Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 16
हंस-वराह-रूपग्रहण-कारणम्
The Reason for Assuming the Swan and Boar Forms
यद्दिनं हि समारभ्य तद्रूपं धृतवान्हरिः । तद्दिनं प्रति कल्पोऽसौ कल्पो वाराहसंज्ञकः
yaddinaṃ hi samārabhya tadrūpaṃ dhṛtavānhariḥ | taddinaṃ prati kalpo'sau kalpo vārāhasaṃjñakaḥ
Sejak hari Hari (Viṣṇu) menyandang rupa itu, aeon itu dihitung bermula dari hari tersebut; dan kalpa itu dikenali dengan nama “Vārāha Kalpa”.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Cosmic Event: Kalpa nomenclature: ‘Vārāha Kalpa’ reckoned from the avatāra’s assumption of form
FAQs
It situates sacred history within cosmic time: the kalpa is named after a divine act (Viṣṇu’s Vārāha form), showing that cosmic cycles are marked by purposeful interventions that uphold dharma—within the Shaiva view, all such order ultimately operates under Mahādeva’s supreme governance.
By naming the kalpa through a manifest form (saguṇa) of the Divine, the verse supports the Purāṇic principle that devotees approach transcendent reality through sacred forms and events—parallel to how the Śiva-liṅga serves as an accessible, worshipful manifestation pointing to Śiva beyond form.
A practical takeaway is kāla-smaraṇa (contemplation of sacred time): begin japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” while remembering the present kalpa as divinely ordered, and dedicate daily worship (liṅga-arcana with bhasma/tripuṇḍra if practiced) to align one’s actions with dharma.