Avatāra Stotras of Jambūdvīpa

The eighteenth chapter of the fifth skandha of the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa records stotras sung in six of the nine varshas (regions) of Jambūdvīpa. In each varsha the people worship one avatāra or form of Bhagavān Vishṇu. The singers are Bhadrāśva, Hanumān with the Nava-yogeśvaras, Lakshmī, the great bear Jāmbavān, Aryamā and the people of Kuru-varsha. The forms are Hayagrīva, Narasiṃha, Pradyumna, Matsya, Kūrma and Varāha.

The varshas and their forms

Each of these varshas is a holy region where a particular form of Bhagavān Vishṇu is worshipped without a break by the people who live there.

Hayagrīva Stotra in Bhadrāśva-varsha

Bhadrāśva-varsha is the eastern region of Jambūdvīpa. There Bhagavān Vishṇu is worshipped as Hayagrīva, the horse-headed form who is the source of all knowledge of the Vedas. Bhadrāśva and the people of this varsha sing the Hayagrīva stotra.

The stotra praises Hayagrīva as the source of all speech, all mantra and all Vedic wisdom. The Vedas came from his mouth at the start of creation, and he gave them back to Brahmā after the end of the earlier kalpa (age of creation). The stotra calls Hayagrīva the highest Purusha, whose mind is the syllable Oṃ and whose body is all sacred knowledge. By his grace alone the jīva (living being) can understand the Vedas.

Narasiṃha Stotra in Kiṃpurusha-varsha

In Kiṃpurusha-varsha Bhagavān Narasiṃha is worshipped. He is the man-lion avatāra who destroyed Hiraṇyakaśipu. Hanumān sings to him together with the nine Nava-yogeśvaras, the nine sons of Ṛshabhadeva who became paramahaṃsas (the highest renouncers). Hanumān prays that the grace of Narasiṃha may reach all who are in distress and call out to him.

The stotra praises Narasiṃha as the one who came out of a pillar that had no life, to protect the child devotee Prahlāda. This shows that Bhagavān Narasiṃha is present everywhere and can appear in any form, in any place and at any moment, when his devotee truly calls. The prayer also tells of Hanumān’s own lasting devotion to Bhagavān Vishṇu, which he keeps without a break in Kiṃpurusha-varsha, where he is always present as the companion of Śrī Rāma.

Pradyumna Stotra in Ketumāla-varsha

Ketumāla-varsha is the western region of Jambūdvīpa. There Bhagavān Vishṇu is worshipped as Pradyumna, also given as Kāmadeva, a part (aṃśa) of Vishṇu. Lakshmī herself sings this stotra, together with the women of Ketumāla.

The prayer honours Bhagavān Vishṇu as the source of all love, all creation and all beauty. He is the Kāma whose desire brings forth all life, and his last form is the pure ānanda (bliss) of Brahman.

Matsya Stotra in Ramyaka-varsha

In Ramyaka-varsha Bhagavān Vishṇu is worshipped as Matsya, the fish avatāra who saved Manu and the Vedas at the time of the great flood. Jāmbavān, the king of the bears, leads the worship.

The stotra praises Bhagavān Matsya as the protector of the world. When dharma was about to be drowned in the waters of the great ocean, he appeared as a fish, the oldest of the beings of the ocean, and through Manu he kept the seed of all creation to come.

Kūrma Stotra in Hiraṇmaya-varsha

In Hiraṇmaya-varsha Bhagavān Vishṇu is worshipped as Kūrma, the tortoise avatāra who held up Mount Mandara on his back when the Kshīrasāgara (the ocean of milk) was churned. Aryamā, one of the twelve Ādityas, leads the worship in this varsha.

The stotra praises Kūrma as the one who carries the weight of the great workings of the world without being moved. The churning brought out both poison and nectar, both the hardships of sādhanā (spiritual practice) and the fruit of moksha (liberation), and Kūrma bore it with full steadiness.

Varāha Stotra in Kuru-varsha

Kuru-varsha is the northernmost varsha. There Bhagavān Vishṇu is worshipped as Varāha, the boar avatāra who lifted Bhūdevī (the Earth) from the depths of the great ocean. The people of Kuru-varsha live in a land of unbroken happiness. They worship Varāha as the one whose upward-pointing tusk lifts the earth from the depths of non-being into existence at the start of each new cycle of creation.

Sources

• Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, fifth skandha, chapter 18