The Appearance of Lord Varāha

Fasting for Appearance of Lord Varāha

We don’t fast on the day of appearance of Lord Varāha. Half day fasting is done on the Ekādaśī day before.

The Appearance of Lord Varāha

Excerpt from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto 3, Chapter 13

Maitreya said: Manu, the father of mankind, along with his wife, addressed Brahmā with obeisances and folded hands, asking for guidance in rendering service.

Brahmā said: My dear son, I am pleased with you and desire all blessings for you and your wife. Beget children qualified like yourself in the womb of your wife, rule the world following devotional principles, and worship the Lord through yajña. By protecting the living beings, you will please the Supreme Lord, Janārdana, the ultimate recipient of all sacrifice.

Śrī Manu said: I shall abide by your order. Please let me know my place and that of the living entities born of me. Attempt to lift the earth, which is submerged in water.

Maitreya said: Seeing the earth merged in water, Brahmā thought deeply about how to lift it. Suddenly, a small boar form emerged from his nostril. The creature, initially no larger than the upper portion of a thumb, grew to the size of a great elephant.

Struck with wonder, Brahmā and the sages began to deliberate: Is this an extraordinary entity in the pretense of a boar? Within moments, it grew gigantic. Is He the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu? While they were deliberating, the Lord roared tumultuously, enlivening the sages.

When the great sages of Janaloka, Tapoloka, and Satyaloka heard the tumultuous voice of Lord Boar, they chanted auspicious prayers from the three Vedas. The Lord, playing like an elephant, entered the water after roaring in reply to their prayers. His glance was luminous, and He scattered the clouds in the sky with His hooves and glittering tusks.

Although transcendental, He searched for the earth by smell. His tusks were fearful, and He glanced over the devotee-brāhmaṇas offering prayers. Diving into the water like a giant mountain, He divided the ocean, and two high waves appeared as the ocean prayed for protection. He found the earth and lifted it on His tusks, appearing very splendid.

Then, His anger glowing like the Sudarśana wheel, He killed the demon Hiraṇyākṣa, who attempted to fight with Him.

Lord Varāha kills the demon Hiraṇyākṣa

Excerpt from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto 3, Chapter 18 and 19

He [Hiraṇyākṣa] saw the all-powerful Personality of Godhead in His boar incarnation, bearing the earth upward on His tusks. The demon laughed: Oh, an amphibious beast! The demon said: O best of the demigods, dressed as a boar, hear me. This earth belongs to us. You cannot take it from my presence without being hurt by me. You have been nourished by our enemies to kill us, and You have killed some demons invisibly. O fool, Your power is only mystic. Today I shall enliven my kinsmen by killing You.

Although the Lord was pained by the abusive words of the demon, He bore the pain. Seeing that the earth on His tusks was frightened, He rose out of the water, just as an elephant emerges with its companion when assailed by an alligator. The demon, with golden hair and fearful tusks, gave chase, roaring: Are You not ashamed of running away before a challenging adversary?

The Lord placed the earth on the surface of the water and transferred to her His energy to float. Brahmā extolled the Lord, and the demigods rained flowers on Him. The demon, adorned with ornaments and golden armor, chased the Lord with a great mace. The Lord tolerated his piercing words but expressed His anger in reply.

The Personality of Godhead said: Indeed, We are creatures of the jungle, searching for hunting dogs like you. Freed from death, We have no fear of your loose talk, for you are bound by the laws of death. We have stolen the charge of Rasātala and lost all shame. Although bitten by your mace, I shall remain here. Having created enmity with a powerful foe, I now have no place to go. You command many soldiers, so act promptly to overthrow Us. Stop your foolish talk and fulfill your promised word by slaying Us. The demon, angered by the Lord’s challenge, trembled like a cobra. He hissed indignantly, all his senses shaken by wrath, and sprang upon the Lord, striking Him with his mace. The Lord dodged the blow aimed at His breast, just as an accomplished yogī would elude death. He then exhibited His anger and rushed to meet the demon, who brandished his mace. The Lord struck the demon on the brow with His mace, but the demon, being skilled in combat, protected himself. The two combatants struck each other with their huge maces, each seeking victory. Injured and enraged, they performed various maneuvers, resembling two forceful bulls fighting over a cow.

The Lord, who had appeared from Brahmā’s nostril, sprang forward and aimed His mace at Hiraṇyākṣa, who fearlessly stalked Him. Struck by the demon’s mace, the Lord’s weapon slipped and fell whirling to the ground. Even though the demon had the opportunity to strike, he respected the law of single combat, kindling the Lord’s fury. Acknowledging the demon’s righteousness, the Lord invoked His Sudarśana discus.

As the Lord stood ready with His discus, Hiraṇyākṣa hissed like a serpent and sprang into the air, aiming his mace at the Lord and exclaiming, “You are slain!” The Lord playfully knocked down the mace with His foot and said, “Take up your weapon and try again.” Humiliated, the demon reluctantly retrieved his mace. Enraged, he hurled a trident at the Lord, but the Sudarśana discus shattered it to pieces.

The demon advanced, striking the Lord’s chest with his fist, but the Lord stood unshaken. Employing many magical tricks, the demon spread fierce winds, darkness, and volleys of stones. The sky rained blood, pus, and bones, and mountains discharged weapons. Yet, the Lord’s Sudarśana effortlessly dispelled all the magical forces.

Diti, the demon’s mother, trembled as her heart shuddered, recalling her husband’s words. Blood flowed from her breasts in despair. Seeing his magic fail, Hiraṇyākṣa charged at the Lord in rage, attempting to crush Him in his arms, but the Lord stood unharmed outside his grasp.

The demon struck the Lord with his fists, but Lord Adhokṣaja slapped him at the root of the ear. His body reeled, his eyes bulged, and his limbs broke as he fell dead, like a gigantic tree uprooted by the wind.

Lessons from the appearance of Lord Varāha

1. If we take responsibility, if you're sincere and you pray to Kṛṣṇa for help, then he'll come. Maybe not from your nose, but from somewhere you weren't expecting. Something will come in that will make you say, "Oh, I hadn't thought of that. I didn't think it was possible." It happens so many times, not just with problems, but also with the goals we are trying to reach. We may think it's impossible to get from here to there, but with Kṛṣṇa's help, we can get there.

2. Consider how Kṛṣṇa expands. That is, he gets larger and larger in our life. Lord Varāha started as a tiny little, almost like an insect, then became like a bird, and then got bigger and bigger in the universe. So, Kṛṣṇa grows in our life. We just have to make space for him. He'll grow and bring all the facilities that we need. "Ananyāś cintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham." Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā (BG 9.22), "If you just put it in my hands, meditate on me, then I'll carry what you lack and preserve what you have." And that's practically all we can do. Ultimately, we do our best to troubleshoot every situation, but we have to fully depend on Kṛṣṇa ultimately because we're not independent.