Varaha Avatara (Boar Incarnation)
Lord Vishnu’s third incarnation was in the form of a boar. Sage Kashyapa and his wife Diti had a son named Hiranyaksha, who became the king of the asuras (Demons). Hiranyaksha’s meditation pleased Lord Brahma and Lord Brahma granted him the boon that he would be invincible in battle. Thus armed, Hiranyaksha went out to fight with the devas (Gods). He comprehensively defeated the gods and conquered heaven. He also defeated Lord Varuna (God of the ocean). Thus, Hiranyaksha became the king of heaven, Earth and the underworld. But he was not particularly fond of the earth and he himself had begun to live in Lord Varuna’s palace under the ocean. So he hurled the earth into the depths of the ocean. Gods went to Lord Vishnu and prayed that something should be done about Hiranyaksha. They wished to be restored to heaven and they wished that Earth should be brought back from the depths of the ocean. In response to these prayers, Lord Vishnu adopted the form of a boar and entered the ocean. Hiranyaksha did not know that this boar was none other than Lord Vishnu. He thought that it was an ordinary boar and attacked it. The two fought for many years. But finally, Hiranyaksha was gored to death by the boar’s tusks. The boar raised the earth up once again with its tusks. Lord Vishnu thus saved the gods and the principles of righteousness or dharma.
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