Varaha (boar) Avatar of Vishnu battling with Hiranyaksha and killing him: Links for Srimad Bhagavatam verses in Skandha (Canto) 3, Adhyaya (chapters) 18 and 19

Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavat Purana) Skandha (Canto) 3, Adhyaya (chapters) 18 and 19 relate the challenge for battle issued by powerful demon Hiranyaksha to Varaha (boar) avatar of Vishnu, followed by demon Hiranyaksha being killed by Lord Varaha. [Elaborate Wikipedia page on Lord Varaha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varaha and on Hiranyaksha, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiranyaksha .]

The links for above chapters and verses are:

1) Bhagavata Purana Motilal Banarasidass (only English), 

https://archive.org/details/BhagavataPuranaMotilalEnglish/page/n324/mode/1up?view=theater (viewer page 325, book page 320) [starting verse]

A few extracts from above link with some comments from me within [Ravi: ...comment(s)...], are given below:

Chapter 18, verse 4. [Ravi: Hiranyaksha taunting Lord Varaha and challenging him to battle:] 

Are you employed by our enemies for destroying us? You kill Asuras by Maya and thus conquer them by fraudulent means. Oh dunce, I shall wipe out the sorrows of my friends by killing you, whose strength lies in yoga-maya, but have little personal bravery.

----

Chapter 18, verses 9 & 10:

[Ravi:Lord Varaha responding derisively to Hiranyaksha:]

9: He (the Varaha), feigning extreme wrathfulness, and with a (derisive) laughter, spoke to him (the demon) who was pursuing him with a big mace, and had put on gold ornaments and a wonderful armour of gold, and was constantly wounding him to the quick with harsh words.

10: Oh Hiranyaksha, it is true that we are wild beasts in the jungle. I am in search of domestic lions (dogs) like you. Oh evil fellow, warriors do not care for the bragging of yours who are bound down by the cords (noose) of death.

----

Chapter 18, verses 18 & 19:

[Ravi: About the intense battle between Lord Varaha (Hari) and demon Hiranyaksha:]

18. In this way, the extremely enraged Hari and Hiranyaksa began to strike each other with their heavy maces for defeating the other.

19. When the combatants competed with each other, exchanging heavy blows with their massive maces, and their rage went ablazing at the smell of the blood flowing from their bodies, and began to move in wonderful ways with an ambition for victory, their fight appeared like that of two powerful bulls fighting for a cow, on the earth.

----

Chapter 19, verses 2 to 5:

[Ravi: About the valour and right-conduct of demon (Asura) Hiranyaksha in this battle with Lord Varaha:]

2. Then that Adi-Varaha who was born from Brahma's nostrils, jumped at the enemy who was fearlessly moving in front of him, and struck the Asura on his chin by his mace.

3. A miracle happened. That (Lord’s) mace struck down by his (Asura's) mace fell down rolling from the Lord's hand and the Asura's valour appeared splendid.

4. Then although he (the Asura) got an opportunity, he did not strike the Lord who was weaponless. He respected the prescribed code of conduct, in the battle enraging Hari.

5. When there was a loud uproar at that snatching away of the mace, the All-pervading Lord appreciated the (Asura's) righteous conduct, and remembered (mentally commissioned) his Sudarsana-disc (cakra).

----

Chapter 19, verses 8 to 12:

[Ravi: About the valour and nobility (right-conduct) of Lord Varaha in this battle with demon (Asura) Hiranyaksha:]

8. He (the Asura) of fearful tusks, stared at him with glaring eyes as if to burn him down, and springing upon him, assaulted him with his mace, shouting, 'You are killed'.

9. Oh pious Vidura! while the enemy was just looking agape, the Lord, as the sacrifice in the Boar form, easily kicked with his left foot the mace which came with the velocity of a stormy wind.

10. And (the Varaha) said, "Take up the weapon. As you wish to conquer, try (again)". When addressed thus, he (the Asura) struck again, and roared lustily.

11. Seeing the mace coming towards him, the Lord stood firm and easily caught hold of the weapon like Garuda catching a female serpent.

12. When his personal valour failed, the great Asura, being humiliated, and splendourless, did not wish to take the mace (though) offered by Hari.

----

Chapter 19, verses 15 to 31:

[Ravi: About the final stage of the battle between Lord Varaha and demon (Asura) Hiranyaksha in which Lord Varaha kills Hiranyaksha; note that Rakshasas and Yakshas mentioned below are supporters of Hiranyaksha:]

15. When his trident was shattered to pieces by Hari’s disc ( Sudarsana-cakra ), the Asura got extremely enraged. Shouting lustily he confronted Hari and dealt a punch with his hard fist on his broad magnificent chest and disappeared.

16. Oh Vidura, Lord Adi-Varaha who was thus struck, did not move even slightly like an elephant struck by a garland.

17. Then he created and used different forms of his black magic against Hari, the Lord of Yoga Maya. Seeing it (Asura’s maya) all creatures got panicky and thought that the end of the world (pralaya) was imminent.

18. Terrible stormy winds began to blow and spread darkness of dust. Volleys of stones as if discharged from slings, fell from all quarters.

19. The sky, being covered with clouds accompanied by lightning-flashes and thundering and pouring frequently pus, hair, blood, excretion, urine and bones, seemed devoid of luminaries.

20. Oh sinless Vidura, the mountains appeared to shower various weapons and naked female Rakshasas with their hair let loose, appeared with spears.

21. Very harsh and murderous cries (such as cut down, break down, etc.) were shouted out by a host of blood-thirsty Yakshas, Rakshasas, foot-soldiers, (riders on) horses, chariots and elephants.

22. Lord (Varaha) of three feet discharged his favourite missile Sudarsana destroying the Asura type of black magic manifested (there).

23. Simultaneously there was a sudden trembling in the heart of Diti who remembered her husband’s words and blood oozed out of her breast.

[Ravi: Diti, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diti , is the mother of Hiranyaksha who had two demons (Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu) as her children due to a sinful act of hers. Her husband, the powerful Rishi Kashyapa, told her that these two demons would be killed by Lord Vishnu.]

24. When his magical forces were totally destroyed, he again approached Keshava (Vishnu), and tried angrily to crush him in the clasp of his arms, but found him outside his clasp.

25. While he was dealing blows with his adamant-like (hard) fists to Vishnu, he hit the Asura at the root of his ear by his hand (i.e. foreleg) as Indra, Lord of Maruts, did to Vrtra.

26. By the casual blow of the conqueror of the universe (Vishnu), the Asura fell like a giant tree unrooted by a stormy wind. His body was rolling about. His eye-balls fell out. His arms, feet and hair lay shattered.

27. Brahma and others (sages) who came there saw the Asura of terrific tusks and lips bitten, lying on the ground, but with undiminished lustre. They exclaimed in praise, 'Oh who could attain to such (type of) death !'

28. This wicked Daitya kicked by Vishnu’s fore-leg, gave up his body while looking at the face of Vishnu on whom the yogins meditate by samadhi-yoga in solitude with a desire to get liberation from this Lingasarira , enveloping the Soul.

29. These two Vishnu’s attendants who have come down to evil births due to a curse, will again be reinstated to their (former) status, after some births in this world.

[Ravi: Hiranyaksha (and Hiranyakasipu) originally are gatekeepers of the abode of Lord Vishnu, named Jaya and Vijaya, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaya-Vijaya , who are cursed to be born as demons/bad persons for some births before they regain their former status/roles of Jaya and Vijaya, gatekeepers of Lord Vishnu's abode, Vaikuntha.]

Gods said [Ravi: Gods refers to Devas (divine beings) who had assembled to watch this great battle] :

30. “Oh Lord, we bow to you again and again. You who are the cause of extension of Yajna assumed the form of pure Sattva attribute for the maintenance (and protection) of the world. It is a matter of joy that this Daitya who was a scourge (lit. afflictor) of the world is killed. We are quite happy in the devotion of your feet.”

Maitreya said [Ravi: Maitreya is a narrator in Srimad Bhagavatam]:

31. In this way, having killed Hiranyaksa of irresistible valour, Hari, the Primitive Boar, being praised by Brahma and other gods, retired to his region (Vaikuntha) of uninterrupted bliss.

----


2) ISKCON (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda) version (only English):

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/3/18/ (Canto 3, 18th chapter with links for next chapter).


3) Sanskrit only (Entire Canto/Book/Skandha 3): https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_purana/bhagpur-03.html


[I thank archive.org and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extract(s) from their website (for which the copyright seems to have expired), on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]

Comments