Shloka 17
हंस-वराह-रूपग्रहण-कारणम्
The Reason for Assuming the Swan and Boar Forms
तदिच्छा वा यदा जाता ताभ्यां रूपं हि धारणे । तद्दिनं प्रतिकल्पोऽसौ कल्पो वाराहसंज्ञक्
tadicchā vā yadā jātā tābhyāṃ rūpaṃ hi dhāraṇe | taddinaṃ pratikalpo'sau kalpo vārāhasaṃjñak
When that will arose, the two of them assumed a form for the purpose of sustaining (the creation). That very day became a subsidiary aeon (pratikalpa), known as the Varāha Kalpa.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Role: creative
Cosmic Event: Pratikalpa designation tied to the arising of ‘that will’ and assumption of sustaining form
FAQs
It frames creation as arising from divine will (icchā) and being upheld through manifested forms, pointing to the Shaiva view that the Supreme (Pati) freely projects and sustains the cosmos as a purposeful order rather than a random event.
By emphasizing ‘assuming form for sustaining,’ it supports Saguna worship: devotees approach the formless Absolute through accessible divine manifestations—such as the Śiva-liṅga—while recognizing the transcendent source beyond form.
A practical takeaway is dhyāna on Śiva as the sustainer of time-cycles (kalpas), paired with japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” cultivating steadiness (dhāraṇā) and reverence for cosmic order.