Text 21: Is this some extraordinary entity come in the pretense of a boar? It is very wonderful that He has come from my nose.
Text 22: First of all this boar was seen no bigger than the tip of a thumb, and within a moment He was as large as a stone. My mind is perturbed. Is He the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu?
Text 23: While Brahmā was deliberating with his sons, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, roared tumultuously like a great mountain.
Text 24: The omnipotent Supreme Personality of Godhead enlivened Brahmā and the other highly elevated brāhmaṇas by again roaring with His uncommon voice, which echoed in all directions.
Śrīdhara Svāmi-kṛtā Bhāvārtha-dīpikā Vyākhyā
Previously seen as thumb-tip sized. Gaṇḍaśilā is a large stone of equal size. Yajña is Viṣṇu. Concealing his true form, causing distress to my mind. (22) * Thus pondering. It roared loudly. Like the king of mountains. (23) The purpose of the roaring is stated. To Brahmā, etc. (24)
Śrī Vaṃśīdhara-kṛtā Bhāvārtha-dīpikā Prakāśa Vyākhyā
Saukara refers to a boar, its pretense or guise, sattva means jīva (individual soul). "Sattva means living being, quality, and courage" according to Dharaṇi. (21) * * "Fallen large stones are known as gaṇḍaśailā" it is said. "Yajña is indeed Viṣṇu" according to śruti. (22) * Agendra means great mountain or Blue Mountain. With sons meaning Marīci and others. (23) * * Causing to resound means making echoes. (24)
Śrī Rādhā Ramaṇa dāsa Gosvāmi Viracitā Dīpanī Vyākhyā
Śūkaravyāja means a special living being in the form of a boar. "Sattva refers to quality, ghost, strength, substance and nature" according to Medinī. (21) * * His true form is four-armed, by concealing it and manifesting an unseen form, causing distress to the mind with doubts. (22) * * The roaring is explained as occurring long before Maitreya's narration, hence the change in tense to past perfect. (23) * * Causing to resound means making echoes. (24)
Śrīmad Vīrarāghava Vyākhyā
He elaborates on the reasoning in two verses. Divine refers to the pure sattva substance of the supreme brahman residing in the highest heaven. Sūkara means boar, vyāja means disguise. Thus situated, the word kim indicates contemplation. From my nose this boar form emerged - oh how wondrous! (21) * * First seen thumb-tip sized, then instantly as large as a boulder. Yajña is Viṣṇu according to śruti. Distressing my mind by concealing his true form - is this the Lord in boar form or not? The word api indicates possibility. (22) Concluding the reasoning, he summarizes the activities of the Lord in boar form up to the end of the chapter. Thus pondering along with his sons like Manu, Brahmā saw the Lord Yajñapuruṣa resembling the king of mountains roar loudly. (23) * * The all-pervading Hari as boar delighted Brahmā and those foremost twice-born like Marīci by making the directions resound with echoes of his roar. (24)
Śrīmad Vijayadhvaja Tīrtha-kṛtā Pada Ratnāvalī Vyākhyā
He pondered on the boar form. The manner of reasoning is stated with kim etad. Aho draws the attention of nearby sages. (21) * What more, this is greatly wondrous. Thumb-tip sized means the size of a thumb's tip. "Fallen large stones are known as gaṇḍaśailā" it is remembered. This boar distressing my mind - is it Lord Yajña? (22) * He describes how Brahmā's sudden ignorance was dispelled. Thus - while pondering, with sons like Marīci. (23) * * The result of the roaring is stated. To Brahmā - causing echoes with the roar. (24)
Śrīmaj Jīva Gosvāmi-kṛtā Krama Sandarbha Vyākhyā
Distressing means agitating the mind with doubts by manifesting an unseen form. (22) * * Roared means assenting, as if making a huṃ sound. Agendra means great mountain. (23) * * By his own unique roar. (24)
Śrīmad Viśvanātha Cakravarti-kṛtā Sārārtha darśinī Vyākhyā
Yajña is the incarnation of the first manvantara. Distressing means agitating the mind with doubts by manifesting an unseen form. (22-23) * * Kakubha means directions. Causing to resound means making echoes. (24)
Śrīmac Chukadeva-kṛta Siddhānta Pradīpaḥ
Equal to a boulder means as large as a big stone. (22) Thus while he was thinking. (23) (24)
Śrīmad Vallabhācārya Viracitā Subodhinī Vyākhyā
Then to determine the nature of the object, they engaged in deliberation, as stated in "with Marīci foremost". Marīci was the chief among those brāhmaṇas. There were three types of Brahmā's sons - brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and kumāras. The kumāras like Sanaka were uninitiated, being 5 years old. Initiation happens at 8 years, but they became 5 year olds in moments of forgetting the Lord, since only time experiencing the body determines karma. Vipras meaning brāhmaṇas especially fill or satisfy. Manu was a kṣatriya. Thus with all situated in the three paths. In various ways, by separating the compound citra-dhā. That boar form - just as demons like Madhu and Kaiṭabha arose from filth, this boar may also be so. A demon boar is established in śruti: "This boar stole the left side". Or it may be an incarnation of anger: "The boar is indeed the anger of animals". Thus they reasoned in many ways. Reasoning means a fitting explanation for a directly perceived object, that which when assumed makes the seen object fit. Here no position was determined, hence "in various ways" is stated. (21)
When logic based on worldly and Vedic knowledge is unable to determine the nature of an object, then it imagines the object in an extraordinary way - what is this? The boar form is merely a pretext, this is actually a divine being, not a natural one. It describes its divine nature - "Aho" expresses wonder, "bata" expresses sorrow. Due to the visible brilliance etc., being even more extraordinary than us, some fundamental truth is the cause of its boar form which is a source of great wonder. The sorrow is due to its greatly deformed appearance. He expresses another wonder - "This is amazing". Even great beings can become lowly due to time, karma and nature, yet this is extremely amazing, that it emerged from my own nostril. Boars are not born from humans, and moreover it is said that even the womb is not of a different species than the nostril. (22)
He expresses another wonder - "It was seen". Its size was equal to the tip (uppermost joint) of a thumb. "It was seen" refers to the first sighting. It is said to be that size because the nasal opening is that small, or because Brahma's knowledge transcends time and the senses. Hence it is said "in an instant". Being Brahma's words, a short time is not meant in the ordinary sense. It is compared to large boulders fallen from a mountain, indicating its massive size etc. The insentient example indicates sorrow, like having one's wings cut off by a thunderbolt, as if one were a mountain. Or wonder and sorrow are described in sequence. Even when contemplating the object in an extraordinary way, its nature cannot be determined. Only the seed has been determined by reasoning, not the purpose. For even a divine being has no purpose in this context. The Lord was meditated upon to lift the earth, so it is possible He manifested in this form for that purpose. If one asks what is the reason for the Supreme Person to manifest in a form criticized by people and the Vedas, it is imagined that causing His own sorrow is the reason, as He says "grieving my mind". "Api" indicates possibility. "Stri" indicates certainty. Earlier many possibilities were imagined, now this view is determined. Therefore this is indeed the Supreme Lord. Among His infinite forms, this could also be the sacrifice, being relevant to the context. His demon nature is possible in this form due to being appropriate for the time and anger; otherwise the demon could not be killed, as in the proper way only cruelty kills cruelty. This sacrificial earth is protected only by the boar. If the demons' sacrificial ground is brought after killing the earth-demon, then the gods' sacrifice becomes complete. For Brahma gave sacrifices with grounds to all, and the boar is the stealer of those. Killing occurs only when there is an opponent. Therefore such a form became necessarily undertaken, as if reproaching Brahma, the sacrifice itself took the boar form. No other seed-purpose connection is possible. (23)
Thinking that this view too will be determined after the task is accomplished, Brahma continued deliberating until the result manifested, as stated: While Brahma was still deliberating with his sons Marichi etc., quickly to prevent further deliberation, knowing their hearts, Lord Yajñapuruṣa roared. Though previously like a boulder, He now grew to be like Mount Meru. "Bhagavān" indicates no need to state the reason, as lordliness etc. were manifest. In the sacrificial aspect He has a boar form, but as the presiding deity He has a human form, so He is half-man half-boar. By this He also showed His human form to Brahma, thus mostly dispelling the sorrow. The meaning is that just as a mountain with clouds roars, the Lord alone roars. This is the meaning of the word "sam". (24)
Śrīmad Gosvāmi Śrī Puruṣottama Caraṇa Viracitaḥ Śrī Subodhinī Prakāśaḥ
Regarding "Marīci" etc. - They explain the purpose of mentioning the Kumāras separately from the brāhmaṇas: The purpose is to indicate their status as Kumāras. The śruti "This boar is Vāmamoṣa" is from the Taittirīya Saṃhitā 6.2.4.4. Vāmamoṣa is its conventional name, meaning "stealer of the gods' wealth". Its demon nature is inferred from the śruti "He holds the demons' wealth to be sacrificed beyond the seven mountains - kill him". They say: "Brahma's" etc. "Seed" means... (21)
Regarding "It was seen" - Implying that only the greatest yogis can see one thumb-sized, they say: "Divine nature" etc. Even for the demons, this boar Vāmamoṣa is the holder of wealth to be sacrificed, meaning the holder of the sacrificial earth in the form of the altar. If asked why then the Lord did not kill it, they say: "Killing" etc. "Therefore" means due to the presence of an opponent now. (23)
Regarding "Thus" - "Accomplished" means manifested. If the reading is "nirvyūha", it means "bodiless, undeterminable in its essential form". (24)
Śrī Giridhara-kṛtā Bāla Prabodhinī
Then Brahmā along with Marīci and other sages, the Kumāras like Sanaka, and Manu, seeing that boar form, variously conjectured about it in many ways. (21)
He shows the conjecture: Is this an extraordinary being in the guise of a boar standing before me? Seeing the amazing sight, he indicates his own sorrow with "Bata". "Aho" expresses intensity. This is extremely amazing! What is it? He says - It emerged from my nostril. (22)
How is it divine? He says: "Thumb". It was first seen the size of a thumb's upper joint, then in an instant it became like a boulder! "Api svid" indicates possibility. This alone is possible - this boar form is indeed Lord Yajña Viṣṇu, grieving my mind by concealing His true nature. (23)
Concluding the conjecture and summarizing the acts of the Lord in boar form until the end of the chapter, he says: While Brahmā was still deliberating with his sons, Lord Yajñapuruṣa Viṣṇu roared. To indicate that a great sound was produced by the roaring, he qualifies it as "like the king of mountains", meaning like the king of mountains. (24)
Hindī Anuvāda
Oh! What divine being has appeared here today in the form of a boar! How amazing! Just now it came out of my nose, but in an instant it has grown so large! (21)
At first it appeared to be the size of a thumb, then it became like a rock. Surely the Lord in the form of sacrifice is enchanting our minds. (22)
Just as Brahmā and his sons were thinking this way, the Lord Yajñapuruṣa (yajñapuruṣa; sacrificial person) grew to the size of a mountain and began to roar. (23)
The all-powerful Śrīhari (śrīhari; Lord Viṣṇu) filled the directions with echoes of his roar, delighting Brahmā and the excellent brāhmaṇas (brāhmaṇa; priest caste) with joy. (24)
SB 3.13.21-24
