Parva 3 Chapter 33: varāhaprādurbhāvavarṇanam - The description of varāha prādurbhāva

janamejaya said: O the one who is excited inwardly (wise) (O vaiśampāyana)! We hear the wise men reciting the manifestation of viṣṇu having unlimited splendor as the boar in ancient histories. na jānate'sya caritaṁ na vidhiṁ naiva vistaram | na karma guṇavadbhāvaṁ na hetuṁ na manīṣitam ||3-33-2 I do not know his history, his performance as well as the details. I also do not know the quality of his actions, the reasons and the thoughts behind them. kimātmako varāho'sau kā mūrtiḥ kāsya devatā | kimācāraḥ kimprabhāvaḥ kiṁ vā tena purā kṛtam ||3-33-3 What is the soul and body of the boar (varāha)? What is this deity? What is the conduct and splendor? What was done by Him in ancient times? etanme saṁśayatvena vārāhaṁ shrutivistaram | yajṣārthaṁ ca sametānāṁ dvijātīnāṁ mahātmanām ||3-33-4 All these are my doubts. Please describe (the manifestation of viṣṇu as) varāha for the benefit of the great souls, the twice-borns, who have assembled here for the sacrifice. vaiśampāyana uvāca etatte kathayiṣyāmi purāṇaṁ brahmasaṁmitam | nānāśrutisamāyuktaṁ kṛṣṇadvaipāyaneritam | mahāvarāhacaritaṁ kṛṣṇasyādbhutakarmaṇaḥ ||3-33-5 vaiśampāyana said: I shall tell you the ancient history, the history of the great boar (varāha), the manifestation of kṛṣṇa (viṣṇu), the one who performs wonderful actions, along with the orally transmitted sacred knowledge as told by kṛṣṇadvaipāyana (vyāsa) and approved by brahma. yathā nārāyaṇo rājanvārāhaṁ vapurāsthitaḥ | daṁṣṭrayā gāṁ samudrasthāmujjahārārisūdanaḥ ||3-33-6 O king! (O janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) nārāyaṇa, the destroyer of enemies, taking up the body of the boar (varāha) lifted up the earth, immersed in the ocean, with his tooth. cāndasībhirudārābhiḥ śrutibhiḥ samalaṁkṛtaḥ | śuchiḥ prayatnavānbhūtvā nibodha janamejaya ||3-33-7 The great one (viṣṇu) is suitably decorated by prime sacred knowledge in the best meters. O janamejaya! Be appraised of this history with attention and pure mind. idaṁ purāṇaṁ paramaṁ puṇyaṁ vedaishcha saṁmitam | nānāśrutisamāyuktaṁ nāstikāya na kīrtayet ||3-33-8 This most holy ancient history, equal to the veda-s, along with the sacred knowledge shall not be recited to atheists. purāṇametadakhilaṁ sāṁkhyaṁ yogaṁ tathaiva ca | kārtsnyena vidhinā proktaṁ yo'syārthaṁ jṣāsyate pumān ||3-33-9 This whole ancient history is with sāṁkhya as well as yoga. The (wise) one who understands its meaning knows that this is stated as ordained. viśvedevāstathā sādhyā rudrādityāstathāśvinau | prajānāṁ patayashcaiva sapta caiva maharṣayaḥ ||3-33-10 The gods of the world as well as sādhya-s (celestial beings). rudra-s, āditya-s, the twin ashvin deities, the lords of the beings as well as the seven great sages, (Note 1) manaḥsaṅkalpajāścaiva pūrvajāścha maharṣayaḥ | vasavo'psarasaścaiva gandharvā yakṣarākṣasāḥ ||3-33-11 those who are born from the concepts of mind, and the great sages who were born earlier, the vasu-s, the divine women, gandharva-s, yakṣa-s and rākṣasa-s, daityāḥ piśācā nāgāścha bhūtāni vividhāni ca | brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ śūdrā mlechcādayo bhuvi ||3-33-12 the demons, the flesh-eating demons, serpents and the many varieties of beings, brāhmins, kṣatriyas , vaishyas, śūdras as well as barbarians on the earth, catuṣpadāni sarvāṇi tiryagyonigatāni ca | jaṅgamāni ca sattvāni yachcānyajjīvasaṁjṣitam ||3-33-13 the beings with four feet and the entire organic world, all the moving beings and all the others known as beings (All these are forms of viṣṇu (varāha)) pūrṇe yugasahasrānte brāhme'hani tathāgate | nirvāṇe sarvabhūtānāṁ sarvotpātasamudbhave ||3-33-14 At the end of one thousand yugas (four eras), when one day of brahma ends, when all the beings are destroyed by calamities (meteors, earthquakes etc) hiraṇyaretāstriśikastato bhūtvā vṛṣākapiḥ | śikhābhirvividhā.ṇllokāntsaṁśoṣayati dehinaḥ ||3-33-15 then, the lord manifesting as the god of fire having three heads, fire, wind and the sun, consumes the many bodies of the three worlds. dahyamānāstatastasya tejorāśibhiragrataḥ | vivarṇavarṇā dagdhāṅgā hatārchiṣmadbhirānanaiḥ ||3-33-16 Those who are burned by his fierce rays directly became discolored and with burned limbs and faces devoid of luste. sāṅgopaniṣadā vedā itihāsapurogamāḥ | sarvavidyāśrāyaścaiva satyadharmaparāyaṇāḥ ||3-33-17 The veda-s and upanishads along with subdivisions led by traditional history and those who depend on all the branches of knowledge, maintain truth and dharma brahmāṇamagrataḥ kṛtvā Chandato viśvatomukham | sarve devagaṇāścaiva trayastriṁśaccha koṭayaḥ ||3-33-18 led by brahma in front, as desired by the lord, encompassing the universe, as well as all the entire three hundred and thirty million deva-s, tasminnahani saṁprāpte taṁ haṁsaṁ mahadakṣaram | pravishanti mahāyogaṁ hariṁ nārāyaṇaṁ prabhuṁ ||3-33-19 as the time of the decline (destruction), entered the prime, great, un-declining great yogi, the lord hari, nārāyaṇa. teṣāṁ bhūyaḥ praviṣṭānāṁ nidhanotpattirucyate | yathā sūryasya satatamudayāstamayāviha ||3-33-20 If they enter (the lord nārāyaṇa) again, it is termed as the end ( destruction) of the world, as the sun rises and sets here (in this world) always. pūrṇe yugasahasrānte kalpo niḥśeṣa ucyate | tasmiṣjīvakṛtaṁ sarvaṁ niḥśeṣamavatiṣṭhate ||3-33-21 As the thousand yugas (four eras) are completed in the end, the kalpa (a day of brahma or one thousand yugas) is said to be having no reminder. At that state, the entire forms of life cease without leaving anything. saṁhṛtya lokānsarvānsa sadevāsurapannagān | kṛtvātmagarbhe bhagavānāsta eko jagadguruḥ ||3-33-22 Destroying all the worlds, along with deva-s, demons and the serpents, and including them within him, the lord, the preceptor of the universe existed alone. yaḥ sraṣṭhā sarvabhūtānāṁ kalpānteṣu punaḥ punaḥ | avyaktaḥ śāśvato devastasya sarvamidaṁ jagat ||3-33-23 This entire universe belongs to that lord, the one who is not clear, the eternal one, the one who creates all the beings at the end of the kalpa (one day of brahma or one thousand yugas) again and again. naṣṭārkakiraṇe loke candrarashmivivarjite | tyaktabhūtāgnipavane kṣīṇayajṣavaṣaṭkriye ||3-33-24 (At the end of the kalpa (one day of brahma)) the world loses the rays of the sun. The world is devoid of the rays of the moon. The world loses all the beings, fire and the wind. It is devoid of all sacrifices and rituals. apakṣigaṇasaṅghāte sarvaprāṇyachare pathi | amaryādākule raudre sarvatastamasā vṛte ||3-33-25 The world is without the groups of birds, without any of the beings moving on paths. Losing all boundaries, the world becomes terrible, engulfed by darkness all over. adṛśye sarvaloke'sminnabhāve sarvakarmaṇām | praśānte sarvasaṁpāte naṣṭe vairaparigrahe ||3-33-26 The entire world becomes invisible. All actions cease. Everything concludes and becomes calm. All enmities cease. gate svabhāvasaṁsthānaṁ loke nārāyaṇātmake | parameṣṭhī hṛṣīkeśaḥ śayanāyopacakrame ||3-33-27 As the world goes to its own nature and becomes one with the soul of nārāyaṇa, parameṣṭhi (creator), the lord of senses, gets ready for his sleep, pītavāsā lohitākṣaḥ kṛṣṇo jīmūtasannibhaḥ | śikhāsahasravikacaṁ jaṭābhāraṁ samudvahan ||3-33-28 the one with yellow clothes, having red eyes, kṛṣṇa, (dark coloured) like a cloud, bearing the load of thousands of hair locks, śrīvatsakalilaṁ puṇyaṁ raktachandanabuūṣitam | vakṣo bibhranmahābāhuḥ savidyudiva toyadaḥ ||3-33-29 having on his chest the sacred mark of śrīvatsa, decorated by red coloured sandal (paste), the one with great arms, beautiful like a rain bearing cloud with lightning. puṇḍarīkasahasrasya mālāsya shuśubhe tadā | patnī caiva svayaṁ lakṣmīrdehamāvṛtya tiṣṭhati ||3-33-30 Then his garland shone like thousands of lotus flowers. Also, his wife lakṣmī encompasses half of his body. tataḥ svapiti dharmātmā sarvalokapitāmahaḥ | kimapyamitavikrānto nidrāyogamupāgataḥ ||3-33-31 Then the grandfather of all the worlds, having the soul of dharma, the one with unlimited valour, taking up the yoga of sleep for some purpose, sleeps. tato varṣasahasre tu pūrṇe sa puruṣottamaḥ | svayameva vibhurbhūtvā budhyate vibudhādhipaḥ ||3-33-32 When one thousand years are completed, the best among men, the lord of lords, the one who becomes the lord by himself, wakes up on his own. tatashcintayate bhūyaḥ sṛṣṭiṁ lokasya lokakṛt | pitṛdevāsuranarānpārameṣṭhyena karmaṇā ||3-33-33 Then the creator of the world again thinks about creating the world, ancestors, deva-s, demons and men by the actions of brahma. tataścintayataḥ kāryaṁ deveṣu samitiṣjayaḥ | saṁbhavaṁ sarvalokasya vidadhāti sa vākpatiḥ ||3-33-34 Then the victor of battles thinks about the benefit of devas. The lord of words, makes the creation of the whole world possible. kartā caiva vikartā ca saṁhartā ca prajāpatiḥ | dhātā vidhātā ca tathā saṁyamo niyamo yamaḥ ||3-33-35 He is the creator of beings, the creator of physical world, the destroyer as also the lord of beings. He is the creator, controller of senses, regulator as well as destroyer. nārāyaṇaparā devā nārāyaṇaparāḥ kriyāḥ | nārāyaṇaparo yajṣo nārāyaṇaparā śrutiḥ ||3-33-36 The greatest of all deva-s is nārāyaṇa. All actions are done for reaching nārāyaṇa (ultimately). All sacrifices are meant for nārāyaṇa. The subject of all ancient knowledge is nārāyaṇa. nārāyaṇaparo mokṣo nārāyaṇaparā gatiḥ | nārāyaṇaparo dharmo nārāyaṇaparaṁ kratuḥ ||3-33-37 The liberation is to reach nārāyana. The last destination (of all beings) is nārāyaṇa. All dharmas are directed towards nārāyaṇa. All sacrifices are performed for pleasing nārāyaṇa. nārāyaṇaparaṁ jṣānaṁ nārāyaṇaparaṁ tapaḥ | nārāyaṇaparaṁ satyaṁ nārāyaṇaparaṁ padam | nārāyaṇaparo devo na bhūto na bhaviṣyati ||3-33-38 All knowledge is for knowing nārāyaṇa. All penances are for attaining nārāyana. The ultimate truth is nārāyaṇa. The ultimate destination is nārāyaṇa . There was no deva greater than nārāyaṇa in the past. There will not be any deva greater than nārāyaṇa in the future. svayaṁbhūriti vijṣeyaḥ sa brahmā bhuvanādhipaḥ | sa vāyuriti vijṣeya eṣa yajṣaḥ sanātanaḥ ||3-33-39 He is known as the one who is born by himself. He is brahma, the lord of the world. He is known as vāyu. He is known as the sacrifice and the eternal lord. sadasaccha sa vijṣeyaḥ sa yajṣaḥ sa prajākaraḥ | yadveditavyaṁ tridaśaistadeṣa parivindati ||3-33-40 He is known as the real (sat) and the unreal (asat). He is known as the sacrifice and the creator of beings. Whatsoever is obtained from deva-s, he only makes them possible. yaccha vedyaṁ bhagavato devā api na tadviduḥ | prajānāṁ patayaḥ sapta ṛṣayaścha sahāmaraiḥ ||3-33-41 The deva-s do not know what is known by the lord. The lord of beings (brahma), the seven sages as also the deva-s do not know about the origin of the Lord. nāsyāntamadhigacchanti tato'nanta iti śrutiḥ | yadasya paramaṁ rūpaṁ tatra pashyanti devatāḥ ||3-33-42 They do not know about his end. Hence he is known as the one having no end. His most superior form is seen by the deva-s in the heaven. prādurbhāveṣu saṁbhūtaṁ yattadarchanti devatāḥ | yanna darśitavāndevaḥ kastadanveṣṭumarhati ||3-33-43 The deva-s worship his manifestations which appear on earth. How can one to whom the lord did not become visible, search for him? grāmaṇīḥ sarvabhūtānāmagnimārutayorgatiḥ | tejasastapasashcaiva nidhānamamṛtasya ca ||3-33-44 He is the Lord of all beings. He is the destination of the fire and the wind. He is the splendor, penance as well as the treasure of amṛta (nectar). caturāśramavarṇeṣu caturhotraphalāśanaḥ | chatuḥsāgaraparyantaścaturyugavivartakaḥ ||3-33-45 He is the consumer of the offerings as well as the fruits of all the sacrifices of four stages and castes. He encompasses all the four oceans. He pervades all the four eras. tadeṣa saṁhṛtya jagatkṛtvā garbhasthamātmanaḥ | mumocāṇḍaṁ mahāyogī dhṛtaṁ varṣasahasrikam ||3-33-46 Destroying the universe, the great yogi (nārāyaṇa) installs it in his womb. After carrying it for one thousand years, he releases the egg (of the universe). surāsuradvijabhujagāpsarogaṇai- rmahauṣadhikṣitidharayakṣaguhyakaiḥ | prajāpatiḥ śrutidhararakṣasāṁ kulaṁ tadāsṛjajjagadidamātmanā prabhuḥ ||3-33-47 At that time, the Lord, the creator of beings, created the universe along with groups of deva-s, asura-s, the twice-borns, serpents, divine women, great medicines, mountains, yakṣa-s, guhyakā and also the races of rakṣasa-s as well from his own self. iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi vārāhe prādurbhāve trayastriṁśo'dhyāyaḥ Thus this is the thirtythird chapter of bhaviṣyaparva, harivaṁśa, khila of mahabhārata, the manifestation as varāha Note 1: The answer to janamejaya's question, kimātmako varāho asau is given in ślokas 3-33-10 to 14 (see nīlakaṇṭha commentary) nīlakaṇṭha commentary · 3-33-1 prādurbhāva iti | adhyātmavidyāṁ samāpya tattadvighnavināśāya īśvaraḥ śaraṇīkaraṇīya iti vidadhānastasya rakṣoghnatve bhaktānugrahakatvamāviṣkaroti - prādurbhāva iti trayEṇa | varāhādiprādurbhāve prāyeṇa viṣṇorvyāpakasyāpi vahneriva kāṣṭheṣu loke prādurbhāvaḥ satāṁ viduṣāṁ vārāhaḥ prathamaṁ iti śeṣaḥ || · 3-33-2 caritaṁ kāryaṁ vidhiṁ pravartakaṁ hEtuṁ kāraṇaṁ karmaṇāṁ līlānāṁ guṇavatbhāvaṁ lokopakāritvaṁ lakṣaṇaṁ guṇavattvam || · 3-33-3 kimātmakaḥ kiṁ yajṣamayo yogamayo vā kā mūrtiḥ śarīraṁ bhautikaṁ māyikaṁ vā asya varāhasyādhiṣṭhātri devatā kiṁ harirharo vā | ācāraprabhāvau pūrvaṁ niṣedhamukhena pṛṣṭāviti punaḥ praṣṭumanūdyate || · 3-33-4 dvijātīnāṁ ca śrutivistaraṁ kathāvistaramityāvartate || · 3-33-6 caritaṁ tāvatsaṁkṣepeṇāha - daṁṣṭrayeti || · 3-33-7 śrutibhiḥ yasya rūpaṁ bibhradimāmavindadguhāṁ praviṣṭāṁ śarīrasya madhye iti ādhāne varāhasaṁbhāreṇa viniyuktānmantratastāvatpratayite | yasya varāhasya rūpaṁ bibhradīśvaraḥ imam pṛthivīṁ guhāṁ gūḍhastāne salilasya madhye praviṣṭāṁ avindat labdavānityarthaḥ | kairvEdaiḥ || · 3-33-9 purāṇamiti | atraiva uktavakṣyamāṇarītyā sāṁkhyayogayorantarbhāvo'sti kārtsyena | taccha vidvattamaikonneyam | itare tu kathāpalāpamātropajīvinaḥ paṇḍitāḥ pashava iti bhāvaḥ || · 3-33-10 kimātmaka ityasyottaram viśvātmakoasāvityāha - devā ityādinā | · 3-33-14 asya rūpasya sūryavadastodayāvāha- pūrṇe yugetyādinā yāvadadhyāyasamāpti nirvāṇe adarshane utpātāḥ vajrapādanetrasphuraṇabhūkampādayaḥ || · 3-33-15 triśikhaḥ agnivāyusūryarūpāstitraḥ śikhā yasya sa tejodhāturhiraṇyagarbhaḥ vṛṣākapiḥ hariharātmā | varṣatīti vṛṣā kaṁ jalaṁ pibatīti kapiḥ varṣaṇaśoṣaṇayoḥ karteti vā || · 3-33-16 hatārchiriti sandhirārṣaḥ || · 3-33-18 chandataḥ Ishvarasya ichcātaḥ chandajā iti pāṭhe tadichcāto jātaḥ || · 3-33-19 ahani kṣayāvasare || · 3-33-20 teṣāmiti | yathā pradeśāntarastho bhānurasmābhiḥ adṛśyamāno'staṁ gata ityucyate | evaṁ brahmadinānte nārāyaṇe līnaṁ jagannaṣṭamityucyate | uparistaiḥ mārkaṇḍeyādināṁ layakāle tadudare taddarśanāditi bhāvaḥ | · 3-33-21 niḥśeṣapralayahetūnāṁ vāyavyādināmapyabhāvāt avatiṣṭhate bhogaṁ na prayacchati | · 3-33-23 tasya sṛjyamiti śeṣaḥ | · 3-33-25 sarvapraṇināmachare saṁcārahīnE || · 3-33-26 saṁpāte śeṣe || · 3-33-35 kartā bhūtānāṁ vikartā bhautikānāṁ vidhirūpEṇa sraṣṭā dhātā sādhāraṇaṁ kālādirūpaṁ vidhātā viśEṣakāraṇakarmarūpāṇām || · 3-33-38 paraṁ chaitanyajyotiḥ || · 3-33-40 tridaśairindriyayairprakāśyaṁ tadanenaiva prakāśyate anena yatprakāśyaṁ svarūpaṁ tadindriyāṇi na gocharayantītyarthaḥ || · 3-33-44 agnimārutayorjāṭharaprāṇayoḥ gatiḥ gatihetuḥ || · 3-33-46 samsāramupasamhṛtya sṛṣṭiṁ spaṣṭayati mumocheti || iti śrīmahabhārate harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi ṭīkāyāṁ trayastriṁśo'dhyāyaḥ