The complete story of Varaha avatar – Vishnu Dashavatar

Varaha Avatar – the third of Vishnu Dashavatar

This avatar of Vishnu dashavatar is in a form of boar. He saved the earth from Hiranyaksha, who incidentally is also the brother of Hiranyakashyap. He has grown because boons from Brahma. Hiranyaksha took the earth to the bottom of the ocean. He did this because wanted to make Devas weak. The devas need Havis, the sacrificial oblations of the mortals to maintain their strength.

Since they started losing their strength, they requested Vishnu to help them. Vishnu took the form of a boar, the third dashavatar. Herescued the earth from the depths of ocean with his tusks. Hiranyaksha, who was searching for Vishnu, finally finds him in the form of boar – a dashavatar.

Lord Vishnu saving earth in form of Varaha avatar (Dashavatar)

Hiranyaksha intercepted the boar, and then commenced one of the greatest battles of all time. Vishnu balanced the earth on his thigh, and gored Hiranyaksha to his death. Since he had balanced Bhooma Devi (the goddess of earth) on his thighs, a son was born to her. As he was created when Vishnu had been involved in a ferocious battle, he was an Asura. This is the famous Narakusara, who was later slain by Vishnu in his avatar as Krishna.

The avatar of Varaha signifies the restoration of the Earth from a pralaya (deluge) and the formation of a new kalpa (cosmic cycle). Varaha Purana, one of the major eighteen Mahapuranas, describes about the Varaha incarnation of LordVishnu, and also about the rescue of the Prithvi.

Hiranyakashyap and Hirankyaksha were two gandharvas Jaya and Vijaya. Due to a curse from Sanat kumaras, they had to take birth as asuras. Vishnu. They wanted to be free of the curse in little time, that is why Vishnu decided to take from of dashavatars to kill them.

The complete story of Matasya avatar – Vishnu dashavatara

Matasya avatar – First Vishnu Dashavatara

Hayagriva stole the Vedas

The Matasya avatar story is as follows. The Satya Yuga was about to end and a great flood was to come and destroy all the life on earth to start afresh for the next Yuga. Lord Brahma after a day full of creation, was tired. He wanted to go to sleep and was soon snoring loudly.
While Lord Brahma was sleeping an asura Hayagriva emerged from Brahma’s nose. With Brahma asleep, Hayagriva realized that it was the right time to take in all the knowledge of the Vedas. Hayagriva concentrated and soon absorbed the knowledge in the Vedas. He then hid deep inside the ocean, thinking that nobody would find him there.
Lord Vishnu saw this and was worried. If the Vedas were stolen by the asura, the knowledge of the Vedas could not be passed on to the Next Yuga. As a Preserver, it was his job to make sure the knowledge survived to the next Yuga.

King Manu yagya

In the earliest yuga (era) of Sata-yuga,  king Manu was performing severe penance for long period. One day as he was performing ablutions with river water, a small fish came into his hands and just as he was about to throw the fish back into the river, the fish requested the king to save its life.

Heeding its request, the king put the fish into a jar of water but the fish started growing and very soon the jar was not big enough for it. Then the king threw it into the river, but it soon it outgrew the river and the king then threw it into Ganges and then into the ocean.

Matasya incarnation of Lord Vishnu

Vishnu dashavatara – Matasya avatar

Lord Vishnu’s advise as a Matasya

The king realised that it was Lord Vishnu himself and then the lord made an appearance and made a special request to the king. It predicted that the world would come to an end by a huge flood in seven days and requested the king to build a huge boat and take the seven sages (hermits), seeds of all plants, one animal of each type.

He told him that he would appear as a fish to propel the boat to Mount Himavan for surviving the flood to the next yuga(eon). True to his word, after seven days the Lord appeared and the king tied the boat to the fish by using the royal serpent Vasuki and the fish took all of them to Mt Himavan and kept them there till the flood was over and in the new era, the king started procreation a for the new era.

Matasya avatar of Vishnu Dashavatar

Thus, taking the Matasya avatar, Lord Vishnu saved the earth from destruction.

Mahabharat and Sholay – A resemblance

Mahabharat and Sholay (Hindi movie)

There is atleast one instance, although not significant in whole scheme of things, where Mahabharat (the epic) and Sholay (hindi movie) have similarity. I am discussing the incident when Gabbar Singh killed Salim and asked the villagers to give Jai and Veeru to them.  After a bit of discussion, a decision was taken when Rahim chacha pointed that when he is not turning his back on Jai (Amitabh Bacchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra) even when he has lost his young son.

Jai and Veeru are delivered to Gabbar Singh, at a place specified beforehand. When the robbers of Gabbar Singh’s gang pick them up, they find a note attached on the back of Veeru and Jai. It says – “Gabbar Singh. agar tum ek maroge, hum chaar maarenge”. Though this line is not as famous as other dialogues, but has the intensity. When dacoits turned the bodies of Jai and Veeru, they started firing and killed all dacoits, except one, to tell the happenings to Gabbar.

Jai and Veeru in Sholay – great hindi movie

I find this piece interesting as there is a similar story in the epic Mahabharat. in Ek chakra Nagri, Vakasur used to demand large amounts of grain. He also demanded a person should be sent to him daily to satiate his hunger. When Pandavas were travelling, they reached this place and found the happenings. They decided to do something about this and surely, Bheema was sent with the cart which was sent to Vakasur daily. Soon enough, Vakasur came out and killed by Bheema.

Bheema waiting for Bakasura

 

Bheema killing Bakasura

 

The last scene of this hindi movie Sholay is also important, where Jai dies. This scene can also be compared with the death of Abhimanyu, who died fighting with kauravas, when Arjuna was away. This is similar again as Arjuna was also away and Abhimanyu stepped in time to save the day for pandavas.

Sholay and Mahabharata – similarities

To take this further, parallels can be drawn between Thakur and Shri Krishna also. They did not fight the war themselves, but the war could not have won in absence of them. Their proteges, Pandavas and Jai-Veeru took care of the enemies. And lastly, their stance signified one thing, victory of good over evil.

Hindi movies inspired by Mahabharat

Hindi movies inspired by Mahabharat

Mahabharat has inspired bollywood. A number of hindi movies are based on this epic and rightly so, because no other epic provides the depth and variety as this does. There are a number of films and serials which have been made on Mahabharat story and in recent times, we see a modernised version of Mahabharat where the story line is inspired by  Mahabharat.

Probably, the first movie based on Mahabharat was A Throw of Dice (Prapancha Pash 1929). This was based on myths and legends drawn from Indian epic Mahabharat. Charu roy and Sita devi were the characters of this film. This was directed by a german filmmaker Franz Osten. This same gentleman has directed the landmark hindi movie, Acchut kanya.

Kalyug – Many people perhaps struggle in remembering this hindi movie, but I reckon this was a commendable effort with actors related to art films. Victor Banerjee played the role of Duryodhana and Yudhisthir was played by Raj Babbar. Though the movie was based on modern times, one can easily relate to the characters. This was directed by Shyam Benegal.

Kalyug - Hindi movie

Kalyug – Hindi movie based on Mahabharat

Rajneeti – This is quite recent and the story line appears to be inspired by Mahabharat and The Godfather, a famous novel by Mario Pujo. Ajay Devgan has played Suraj which is Karna in Mahabharat. Manoj Bajpai admirably plays Duryodhana. There is Nana Patekar as Brijgopal or Shri Krishna and Ranvir Kapoor plays the role of Arjuna and Michael Corleone. The story is inspired by The Godfather here, where the elder brother of Ranveer, Arjun Rampal dies in the movie. This is more like Sonny Corleone. Nevertheless, a good attempt, but the surprise factor was not there. To read more about Rajneeti, the hindi movie, visit here.

Mahabharat – This hindi movie was made in 1965 with the same name as of this epic. Dara Singh played the role of Bhima. Abhi bhattacharya as Krishna and most appropriately, Jeevan played Shakuni. We don’t know much about how did this movie fared, perhaps you can help by giving your feedback through comments.

Mahabharat - Hindi movie

Mahabharat – Hindi movie

Mahabharat, the serial: In 1988, BR Chopra, the famous director – producer of  Waqt fame, did a fantastic job of telling this epic. So beautifully this serial was made, that people used to wait in anticipation. The streets were deserted when this serial was aired on sunday mornings. Dara Singh played a brief cameo of Hanuman. Shri Krishna’s character was made his own by Nitish. Mukesh Khanna is also remembered fondly for his role played as Bhishma Pitamah.

Mahabharat – The serial

Test your knowledge on Mahabharat

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Deoghar, Baidyanath dham and Shravan festival

The Shravan festival

The festival of Shravan or Kanwar festival is the most auspicious one for lord Shiva devotees. During this month, devotees from various parts of Bihar and Jharkhand observe strict rituals. They carry holy water of Ganges (Gangajal) from Sultanganj to Deoghar for Lord Shiva.

Baba Vaidyanath Mandir

Pic. – Baidyanath Dham Mandir

This month normally falls in July – August according to english calendar and hindu devotees travel to Baidyanath Deoghar to worship Baba Baidyanath ( Lord Shiva).

How Lord Shiva came to Deoghar

There is an interesting story that Ravana once worshipped Lord Shiva so that he awarded him saying that I will stay with you in form of Shivlinga. This posed a problem for Devtas who thought that this would make him invincible. They used a ruse which forced Ravana to put the Shivlinga in Deoghar and it became Lord Shiva’s permanent abode. Since because of Ravana only Shiv has came to Deoghar, Ravana is treated with respect here.

Why Gangajal is offered to Baba Baidyanath

The custom of carrying holy water from Sultanganj on Kanwar and offering to it Shiva started in the Treta Yuga. This yuga was the silver age of Hindu mythology. Lord Rama had carried the holy ganges water from Sultanganj in a kanwar and offered to Lord Shiva at Babadham.

Another legend says that when the churning of oceans – Samudra Manthan – took place, this was in the month of Shravan. During manthan, fourteen different types of rubies came out. Thirteen of these were distributed amongst the deamons, except Halahal (poison). Lord Shiva drank the Halahal and stored it in his throat. Hence the name Neelkantha (meaning blue throat) is attributed to Shiva.

To reduce the strong effect of poison, Lord Shiva wore the crescent moon on his head. All the Gods, thereafter started offering the Ganges water to Lord Shiva to make lessen the effect of poison.

This happened in the month of Shravan. The Shiva devotees offer the Ganges water in this month and Shravan festival is observed. This festival and Baidyanath Deoghar is one of the holiest ones for Hindu devotees.

Baidyanath jyotirlinga temple

Baidyanath jyotirlinga temple

Importance of Gangajal from Sultanganj

In Sultanganj, the Ganges flows to the North. This is why, the devotees collect water in their kanwars and carry the holy Ganges water, with the kanwars on their shoulders. They walk 109 km up to Baba Baidyanath temple at Babadham reciting Bol Bam on the way.

Importance of Belpatra

Lord Shiva has three eyes – Mother Parvati, Lord Kartik and Ganesh. Lord Shiva is also called Mahadeva, the god of gods and his three eyes- Trinetra are his identification. Three eyes, three virtues, three truths, three swords of the Trident (Trishul) and three leaves (Belpatra) are very dear to Shiva. Lord Shiva becomes pleased if one offers Ganga water with Belpatra.

 

baba baidyanath at Night

pic – Mandir at Night

Bol – Bam and its importance

The word Bam is a short name for Lords Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. The letters BA came from Brahma and Vishnu and M came from Mahesh.

It is a long efficacious mantra (a hymn). When it is chanted during the way, it generates energy and enthusiasm amongst the kanwarias and gives them the psychological strength to carry on walking and succeed in covering the long distance from Sultanganj to Babadham.

According to the Skand Purana, those who complete the holy journey by reciting Bam-Bam obtain the virtues of Ashwamedha Yajna. According to the Puranas, the demon king Ravana had brought the Ganges water from Haridwar and offered to Lord Shiva.

During their journey from Sultanganj to Deoghar, kanwariyas are supposed to observe strict vrata:

To maintain celibacy (Bramhacharya)
To remember Lord Shiva by keeping mind, heart and speech pure
To speak the truth
To be inspired by charity and service
To take bath before taking the kanwar
To recite Bam – Bam
Not to use oil and soap
Not to wear shoes
Not to take any article made of leather
To avoid dogs. (dogs should not be touched)

Pilgrims to the temple later visit the Basukinath temple.

Where to stay and how to reach: Lot of hotels and dharamshalas are available in Deoghar. During the month of Jul-Aug, there is great rush, so this is advisable to book prior to your journey. Closest railway station is Jasidih, which is on howrah main line. Nearest airport is Ranchi/ Patna.

O teacher – a tribute to you

In Indian culture, teacher is given a higher position than father and mother.

5th september is celebrated as the Teachers day in India, in rememberance of Late Indian president, Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. He was a teacher, who later held the president’s post in India

All over the world, a teacher holds an exalted place. It is the teacher who is responsible for the pupil’s  welfare and education. So, teacher or guru is given a special place all over the world from ancient times to today.  It has been seen that teachers have played a pivotal role for the welfare of their pupil.  There are numerous examples available where a teacher has done everything for their pupil and pupils have attained greatness because of their teacher. In the following paragraphs, we will discuss about the teacher and pupil relationship across various cultures.

Teacher’s relevance in Japanese Culture

Teacher and pupil relationship exist in different forms, such as mentor and protege. In Japanese culture, we have heard about Sempai and Kohai. These terms have been made popular by the movie, “The Rising Sun”.

In Chinese culture, Mandarins were the teachers, who imparted education by travelling throughout the country. This was a tough job, but tells in volumes about the significance of teachers.

In Indian mythology and context, some important teacher student relationships are detailed as following:

Chanakya and Chandragupt

This is probably the best example of mentor and protege relationship in Indian history. Chanakya, the teacher of Chandragupt, has planned for his disciple’s ascendancy. He executed the plan well. Chandragupt went on to rule all over India. Later on, he was supported by Chanakya in governance as well. This is worth mentioning that both of these have humble beginnings, but their desire to overcome obstacles was so powerful, that they became the supreme powers.

chanakya-teacher-indian-history
Chanakya – The teacher of Chandragupt

Ekalavya and Drona

Another great example of Guru Shishya relationship from the times of Mahabharat. Drona did not teach Ekalavya. But he did not hesitate once when he was asked for his thumb by his Guru, Dronacharya. Drona has done this to ensure that his pupil, the great archer remains the best in the business. Drona has gone out of the way to ensure that Arjuna gets his due.

Read about Ekalavya and Drona

Drona - teacher of Arjuna
Drona – teacher of Arjuna

Arjuna and Shri Krishna

Perhaps you would wonder that this alliance is not written in terms of teacher and pupil alliance, as they were friends, Nar and Narayana. But think of it, this was Shri Krishna’s preachings, which made Arjuna to fight the war of Mahabharat. Shri Krishna was his supreme teacher. He guided him to victory. While other given him the knowledge, Shri Krishna ensured that Arjuna won his war. This is why we can treat him as the Supreme Guru.

Krishna and Arjuna - Nar and Narayan
Krishna and Arjuna – Nar and Narayan

Parshurama and Karna

This example isbjust opposite of Drona and Arjuna, here the teacher cursed his pupil. Where as Drona ensured that his pupil gets benefited. Anyway, Karna’s quest for knowledge cannot be faulted.  When he was denied by Parshurama, he arranged somehow that he becomes his teacher. Here the fate did the trick.  Karna was born as a Kshatriya, but he did not knew this. In absence of this knowledge, he has to bear the brunt of something he was not responsible for.

Sage Vasistha and Lord Rama

Vasishtha , one of the Saptarshi’s was the teahcer of Lord Rama and his brother Laxman. Rama helped his teacher later, as he killed demons. These demons were creating problems for Sage Vasistha. This is how, Ram paid gurudakshina to him.

Ramakant Achrekar and Sachin Tendulkar

Another very good example of this relationship is Sachin and Ramakant. People say that what Sachin is today is because of the training given to him by his teacher Ramakant Achrekar. For his contribution, Sir Achrekar has also won the Dronacharya award.

Ramakant Achrekar and Sachin Tendulkar
Ramakant Achrekar and Sachin Tendulkar

Shane Warne and Terry Jenner

Lot of people know about the genius of Shane Warne, but few know that this legend has been trained by the Terry Zenner, himself a leg spin bowler.  He played nine test for Australia and revived the art of leg spin, which is increasingly becoming a rarity in Cricket.

Tery Jenner - the teacher
Tery Jenner – the teacher
Terry Jenner and Shane Warne
Terry Jenner and Shane Warne

Bhishma – Brihaspati and Parshurama

Bhishma was the son of Shantanu and Ganga, and he had two teachers. Thus Parshurama was the teacher of Bhishma and Karna both, but yet, Bhishma did not like Karna. This was the reason Karna did not fight the war of Mahabharat under the commandership of Bhishma.

Prahlad’s – In Indian mythology, Prahlad was the disciple of Vishnu. His father, Hirankashyap did not like this and tried to kill his own son. Such was the devotion of Prahlad, Vishnu took the Narsimha avatar to save his disciple. Again, an example of teacher saving his disciple.

In Greek Mythology too, there is a story on teacher and student, but it is quite similar to Karna and parshurama story, where the teacher has cursed her pupil, archane.