Editing Varaha (section)

===Slayer of demons===
[[File:Emerald Buddha Temple - Varaha.jpg|thumb|300px|Scene from the Thai version of the ''[[Ramayana]]'' - the ''[[Ramakien]]'' - Vishnu (Witsanu) transforms into a boar to kill the demon Hiranyaksha (Hiranta) who curls the earth up in an attempt to take over the world.]]

While early references in the ''Mahabharata'' to the demon [[Hiranyaksha]] do not relate him to Varaha, Vishnu is said to be taken the boar form to slay a demon named Naraka.{{sfn|Brockington|1998|pp=280-1}}<ref name="CXLI">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03141.htm|title=The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva: Tirtha-yatra Parva: Section CXLI|website=www.sacred-texts.com|access-date=2019-11-21}}</ref> Another late insertion describes Vishnu lifting the earth as well as defeating all the [[Danava (Hinduism)|danava]]s (demons).{{sfn|Brockington|1998|p=281}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03270.htm|title=The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva: Draupadi-harana Parva: Section CCLXX|website=www.sacred-texts.com|access-date=2019-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m12/m12b036.htm|title=The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Mokshadharma Parva: Section CCIX|website=www.sacred-texts.com|access-date=2019-11-27}}</ref> Late passages start the association of Hiranyaksha with Varaha. Vishnu is praised as Varaha, the vanquisher of Hiranyaksha in three instances.{{sfn|Brockington|1998|p=281}}<ref name="CCCXL" />

The ''[[Agni Purana]]'' mentions the obliteration of the demon Hiranyaksha as Varaha's main purpose.{{sfn|Narada_Purana|1995|pp=85-6}} The ''Linga Purana'' and the ''Kurma Purana'' narrate that the ''[[daitya]]'' (demon; lit. "son of [[Diti]]") Hiranyaksa defeats the gods and entraps the earth in the subterranean realm. Taking the Varaha form, Vishnu slays the demon by piercing him by his tusks. Later, he uplifts the earth from the netherworld and restores her to her original position.{{sfn|Gupta|1972|pp=113-4}}{{sfn|Shastri|1990|pp=504-5}}{{sfn|Rao|1914|p=137}} The ''Linga Purana'' continues further: Later, Vishnu discards his boar body and returns to his heavenly abode of Vaikuntha; the earth cannot bear the weight of his tusks. Shiva relieves the earth by using the same as an ornament.{{sfn|Shastri|1990|pp=504-5}}{{sfn|Rao|1914|p=137}}

The ''Brahmanda Purana'', the ''Vayu Purana'', the ''Matsya Purana''{{sfn|Talukdar of Oudh|1916|p=330|loc=Part I}} and the ''Padma Purana''{{sfn|Deshpande|1988|p=125}} mentions that Varaha's battle with the ''asura''s (demons) is one of twelve in this ''kalpa'' between the gods and the demons. The ''Brahmanda Purana'' states that Hiranyaksha is pierced by Varaha's tusk,{{sfn|Tagare|2002a|pp=908-9}} while ''Vayu Purana'' comments that Hiranyaksha is killed in this battle before Varaha rescued the earth.{{sfn|Tagare|1960a|p=765-6}} The ''Harivamsa'' narrates that the demons led by Hiranyaksha overpower and imprison the gods, Vishnu assumes the boar form and slays the demon-king with his [[Sudarshana Chakra|Sudarshana]] chakra (discus) after a fierce war.{{sfn|Dutt|1897|pp=910-5}}

The ''Shrishti Khanda'' book of the ''Padma Purana'' provides an elaborate description of the war between the gods and the demons led by Hiranyaksha. The demon army is routed by the gods, who in turn by overpowered by the demon-king. Vishnu combats with Hiranyaksha for a hundred divine years; finally the demon expands his size and seizing the earth escapes to the netherworld. Vishnu follows him, taking up the Varaha form and rescues the earth. After engaging in a fierce mace-battle, Varaha finally beheads the demon with his discus.{{sfn|Deshpande|1989|pp=848-53}}

In the ''Shiva Purana'', the annihilation of Hiranyaksha appears as a cursory tale in the story of subduing of his adopted son [[Andhaka]] by Shiva. The demon king Hiranyaksha confines the earth to Patala. Vishnu becomes Varaha (identified with Sacrifice) and slaughters the demon army by trashing them by his snout, piercing by tusks and kicking by his legs. Finally, Varaha decapitates the demon king with his discus and crowns Andhaka as his successor. He picks the earth on his tusks and places it in her original place.{{sfn|Shastri|2000|pp=978-84}}
[[File:Varaha and Hiranyaksha.jpg|thumb|300x300px|Varaha battles the demon Hiranyaksha, Scene from the <nowiki>''Bhagavata Purana''</nowiki> by [[Manaku of Guler]] (c. 1740)]]
A detailed second account in the ''Bhagavata Purana'' narrates that [[Jaya-Vijaya|Jaya and Vijaya]], the doorkeepers of Vishnu's abode [[Vaikuntha]], were cursed by the [[four Kumaras]] to be born as demons. In their first birth, they are born as the daityas [[Hiranyakashipu]] (who is slain by another of Vishnu's avatara of [[Narasimha]]) and Hiranyaksha as the twin sons of Diti and the sage [[Kashyapa]].{{sfn|Wilson|1862|p=62}}{{sfn|Shastri|Tagare|1999|p=316}} Blessed by Brahma, the king of daityas Hiranyaksha became powerful and conquered the universe. He challenges the sea god Varuna to combat, who redirects him the more powerful Vishnu. The demon confronts Vishnu as Varaha, who is rescuing the earth at the time. The demon mocks Varaha as the animal and warns him not to touch earth. Ignoring the demon's threats, Varaha lifts the earth on his tusks. Varaha engages in a mace-duel with the demon. Varaha destroys with the discus, the demon horde created by the demon's magic; finally slaying Hiranyaksha hitting him with his foreleg after the thousand-year battle.{{sfn|Wilson| 1862|p=62}}{{sfn|Shastri|Tagare|1999|pp=318-28}}

The ''Garuda Purana'', that refers to the ''Bhagavata Purana'', alludes to the curse in the Hiranyaksha tale. The cursed Vijaya is born as the demon Hiranyaksha, begins a boon from Brahma. He takes the earth to Patala. Vishnu, as Varaha, enters Patala via the ocean. He lifts the earth with the tusks and annihilates the demon; then places the four world elephants to support the earth and settles in [[Srimushnam]].{{sfn|Garuda Purana|2002b|pp=1096-7}} The ''Uttarakhanda'' book of the ''Padma Purana'' also narrates about the curse of the Kumaras. Jaya and Vijaya choose three births on the earth as foes of Vishnu, rather than seven existences as his devotees to lessen the period of the curse. Hiranyaksha carries the earth away to the underworld. Varaha pierces the demon fatally by his tusk and then places the earth over the hood of the serpent and becomes the world turtle to support it.{{sfn|Padma_Purana|1956|pp=3195-8}} The ''Avantikshetra Mahatmya'' section of the ''Avantya Khanda'' Book of the ''Skanda Purana'' also refers to the curse. The earth sinks in the waters tormented by the daityas; Varaha vanquishes Hiranyaksha.{{sfn|Skanda Purana|2003|pp=203-8}}

In a passing reference in the ''Brahmanda Purana'', the ''Vayu Purana'' and ''Matsya Purana'', Varaha is said to have slain Hiranyaksha on Mount Sumana (also called Ambikeya or Rishabha) on/ near the legendary island [[Jambudvipa]].{{sfn|Talukdar of Oudh|1916|p=330|loc=Part I}}{{sfn|Tagare|2002|p=175}}{{sfn|Tagare|1960|pp=315}} Besides to alluding to the raising of the earth from the waters by Varaha, the ''[[Brahmavaivarta Purana]]'' also mentions that Hiranyaksha was slain by Varaha.{{sfn|Nagar|2005|pp=35, 500}} The ''Garuda Purana'' and the ''[[Narada Purana]]'' also refers to Varaha as the slayer of Hiranyaksha.{{sfn|Garuda Purana|2002|pp=270, 411}}{{sfn|Narada_Purana|1995|p=195}}

The ''Brahma Purana'' narrates another tale where a ''[[rakshasa]]'' (demon) named Sindhusena defeated the gods and took the sacrifice to the netherworld Rasatala. Implored by the gods, Vishnu takes the form of Varaha and enters Rasatala. He slew the demons and recovered the sacrifice holding it in his mouth (''mukha''), thus sacrifice known as ''makha''. Near [[Brahmagiri (hill), Maharashtra|Brahmagiri]] hill in [[Trimbak]], Varaha washed his blood-stained hands in the river Ganga (identified with the [[Godavari]] alias Gautami river); the water collected forms the sacred pond called ''Varaha-[[Tirtha (Hinduism)|tirtha]]'' or ''Varaha-kunda''.{{sfn|Brahma Purana|1955|pp=799-801}}<ref name="Söhnen Söhnen-Thieme Schreiner 1989 p. 143">{{cite book | last1=Söhnen | first1=R. | last2=Söhnen-Thieme | first2=R. | last3=Schreiner | first3=P. | title=Brahmapurāṇa | publisher=O. Harrassowitz | series=Purāṇa research publications, Tübingen | year=1989 | isbn=978-3-447-02960-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J2c6-tAt4vwC&pg=PA143 | language=bs | access-date=2020-06-03 | page=143}}</ref>