Varaha lifts Earth

O king of Sindhu, hast thou not heard of the wonderful achievements of Vishnu, described to thee by the Munis
and the Brahmanas learned in the Vedas? When the world was thus reduced to one vast sea of water,
with only the heavens above, the Lord, like a fire-fly at night-time during the rainy season, moved about
hither and thither in search of stable ground, with the view of rehabilitating his creation, and became
desirous of raising the Earth submerged in water.

What shape shall I take to rescue the Earth from this
flood?--So thinking and contemplating with divine insight, he bethought himself of the shape of a wild
boar fond of sporting in water. And assuming the shape of a sacrificial boar shining with effulgence and
instinct with the Vedas and ten Yojanas in length, with pointed tusks and a complexion like dark clouds,
and with a body huge as a mountain, and roaring like a conglomeration of clouds, the Lord plunged into
the waters, and lifted up the Earth with one of his tusks, and replaced it in its proper sphere.


Vana Parva: Draupadi-harana Parva: Section 270