Creation

Behind all creation is the great soul (paramatman). It is a constant entity that is without birth or death, beginning or end. When it wants to create, it manifests itself in various forms, materials and qualities.

Three basic qualities (guna) fill all objects in the universe in different proportions. These three basic qualities are manifestations of the paramataman and are known as sattva, rajas and tamas. Sattva is the quality of goodness or purity, rajas that of passion or sensual enjoyment, and tamas that of ignorance or gloom. Alternatively, rajas can also be regarded as a mixed quality, in between all that is good (sattva) and all that is evil (tamas).

The five elements of creation are known as bhutas. They are kshiti (the earth), apa (the water), tejas (energty), marut (the wind) and vyoma (the sky). They evolved in the following order.

In the beginning, there was nothing. There was only a void. From that void emerged sound and from the sound was created the sky. From the sky emerged the wind, from the wind emerged energy, from the energy was created the water, and the water gave birth to the earth. It is with these elements that Vishnu creates the bodies of living beings. And he delivers the earth so that she can bear these living beings.

When there was nothing in the universe, the only element which was present was water and water was everywhere. (This seems to contradict the earlier statement that the water was created from energy.) The paramatman or the brahman (the divine essence) slept on this water was created from energy.) The paramatman or the brahman (the divine essence) slept on this water and this divine essence was nothing but Vishnu. The word nara means water and the word ayana means resting place. Since Vishnu slept on the water, he is known as Narayana.

Brahma�s day is much longer than human days. The duration of one of Brahma�s days is known as a kalpa (cycle). During the kalpa, Vishnu performs the act of creation. At the end of the kalpa, Brahma�s night comes and the universe is destroyed.

Cycles of destruction and re-creation thus follow each other in succession. The present cycle is known as the Varaha kalpa. This is because, in the present kalpa, Vishnu adopted the form of a boar to raise the earth up from the depths of the ocean.

(It is necessary to point out that two separate acts of creation are being talked about in the same breath and this leads to some confusion. The first is the original creation of the universe (sarga). This is when there was a void everywhere. At the end of Brahma�s day, everything except for Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva is destroyed. Then, when a new day dawns for Brahma, creation begins afresh. This minor act of creation is associated with Brahma and is known as pratisarga. The original act of creation is associated with the paramatman or the brahman. In the Varaha Purana, Vishnu is completely identified with the brahman. Many other Puranas suggest that the brahman was divided into the three aspects of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.)
When there was a void, the universe was encompassed by the darkness of night and there was no sign of life. Vishnu slept in those primeval waters. When he awoke, he created the universe in nine sargas (stages).

As he thought of creation, a dark insentient creation appeared and from this emerged five entities known as tama (darkness), moha (illusion), mahamoha (great illusion), tamisra (darkness) and andhatamisra (blind darkness). These were entities of ignorance, delusion and gloom. This sarga is also known as the prakrita (natural) sarga.

Brahma�s Creation

When Narayana slept on the water, a lotus sprouted from his navel. Varaha told the earth that Brahma emerged from this lotus. Since padma means lotus and yoni means origin, Brahma is also known as Padmayoni. Narayana instructed Brahma to begin the act of creation.

Through his mental powers, Brahma created five sons known as Sanaka. Sanatana, Sanandana, Kratu and Sanatkumara. But they showed no interest in the work of creation. They devoted themselves wholeheartedly to prayers and meditation.

Brahma was extremely disappointed. He was however consoled by Narayana and began difficult meditation so that he might carry on with the task of creation. When Brahma attained nothing as a result of all this meditation, he was overcome by sorrow and anger. From this anger was born a wailing infant named Rudra. (The word rud means to cry. Rudra is identified with Shiva.) Brahma instructed Rudra to create. But Rudra also went off to perform meditation.

Further thoughts of creation on Vishnu�s part led to the emergence of insentient and dark creations known as the nagas. The word gam means going and na means negation. Naga therefore connotes objects that cannot move or go, such as trees and hills. The idea is that in this stage, Vishnu created trees, creepers, bushes, hills and mountains. These have development but no mobility; they can grow but cannot move. This sarga was known as mukhya (main) sarga.

Vishnu saw that these creations were not entirely successful. He began to think of some other creation and that creation flowed out in a curved path, rising and then falling. The world tiryaka means and then falling. The word tiryaka means curved and these creations are therefore known as tiryaka yoni (birth). These creations were primarily the birds. (What is meant by these creations following a curved path is not very clear.)

In several other sargas, Vishnu created gods, humans and spirits. The gods were happy, affectionate, and open but introverted creatures. The men were extroverts, often unhappy, sometimes evil. They were more full of passion than of goodness, though containing bits of both. The spirits were restless, quarrelsome and predatory.(We have not catalogued all the nine sargas, as some of the descriptions are rather esoteric and difficult to understand. It is also necessary to point out that the above accounts contradict accounts of living beings emerging as a result of Brahma�s act of creation. The only explanation possible is that Vishnu�s creation refers to sarga, while Brahma�s refers to pratisarga.)

Narada

The sage Narada once went to visit Priyavrata and Priyavrata welcomed him with all due respect. He had several questions to ask the sage.

After he had obtained the answers to these questions, Priyavrata said, �Please tell me about some strange and wonderful event.�

�Something rather wonderful has occurred recently�, replied Narada. �In the region known as Shvetadvipa, there is a lovely lake. When I went to visit the lake, I discovered that the lake was abloom with lotus flowers and a beautiful woman stood silently beside those flowers.�

�Who are you?� Narada asked the woman.

The woman did not reply, she merely gave Narada a mysterious look. Three luminous entities now manifested themselves from the woman�s body. And as Narada stood and marvelled, they vanished.

�Who are you?� Narada asked again.

From his mental powers, Brahma now created the sages Marichi, Bhrigu, Angira, Pulastya, Pulaha, Atri, Vashisththa, Dharma, Samkalpa and Narada. (Dharma is identified with Yama, the god of death.) From his right toe was born Daksha. This son was so named as the word dakshina means right. Daksha became a prajapati, that is, he was appointed lord (Pati) over all the beings (praja) who would be created. Daksha�s wife was born from Brahma�s left toe.

Svayambhuva Manu was born after this and the rest of the creation flowed from him. Svayambhuva Manu had two sons named Priyavrata and Uttanapada. Priyavrata was learned and wise. He handed over his kingdom to his sons and went away to the forest to meditate.

Ashvashira

The earth now asked the boar whether Narayana was the same as the brahman and the boar replied that the two were indeed identical. But it is very difficult to see Narayana directly. He has to be seen through the medium of his incarnations. Brahma is nothing but a form of Narayana, and so is Shiva. Narayana can be seen in the earth, the water and the elements. The whole creation is nothing but a manifestation of Narayana.

There was once a righteous king named Ashvashira who asked the sage Kapila how Narayana might be worshipped.

�There are two Narayanas present here�, replied Kapila. �Worship whichever one you will�.

(Kapila meant that he himself was a manifestation of Narayana.)

�How can you be Narayana?� asked the king. �Narayana has four hands and rides on Garuda, the king of the birds. You have only two hands and I do not see any Garuda.�

�Look again,� said Kapila.

Raivya and Vasu

Vasu was a king who was descended from Brahma. Vasu once went to pay a visit to Brihaspati, the preceptor of the gods. But on his way to Brihaspati�s house, he encountered a vidyadhara named Chitraratha. (The vidyadharas were divine creatures who were adept at singing and dancing.) Chitraratha told Vasu that Brahma had arranged a huge gathering of the gods and the sages and Brihaspati had also gone to attend this meeting. Vasu therefore went to Brahma�s assembly-hall and waited outside for the meeting to end.

Raivya was a sage and Raivya also arrived there to meet Brihaspati. When the meeting was over, Brihaspati came out and found the two waiting with folded palms.

�What can I do for you?� asked Brihaspati.

�We wish to know whether knowledge is superior to action,� requested Vasu and Raivya. �Or is it the other way round?�

�I will tell you a story,� replied Brihaspati.

There was a disciplined and righteous brahmana named Samyamana. He once went to bathe in the holy river Ganga. There was also a hunter named Nishthuraka. Samyamana discovered Nishthuraka catching birds on the banks of the Ganga.

Ashvashira marvelled to see that the four-armed Narayana stood before him astride Garuda.

�But,� said the king, �Narayana is seated on a lotus and Brahma and Shiva are parts of him. Where are these?�

�Behold,� said Kapila and Ashvashira saw before him Narayana seated on a lotus. Brahma and Shiva were also seated on the lotus with him. Ashvashira now wanted to know why Narayana could not be seen all the time.

�King,� said Kapila, �You cannot hope to see Narayana all the time. He is expressed and manifest, but he is also unexpressed and unmanifest. He is to be seen in all the birds and the beasts. You can see him in yourself, you can see him in anything. You can feel him in everything. To know Narayana in everything is to attain true knowledge.

The king now asked Kapila, �Which is superior? Knowledge or action?

Kapila told Ashvashira the story of Raivya and Vasu.

Vasu

As for King Vasu, he handed over his kingdom to his son Vivasvana. He went to the tirtha named Pushkara and performed a sacrifice dedicated to Lord Pundarikaksha (another named for Vishnu) there. As soon as Vasu performed the sacrifice, a figure emerged from the sacrificial fire and stood before Vasu.

�What are your orders�? asked the figure.

�Who are you and where did you come from?� was Vasu�s response.

The figure told him the following story.

In an earlier life, Vasu was the king of Kashmir. He once went out on a hunt. A sage was wondering around in the forest in the form of a deer. Vasu did not realise that the deer was in reality a sage and he shot and killed the deer by mistake. When he realised his folly, he gave alms and observed religious rites as penance. The king eventually died of an agonising pain in the stomach. At the time of dying, he called out the name �Narayana�.

�Please do not perform this cruel act�, said Samyamana. �Please do not kill the birds.�

�Who am I to kill the birds?� asked Nishthuraka. �In all these creatures there is the divine soul and how can I be its killer? No man can ever boast of being the doer of any particular task. If he does, he falls victim to egotism and can never hope for liberation. The brahman alone is the doer.�

Nishthuraka now built a fire. He asked Samyamana to choose any one of the tongues of fire and put it out by splashing water on it. As soon as Samyamana tried to do this, the entire fire went out.

�The fire and its several tongues are one and the same,� said Nishthuraka. �How does one distinguish between the two? When you put out one of the tongues of fire, the entire fire went out. The creation all around us is identified with the brahman. The brahman does not suffer or get hurt, no matter what man might do to the individual soul (jivatman). Man must therefore go about his duties free from all self-consciousness or sense of ego. He must do his work, without obtaining any pride from the notion that he is the doer.�

Nishthuraka now bid farewell to Samyamana. A vimana (space vehicle) descended and took Nishthuraka straight up to heaven. As for Raivya and Vasu, their question had been answered and they returned to their respective homes.When he heard the story of Raivya and Vasu, Ashvashira found that his own doubts had been resolved. He handed over the kingdom to his son sthulashira and retired to a forest named Naimisha to meditate. He devoted himself to the worship of Narayana and eventually merged into Narayana.

Raivya also devoted himself to the performing of yajnas.

Raivya

As for the sage Raivya, he went to the tirtha named Gaya and offered oblations to his dead ancestors. He then devoted himself to tapasya (meditation).

One day, a sage arrived at Raivya�s hermitage. After congratulating Raivya, the sage proceeded to blow himself up. He inflated himself so much that he soon assumed gigantic proportions.

�Who are you?� asked Raivya in wonder.

�I am Brahma�s son Sanatkumara,� was the reply.

�But why did you congratulate me?� asked Raivya.

�Because you offered oblations to your dead ancestors in Gaya,� replied Sanatkumara.

Samatkumara then told Raivya why offering oblations to one�s dead ancestors in Gaya was so important. He told Raivya the story of King Vishala.

The figure that emerged out of the sacrificial fire confessed that it was actually a ghost (brahma rakshasa). Since Vasu had committed the sin of killing a brahamana (the sage), the ghost had entered Vasu�s body. It was the ghost which had given him the pain in the stomach as a punishment.

Since Vasu had uttered the name of Narayana at the time of dying, Narayana�s attendants had come to take him away to heaven. These attendants gave the ghost such a thrashing that he was forced to leave Vasu�s body. Vasu spent many years happily in heaven.

After years passed, Vasu was again born as the king of Kashmir. The brahma rakshasa once again entered Vasu�s body. But when Vasu performed a sacrifice and uttered the name of Pundarikaksha, the ghost had to leave Vasu�s body again. But this time, the sins of the ghost were washed away on hearing the sacred hymns that Vasu chanted. The brahma rakshasa became a righteous person.

Vasu rewarded the brahma rakshasa with a boon. The ghost, after all, deserved a boon since it had reminded Vasu of his earlier lives. The boon was that the brahma rakshasa would be born as a hunter so righteous that he would be known as dharma vyadha, or the righteous hunter.After granting the boon, Vasu left for the heavenly abode of Narayana.

Vishala was a happy and prosperous king who ruled over the kingdom of Vishala. The sole reason for his unhappiness was that he had no sons. His advisers told him to got to Gaya and offer oblations to his dead ancestors. This would guarantee him a son. As soon as Vishala went to Gaya and offered the oblations, three figures appeared before him in the sky. One of the figures was white and the remaining two were red and black respectively.

It transpired that the white figure was Raivya�s father. He was white because he had never committed any sin. The red and the black figures were Raivya�s grandfather and great-grandfather. They had these complexions because they had been evil and were now suffering the consequences of their evil deeds.

Once Raivya offered oblations (pinda) to his ancestors, they were freed from the bondage that had kept them attached to the earth. They were liberated

Sanatkumara�s story illustrated the potency of Gaya. The ancestors of one who offers oblations there are immediately liberated. The one who offers the oblations also obtains a lot of punya (store of merit). It was because Raivya had done this that he was worthy of congratulation.

After Sanatkumara left, Raivya continued to pray to the Gadadhara form of Narayana. (Gadadhara is one of Narayana�s names and refers to the fact that Narayana holds a gada (mace) in one of his hands.) Narayana appeared before Raivya and offered to grant him a boon. Raivya wished for the boon that he might attain the abode of Sanatkumara in heaven, The boon was granted.

Vaishnavi Devi

The universe is divided into fourteen regions or lokas. Seven of these form the upper regions and the remaining seven form the underworld (patala).

The seven regions of the upper world are bhuloka (the earth), bhuvarloka, svarloka (heaven), maharloka, janaloka, satyaloka and tapoloka. When there is a destruction at the end of a kalpa, bhuloka, bhuvarloka and svarloka are destroyed. The remaining four regions however continue to exist. They are only destroyed at the time of the final destruction. Men populate bhuloka, birds bhuvarloka, the righteous and the meritorious svarloka, and the great sages maharloka.

On the earth there is a mountain named Mount Mandara. The goddess Vaishnavi devi decided that she should not marry. (Then Varaha, Purana identifies Vaishnavi devi with the goddness Sarasvati.) She therefore went to Mount Mandara and began to meditate there.

One day, Vaishnavi devi�s concentration was slightly disturbed and millions of beautiful women were created from this disturbance. Vaishnavi devi constructed a palace for these minor goddesses and began to rule over them just as the moon rules over the stars.

Narada was on his way to pay a visit to Brahma, Indra and the other gods. He stopped by the palace and was struck by the beauty of Vaishnavi devi and the other goddesses. There was a terrible demon named Mahishasura and Narada immediately saw a way of bringing about the demon�s downfall.

Mahishasura lived in a grand city that he had built on the shores of the ocean. Narada went there and told Mahishasura the news of Vaishnavi devi�s great beauty. Mahishasura decided that such a beautiful woman was fit to be the wife of him alone. He sought the opinion of his advisers and it was decided that a messenger should be sent to Vaishnavi devi with the message that the king of the demons wished to marry her. The advisers did advise against the use of force right away. But this part of the advice Mahishasura did not accept. Together with the messenger, he sent a gigantic army under the generalship of the demon Virupaksha.

The gods sent an army to fight with the army of the demons and protect Vaishnavi devi. But the gods were easily defeated and the demons were triumphant.

The messenger, whose name was Vidyuprabha, went to Vaishnavi devi and told her that Mahishasura wished to marry her. Could there possibly be a better and more worthy husband for her? Vidyutprabha also told Vaishnavi devi about the origin of Mahishasura.

The terrible demon Viprachitti had a daughter named Mahishmati who was exceedingly pretty. Mahishmati once went on a trip to a lovely valley wit her friends. There was a pleasant hermitage (ashrama) there and Mahishmati thought it might be a good idea if she could acquire the hermitage. She therefore adopted the form of a she-buffalo (mahishi) so that she might scare the sage who owned the hermitage away. The sage was initially a bit frightened at the sight of the she-buffalo. But through his mental powers he realised that this was only Mahishmati in disguise. He therefore cursed her that she would remain in the form of a she-buffalo for a hundred years.

Mahishmati pleaded with the sage for mercy and consented to make the conditions of the curse slightly less stringent. The new conditions were that Mahishmati would remain in the form of a she-buffalo until she gave birth to a son. The birth of her son would herald her release from the curse.

Mahishasura himself came to fight with Vaishnavai devi then and the fight went on for ten thousand divine years. Eventually Mahishasura was forced to flee, but the goddess pursued him astride her lion. She finally caught up with the demon on the hundred-peaked mountain known as Shatashringa. She pressed Mahishasura down with her feet and cut off his head with her spear. (When the story is recounted in other Puranas, a more natural sequence is given. In those accounts, the goddess struck Mahishasura with a spear in his chest and sliced off his head with a sword.)

Because Mahishasura was killed at the hands of Vaishnavi devi, he went straight to heaven. The gods were relieved to be freed from the depredations of such a terrible demon and sung a hymn in praise of the goddess. The chanting of this stotra cleanses our sins and brings us success. The name of the hymn is devi stotra.

(In the Puranas, the best accounts of the Mahishasura story are to be found in the Markandeya Purana, the Kalika Purana and the Devi Bhagavata Purana. The goddess who killed Mahishasura is there referred to as Durga and not as Vaishnavi devi.)

The she-buffalo began to live on the banks of the river Narmada. After some years had passed, the waters of the river were charged by the powers of the sage Sindhudvipa. The she-buffalo happened to bathe in this water. She now gave birth to a son. The son she bore was Mahishasura, the terror of gods and men alike. It was this Mahishasura who was now asking for Vaishnavai devi�s hand.

But Vaishnavi devi scorned the offer. She made it known through her attendant Vijaya that there was absolutely no question of Mahishasura marrying her or any of her companions.
Mahishasura then made plans to capture the goddess. Vaishnavi devi and her companions came out to fight the army of the demons. With diverse weapons, they started to fight with the demons. Vaishnavi devi adopted a ten-armed form so that she could fight better and the demon army was soon put to flight.

Rudrani and Ruru
The goddess Rudrani was meditating in the Nilgiri hills. (Rudrani is again identified with Durga.)

There was a powerful demon named Ruru. He lived in a jewelled palace circled by the sea on all sides. Ruru performed very difficult tapasya and managed to please Brahma. Brahma then granted Ruru the boon that even after he died, his head would not fall down on the ground. Armed with the powers obtained from Brahma, Ruru set about oppressing the universe and conquering the three worlds of bhuloka, bhuvarloka and svarloka. He drover Indra out from his capital of Amaravati.

Ousted from heaven and scared out of their wits, Indra and the other gods went to the Nilgiri hills and began to pray to Rudrani.

Kapalika Vrata

A vrata is a religious rite. There are three vratas in particular whose observance pleases Rudra no end. These three are known as kaplika vrata, babhravaya vrata and shuddhashaiva vrata.

Brahma originally had five heads. After Brahma created Rudra, he took Rudra up on his shoulders. With his fifth ehad, Brahma started to chant a hymn to Rudra. The hymn contained the word kapali, which means the one with a skull (kapala). Rudra�s appearance was rather strange and he thought that Brahma had used the word kapali to make an insulting reference to his ugly looks. This angered Rudra. With the thumb of his left hand, he loosened Brahma�s fifth head from the creator�s shoulders.

But the loosened head stuck to Rudra�s thumb and would not come off. After several futile attempts to get rid of the head, Rudra resorted to Brahma himself for advice as to how the head might come unstuck. Brahma advised Rudra to observe the kapalika vrata. (According to some Puranas, the act of severing Brahma�s fifth head amounted to the killing of a brahmana. The head got attached to Rudra�s hand because of this sin.)

The goddess assured the gods that she would take care or Ruru. She roared with laughter and from this laughter were born terrible goddesses who became Rudrani�s companions. Thisarmy armed itself with all sorts of weapons and attacked Ruru and his cohorts. The demon soldiers were no match for Ruidrani and her companions and were soon put to flight. Rudrani herself killed Ruru and held his head up in the air, transfixed to her spear. (Brahma�s boon was thus not contradicated.) In this form Rudrani came to be known as Chamunda.

The gods sung Rudrani�s praises. The particular hymn that was used is known as triprakara stuti and its chanting pleases goddesses like Sarasvati, Vaishnavi devi and Rudrani. Its recitation helps overcome obstacles and purifies sins.

The Varaha Purana also informs us that Rudra or Shiva presides over nine crore Rudranis and nine crore Vaishnavi devis.

Rudra went to Mount Mandara. He cut the head into three parts, separated out the hair and wove it into strands so that he might wear it like a sacred thread around his body. He visited holy places, bathed in sacred waters and continued to meditate. Finally, he gave up the sacred thread and shed off all his clothes so that he was completely naked (nagna).

In this state, Rudra arrived at the city of Kashi (Varanasi). As soon as he bathed in the waters of the Ganga in Kashi, Brahma�s served head came unstuck from Rudra�s thumb. Such is the wonderful sanctity of the holy city of Varanasi. Brahma now appeared and announced that the rite that Rudra had observed would thenceforth be known as nagna kapalika vrata. This vrata helps achieve objectives and even cleanses the sin of killing a brahmana.

Satyatapa

The boar now told prithivi the story of the sage Satyatapa.

Satyatapa meditated in the mountains that were to the north of the Himalayas. One day, the sage lost one of his fingers while he was chopping wood. Wonder of wonders, instead of blood issuing from the wound, only ashes came out. Also, the sage simply replaced the severed finger and it got attached to his hand again.

A kinnara couple lived in a tree near Satyatapa�s hermitage. (The kinnaras were a semi-divine species.) The couple marvelled at the sage�s power and went and reported the incident to Indra. Indra and Vishnu decided that they would test the extent of Satyatapa�s powers.

Vishnu transformed himself into a huge boar that had been pierced by an arrow, and began to wander around the hermitage. Indra transformed himself into a hunter and came to the hermitage.

�Have you seen an injured boar around this place?� asked Indra. �I shot it with an arrow, but it ran away. I have to kill the boar, otherwise my family will starve to death.

Satyatapa faced a dilemma. There was the question of saving the boar�s life and he could not very well reveal its presence. On the other hand, there was the problem of feeding the hunter�s family.

Satyatapa decided that every living being should do what is appropriate for it and nothing else. This was also true of every part of a living being. For example, it was the task of eyes to see, but it was not their task to speak, but the mouth could not see. What this meant was that Satyatapa had seen the boar with his eyes, but the eyes could not report the presence of the boar. And while he could tell the hunter about the boar with mouth, his mouth had not actually seen the boar. Satyatapa therefore decided that he should remain silent and not respond to Indra's question.

Learning of this resolution, Indra and Vishnu revealed themselves to the sage and blessed him. Satyatapa and his guru (teacher) Aruni attained salvation and merged with the brahman.

Shveta and Vinitashva

The boar next told prithivi about various rituals that are appropriate for worshipping Vishnu. The twelfth day (dvadashi) of the lunar fortnight in the month of Kartika is particularly auspicious for this purpose. So are the days of lunar eclipses.

�But do not forget to gift some rice on the occasion,� warned the boar. �Otherwise, your predicament will be no different from that of Shveta and Vinitashva.�

Shveta was the king of Ilavritavarsha. He performed numerous sacrifices and gifted a lot of jewels, gold, horses and elephants. His priest Vashishtha did advise him to donate some rice as well, but Shveta did not take this advice seriously.

When Shveta died, he went to heaven as a result of all the good deeds he had performed on earth. He roamed the bright celestial worlds and associated with apsaras (dancers of heaven). He got a lot of good food to eat, but he never got any rice. Shveta�s craving for rice became unbearable. He returned to the earth and to the place where his funeral ceremony had been performed. The ashes were still on the funeral pyre and Shveta began to lick these remains so as to assuage his craving.

One day, Vashishtha happened to come there and witnessed the pathetic sight. He explained to Shveta how this was a consequence of his never having donated any rice. How could he hope to obtain after death what he had never given to others? Vashishtha also told Shveta the story of Vinitashva

From Brahma the knowledge progressively passed to Pulastyaa, Parashurama, Ugra and Manu. Vedavyasa, the composer of the Puranas, will expound it in the future and the knowledge will spread through Lomaharshana and Shounaka. (Remember that the Varaha was telling the stories much before Vedavyasa.) He who reads and worships this text on avadashi in the month of Kartika, attains all his desires on heaven and on earth.

(You will have noticed that this alludes to the existence of a text of the Varaha Purana prior to Vedavyasa�s composition.)

The story of the Earth�s Rescue
The sage Sanatkumara once asked the earth to recount the story of her rescue at the hands of the boar incarnation.

When the earth sank to the underworld, she appealed to Vishnu to save her. The hymn that she used is known as keshava stuti. It delivers one from sin, poverty and childlessness, and leads to the attainment of Vishnuloka (the abode of Vishnu).

One hearing the earth�s appeal, Vishnu reassured her and manifested himself in the form of a gigantic boar. The boar was six thousand yojanas (an unit of measurement) tall and three thousand yojanas wide. The boar entered the ocean to rescue the earth. Such was the shock of the boar�s entry that there were tremors on earth and several mountains were dislodged and also fell into the sea.

The boar discovered the earth in the underworld and raised her up on his tusks. That was indeed a grand and awe-inspiring sight. For a thousand years the boar held up the earth on his tusks. When creation started again, the earth was placed in her appointed place.

King Vinitashva had been advised by his priest to donate seasame seeds, water cane juice and jaggery moulded into the shape of a decorative cow. Alternatively, these objects could be placed in a pot and donated, the pot being conceived to be a cow. These gifts should also be accompanied by offerings of other good items, gold, jewellery, footwear and umbrellas. Vinitashva had however ignored all this advice and had to suffer pangs of hunger in heaven, just as Shveta did.

The boar explained to prithivi the great merit that comes from donating a cow. A healthy cow, especially one about to give birth, should be washed, decorated, adorned with jewels and then donated to a worthy recipient. Such a worthy recipient would be a poor but righteous brahmana.

Through the observance of these rituals, Shveta�s sins were forgiven and he attained deliverance.


The boar also said that all that has so far been related constituted the Varaha samhita parts of the Varaha Purana. It was first expounded by the brahman and then spread gradually through Brahma.

Pleasing Vishnu

The boar told the earth that he was not particularly fond of rituals or ceremonies. He was easily pleased by simple obeisance, provided that it was performed with genuine devotion.

To attain Vishnu�s favours, one should wear white and worship him with white flowers in a temple on dvadashi. All the four classes were entitled to Vishnu�s favours. A righteous and honest brahmana attains his favours as a matter of course. So can a kshatriya who is humble, a good host, a patron of good deeds and a donor of gifts. The qualities required of a vaishya are that he should be helpful and considerate to others, devoted to his guru free from covetousness and lust, clean of habits and clean of heart. Shurdras can attain Vishnu�s favours if they pray with pure hearts, shun anger, lust, passion and evil, cultivate feelings of mercy and charity, have faith in fasts and are devoted to brahmanas.

Vishnu favours one who worships him with calmness and concentration, is a vegetarian, observes celibacy and other rituals on prescribed days, and, of course, keeps his mind free from jealousy, envy, pride and egotism.

Vishnu disfavours and punishes those who have traits contrary to those prescribed. Examples of such sinners are those who are egotistical and proud, those who are rude to their guests, those who eat indiscriminately, and those who do not help others out even when they have the means. Whatever their class, Vishnu curses them and they are plagued by poverty and other sorrows.

Vishnu blesses the content man and the devoted wife. There are some sins which are abhorred by Vishnu and the major ones are as follows.

The eating of unclean things.
Worshipping Vishnu without bathing or after touching dead bodies and carcasses or after returning straight from the cremation ground.
Worshipping Vishnu dressed in blue, red or black clothing, dirty and unwashed clothing or clothing belonging to others.
Worshipping Vishnu when in a state of anger.
Worshipping Vishnu after eating fish or duck�s meat.
Partaking of food without offering some to Vishnu.
Worshiping Vishnu after eating asafoetida or drinking wine.
Eating or selling pork.
Going near a pond while wearing footwear.
Opening the door of a temple to Vishnu without playing auspicious musical instruments.

A brahmana, a sister�s son, a father-in-law, a hermit and a disciple, are all permitted to perform funeral ceremonies. But such ceremonies should not be performed by dealers of wine and other socially condemned people. They do not have the right.

Invitations to the ceremony should be issued well in advance of the ceremony being held. But those who turn up uninvited should also he shown respect and fed.

The direct fallout of a funeral ceremony is that the observer gets to remember his earlier births. This is illustrated in the case of Gouramukha. This person had forgotten that he had been the sage Bhrigu in his earlier life. He was advised by the sage Markandeya to perform a shradddha ceremony over a period of twelve years. Throughout this period, Gouramukha chanted a hymn dedicated to the ten avataras (incarnations) of Vishnu. After doing this, Gouramukha remembered his earlier life and merged into the brahman

Respects to the Dead

How should respects to one�s dead ancestors be paid? The sage Markandeya once discussed this at great length with Varaha.

The number of generations who classify as ancestors is seven. To these, one must pay one�s respects. Four of these ancestral generations are regarded as manifest, the remaining three being regarded as abstract.

Material wealth is no constraint on a funeral ceremony. Even if a pauper salutes his forefathers with folded palms, the forefathers receive the benefits of a full-fledged funeral ceremony. There are no restrictions on when a funeral (shraddha) ceremony can be performed. It can be performed at the time of the equinoxes, at the time of lunar eclipses, when unfavourable stars (nakshatras) are in the sky and even after having bad dreams. But shraddha ceremonies performed on auspicious occasions do bring a lot of additional punya. For example, if a ceremony is performed on the eighth day of the lunar fortnight (ashtami), the ancestors are satisfied for a thousand years.

Durjaya

Durjaya�s incident took place in satya yuga. Durjaya was the son of King Supratika and his wife Vidyutprabha. Durjaaya obtained both a boon and a curse from the sage Durvasa. The boon was that he would be invincible. And the curse was that he would be hard-hearted. Svayambhuva Manu had two sons named Hetri and Suhetri. These two raised an army and tried to destroy all the gods. Vishnu, however, assumed innumerable forms and met this army on Mount Sumeru. He completely devastated Hetri and Suhetri�s army. Hetri and Suhetri were the only who were left alive. They fled to Mount Mandara. Hetri had a daughter named Sukeshi and Suhetri had a daughter named Mishrakeshi. These daughters were exceedingly pretty.

When Durjaya paid a visit to Mount Mandara, he encountered these two sisters and fell in love with them. He married them and had two sons.

By Durvasa�s boon, Durjaya had become invincible. He conquered the three worlds and drove Indra out from heaven.

Once, Durjaya went on a hunt and arrived at the hermitage of the sage gouramukha. With King Durjaya were five battalions (akshouhini) of soldiers and this huge army had to be fed by the sage. This would normally have been an impossible task.

Gouramukha had however obtained from Narayana a wonderful jewel named chinatmani. This jewel had the property that it immediately provided whatever it was that one wished for. Thanks to the possession of this jewel, Gouramukha could make provisions for the entertainment of Durjaya and his army. Their board and lodging constituted no problem at all.

Durjaya coveted the jewel which had such wonderful powers. He sent his minister Virochana to ask the sage for the jewel, but Gouramukha refused to part with such a prized possession. Durjaya thereupon sent an army to seize the jewel. But when Gouramukha called upon chintamani to protect him, millions of soldiers emerged from the jewel and easily defeated Durjaya�s army.

Virochana was killed. Hetri and Suhetri sent their armies to help Durjaya. But Gouramukha called upon Vishnu. Vishnu destroyed Durjaya, soldiers and all, with his suydarshana chakra.

A nimesha is a very small unit of time, the length of time it takes for one�s eyelids to blink. Since Vishnu destroyed the gigantic army in merely one nimesha, the forest where these events transpired came to be known as naimisharanya. It is a sacred forest and Vishnu is always present there.

Durjaya�s death grieved his father Supratika, but Supratika did not waver from his faith in Vishnu. Vishnu was so pleased at this that he revealed his celestial form to Supratika.

As for Gouramukha, he retired to a part of naimisharanya known as Prabhasa and began to meditate there. It was there that he met the sage Markandeya. (You will remember that Markandeya advised Gouramukha on the performance of funeral ceremonies).

Tithis

A tithi is a lunar day.

What of the soldiers who had come out of chintamani at Gouramukha�s request? By Vishnu�s grace, these soldiers became kings. Prajapala was the descendant of one such king. He once went to a hermitage and met a powerful sage named Mahatapa. Mahatapa told Prajapala about tithis. Certain tithis are especially fruitful. Worshipping or the chanting of hymns on those days yield greater results.

Pratipada

The first lunar day is known as pratipada and this day is associated with the fire-god Agni. At the time of creation, it was on this day that Brahma created Agni out of his own anger. Pratipada is therefore set aside for the worship of Agni.

Dvitiya

The second day of the lunar fortnight is duitiya. This day is associated with the worship of the twin gods the Ashvinis, who are the physicians of the gods. (They are also referred to as the Ashvinkumaras.)

Samjna, the daughter of Vishvakarma, was married to the sun-god Martanda. But Samjna could not bear to stand her husband�s radiance. She therefore created a shadow-form named Chhaya out of her own body. Chhaya looked exactly like Samjna, so that it was impossible to tell the two apart. Samjna requested Chhaya to assume her place in her husband�s household. She herself went to her father�s house. But Vishvakarama kept advising Samjna went to the kingdom known as Uttarakuru and began to live there in the form of a mare (ashvini). After some time had pased, the sun-god discovered the substitution. He sought out Samjna in Uttarakuru, adopted the form of a horse, and began to live with her. As horse and mare, Martanda and Samjna had two sons named Nasatya and Dasra. Since they had been born when their parents had been in the forms of horses, they were also known as the Ashvinis.

�What is this yajna that is being held?� exclaimed Rudra. �Brahma had asked me to perform the act of creation and I had gone away to acquire powers so that I might create. Who then are all these people who have come to attend the yajna? Where did they spring from? Who created them? I will destroy them all. Why did creation take place in my absence?�

Rudra roared in anger and sparks issued from his ears. From these sparks were born fierce spirits, demons and ghosts. These entities created havoc at the ceremony. They plucked out the eyes and knocked out the teeth of Bhaga and Pusha, who were the officiating priests at the ceremony. Brahma asked the gods to pacify Rudra. They prayed to him and promised him a share in the sacrificial offerings. Rudra was appeased and the yajna could proceed again.

As a token of appeasement, Daksha�s daughter Dakshayani (or Gouri) was married to Rudra

Tritiya

Tritiya is the third day of the lunar fortnight. It is associated with Rudra and is auspicious for a vrata that is observed by married couples for the sake of obtaining marital bliss.

Brahma created Rudra and asked him to perform the act of creation. Rudra however expressed his inability to do so. And Brahma advised Rudra to go and obtain greater powers through meditating under the water. Rudra meditated for ten thousand years under the water. After this period of meditation was over, he emerged from the water with a luminous body. He had now become powerful and could create as he willed.

Dakshayani was Daksha�s daughter. Daksha had organised a wonderful yajna and many gods and sages had come to attend the ceremony. When Rudra emerged from the water, he found that the yajna was going on.

Daksha�s daughter, Sati (or Gouri), was married to Shiva or Rudra. Shiva however treated his father-in-law with scant respect, or so Daksha thought. He therefore organised a yajna to which he did not invite Shiva. Sati turned up at the yajna, although she had not been invited either. Daksha seized the opportunity to hurl abuse on directed at her husband. Through here powers of meditation, she immolated herself and gave up her life. When the news aroused. He created a warrior named Virabhadra and despatched him to destroy Daksha�s yajna. When the ceremony was completely devastated, the gods prayed to Shiva and appeased him. Sati was subsequently reborn as Parvati, the daughter of the Himalayas, and married Shiva again.

As for Rudra�s taking part in the act of creation, the more customary account is that Brahma asked Rudra to create. But all the beings whom Rudra credated were immortal, like himself. When Brahma asked Rudra to create mortal beings, Rudra flatly refused. Brahma thereupon asked Rudra to refrain from taking part in the act of creation.)

To return to the account of the Varaha Purana, Gouri was married to Rudra and lived with him happily. But after some days had passed, she recollected the insult that her father�s yajna had meant to her husband. She went to the Himalaya mountains and, through severe meditation, Yielded up the body which had become unbearable to her as it had stood witness to Rudra being insulted on the occasion of the yajna.

Gouri was reborn as Parvati, the daughter of the Himalaya mountains. Parvati began to perform tapasya so that she might obtain Shiva (Rudra) as her husband once again.

One day, a thin and needy-looking brahmana came to Parvati�s hermitage in search of alms. Parvati brought some food for the brahmana. But prior to eating the food, the brahmana went to bathe in a river that flowed near the hermitage. As soon as the brahmana started to bathe, a crocodile came and caught hold of the brahmana�s leg. The brahmana screamed for help.

Parvati was in a fix. What should she do? The brahmana needed help, but he was not here husband, nor was he her relative. She was not permitted to touch a man who was not related to her. Touching him would be a sin. On the other hand, not helping someone who needed help would also be a sin. In fact if the brahmana died, Parvati would be guilty of the act of killing a brahmana. After debating the pros and the cons, Parvati decided that she would have to help the brahmana. Touching a man who was not related to her was the lesser of the two evils.

But as soon as Parvati touched the brahmana to pull him out of the water, the brahmana revealed himself to be none other than Shiva in disguise.

With Brahma�s blessings, Shiva and Parvati were married and all the gods, sages, apasaras and gandharvas (singers of heaven) came to attend the wedding ceremony. Since the wedding took place on tritiya tithi, tritiya is sacred and Rudra should be worshipped on this day.

Panchami

The fifth day of the lunar fortnight is panchami. On this day, sour food should be avoided and snakes should be worshipped with offerings of milk. It is on this day that Brahma called the snakes together and sent them to the underworld.

Brahma created all sorts of poisonous and harmful snakes. Examples are snakes like Ananta, Vasuki, Karkotaka, Padma, Mahapadma, Kambana, Shankha, Kulika, Papa, Rajila and Aparajita. Their bites were full of poison and they could paralyse people with their glances. These snakes were destroying people and the gods resorted to Brahma to find a way out.

Brahma called the snakes to him and said, �As a punishment for destroying what I have created, you will be destroyed by your own mother. Your lives will be wiped out.�

The frightened snakes pleaded for mercy. �We are certainly not responsible for the nature you have bestowed on us,� they said. �Our nature was given to us by you and it is our nature that compels us to kill people. You have made us venomous. How are we to be blamed for that?�

Chaturthi

The fourth lunar day (chaturthi) is associated with the worship of Ganesha or Vinayaka. The observance of a vrata and the eating of sesame seeds on this day leads to the acquiring of punya.

Initially, all work deserving merit could be accomplished without any difficulty. But over time, difficulties became more common. The gods felt the need for a god who deeds and would also restrain evil deeds. The gods requested Rudra to create such a god.

Rudra created a wonderful being named Vinayaka from his mouth. But Rudra also created numerous other Vinayakas from the pores of his body. They were all identical in appearance with the first one who had been born. The gods and the sages could not decide who was to be the chief among all these Vinayakas

Brahma arrived at this juncture. He pacified the angry Rudra and decreed that the one who had been born out of Rudra�s mouth would be the chief or the leader. The others would be his assistants and companions and would be known as the ganas. The original one would be the leader (isha or pati) of the ganas and would be known as Ganapati or Ganesha. The assembled gods and sages Ganapati with holy water.

Ganapati�s birth took place on chaturthi and that is why chaturthi is sacred.

(The Puranas, of course, have other accounts of the origin of Ganesha. They can be found in the Skanda Purana and the Brahmavaivarta Purana).

The snakes pleaded with Brahma that they might be assigned a specific place to live in, so that they did not come into conflict with humans. The underworld is divided into seven regions and three of these are known as patala, vitala and sutala. (Apart from being a region of the underworld, patala is also a generic name for all the regions of the underworld taken together.) Brahma decreed that the snakes could populate these three regions of the underworld.

(In the Puranas, there is always an element of contradiction about the process of creation. Who created gods, humans, demons and other living beings? There is a strand that suggests that they were directly created by Brahma. There is another strand that suggests that all these beings were the offspring of the sage Kashyapa and his various wives. All of these wives were Daksha�s daughters. This element of contradiction is responsible for what follows.)

Brahma told the snakes that in another kalpa, they would be born as the offspring of the sage Kashyapa and his wife Kadru. Kadru and Vinata were Daksha�s daughters and both of them were married to Kashyapa. (Daksha�s other daughters were also married to Kashyapa.)

Kashyapa offered his wives boons. Kadru desired the boon that she might obtain a thousand powerful snakes as her sons. Vinata asked for the boon that she might obtain two sons who would be even more powerful than Kadru�s sons.

Kadru gave birth to a thousand eggs which hatched after five hundred years. Vinata gave birth to two eggs which showed no signs of hatching at all. In a fit of impatience, Vinata smashed one of the eggs. This untimely act gave birth to a deformed son, known as Aruna. Since his mother�s act had made him deformed, he cursed Vinata that she would have to be Kadru�s slave for five hundred years. But Aruna also assured his mother that the other egg, if allowed to hatch in time, would give birth to a son who would free his mother from the bondage that she would find herself in. Aruna then rose up into the sky and became the charioteer of the sun.

Uchchaishrava was Indra�s horse and Kadru and Vinata once had a bet about the colour of the horse�s tail.

�The tail is white,� said Vinata.

�Not at all,� retorted Kadru. �You are mistaken. The tail is black.�

Garuda wished to free his mother from bondage. The snakes told him that Vinata would be freed if Garuda brought them amrita (a life-giving drink) from heaven. After many adventures, Garuda did succeed in bringing the amrita from heaven. (These adventures are catalogued in the Mahabharata.) But instead of giving amrita to the snakes, Garuda tricked them into licking sharp-bladed kusha grass. That is how snakes came to have forked tongues and that is the reason why Garuda is anathema to the snakes.

One should not get the impression that all snakes are cursed. Snakes which are not ill-natured, do not bite good people, and stay away from those who know the Garuda mantra, are blessed. These snakes are permitted to bite individuals whose appointed lifespans on earth are over.

The tail was in reality white. Fearful of losing her bet, Kadru called her offspring to her. She asked them to coil themselves around the horse�s tail so that the tail would seem to be black. Some of the snakes refused to aid Kadru in her untruthful act. They were cursed by their mother that they would be destroyed in a yajna known as sarpa sata. (You will of course remember Brahma�s curse that the snakes would be destroyed by their own mother. King Parikshit was bitten to death by a snake and his son, Janmejaya, performed the sarpa satra so as to destroy all snakes. This yajna is referred to in some Puranas, but is described in greater detail in the Mahabharata.)

Having lost the bet to Kadru, Vinata became her slave.

Meanwhile, Vinata�s other egg hatched and a being who was half-bird and half-man was born. This being was Garuda. His eyes and claws were like birds of prey, his face was white, his wings red and his body golden. Garuda obtained a boon from Indra that snakes would be his food.

Saptami

Saptami is the seventh day of the lunar fortnight and is associated with the worship of the sun-god. The sun was extremely brilliant and his radiance threatened to burn up all of creation. On saptami day, the gods appealed to Surya to reduce his brilliance a little. The sun agreed to do this so that the world might be preserved.

(You no doubt remember the story of Samjna and you also remember that Samjna could not stand her husband�s brilliance. Samjna was the daughter of Vishvakarma, the architect of the gods. When Samjna and Surya were re-united after their separation, the problem of the sun-god�s excessive brilliance remained. Vishvakarma thereupon sliced off some of the sun-god�s excess energy. You can read this story in the Markandeya Purana.)

Shashthi

The sixth day of the lunar fortnight (shashthi) is associated with the worship of Kartikeya. Prayers to Kartikeya on such a day grant the devotee health and a long life, and fulfil all his desires.

It was on this day that Brahma appointed Kartikeya the general of the gods. In the long-standing battle between the gods and the demons, the demons had able generals like Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu and Viprachitti. The gods had none other than Indra and the upshot was that the gods kept getting thrashed. Brihaspati advised the gods to get hold of a better general.

(In Puranas like the Shiva Purana and the Devi Bhagavata Purana it is stated that there was a terrible demon named Tarakasura. He had obtained a boon from Brahma that he could be killed only by Shiva�s son. That was the reason why Kartikeya had to be appointed the general of the gods. The Skanda Purana gives a detailed account of the battle between Kartikeya and Tarakasura.)

To return to the Varaha Purana, the gods, led by Brahma, went to Shiva so that they might obtain a general. Shiva and Parvati created a strong and handsome son known variously as Kartikeya, Skanda, Kumara and Pavaki. The gods warmly greeted this birth and Brahma appointed Kartikeya the general of the gods.

Ashtami

The eighth day of the lunar fortnight (asthami) is associated with the destruction of the demon Andhaka.

Andhaka was the son of Kashyapa and Diti. He had a thousand hands, a thousand feet and a thousand eyes. The word andha means blind, but Andhaka was not blind at all. He was so proud that he walked about with the gait of a blind man. That is, his bearing was unsteady and he thus came to acquire the name of Andhaka. By praying to Brahma, Andhaka had obtained the boon that no ordinary god would be able to kill him and that his head would never fall down on the ground.

Andhaka immediately began to oppress the gods. Plagued by the demon�s oppressions, the gods went to Brahma for deliverance.

�I am sorry,� said Brahma. �But I cannot help. It is I who have granted him the boon. I cannot kill him. Let us go to Shiva.�

Brahma and the other gods went to visit Shiva. While they were there, Andhaka came and surrounded Shiva�s abode with a huge army. His intention was to kill Shiva and marry Parvati.

tremendous battle began between the gods and the demons and the gods clearly had the worst of it. Shiva pierced Andhaka with a trident. But as blood started to flow out of Andhaka�s wound, numerous other Andhakas were born out of these drops of blood and they continued to fight with the gods. Shiva raised his trident up into the sky and Vishnu tried to decapitate Andhaka, who was transfixed to the trident, with his sudarshana chakra. But the demon did not die.

Shiva now opened his mouth in anger. Flames issued from his mouth and took the form of terrible goddesses known as the matrikas. The fire that issued out of the matrikas dried up Andhaka�s blood and thus made it possible for the gods to kill Andhaka.

Since Andhaka�s destruction took place on ashtami, this is a day that is set aside for the worship of the matrikas.

(The Andhaka story is yet another illustration of a divergence between the Varaha Purana and the other Puranas and the Harivamsha. According to the other accounts, Andhaka was the son of Shiva and Parvati and was born blind. He performed tapasya and gained his eyesight. The demon Hiranyaksha did not have any sons and he adopted Andhaka as a son. In the fight with Shiva, Andhaka did not get killed. He lost all his evil traits when he was transfixed on Shiva�s trident. He prayed to Shiva and obtained the boon that he would be Shiva�s constant companion. His new name became Bhringi.)

The demon started off as the ruler of Pragjyotishapura (in Assam), but soon conquered the entire world. He attacked the gods and drove them out of heaven. The gods went to Shiva, but Shiva knew Vetrasura to be invincible. Shiva could certainly not kill him. Shiva therefore led the gods to Brahma.

Brahma was, at the time, seated on the banks of the holy river Ganga and chanting the gayatri mantra (a sacred incantation). He was oblivious of all that went on around him and paid no attention to Shiva and the other gods.

But a goddess named Gayatri suddenly appeared. (She seems to have been a personification of the gayatri mantra.) The goddess had eight arms and was armed with all sorts of weapons. She was clad in a white sari. Gayatri devi fought with the demons for one thousand divine years and killed Vetrasura.

Shiva sung her praises. When Brahma�s meditation was over, he earmarked a place in the Himalayas for the goddess to live in.
Since Vetrasura was killed on navami tithi, navami is set aside for the worship of the goddess Gayatri.

Navami

The ninth lunar day (navami) is associated with Vetrasura and his death at the hands of the goddess Gayatri devi.

(The name Vetrasura does not occur in any other Purana and seems to be a concoction of the Varaha Purana.)

In an earlier life, Vetrasura�s father had been killed by Indra with foam, as he had obtained a boon that could not be killed by anything else. (Although the name of Vetrasura�s father is not given, the foam identifies him as the famous demon Vritra. Let us therefore call him Vritra.)

In this next birth, Vritra remembered what had happened in his earlier birth. He meditated so that he might obtain a son who would kill Indra. The river Vetravati came to Vritra in the form of a woman. She married Vritra and out of this union was born Vetrasura. Vetrasura became a powerful enemy of the gods.

Dashami

Dashami is the tenth day of the lunar fortnight. On this day, one should eat only yoghurt and worship the ten goddesses who were created by Brahma on dashami tithi. These goddesses were born out of Brahma�s ear and their names were Pura, Pashchima, Uttara, Dakshina, Urddhva, Adhva, Agneya, Nairirta, Ishana and Vyavya. (These are also the names of the ten directions, namely, north, south, east, west, up, down, north-east, north-west, south-east and south-west.) The ten grooms to whom Brahma married these goddesses were Indra, Varuna, Kubera, Yama, Svayam, Sheshanaga, Agni, Niriti, Shankara (Shiva) and Vayu.

Ekadashi

The eleventh lunar day (ekadashi) is the day when Kubera was born from the duststorm that arose within Brahma�s mouth as he was thinking about the task of creation. Kubera was the concrete form that was adopted by the dust storm.

He became the treasurer of the gods on Brahma�s instruction. A vrata should be observed on ekadashi tithi by eating only fruits and worshipping Kubera

Chaturdashi

The fourteenth lunar day (chaturdashi) is associated with Rudra. (The reason for this association is not stated.) Fasting and hearing about Rudra on chaturdashi frees one from all one�s sins.

Amavasya

Amavasya is the night of the new moon and is set aside for honouring the tanmatras. The tanmatras were born from Brahma�s body. They lived in the sky, meditated and survived on the juice of the soma herb. Brahma requested the tanmatras to take upon themselves the role of being ancestors (pitris) to all living beings. On amavasya tithi, people therefore make offerings of water, sesame seeds and sanctified grass to their dead ancestors. This ceremony is known as tarpana and it brings contentment and the attainment of desires.

Trayodashi

The thirteenth lunar day (trayodashi) is the day on which Brahma appeased Dharma, the god of righteousness. (Dharma is identified with Yama, the god of death.)

As Brahma sat and thought about creation, the god Dharma was born from his right side. He was fair, had four feet, three horns and was in the form of a bull. (He is also supposed to have had seven hands and two heads.) Brahma decreed that Dharma�s duty would be to check that the humans stuck to the righteous path. As men became evil, Dharma would lose one of his feet. That is, in satya yuga, he would have four feet. But in treta yuga, the number of feet would be reduced to three; in dvapara yuga, to two; and in kali yuga, to one. Dharma would pay brahmanas complete attention, but kshatriyas would only receive three-quarters of Dharma�s attention. Similarly, vaishyas would only receive half of his attention and shudras only a quarter.

The moon-god, Chandra, was Dharma�s brother. (Dharma was Brahma�s son and so was the sage Atri. The Puranas normally state that Chandra was Atri�s son. Thus, as per the other Puranas, Chandra could not have been Dharma�s brother.)Chandra once cast evil looks at Brihaspati�s wife. (Other Puranas state that Chandra abducted Brihaspati�s wife, Tara.) Scandalised at his brother�s shameful act, Dharma left for the forest in disgust. Lawlessness and evil prevailed everywhere on earth as the god of righteousness had gone away. Finally, on trayodashi tithi, Brahma appeased Dharma and brought him back.

Dvadashi

It was on the twelfth day of the lunar fortnight (dvadashi) that Narayana adopted the form of Vishnu at the request of the wind-god, Vayu. The Vishnu-form has four arms and a conch-shell (shankha), a bladed-discus (chakra), a mace (gada), and a lotus (padma) are held in the four hands. Vishnu also wears a divine garland known as vaijayanti around his neck. Dvadashi was also the day on which Lakshmi became Vishnu�s wife. Lakshmi and Narayana are to be worshipped on dvadashi tithi and on this day brahmanas are to be fed clarified butter and honey.

Purnamasi

Purnamasi or purnima is the night of the full moon and is associated with the moon-god Chandra, also known as Soma. Chandra was the son of the sage Atri. (This is what the other Puranas also state. And as pointed out earlier, this contradicts the earlier statement.)

Chandra was married to twenty-seven of Daksha�s daughters. These were the nakshatras (stars). Chandra was however inordinately fond of Rohini and neglected his other wives in comparison. The other wives went and complained about this treatment to their father, Daksha. Despite his father-in-law�s warning. Chandra continued to favour Rohini. This angered Daksha and he cursed his son-in-law that he would gradually waste away. The moon became thinner and thinner, and ultimately vanished entirely on the night of amavasya.

Medicinal herbs thrive in the presence of the moon. When the moon disappeared, these herbs wilted and lost all their potency. The gods restorted to Vishnu and Vishnu advised them to churn the ocean. Mount Meru was to be used as the churning rod and the great snake Vasuki was to be used as the rope for the churning.

(The churning of the ocean (samudra manthana) is a favourite story of the Puranas, but better sources are the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The real reason for the churning of the ocean was actually slightly different. It was expected that the churning of the ocean would yield amrita, a life-giving drink. The gods and the demons collaborated in this venture. The churning rod was however Mount Mandara and not Mount Meru. But because Mandara had no base, the mountain began to move and the churning could not go on. Vishnu thereupon adopted the form of a turtle (kurma). Mount Mandara was placed on the back of the turtle and the churning proceeded. The first object to emerge as a result of the churning was a terrible poison. Shiva swallowed this so that no one else might be affected and thus became blue of throat.)

To return to the Varaha Purana, the juice of the soma herb emerged as a result of the ocean being churned. This soma juice was none other than Chandra and Shiva accepted the crescent moon as an adornment for his forehead. Everyone was happy. This entire event took place of the day of purnamasi.

On this day, a vrata should be observed. Before the vrata is completed, one must fast. One is however permitted to eat rice after the vrata has been completed. The observance of this vrata brings prosperity.

Vratas

The earth now asked the boar about the rites known as vratas. The boar explained that there were different types of vratas. Some involved celibacy and a devotion to the truth. Other involved chanting hymns and singing praises of the gods. Still others involved fasting at prescribed points of time.

Many of vratas have stories associated with them. There is no point in trying to recount all of them. We will tell you about a select few.

The sage Durvasa used to know a hunter. He renamed the hunter Satyatapa (one of true meditation), as the hunter was righteous and had performed very difficult meditation. Durvasa told Satyatapa about a secret rite that the earth had observed when she had sunk into the depths of the ocean. This was known as dvadashi vrata. The observance of this had pleased Narayana so much that he had adopted the form of a boar so as to rescue the earth. This vrata began on dvadashi tithi in the month of Margashirsha. One had to observe certain norms of cleanliness and think of Narayana.