Vishnu as the Boar (Varaha) Rescues the Earth

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The suppression of evil and promotion of good have always been the purpose of the incarnations in Hindu religion. This is very well-expressed in the Gita, "Oh scion of Bharata! Whenever piety declines and sin prevails, I then take unto myself a form. To succour the pious, to suppress evil – doers and to establish righteousness, I incarnate myself from age to age."

Though there are many lists pertaining to the number of incarnations of Lord Vishnu, ten is their most commonly accepted number. The ten incarnations are – the fish (Matsya), The Tortoise (Kurmma), The Boar (Varaha), the Man-lion (Narsimha), the Dwarf (Vamana), (Parashu) Rama, (Dashrathi) Rama, (Bala) Rama, Buddha and Kalki.

In the incarnation of Varaha that the present sculpture depicts, Lord Vishnu rescued earth which had disappeared under the primordial waters, and established it again above the water level. The subsidence is ascribed to different causes: 1. To weight of the excess of population 2. To the weight of sin of the sinful 3. To the Deluge, 4. To Vishnu's unbearable splendour.

The Varaha (boar) incarnation of Lord Vishnu has been depicted in different mediums of art in various ways. The present sculpture has a face of a boar and body of a human. He is standing on a beautiful lotus- flower. It may be mentioned here that the images of Lord Vishnu in standing (sthanaka) position have comparatively less representation. Here the figure has four hands, the upper right hand holds a wheel (chakra), while the lower one is in the abhaya-mudra (the gesture of protection or blessing of fearlessness). The upper left hand holds a lotus flower, the lower a mace (gada). He is lifting the globular earth by the upper portion of his mouth with the support of left tusk. He is adorned with a crown, necklaces, sacred-thread, a long garland, armlets, bracelets, and a waistband. The upper portion of his body is naked except for some beautiful ornaments. Moreover, he is wearing a long dhoti, embossed with slanted strips from top to bottom.

The figure is slim and adequately executed.

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The Divine Boar Incarnation: Varaha and His Significance in Hindu Mythology

Varaha Dev is the white Boar incarnation of Lord Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Whenever there is a discrepancy in the religious principles followed by the living entities in the material world, the Lord advents and re-establishes religiosity and kills the miscreants. He is the maintainer of the entire universe and comes personally to protect His devotees from great difficulties. The devotees of the Lord always remain engaged in His devotional service and thus experience the highest form of spiritual bliss.

Which demon was killed by Varaha?

The pastime of Lord Varaha killing a demon is elaborately mentioned in the third Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. There were two demoniac brothers named Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha, the sons of Kashyap Muni. They bore uncommon bodily features and thus flaunted their supremacy everywhere. Their bodies grew just like mountains, touching the sky, and they blocked the view in all directions. The demon Hiranyaksha once upon a time exploited enough gold from the earth, causing it to go out of orbit. The planet then fell into the causal ocean. Seeing this, Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe, was thinking about how to lift the earth from the ocean. He prayed to the Supreme Lord, who then took the form of a small white boar and came out from his nostril. He then grew taller and taller and looked like a gigantic elephant. The Lord dived into the ocean and took the earth on His tusk and lifted it. He then looked at the Hiranyaksha demon with His eyes full of rage and killed him in the water.

What does Varaha symbolize?

The word Varaha is a Sanskrit term that translates into “Boar”. The Acharyas in the path of Bhakti explain that the Supreme Lord took the form of a boar to exhibit His extraordinary potency and to show that out of love and care towards His devotees, He can assume any form to carry out the purpose of relieving them from the danger of demons or non-devotees. The special form of Varaha Dev symbolizes the victory of righteousness over evil. The Lord never fails to reciprocate with His devotees who remain always absorbed in His thoughts.