6 - The Uplift of the Earth by Vishnu-Varaha.

Lord Kurma said: 

1. Formerly, there was nothing but one single vast sheet of water,2 a terrible ocean full of darkness, without any division and devoid of wind. Nothing was known at that time.

2. ekarnava-The doctrine of Ekarnava with which the incarnation or concept of Varaha is connected in most of the Puranas (vide Bh. P. III. 13.16-19.38, Mt. P. 246.1. 247.76, VP. 1.4.1.52), is found in the Vedas as Apah Ambhah, Samudrah (vide RV. X. 82.5-6, 121.7-9). The basic idea is that within the womb of the Primeval Waters, the cosmos existed somewhere in an unmanifest form (vide V.S. Agrawal-Purana II. 285-306).

2-3. When all living beings, the mobile and the immobile had perished in that vast sheet of water, there appeared Brahma of thousand eyes and thousand feet,3 the Purusha of thousand heads and of golden colour. He was beyond the scope of sense-organs. Brahma called Narayana1 lay asleep on the cosmic waters at that time.

3. Brahma sahasrakshah etc. Thousand-headed, thousand-footed' etc. are the epithets of the Cosmic Man in the Purusha Sukta (RV.X.90). KP. wants to identify Brahma with the Cosmic Man here, but these very epithets are used for Vishnu (infra-I.9.8). and for Shiva (infra II. 35.52) who (in stead of resting on Cosmic Waters like Brahma and Vishnu) was dancing to bring the ecstatic and excited sage Mankana to senses. It clearly shows that KP, emphasized the identity of the Trinity of gods-Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva with the Cosmic Man.

1. In 1.9.2-10 we are told that after killing the demons Madhu and Kaitabha of whom Brahma was afraid, Lord Vishnu who was reclining on the Cosmic Waters asked god Brahma to climb down from the Lotus in his navel. God Brahma obeyed and then entered Vishnu's body and became identical with Vishnu and hence came to be designated as "Narayana'.

saha tena tathavishya shankha-chakra-gadadharah |

Brahma Narayana’ khyo’ sau sushvapa salile tada ||

The epithet “Narayana", as V. 5 below tells us, means "one having waters as his abode". Hence when Brahma like Vishnu slept over the Cosmic Waters, he came to be designated as "Narayana".

4. They cite this verse in this context, regarding Narayana, the very embodiment of Brahman (or the Veda) and who is the Lord and the origin of the world and the cause of dissolution of the universe! 

5. The waters are called Narah2 since the waters are born of Nara (The cosmic Man) and since waters constitute his abode (Ayana), he is called as Narayana. *

2. VV. 4 and 5 are quoted from VP. 1.4.5 and 6.

*v.l. Namna purvam iti shrutam "as they were so termed in the days of yore."

6. After spending the nocturnal period equal to a thousand Yugas and at the end of that night, he assumes the functions of Brahma for the purpose of creation. 

7. By inference, he understood that the earth was submerged under water. The Lord of creation3 (Prajapati) then became desirous of lifting it up.

3. Prajapati-Though translated as Lord of creation" KP. echoes this from Tait. Br. 1.1.3.6 where the Vedic god Prajapati is credited with the assumption of the Boar form. The line 7b

anumanat tad uddharam kartukamah prajapatih |

is a quotation from VP. I. 4.7 while 7a is a paraphrase of the corresponding line 7a from VP.

8. He assumed the refulgent form of the divine Boar for sports within the waters. It was unthwartable, even mentally, by others. He then becomes known by the term vanmaya Brahman (Brahman in the form of speech or the Vedas). 

9. In order to lift up the earth, he entered the nether world, The upholder of the earth, the self-supporting God, lifted up the earth by means of his tusks.1

1. In this version of Varaha-incarnation, the demon Hiranyaksha does not figure. In V.P. 1.4 also Hiranyaksha is absent. But KP. records another version in infra-I. 16.81-83 in which Vishnu assumed the Boar incarnation to kill the demon Hiranyaksha. Bh. P. III. 17-19 however synthesises these two versions.

10. Having observed that the earth is held up on the tips of his tusks, the Siddhas and Brahmana sages stationed in the Janaloka eulogised Hari of celebrated manliness and might. 

The sages said: 

11. "Obeisance to you, the Lord of gods, to Brahman, Parameshthin, to the ancient Purusha, to the Eternal, to the Victorious one. 

12. Bow to you the self-born God, to the Creator, to the Omniscient. Salutations to Vedhas born of the Golden Egg, the Supreme Atman. 

13. Obeisance to you, to Vasudeva, the all-pervader (Vishnu), to the source of the universe, to Lord Narayana, to the benefactor of Devas. 

14. Salutations to you O four-faced Lord, the Wielder of the Sharnga bow, the discus and the sword. Repeated bows to the soul of all living beings who is immovable, unchangeable and the Eternal. 

15. Salutations to the secret of the Vedas; obeisance to the source of the Vedas. Bow to the Enlightened and to the pure one; obeisance to you the very embodiment of knowledge. 

16. Glory to the Bliss incarnate. Salutations to the Witness (Sakshin) of the worlds. Obeisance to the Infinite, to the unmeasurable, to one who is both the Cause as well as the Effect. 

17. Salutations to you, who constitute the five elements. Obeisance to the soul of the five elements. Bow to the origin of the Primordial Nature (Prakruti). Obeisance to you of the Maya form.

18. Obeisance to you the Divine Boar. Obeisance to you who incarnated in the form of a fish. Salutations to you who are comprehensible through Yoga. Obeisance to you, O Sankarshana. 

19. Salutations to you trinity in form, to one possessed of three refulgent abodes, to one of divine lustre. Obeisance to the Siddha, to the Praiseworthy, to him who divided Gunas into three. 

20. Salutations be to you whose form is the sun. Obeisance to you the Lotus-born God. Bow to the unembodied as well as the embodied one. Salutations to Madhava (the consort of Lakshmi). 

21. Everything has been created by you alone. Everything has been comprised in you only. Be pleased to protect all this universe. You are the saviour, the refuge and the goal." 

22. Thus Lord Vishnu was eulogised by Sanaka and others. The Lord having the form of a Boar, conferred his grace on them. 

23. Then the Supporter of the earth brought the earth to its original position, and gave up his Boar form which he conceived of mentally. 

24. The earth stationed like a boat above the vast expanse of water, did not sink because of the vastness of its extent all round.1

1. Cf. VP. I.3.46-47 the probable source of KP.  

25. He levelled the earth and gathered the mountains together on it-mountains which had been burnt in the destruction of the previous creation. He then applied his mind to creation.