The Varaha Avatar: The Third Incarnation of Lord Vishnu

Varaha Avatar, the third incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is seen in this golden period of Kali Yuga. Many artists draw Lord Vishnu as Varaha with Goddess Earth on his tusk.

It is believed that 5000 years of Kali Yuga have already passed since the departure of Lord Krishna in Dwapar Yuga. We are living in the other half of the golden Kali Yuga. It means only 5000 years are left.

After the 10,000 years of the golden period of Kali Yuga, no knowledge would remain on Earth. Only destruction of righteousness, cruelty, and dishonoring of the weak, children, and women may remain until Lord Kalki takes Avatar to kill Kali.

Therefore, people are rushing to learn more about the Hindu mythology stories to save themselves from rebirth in this era of inhumanity.

Meanwhile, let’s dive into the Vedic story of the Varaha Avatar of Lord Vishnu.

What Was the Purpose of Varaha Avatar?

Varaha Avatar is one of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, or the Dashavatara. He took his first avatar as Matsya, the second as Kurma, and the third as Varaha. The Supreme Lord takes an incarnation whenever the universe is in turmoil. The Lord incarnated as Varaha to restore Dharma, or righteousness, and save Goddess Earth from the hands of demons, evils, and asuras.

The Story of Varaha Avatar

The boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu came to protect the Prithvi. Demon Hiranyaksha dragged her to the depths of the Garbhodaka Ocean and sank the goddess to the bottom of the sea.

Sanat Kumaras Cursed Dwarapalakas Jaya-Vijaya

According to Hindu legends, the eldest sons of Lord Brahma, Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana, and Sanat visited Vaikunth.

They did great penance, or tapa, and lived righteously. The Kumaras were old but seemed young due to their mystic prowess and eternal bliss.

Lord Brahma’s sons passed six entrances to Vaikuntha Puri. On the seventh gate, they saw two guards, Jaya and Vijaya, standing with their mace adorned with garlands, earrings, and jewelry. They had four arms, were blue-skinned, and had red eyes like the ruby.

The Kumaras seemed like little children, aged only five. They wore no garments and were covered with the moisture of the universe.

Jaya and Vijaya noticed the Kumaras, or four Brahma Putras, were coming but stopped them and said they were not welcome to meet with the Supreme Lord of the Universe, Sri Hari.

The four Kumaras got angry and cursed them. The curse was to be born as humans with a mentality of a material world.

Jaya and Vijaya immediately understood their mistake and pleaded for forgiveness, but the Kumaras did not listen.

Hearing the noise from the entrance, Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi got disturbed and came out to see what was happening.

Sri Hari apologized for Jaya Vijaya’s behavior and told them that the guards were only doing their duty. They replied that the curse would not be taken back and left the place.

Jaya and Vijaya were sorry for their actions. The Lord painfully addressed the idea that the curse might not be erased. But if you meet your death at my hands three times, you will be free from the birth cycle and return to Vaikunth.

They had no options left except to agree to the condition.

Birth of Jaya-Vijaya as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu

As per ancient mythology, Shrimad Bhagavatam sage Kashyap was performing the evening prayer when his wife, Diti, daughter of Daksh Prajapati, was stricken by the arrows of Kama. Diti wanted to get intimate and forced Rishi Kashyap to leave his prayer.

Over time, Diti got pregnant with Jaya and Vijaya as twin demons, Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu. She nurtured them in her womb for about a hundred years. The birth induced a lot of eerie atmospheres and natural disturbances in Heaven and Earth.

The gods were terrified of unnatural activities and seized with fear. Hiranyakashipu was the elder of the twin brothers, born in Satya Yuga, and the younger, Hiranyaksha.

Brahma Gave Boon to Hiranyakashipu

Hiranyakashipu was a devotee of Lord Brahma. He did unimaginable penance for years and impressed the creator of the universe, Brahma. Hiranyakashipu asked for a boon that no man, animal, god, demon, or even beast would be able to kill.

Lord Brahma granted the same and eventually made Hiranyakashipu immortal.

On the other hand, Hiranyaksha, the younger brother, was always ready to serve his brother. He traveled the entire world and fought to establish dominance.

Goddess Earth Drowned in the Cosmic Water

He defeated the gods, but they were still powerful, and he could not kill them.

Hiranyaksha realized that gods were powerful because of the devotion of humans. He started to create havoc on the Earth and used powerful and deadly weapons. Due to the attack, the planet was displaced from its axis and slipped into the darkness of cosmic water.

Hiranyaksha created havoc and worried the first man, Manu, and his wife, Shatarupa.

They prayed to the creator of the universe, Lord Brahma, for his help. He was unable to help as he gave Hiranyaksha the boon and suggested praying to Lord Vishnu for help.

The Birth of Varaha Avatar

Lord Brahma began to meditate in the name of Lord Vishnu to save Mother Earth, the gods, and the universe. A small boar dropped out of the Brahma’s nostril and grew large. It immediately became the size of a mountain. Lord Brahma realized that the Varaha avatar of Lord Vishnu came to save Mother Earth and kill Hiranyaksha.

However, the reason behind the incarnation of Varaha was that Hiranyaksha mentioned all the animals and living beings to stay protected from, except the boar.

Hiranyaksha Challenged Lord Varuna to Fight

On the journey of Triloka dominance, Hiranyaksha fled to the heavens. Indra and the other gods hid due to the fear of the twin brothers. Hiranyaksha roared and started to search for gods to fight. He saw causal water in the universe, dived deep into the ocean, and reached Vibhavari, the kingdom of Varuna, god of the seas.

A proud and arrogant Hiranyaksha mocked Varuna. He smirked and said, “Fight with me, O’ Lord of the Ocean.” Varuna felt insulted but controlled his anger and sarcastically replied. “I am too old to fight with you, Hiranyaksha. Why do not you approach Lord Vishnu to fight with you as he can give you a fight you are willing for?”

To satisfy his hunger for a fight, he began to find Lord Vishnu.

Hiranyaksha Confronted Lord Vishnu’s Varaha Avatar

On the way to find Lord Hari, Sage Narada appeared and told Hiranyaksha about the Supreme Lord of the Universe. Hiranyaksha entered the depths of the causal water and saw the Lord in his Varaha Avatar, the boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Varaha, the avatar of Sri Hari, was holding the earth upward on his tusks. Seeing the goddess Bhumi rescued, Hiranyaksha challenged him to a fight. The demon wanted to smash Lord Varaha’s skull and attacked his head with his mace.

Varaha had noticed Prithvi was trembling at the situation, and he did not confront the demon immediately. He waited and tolerated his cruel, piercing words.

Lord Varaha placed the Earth on the surface of cosmic water and transferred his energy to make the Earth stay afloat. Gods from heaven showered flowers upon the Lord.

Combat between Hiranyaksha and Lord Varaha

Varaharupa, the avatar of Maha Vishnu, challenged Hiranyaksha. He trembled with anger and hissed like a serpent. They began to fight with their mace and attacked each other.

When the demon attacked the Lord, he effortlessly dodged him and fought fiercely for about 1000 years, and the Lord finally killed Hiranyaksha and saved Goddess Earth.

Varaha Avatar of Lord Vishnu Married Mother Earth

Shrimad Bhagavatam, an ancient Indian myth, mentioned that after saving Earth, the Varaha avatar of Lord Vishnu married Mother Earth, also known as Varahi, and had two children, Narakasura and Mangla.

Read More:

• Matsya Avatar: Lord Vishnu Took the Fish Incarnation
• Kurma Avatar: Second Incarnation of Lord Vishnu
• Samudra Manthan: Why Did Lakshmi Leave Vaikund?