḥ gatimatām api | He ends everything at the end of eras; death to the deadener of living-beings, say yama, the ṭimegod; begetter of begetters like kashyapa and other prajāpati-s who have instituted various orders of living beings; deducible upon one’s own liturgical actions – nitya, naimittika karma; a knowable entity for vedic-scholars; an exalted one for the exalted souls like sages marīchi, kashyapa et al; charming like soma, the moon, for the gentle; an incinerator for the inflamers; heartiness of the humans; ascesis for the ascetics; conscientious for the scrupulous; refulgent for the fulgent; begetter of all begotten; a nonesuch principle of all the worlds; an opposer of the opposable; a tack for righteous tackers... ākāśa-prabhavo vāyuḥ vāyu-prāṇo hutāśanaḥ || 1-40-47 devā hutāśana prāṇāḥ prāṇO agneḥ madhusūdanaḥ | It is said that air has emerged from space; and prāṇa, the vital-spirit, from that air; and the devourer of oblations, more specifically the firegod, has come from that vital-spirit; and this firegod, devourer of oblations, is the life-spirit of gods, whereas madhu-sūdana is the life-spirit of that firegod, huta-ashana... rasāt vai śoṇitaṁ jātaṁ śoṇitāt māṁsam ucyate || 1-40-48 māṁsāt tu medaso janma medaso asthīni caiva hi | asthno majjā samabhavat majjātaḥ śukram eva ca || 1-40-49 śukRāt garbhaḥ samabhavat rasa-mūlena karmaṇā | The distillate of various foods, rasa, vital-juice, produces blood, and flesh is produced from that blood; fat comes from flesh and bones from that fat; bones generate marrow and marrow generates seminal fluid, from which pregnancy occurs; hence, rasa, vital-fluid is substratum of all... tatra apāṁ prathamo bhāgaḥ sa saumyo rāśiḥ ucyate || 1-40-50 garbha uṣma saṁbhavo agniḥ yo dvitīyo rāśiḥ ucyate | śukraṁ soma-ātmakaṁ vidyāt ārtavaṁ viddhi pāvakam | bhāgau rasātmakau hi eṣāṁ vīryaṁ ca śaśi-pāvakau || 1-40-51 Water is the primary principle of that rasa, vital-fluid, and this belongs to the soma, the moon, or, the nectarean principle of the moon, in the somatology – Greek - soma -atos ‘body’ and its formation... heat resides in the second half, say in menstrual blood... hence, the being of living beings is a compound of coolness and heatedness of the moon and fire - śaśi-pāvakātmakam... Here the text is dwelling on pancā agni vidya. kapha varge bhavet śukraṁ pitta varge ca śoṇitam | kaphasya hṛdayaṁ sthānaṁ nābhyāṁ pittaṁ pratiṣṭhitam || 1-40-52 dehasya madhye hṛdayaṁ sthānaṁ tat manasaḥ smṛtam | nābhi-koṣṭha-antaraṁ yat tu tatra devo hutāśanaḥ || 1-4-53 manaḥ prajāpatir jṣeyaḥ kaphaḥ somo vibhāvyate | pittam agniḥ smṛtaṁ hi etat agnīṣomātmakam jagat || 1-40-54 Thus the essence of all juice, the seminal fluid, is created by an excess of phlegm; blood is created by an excess billious matter. The seat of phlegm is the heart and the seat of bile is the navel. The heart, which is in the body, is known as the seat of the mind. The fire exists behind the cavity of the navel – jaṭhara agni – is none other than huta-ashana, the devourer of oblations, whose life-spirit is madhu-sūdana. Mind is known as prajāpati, the phlegm as soma and the bile as agni. Thus the whole world is a commixture of heat and cold... evaṁ pravartate garbhe vardhite ambuda-sannibhe | vāyuḥ praveśaṁ saṁcakre saṁgataḥ paramātmanā || 1-40-55 tato'ṅgāni visṛjati bibharti parivardhayan | sa paṣchadhā śarīrastho bhidyate vardhate punaḥ || 1-40-56 prāṇo'pānaḥ samānaścha udāno vyāna eva ca | Where a conception takes place, as is the formation of a cloud, the air enters there accompanied by the Absolute... It then creates the various limbs and nourishes them. Inside the body the vital air divides itself into five kinds of airs, namely prāṇa, apāna, samāna, samāna and vyāna, and gradually assumes proportions... prāṇaḥ sa prathamaṁ sthānaṁ vardhayan parivartate || 1-40-57 apānaḥ paśchimaṁ kāyam udāna ūrdhvaṁ śarīriṇaḥ | vyāno vyāyacchate yena samānaḥ sannivartayet | bhūta avāptiḥ tataḥ tasya jāyate indriya gocarāt || 1-40-58 pṛthivī vāyurākāśamāpo jyotishcha paṣchamam | tasyendriyāṇi viṣṭānisvaṁ svaṁ yogaṁ pracakrire || 1-40-59 prāṇa-air abiding in the area of heart makes the foods and drinks enter the stomach, thus helps nourishment of the body; apāna-air abiding in sacral area facilitates excretion of mala, mūtra, retas; samāna-air residing in abdominal region facilitates digestion-balance; samāna-air abiding in the area of throat facilitates speech function; vyāna-air pervades whole inner space facilitates sweat, tears etc; thus the five vital airs enter the physique made up of five subtle elements – solidity, liquidity, resplendence, gaseousness, voidness, and blent with senses will undertake their functions... pārthivaṁ deham āhuḥ taṁ prāṇa-ātmānaṁ ca mārutam | cidrāṇi ākāśa yonīni jalāt srāvaḥ pravartate || 1-40-60 jyotiḥ cakṣuḥ ca teja-ātmā teṣāṁ yantā manaḥ smṛtaḥ | grāmāḥ ca viṣayāḥ caiva yasya vīryāt pravartitāḥ || 1-40-61 Such as it is the body is a corporeity, vital-forces are air; apertures etheric; water causing effluxes; eye-light is the refulgence of Soul-supreme, and the taskmaster of these ingredients is said to be – manas, the volitive mind... with this paraphernalia the body is enjoying carnality... iti evaṁ puruṣaḥ sarvān sṛjat Lokān sanātanān | kathaṁ loke naidhane asmin naratvaṁ viṣṇuḥ āgataḥ || 1-40-62 In this way that Supreme Person said to have created the world in primeval times... then, who is he... then again, how that imperishable viṣṇu has come by manhood in this perishable world... eṣa me saṁśayo brahman evaṁ me vismayo mahān | kathaṁ gatiḥ gatimatām āpanno mānuṣīṁ tanum || 1-40-63 shruto me svasva vaṁśasya pūrveṣāṁ caiva saṁbhavaḥ | shrotum icchāmi viṣṇoḥ tu vṛṣṇīnāṁ ca yathā-kramam || 1-40-64 āścaryaṁ paramaṁ viṣṇur devair daityaiḥ ca kathyate | viṣṇor utpattim āścaryaṁ mama ācakṣva mahāmune || 1-40-65 etat āścaryam ākhyānaṁ kathayasva sukhāvaham | prakhyāta bala vīryasya viṣṇor amitatejasaḥ | karma ca āścarya-bhūtasya viṣṇoḥ tattvam iha uhyatām || 1-40-66 This is not only my doubt but it is a great surprise to me... how he took on himself a human form when he himself is the ultimate recourse to the seekers of salvation... I have heard an account of my own family as well as of those of my ancestors. I wish now to hear in due order of the families of viṣṇu and vṛṣṇis... The gods and demons say that Vishnu is a great wonder. Please describe to me, oh, great sage, the wondrous advent of Vishnu as a human... Describe to me truly the wonderful and delightful account of the highly energetic Vishnu of well-known deeds and prowess who surprised the whole world by his actions... --o)0(o-- iti śrīmanmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe harivaṁśaparvaṇi varāhotpattivarṇane catvāriṁśo'dhyāyaḥ Thus, this is the fortieth chapter of first canto called harivamsha-parva, in harivamśa-purāṇa, the sequel of mahābhārata, narrating the enquiry of janamejaya in the context of boar incarnation of Vishnu.