Devanagari
तमालनीलं सितदन्तकोट्या
क्ष्मामुत्क्षिपन्तं गजलीलयाङ्ग ।
प्रज्ञाय बद्धाञ्जलयोऽनुवाकै-
र्विरिञ्चिमुख्या उपतस्थुरीशम् ॥ ३३ ॥
Verse text
tamāla-nīlaṁ sita-danta-koṭyā
kṣmām utkṣipantaṁ gaja-līlayāṅga
prajṣāya baddhāṣjalayo ’nuvākair
viriṣci-mukhyā upatasthur īśam
Synonyms
tamāla
—
a blue tree named the tamāla
;
nīlam
—
bluish
;
sita
—
white
;
danta
—
tusks
;
koṭyā
—
with the curved edge
;
kṣmām
—
the earth
;
utkṣipantam
—
while suspending
;
gaja
—
līlayā — playing like an elephant
;
aṅga
—
O Vidura
;
prajṣāya
—
after knowing it well
;
baddha
—
folded
;
aṣjalayaḥ
—
hands
;
anuvākaiḥ
—
by Vedic hymns
;
viriṣci
—
Brahmā
;
mukhyāḥ
—
headed by
;
upatasthuḥ
—
offered prayers
;
īśam
—
unto the Supreme Lord .
Translation
Then the Lord, playing like an elephant, suspended the earth on the edge of His curved white tusks. He assumed a bluish complexion like that of a tamāla tree, and thus the sages, headed by Brahmā, could understand Him to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead and offered respectful obeisances unto the Lord.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Understanding that the boar of black color who raised the earth on the tips of his tusks while playing like an elephant was the Supreme Lord, Brahmā and others praised to him with prayers while folding their hands.
In the Śveta-varāha-kalpa (first day in the first month of fifty-first day of Brahmā’s life) at the beginning of Svāyambhuva-manvantara, Śveta-varāha (white in color) appeared from the nostril of Brahmā and lifted up the earth. Then he disappeared. In the sixth Cākṣusa- manvantara, when there was a sudden deluge, Nīla-varāha (black in color) appeared in the water, lifted the earth and killed Hiraṇyakṣa. In the present section Maitreya combines both appearances in his narration. This can be understood from the explanatory verses of Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta 1.3.10-19.
dvir āvirāsīt kalpe’sminn ādye svāyambhuvāntare |
ghrāṇād vidher dharoddhṛtyai cākṣuṣīye tu nīrataḥ ||10||
hiraṇyākṣaṁ dharoddhāre nihantuṁ daṁṣṭri-puṅgavaḥ |
catuṣpāt śrī-varāho’sau nṛ-varāhaḥ kvacin mataḥ ||11||
kadācij jalada-śyāmaḥ kadācic candrapāṇḍaraḥ |
yajṣa-mūrtiḥ sthaviṣṭho’yaṁ varṇa-dvaya-yutaḥ smṛtaḥ ||12||
dakṣāt prācetasāt sṛṣṭiḥ śrūyate cākṣuṣe’ntare |
atas tatraiva janmāsya hiraṇyākṣasya yujyate ||13||
uttānapāda-vaṁśyānāṁ tanayasya pracetasām |
dakṣasyaiva ditiḥ putrī hiraṇākṣo diteḥ sutaḥ ||15||
kalpārambhe tadā nāsti sutotpattir manor api |
kvāsau prācetaso dakṣaḥ kva ditiḥ kva diteḥ ||16||
ataḥ kāla-dvayodbhūtaṁ śrī-varāhasya ceṣṭitam |
ekatraivāha maitreyaḥ kṣattuḥ praśnānurodhataḥ ||17||
madhye manvantarasyaiva muneḥ śāpān manuṁ prati |
pralayo’sau babhūveti purāṇe kvacid īryate ||18||
ayam ākasmiko jātaś cākṣuṣasyāntare manoḥ |
pralayaḥ padmanābhasya līlayeti ca kutracit ||19||
The boar avatāra appeared twice, first in Svāyambhuva Manvantara from Brahmā’s nostril, in order to lift the earth, and a second time during the Cākṣusa Manvantara, appearing from the water. The boar with tusks assumed the four-legged animal form to kill Hiraṇyakṣa and lift the earth. According to some authorities however, this form is half man and half boar.
Sometimes the boar avatāra is black like a cloud and sometimes he is white like the moon. The form of sacrifice, he is very strong, endowed with these two colors. It is stated in scriptures that Hiraṇyakṣa was born through Dakṣa who was the son of the Pracetas during the reign of Cākṣusa Manu. Thus the appearance of the boar avatāra during the reign of Cākṣusa Manu is confirmed by the information about the birth of Dakṣa during at that time. Dakṣa was the son of the Pracetas in the lineage of Uttānapāda. Dakṣa’s daughter was Diti. Hiraṇyakṣa was the son of Diti. At the beginning of the first kalpa of Brahmā Svāyambhuva hand produced no sons. Thus the Pracetas, Dakṣa, Diti and Hiraṇyakṣa could not have existed then. The truth has been discerned in this way.
Thus Maitreya, being asked by Vidura, narrated the activities of both appearances of Varāha in one story. It is mentioned in the Matsya Purāṇa that there was a pralaya during Svāyambhuva’s period because of curse of a sage upon Svāyambhuva. It is mentioned in the Viṣṇu-dharmottara that by the will of the Lord there was a sudden deluge during the reign of Cakṣusa Manu. Anuvākas are Vedic prayers. They praised him with prayers similar to those.