ORIENTAL SERIES.

34
AVATARA.
three places planted Ms step." The early commentators understood
the " "
three places to "be the earth, the atmosphere, and the
sky ; that in the earth Yishwu was fire, in the air lightning,
and in the sky the solar light.
One commentator, Aurwavabha,
whose name deserves mention, took a more philosophical view
" "
of the matter, and interpreted the
"
three steps
as being the
different positions
of the sun at his rising, culmination, and
setting." Sayawa, the great commentator, who lived in days
when the god Vishnu had obtained pre-eminence, understood
"the three steps" to be "the three steps" taken by that
god in his incarnation of Vamana the dwarf, to be presently
noticed. Another reference to "three strides" and to a sort
of Avatara is made in the Taittirlya Sanhita, where it is
said, "Indra, assuming the form of a she-jackal, stepped
all round the earth in three (strides). Thus the gods ob-
tained it."
Boar Incarnation. In the Taittirlya Sanhita and Brahnia?ia,
and also in the $atapatha Brahman, the creator Prajapati,
afterwards known as Brahma, took the form of a boar for the
purpose of raising the earth out of the boundless waters. The
"
Sanhita says, This universe was formerly waters, fluid. On it
Prajapati, becoming wind, moved He saw this
(earth). Be-
coming a boar, he took her up. Becoming Viswakarman, he
wiped (the moisture from) her. She extended. She became
the extended one (Pnthvi). From this the earth derives her
designation as 'the extended one. 5 " The Brahmawa is in accord
as to the illimitable waters, and adds, "Prajapati practised
arduous devotion (saying), How shall this universe be (de-
veloped)? He beheld a lotus leaf standing. He thought,
There is somewhat on which this
(lotus leaf)
rests. He, as a
boar having assumed that form He found the earth down below.
plunged beneath towards it
Breaking off (a portion of
her), he rose to the surface. He then extended it on the lotus
leaf. Inasmuch as he extended it, that is the extension of the
extended one (the earth). This became (aVkuf). From tills
the earth derives its name of BhumL" Further, in the Tait-
tiriya Arawyaka it is said that the earth was " raised by a black
boar with a hundred arms." The Satapatha Brahman states,
"
She (the earth) was only so large, of the size of a span. A
boar called Emusha raised her up. Her lord, Prajapati, in