chap25
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Vedic Roots of Hindu Iconography
R. Nagaswamy
CHAPTER-25
The Puzzle of Varāha
It is well known that Varāha is the third incarnation of Viṣṇu and is portrayed in art and literature of India throughout, both in space and time. He is called Jñānappiran, the embodiment of knowledge. The famous Pallava site of Mamallapuram has two cave temples named after Varāha; one is called Ādi Varāha and the other is Varāha maṇḍapa. The first is dedicated to Varāha and has an image of Varāha in the sanctum. This is the only cave that is under worship from the time of its creation. Inscriptions of the age of Pallavas, Choḻas and Vijayanagara rulers are found in the temple. The other receives the name Varāha maṇḍapa from the portrayal of one of the most beautiful sculpture of Varāha in the wall. This is situated behind the famous Arjuna’s penance while the other Adi Varāha cave is at the south west end of the village. Both were excavated by Rājasimha Pallava around 700 CE. I have shown elsewhere that this cave temple follows the Vaikhānasa Āgama in its distribution of Deities. However it has a an inscription inscribed in Pallava grantha characters engraved on the floor of the sanctum in front of the main deity and there is no doubt that it belongs to the Pallava period. The letters are big and bold and clearly visible. Curiously the inscription records the greatness of Rudra and extols the followers of Rudra. Art historians are puzzled by this inscription. Why praise of Rudra in a Viṣṇu temple? It is known the creator Rājasimha Pallava was a great devotee of Śiva who had the title Śivacūḍāmaṇi. So some scholars even went to the extend of saying he suffered from an over dose of Śaivism. This paper tries to answer this question and trace the very origin of Varāha. As Varāha is found all over India. The answer will have all India application especially Madhya Pradesh where large number of Varāha sculptures are found.
The identity of Varāha with Rudra is sung in the Ṛig veda by Ṛṣi Kutsa Āṅgiras in eleven verses all addressed to Rudra [Ṛg Veda, Maṇḍala 1]. Some of these verses are direct appeals to Rudra and are part of well known Satarudriya hymns [anuvāka-10]. Out of the eleven verses the following are directly addressed to Rudra.
इमां रुद्राय तवसे कपर्दिने क्षयद्वीराय
प्रभरामहे मतिम् । यथा नः समसद्विपदे चतुष्पदे
विश्वं पुष्ठिं ग्रामे अस्मिन् अनातुरं ।
मृडा नो रुद्रोतनो मयस्कृधि क्षयद्वीराय
नमसा विधेम ते । यच्छं च योश्च मनुरायजे
पिता तदस्याम तव रुद्र प्रणीतौ ।
मा नो महान्तं उत मा नो अर्भकम्
मा न उक्षान्तं उत मा न उक्षितम्
मानो वधीः पितरं मोत मातरं प्रिया
मा नस्तनुवो रुद्र रीरिषः ।
imāṃ rudrāya tavase kapardine kṣayadvīrāya
prabharāmahe matim . yathā naḥ samasadvipade catuṣpade
viśvaṃ puṣṭhiṃ grāme asmin anāturaṃ .
mṛḍā no rudrotano mayaskṛdhi kṣayadvīrāya
namasā vidhema te . yacchaṃ ca yośca manurāyaje
pitā tadasyāma tava rudra praṇītau .
mā no mahāntaṃ uta mā no arbhakam
mā na ukṣāntaṃ uta mā na ukṣitam
māno vadhīḥ pitaraṃ mota mātaraṃ priyā
mā nastanuvo rudra rīriṣaḥ .
In the midst of these verses the fifth verses calls Rudra as Varāha of heaven.
दिवो वराहं अरूषं कपर्दिनं त्वेषं रूपं नमसा निह्वयामहे ।
हस्ते बिभ्रत् भेषजा वार्याणि
शर्म वर्म छर्दिः अस्मभ्यं यंसत् ।
divo varāhaṃ arūṣaṃ kapardinaṃ tveṣaṃ rūpaṃ namasā nihvayāmahe .
haste bibhrat bheṣajā vāryāṇi
śarma varma chardiḥ asmabhyaṃ yaṃsat .
In these verses Rudra is also called the father of Maruts.
इदं पित्रे मरुतां उच्यते वचः
idaṃ pitre marutāṃ ucyate vacaḥ
Further Rudra is also held identical with Agni. Another interesting point is Varāha is said to wear braided hairs. The Varāha sculpture at Mamallapuram, is portrayed with braided hair Viṣṇu is generally portrayed with kirīṭa and it is Rudra who is figured with braided hairs, the braided hairs for Varāha is a Vedic tradition.
अरुषं कपर्दिनम्
aruṣaṃ kapardinam
The preceding and succeeding hymns of the Varāha hymn of the Ṛg veda are addressed to Sūrya and Uṣas as well. We know that Rudra is Agni and Sūrya, the later is often described in the Veda as the blazing fire of the sky. It is appropriate that the Sūrya is called the Varāha the boar (Rudra) divo varāha of the sky. The hymns praising Sūrya and Uṣas are also interesting. Āditya Sūrya is said to follow Uṣas who is attractive.
सूर्यो देवीः उषसं रोचमानां
मर्यो योषां अभ्येति पश्चात् ।
sūryo devīḥ uṣasaṃ rocamānāṃ
maryo yoṣāṃ abhyeti paścāt .
This suggestion is also reflected in the Varāha episode in which it is said that the goddess Pṛthvī emerges from waters and is attractive as Uṣā.
एषा दिवो दुहिता प्रत्यदर्शी व्युच्छन्ती
युवती शुक्रवासाः ।
विश्वस्य ईशाना पार्थिवस्य वस्वः
उषो अध्येह सुभगे व्युच्छ 1-16-7
eṣā divo duhitā pratyadarśī vyucchantī
yuvatī śukravāsāḥ .
viśvasya īśānā pārthivasya vasvaḥ
uṣo adhyeha subhage vyuccha 1-16-7
The Vedic hymns often address multiplicity of gods separately and not infrequently also hold them as identical. for example Agni is called Āditya, Vāyu, Candrama, Śukra, Brahma, Āpaḥ, and Prajāpati. He is also called Hiraṇyagarbha who remains engulfing all the space and was the first bom. He remains in every part of beings and so called
तदेव अग्निः तत् आदित्यः । तत् वायुः
तत् चन्द्रमाः तदेव शुक्रं तद् ब्रह्म
ता आपः स प्रजापतिः। हिरण्यगर्भ इत्येषः
एषो ह देवः प्रदिशोऽनुपूर्वी
सजातः स उ गर्भे अन्तः। 1.68.2
tadeva agniḥ tat ādityaḥ . tat vāyuḥ
tat candramāḥ tadeva śukraṃ tad brahma
tā āpaḥ sa prajāpatiḥ. hiraṇyagarbha ityeṣaḥ
eṣo ha devaḥ pradiśo'nupūrvī
sajātaḥ sa u garbhe antaḥ. 1.68.2
Sarvatomukha who has face in every directions, He emerges as three effulgent light trīṇi jyotīmṣi. He steadies the earth, the sky and also the intermediate space Antarikṣa, The Sculptures of Varāha portray Viṣṇu as steadying the Earth Goddess.
स एव जातः स जनिष्यमानः
प्रत्यङ्जनाः तिष्ठति सर्वतो मुंख: । S.Y. 168.3
sa eva jātaḥ sa janiṣyamānaḥ
pratyaṅjanāḥ tiṣṭhati sarvato muṃkha: . S.Y. 168.3
The Vedantins say Agni resides in the cave of the heart and creates, sustains and dissolves. Those who know this become Paramatman. We find here that the same Agni is identified with multiple gods also resides in the heart. As these concepts are found in the Samhita part of the Vedas they are as old as the Vedas and not later. The Vedantin is called Vidvān in the Veda. The three effulgent lights/fire namely Sūrya, Chandra and Agni flower into Śiva, Viṣṇu and Brahma fully later.
यस्मात् जातं न पुरा किं च नैव च आबभूव भुवनानि विश्वा
प्रजापतिः प्रजया संरराणः त्रीणि ज्योतींषु सजते सषोसि
येन द्यौः उग्रा पृथ्वी न दृढा येवस्व
स्तायिनं येन नाकः ये अन्तरिक्षे रजसो विमानः
कस्मै देवाय हविषा विधेम ॥
प्रतं वो चेत् अमृते नुविद्वान्
गन्धर्वो धाम विभृतं गुहा सत्
त्रीणि पदानि निहिता गुहायां
यो तानि वेद स पितुः पितासत्
yasmāt jātaṃ na purā kiṃ ca naiva ca ābabhūva bhuvanāni viśvā
prajāpatiḥ prajayā saṃrarāṇaḥ trīṇi jyotīṃṣu sajate saṣosi
yena dyauḥ ugrā pṛthvī na dṛḍhā yevasva
stāyinaṃ yena nākaḥ ye antarikṣe rajaso vimānaḥ
kasmai devāya haviṣā vidhema ..
prataṃ vo cet amṛte nuvidvān
gandharvo dhāma vibhṛtaṃ guhā sat
trīṇi padāni nihitā guhāyāṃ
yo tāni veda sa pituḥ pitāsat
It is therefore clear that Sūrya, the celestial Agni is called Varāha/Rudra and the occurrence of the inscription inscribed on the floor of the Ādivarāha cave at Māmallapuram though found in a Viṣṇu temple need not surprise us.
However it must be mentioned here that this verse in praise of Rudra is also found in another cave also at Māmallapuram. It is found in the cave temple now called Rāmānuja maṇḍapa situated behind the main temple of Viṣṇu the centre of the village. The cave temple was originally dedicated to Śiva whose sculptures were carved on the walls. The Sculptures so carved were Durgā, Lakṣmi, Somāskanda and Dvārāpalas. Sometime in the 16th cent when there emerged a sectarian Vaiṣṇava wave in which all the sculptures in the cave were chiselled off and the cave converted into a hall for the processional image of Rāmānuja was taken there and it was called after Rāmānuja. Hence the importance of this inscription is lost. The concerned inscription is found at the threshold of the cave on the floor of the central bay and is identical with the one in the Ādivarāha cave. It shows the praise of Rudra at Māmallapuram is found also in a Śiva Temple as other inscriptions in the village. (For further studies on Varāha and the inscription see the following chapter as well).