The teachings of Kapila 5

 According to their species, the living beings have different degrees of

sensitivity, and among the human beings the best are those intelligent

persons who have studied the Vedas and understood their meaning,

especially if they are able to dissipate the doubts of those who ask them

questions, and if they sincerely follow the brahminical principles. These

great souls attain perfection by liberating themselves from material

contamination and by performing devotional service without desiring any

reward. The Lord is known as Brahman and Paramatma and also as Time,

that transforms the various material manifestations. He does not consider

anyone as enemy or friend, but he encourages those who remember him

and destroys those who forget him.

To better understand the extent of the sufferings connected to birth and

death, Devahuti asked Kapila to describe them in detail and to tell also

about eternal time, that impels people to perform virtuous activities. The

avatara Kapila continued to explain: just like the clouds are not aware of the

strength of the wind, a person immersed in material consciousness does not

realize the power of Time, that destroys everything that a materialist builds

with so much effort and pain, and even his body. In his illusion, the

materialist forgets Time and deludes himself into believing that everything

will last forever. Pushed by anxiety, he commits criminal acts for the

purpose of obtaining and preserving the feeling of satisfaction he feels in

family and society, although such relationships are based on hypocrisy and

power games.

He is enthralled by his wife and by the sweet voices of his children, but

when he is unable to fulfill their requests he is neglected, like an old and

tired ox receives a poor treatment from a stingy farmer. In spite of all that,

he is afflicted by attachment and identification, and therefore he remains in

the family even when his life has become miserable because of old age,

invalidity and many diseases. Finally he dies in a pathetic way, surrounded

by crying relatives and friends, and is unable to speak with them in spite of

his ardent desire - something that gives him immense sufferings.

As during his life he has committed questionable actions, he sees the

Yamadutas, the servants of Yamaraja, who are coming to arrest him. He isbound and dragged away for the proper punishment, and while he is

walking along the road under a scorching sun and between forest fires, he is

attacked by dogs and whipped. There is no respite for him, no shelter, no

food or drink that can alleviate hunger and thirst. And this is just the

beginning of his sufferings, because in the dimensions of hellish existence

he suffers much torment in his subtle body. After his punishment is over,

the materialist takes birth again and again in various bodies in the lower

forms of life, until he obtains the precious opportunity of human birth.

To take birth in a human body, the living being must first enter a father's

sperm and be inserted in a mother's womb. During the first night after

conception the sperm fertilizes the egg, and in the fifth night the embryo

starts forming. In the tenth night it has the shape of a plum, and within one

month the head becomes distinct from the rest of the body. At two months

the hands and feet are formed, at three months the fingers and toes, the

bones and the skin, the genitals and the other openings of the body become

distinct. At four months from conception all the elements of the body are

formed, at five months the fetus begins to feel hunger and thirst, and at six

months it starts moving, leaning to the right side of the abdomen.

The unborn child subsists on the food and drink consumed by the mother

and lives in the abdominal cavity together with blood, urine and

excrements, where germs and sometimes even parasites multiply. The fetus'

body is very delicate and suffers when the mother eats food that is too

bitter or spicy, salty or acid. It is also forced into an uncomfortable position,

its back arched, and cannot move freely.

In the seventh month of pregnancy the child becomes conscious; if he is

lucky he is able to remember his previous lifetimes and repents about the

mistakes he has committed. His position in his mother's womb becomes

more and more precarious, because of the descending life air that forces

him to move often, and in his pain, the child who has become conscious

starts to pray the Lord to deliver him from that suffering.

However, the closer he comes to the moment of birth, the more the child

becomes anxious at the idea that after birth he will again fall in the trap of

material existence, constituted by the illusion of being the body. But

naturally the moment has come for him to take birth, therefore the

descending life air in his mother's body inexorably pushes him downthrough the small opening in mother's body, and he comes into the world

with much pain, breathless and devoid of memory. Covered in blood and

excrements, he falls to the ground and wriggles faintly and vainly like a

worm, crying and screaming.

After birth, the child is given to the care of people who are unable to

understand what he wants or needs, and he is fed and handled by them.

Unable to refuse what is given or done to him, he must lie in a

contaminated bed, damp with sweat, urine and stool, full of germs, and is at

the mercy of mosquitoes, flies, fleas and other insects from which he

cannot defend himself. Without memory or intellect, the child can only cry

in bitterness.

Childhood is spent in disease, sufferings and frustration. The child cannot

obtain what he wants, and in his ignorance he is overwhelmed by anger,

despair and sadness. Growing up, he develops greed and lust, and quarrels

with other people who have the same defects, falling under the control of

those who are interested only in the pleasures of tongue and sex. In such a

disastrous situation he loses truthfulness, the sense of cleanliness,

compassion, gravity, spiritual intelligence, modesty, self-control, good

name, fortune and good opportunities in life.

Those who were strongly attracted to women in previous lifetimes take a

new birth as females to become attracted by males, foolishly believing that

the purpose of their life consists in finding a husband who will give them a

home, children, nice clothes and ornaments, and other wealth. Actually all

these things are a deathly trap for her, like the song of the hunter who

attracts the doe only to kill her.

The conditioned soul who lives in the center of a family performs the

prescribed rituals for the purpose of obtaining material benefits and enjoys

the acquisition of wealth and sense gratification, but as long as such

religious activities are performed with a materialistic mentality, they can at

most propitiate the Devas and the ancestors and elevate one to heaven, to

the moon or to Pitriloka, but these are temporary positions. After

exhausting their merits, these people must again take birth on earth, and at

the end of the cycle of creation and manifestation of the universe, they lose

everything.On the other hand, one who becomes detached from the attraction to

material benefits attains enlightenment and can easily enter the personal

realm of God, who is the owner of all worlds, material and spiritual. For

this purpose, a person who has understood the various methods of self

realization serves the Supreme God, fulfills his or her own professional and

family duties, observes the rituals of sacrifice, distributes charity, engages in

austerities, controls mind and senses, accepts the order of renunciation,

practices yoga, offers devotional service and makes efforts to understand

the science of self realization.

These instructions should not be offered to those who are envious,

unfaithful or addicted to degraded practices, to hypocrites or those who are

very proud of their material possessions, greedy or attached to family life.

They are meant for those who are respectful towards spiritual science,

friendly to all beings and sincerely eager to serve.

After listening to Kapila's teachings, his mother Devahuti attained the

perfect understanding of devotional service and transcendental knowledge,

and offered loving prayer to her divine son, the avatara of Vishnu. Kapila's

mission was now complete: he took leave from his mother and left home.

Devahuti, too, engaged in austerities and meditation on God in the house

of Kardama at Siddhapada, only accepting what was strictly required for her

maintenance even among the great wealth and comforts at her disposal.

Finally she established herself in samadhi and the elements of her body

dissolved into water, becoming part of the most sacred of all rivers. Anyone

who takes bath in those blessed waters attains perfection.

After leaving his mother's house, Kapila traveled on towards north-east to

the shore of the ocean, where he established his own ashrama.

The teachings of Kapila 4

 When the mind is perfectly purified by the practice of yoga, one should

meditate on the form of the supreme Personality of God, who resides in

the heart of his devotee. His charming ever-youthful face is smiling, his eyes

are like the inner petals of the lotus flower, and his body looks like the

petals of the blue lotus. His hands hold the conchshell, the disc and the

mace.

His hips are wrapped with a shining cloth, yellow like the center of the lotus

flower, and on his chest one can see a small curl of white hair - the mark of

Srivatsa - and the radiant Kaustubha jewel. His neck is decorated with a

garland of forest flowers, surrounded by buzzing intoxicated bees. He wears

a necklace of pearls, a crown and couples of bracelets, armlets and anklets.

Meditating in this way on the Lord who resides in the heart, the yogi sees

him reclining, moving and sitting with him, and contemplates the various

parts of his body, starting from the lotus feet and the beautiful toenails, that

are red like rubies. The Lord's feet, massaged by Lakshmi Devi, are like

bolts of lightning that can shatter mountains of negative reactions

accumulated in the mind of his devotee.

His legs have a light blue complexion and appear particularly beautiful

when the Lord rides on Garuda. His hips are surrounded by a golden belt

gathering the wonderful yellow silken cloth that reaches down to his ankles.

The Lord's navel, similar to the moon, is the place of birth of the lotus

flower that contains all the planetary systems of the universe and is the

abode of Brahma, the first created being.

The Lord's chest is the resting place of Mahalakshmi, his nipples are like

emeralds illuminated by the necklace of milk-white pearls. The four arms of

the Lord are the source of the power of all the Devas. His disc, the

Sudarshana chakra, has one thousand rays and shines dazzlingly, and his

conchshell looks like a swan resting in his lotus hand. His Kaumodaki mace

is very dear to him, and is covered with the blood of the Asuras. The pearl

necklace on the Lord's neck represents the pure souls who are constantly

engaged in his service.

The Lord's face is surrounded by his dark curly hair and his eyebrows move

like two fishes swimming in a pond. His glance is compassionate and

affectionate, and dissipates all anxieties and sufferings in his devotees. Hissmile dries out the tears of anguish in those who bow to him. When Vishnu

laughs, his teeth, similar to jasmine buds, shine with a rosy hue from his

lips.

Thus meditating intimately on the Person of the Lord, the yogi develops

pure love for him and manifests ecstatic symptoms, such as the raising of

hairs and tears of joy. Focused on the Lord, the mind remains free from all

contamination, firm like the flame of a lamp that is not disturbed by the

wind, and does not care any longer for the material body. There is no more

sense of possession towards the relationships of the body, and the bodily

activities are felt as if performed in a dream.

There are three types of devotional service, according to the personal

qualities of the devotee. Service performed by an envious, arrogant, violent

and angry person, who has a sectarian mentality, is under the influence of

ignorance. Service offered in hope to obtain pleasure, fame and wealth for

oneself is under the influence of passion. When a devotee worships the

Lord offering him the result of his activities, to become free from

attachments, his service is under the influence of goodness.

Pure devotional service, that is above the gunas, is recognized by the

spontaneous and joyful attraction towards the Lord, that can be compared

to the flow of the Ganges, spontaneously rushing to the ocean because of

its own nature.

The pure devotee offers worship and prayers to the Deities in the temples,

but treats all living entities with equal benevolence, only considering their

spiritual nature. He must be compassionate to the needy, friendly with his

peers and respectful to the great souls. He must engage as much as possible

in listening about spiritual thing and in reciting the name of the Lord,

avoiding the company of materialists.

One who offers worship to the Deity in the temple but does not perceive

the Supreme Soul in the hearts of all beings and is hostile or offensive

towards the bodies of others is immersed in ignorance and his service is

compared to pouring oblations of clarified butter into ashes rather than in

the fire. The Lord is never pleased by such service and does not accept it

even if it is performed with technically perfect rituals and using all the

required ingredients. 

Actually, the Lord puts a terrible fear of death in theheart of anyone who 

makes even the smallest discrimination based on

bodily differences between himself and other living beings.

The teachings of Kapila 3

 Within the Cosmic Egg, Vishnu, Hari, divides it in fourteen planetary

systems that compose its body. The parts of the body of the Virat Purusha,

the universal Lord, manifest as the various components of nature - the

mouth is the power to speak and the Deva of fire, the nostrils are the sense

of smell and the prana, and so on.

In this way we contemplate God as present in our own body and in the

universe and simultaneously distinct from them. When the living being is in

this position, he is not subject to the influence of the gunas, of the

temporary identifications and of the sense of possession, just like the sun

remains detached from its own reflection in the water.

If, on the other hand, he falls under the illusion of false material

identification, believing himself to be the body, he focuses on material

activities and considers himself as the owner of everything. In this

conditioned state, he transmigrates into different species of life, higher or

lower according to his association with the three influences of nature, and it

forced to suffer the consequences of his actions.

Actually the living being always transcends material energy, but because of

his hunger for power and dominion on nature he is forced to remain in the

material existence and suffer all its disadvantages, just like a sleeping man

remains in his own nightmares and suffers because of them. By practicing

the system of yoga, that is aimed at controlling the mind and the senses,

one can rise to the level of pure devotional service, hearing and speaking

about God.

The liberated soul is aware of the absolute Personality of God, that is

transcendental and manifests as reflection also in false identification. The

presence of the Lord is perceived like the reflection of the sun on the water,

projected on a wall in a room or situated in the sky. Similarly the realized

soul perceives itself as reflected in the ego, in the senses and in the mind,

although it always remains conscious and free from false identification. The

illusion of material identification is like sleep, that confuses the nature and

the identity of the dreamer and creates suffering and anxieties.In spite of its attraction for material nature, the living being can become

liberated by regularly hearing about divine knowledge and performing his

prescribed duties in a spirit of renunciation towards the results of action.

He becomes independent and glorious by renouncing the idea of

dominating matter, and cannot be touched by the influence of matter

because he knows the reality of the Absolute, the nature of Brahman. After

living many years and many lifetimes in this spiritual practice, one loses all

desires to enjoy matter and any attraction for the mystic powers of yoga or

even for the heavenly planets of this world. Thus he finally attains the

transcendental position and never returns again to the material world.

In order to engage in devotional service, one needs to see all living beings

equally, without hostility or intimate relationships with anyone. One must

be sincere in external activities and offer their results to God, be content

with that income that can be obtained without too much difficulty, only eat

what is strictly required and constantly live in a solitary place avoiding

mundane social interactions.

One should be always truthful, attentive, clean, peaceful, friendly, nonviolent,

compassionate and focused on one's spiritual nature. One should

abstain from appropriating what does not belong to him and be satisfied

with what he has. He must cultivate the ability to see and understand things

through the knowledge of matter and spirit, but always avoid identifying

with the body and being attracted to relationships based on the body.

One should abandon conventional religious practices and focus only on

those that lead to liberation, such as studying Vedic scriptures and

worshiping the Deity, observing silence, controlling breathing, detaching

the senses from the sense objects and focusing the mind on the heart.

Fixing the prana and the mind on one of the six chakras of the body, he

must focus the mind on the transcendental activities of God: this is called

samadhi.

When one has learned to control the mind and the body, he must sit

comfortably in a solitary and sanctified place, keeping the body erect, and

practice breathing control. He begins with deep breathing, holding the air

between inhalation and exhalation, and then the other way around. The

purpose of this practice is to stabilize and calm the mind, and to become

free from the identification with the material body.

The teachings of Kapila 2

 Brahma came to see the divine newborn and Kardama offered him

respects. Then Kardama gave his daughters in marriage to great Rishis: Kala

to Marici, Anasuya to Atri, Sraddha to Angira, Havirbhu to Pulastya, Gati to

Pulaya, Kriya to Kratu, Khyati to Bhrigu, Arundhati to Vasistha and Santi

to Atharva. He then offered prayers to the Supreme Lord, who had

incarnated as his son Kapila, and asked his permission to retire from family

life and go to the forest to meditate alone and then to roam around the

world following the strict rules of renunciation of sannyasa. Free from all

identifications and material attachments, from all desires and repulsion,

Kardama finally attained the supreme liberation.

Kapila stayed with his mother Devahuti, and on her request he explained

the method of devotional service to the Supreme Lord, that constitutes the

supreme form of yoga. The mind becomes purified when it is completely

free from the desires produced by the false identifications with the body

and by material attachments. Awakened to its true spiritual nature, the soul

transcends the joys and sorrows of this world and by practicing knowledge

and renunciation it only accepts the company of the realized sages - who

are tolerant, compassionate, peaceful and friendly towards all living beings.

The sadhus live by practicing the teachings of the scriptures and do not see

anyone as their enemies, but renounce all material ties because they only

seek pleasure in the meditation on the Lord's activities. The company of

such saintly people helps one to overcome material attachments and

become firmly established in divine consciousness.

To help Devahuti to better concentrate on this meditation, Kapila explained

to her the Sankhya yoga, that is a combination of devotional service and

mystic realization, that considers the senses as the symbolic representations

of the Devas and the mind as the representative of the Supreme Lord. The

natural tendency of the senses is to act according to the instructions of the

Vedas and the tendency of the mind is to serve. The supreme service is the

service offered to the Lord, in full knowledge and awareness of the Divine

is the supreme perfection of self realization.

The Supreme Lord is the Supreme Soul, who has no beginning or end; he

transcends the world of matter but can be perceived everywhere in theuniverse because he is omnipresent. Entering the material energy, the Lord

starts the creation of the universe. The static combination of the three gunas,

the three influences of nature, is the aggregate of the elements that

compose nature, and is called pradhana. These elements are the five gross

elements, the five subtle elements, the four internal senses, the five senses

of perception and the five organs of action.

The five gross elements are earth (energy in the solid form), water (energy

in liquid form), fire (energy in the form of heat and light), air (energy in the

form of gas) and space. The five corresponding subtle elements are smell,

taste, color, touch and sound. The senses of perception are the sense of

smell, taste, sight, touch and hearing, while the senses of action are those

that enable us to speak, move, work, generate and evacuate. The internal

subtle senses are the mind, intelligence, ego and material awareness. The

25th element is time, the eternal manifestation of God that starts and ends

creation, while the 26th element is the presence of the soul.

In the beginning, the soul has a pure, clear and peaceful awareness, free

from all distractions, but when it identifies with matter, the principles of

creation manifest the various material elements. The false perception of the

self is controlled by Ananta Sankarshana: this false perception, focused in

goodness, manifests the mind, controlled by Aniruddha. Material

identification focused in passion manifests intelligence, with its functions

such as doubt, correct understanding, incorrect understanding, memory and

sleep, as well as the senses of perception and action, that depend

respectively on intelligence and life energy.

Material identification focused in ignorance produces the material elements,

beginning with the subtle element of sound, that in turn produces space and

the sense of hearing. Sound is that which transmits the idea of an object

and indicates the presence of a person even if we cannot see him or her.

The characteristics of space are the power to contain the external and

internal existence of all beings, as the field of action of prana, senses and

mind.

From the existence of space the element of touch develops, and then air.

Touch is characterized by the feeling of hardness and softness, heat and

cold, while the function of air is to move, mix, and enable access to the

object of the sense of hearing and the other senses.The interaction of air with the sense of touch produces the forms of the

bodies, determined by the destiny of each individual. The evolution of the

forms generates the fire (light and heat) and the eyes become able to

perceive forms and colors. The characteristics of form are size, quality and

individuality. The form of fire is perceived by its radiance; fire is appreciated

for its light, for the power to cook, digest, evaporate, destroy cold and

stimulate hunger and thirst - the desire and the action to eat and drink.

The interaction of fire with the visual perception evolves the element of

taste, that produces water and the sense that perceives taste (the tongue).

Although taste is originally one, it develops in various categories such as

astringent, sweet, bitter, pungent, acid and salty, because of its contact wth

different substances.

The characteristics of water are the power to drench other substances, to

coagulate various mixtures, destroy thirst, give satisfaction and sustain life,

soften things, fight heat and constantly return to the water reservoirs.

The interaction of water with the perception of taste develops the subtle

element of odor, that manifests earth and the sense of smell. Odor is one,

but it manifests in many ways - mixed, disgusting, fragrant, sweet, strong,

acid and so on - according to the proportions of the associated substances.

The characteristic functions of earth can be perceived by fashioning forms

of the Supreme Brahman, building residences, preparing pots and

containers for water and other substances and so on. In other words, earth

is the support for all other elements.

The sense that perceives sound is called hearing, the sense perceiving touch

is called tact, the one perceiving form (the characteristic of fire) is called

sight, the one perceiving taste (the characteristic of water) is called taste, the

one perceiving odor (the characteristic of earth) is called smell. Because

cause also exists in the effect, the characteristics of the cause are also found

in the effect: therefore in earth we can found the characteristics of all other

elements.

When all these elements become differentiated, the Supreme Lord

personally enters the creation together with time, action and the gunas (the

fundamental qualities of nature, namely goodness, passion and ignorance),

giving birth to the Cosmic Egg. The universe has the shape of an egg, with

layers of elements each 10 times thicker than the previous one, and it

surrounded by non-manifested nature.

The teachings of Kapila 1

 On Vidura's request, Maitreya continued to narrate the Bhagavata, speaking

about the descendants of Manu and especially of Devahuti and Ruci, who

married respectively Kardama and Daksha.

On Brahma's order, Kardama engaged in a long meditation on the bank of

the Bindu Sarovara, a wonderful lake surrounded by the Sarasvati river: it

was a very beautiful place, the abode of noble Rishis, in the middle of

scented forests full of flowers and resounding with the songs of auspicious

bird as well as deer, elephants, monkeys, lions and mongooses. When finally

Vishnu appeared to grant him a boon, Kardama offered him beautiful

prayers and asked him for a suitable bride. The Lord blessed him, and told

him that Svayambhuva Manu and his wife Satarupa were coming to that

place, traveling with their daughter Devahuti, in search of a good husband

for her. In the future, Devahuti would have nine daughters and Vishnu

himself would appear as her son Kapila.As Vishnu had predicted, as soon as Kardama had completed his

austerities, Svayambhuva Manu arrived at the ashrama, accompanied by his

wife and daughter, and was greeted with much honor. Svayambhuva told

the Rishi that his daughter Devahuti had heard much about him and had

decided to become his wife. Kardama was happy to accept the proposal, on

the condition that - after giving children to Devahuti - he would be free to

retire from family life to engage completely in spiritual meditation.

Devahuti accepted and the marriage was solemnized. Her parents bade her

farewell, leaving many gifts for her, and then returned to their capital,

Barhismati.

Devahuti lived in the ashrama of Kardama Muni, sincerely engaged in

taking care of her great husband, observing all the religious rituals and

working hard, even neglecting her own well-being and health. After some

time, Kardama noticed that the princess had neglected the proper care of

her own body, and so he became worried and saddened.

Comforted by her husband, Devahuti reminded him about his promise to

give her children, and also asked for a suitable house where she could raise

them. Immediately Kardama Muni created, out of his own mystic powers,

an airborne palace of wonderful beauty, and filled with all sorts of wealth.

The castle was seven stories high, had floors made with emeralds with

motifs of coral daisies, and was equipped by very valuable furniture,

decorated with all types of gems and garlands of scented flowers. There

were gardens and courtyards with swans and doves - both real and artificial

- and many works of art. Kardama's power also created one thousand

maidservants who bathed Devahuti in the Bindu Sarovara, massaging her

with costly oils and dressing her with wonderful clothes and royal

ornaments. Refreshed with delicious foods and tonic drinks, Devahuti

traveled with her husband in her flying mansion for many years, visiting the

valleys of mount Meru and those around the Manasa Sarovara lake, as well

as the gardens called Vaisrambhaka, Surasana, Nandana, Puspabhadraka

and Caitrarathya. They also traveled to various other planets, freely and

without any difficulty.

Devahuti gave birth to nine daughters, but as these would leave their home

to marry, she asked her husband for a son who could stay and take care of

her. After worshiping the Supreme Lord, Devahuti gave birth to Kapila, 

theavatara of Vishnu who expounded the teachings known as the Sankhya

philosophy.

The story of Varaha 2

 "The story of Hiranyaksha begins with his birth from Diti, the daughter of

Prajapati Daksha," Maitreya replied. "Diti strongly desired to have a child,

and she prayed her husband Kasyapa, son of Marici, to unite with her even

if the moment was inauspicious. Sunset is a moment of the day when the

forces of darkness stir and become more powerful - therefore it is better to

engage in religious ceremonies that will protect our awareness, keeping it

from sliding into the lower influences of matter. Kasyapa was sitting in

meditation after completing the fire ceremony and was offering homage to

Lord Shiva, who at that time travels around, accompanied by his retinue."

Diti, however, was agitated by sexual desire and had no intention to wait

any longer. Kasyapa consented to perform his conjugal duty, but warned

her that there would be negative consequences: the two children conceived

at that inauspicious time would be evil Asuras, tormentors of the universe,

and for this reason they would be killed by the Supreme Lord, Vishnu.

Later Diti repented for her lack of discipline, and Kasyapa said that the son

of one of those sons would be a great devotee of the Lord, blessed and

loved by all. Diti also tried to delay the birth of the two Asuras, but already

during the pregnancy the universe was gradually covered by a great

darkness, so that the Devas went to Brahma to ask him what was

happening.

Brahma explained that the problem had started when the four Kumaras had

gone to Vaikuntha to meet Lord Vishnu. After crossing the first six gates

and meeting many of the residents of Vaikuntha, who traveled in airplanes

together with their consorts, the Kumaras came to the seventh gate and its

two doormen Jaya and Vijaya. The two guards saw the Kumaras enter

without hesitation and stopped them, treating them as ordinary children.

Annoyed, the Rishis scolded the two guards for their narrow mindedness.

Such a mentality was characteristic of the material world, and that was the

place where they would soon end up.

At that very moment, Vishu arrived personally to solve the controversy.

After graciously accepting the prayers of the Kumaras, he declared he

approved the punishment that had been given to his servants. Directly

taking responsibility for the offense, he asked the Kumaras to allow the

doormen to return to his presence in Vaikuntha after expiating their

mistake by taking birth in the material world. The Kumaras repliedacknowledging the fact that everything always happens according to the

Lord's plan and that the curse against the two innocent doormen was due

to the influence of his illusory energy.

Thus Jaya and Vijaya fell from their positions and entered Diti's womb as

her two sons, Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu.

The birth of the two twins was accompanied by many bad omens:

earthquakes, great fires, comets, meteorites, hurricanes and cyclones that

hid the light of the sun and the moon, immersing the entire universe in

deep darkness. The planets moved inauspiciously, often in retrograde path,

and there were many eclipses. Mars and Saturn became more powerful than

the other more peaceful planets such as Mercury, Jupiter and Venus. The

ocean moaned, agitated by huge waves. Dogs and jackals were restless and

continued to howl, wild donkeys ran around the land in herds, scaring the

birds and the cows.

Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu were born already fully grown, with bodies

as strong as steel, decorated with crowns and other ornaments. They did

not fear anyone, and before them Indra and the other celestial beings fled

and went into hiding. Not finding any opponents to fight with, Hiranyaksha

ventured into the ocean and went to challenge the Deva Varuna in his

capital, Vibhavari. Not desiring to fight against the arrogant Asura, Varuna

convinced him to seek Vishnu, the Supreme and most powerful Being, and

fight with him.

Immediately Hiranyaksha went to search for Vishnu, and learning that he

was rescuing earth from the waters, he hastened to challenge him, insulting

and threatening him. Hiranyaksha had golden hair and terrifying tusks, and

wore a golden armor and other beautiful ornaments. He was equipped with

a huge mace and he rushed against the Lord without hesitation. Varaha

patiently tolerated the insults and first of all focused on rescuing the earth,

lifting her out of the water, like an elephant that is attacked by a crocodile

first of all thinks about his female's safety. Then he turned to face the

challenge, crushing the Asura's pride and threatening him.

The fight was terrible, and all the Devas and Rishis and the inhabitants of

the heavenly planets watched it anxiously. Both the opponents dealt many

heavy blows on one another and intoxicated by the smell of the blood, theybecame even more engrossed in the fight. Suddenly Varaha's mace slid off

his hand, and the Asura showed his chivalry by holding his attack.

Brahma was scared, and offering his prayers to the Lord, he asked him not

to play too long with his enemy, but to end the fight quickly. Then Varaha

smacked Hiranyaksha's mace off his hand and again offered the weapon

back to him. The Asura felt humiliated and grabbed a trident, that was soon

shattered to pieces by the Lord's disc. Enraged, Hiranyaksha tried all the

magic tricks he knew, evoking violent winds, darkness, hailstorms and a rain

of sand and stones. There was a shower of pus, hair, blood, excrements,

urine and bones, and armies of demons marched in full war gear. But the

Lord's Sudarshana disc dissipated all those terrifying illusions and Varaha

ended the fight with a hard slap just below the Asura's ear - and he fell

dead.

The story of Varaha 1

 Sukadeva continued to narrate the teachings of Maitreya to Vidura about

the creation of the universe. Maitreya said, "Svayambhuva Manu received

from Brahma the task to populate the earth and rule it, but there was a

problem. Earth had sunk into the Garbha Ocean, that is at the bottom of

the universe, and it had to be restored to its proper orbit."

While he was pondering this problem, Brahma sneezed and from his nostril

appeared a tiny boar, who soon grew so big that his body occupied the

entire sky. Immediately Brahma, the Rishis and Manu realized that it could

not be an ordinary creature; when Brahma guessed that it might be Vishnu,

the boar roared his approval and the echo of that powerful sound was

accompanied by the reciting of Vedic hymns by all the great Rishis.

The boar avatara, Varaha, flashed across the sky, bristling his hair and

scattering the clouds with his hooves and sparkling tusks. Then, running

merrily like an elephant, he entered into the waters, creating two enormous

waves, that seemed like arms of the ocean raised in prayer. Using his long

white tusks, he furrowed into the ocean bed searching for the earth, and

finally he found her and lifted her up. While he was restoring the earth to

her proper orbit, he was confronted by the asura Hiranyaksha and engaged

in battle with him, finally killing him with his divine mace. Happy at having

witnessed that wonderful adventure, all the Rishis contemplated the form

of Varaha with devotion and offered their respects and prayers to the Lord,

who had accepted earth a his beloved consort.

Vidura had listened carefully to Maitreya's discourse, and wanted to hear

more. "O great Rishi," he said, "why had the Asura Hiranyaksha appeared

to challenge Lord Varaha while he was rescuing Earth?"