Dashavatara
refers to the ten major incarnations of Vishnu, the Hindu God of universal
preservation. Here, dasa means 'ten' and avatar means 'descent'. Predominantly,
according to Hindu tradition, it is believed that God Vishnu incarnates on
Earth from time to time to eradicate the evil forces and restore the Dharma.
The avatars in this list are also described as the lila-avatars.
Matsya
Avatar- the fish. Lord Vishnu takes the form of a fish to
save Manu (Earth) from a flood, after which he takes his boat to the new world
along with one of every species of plant and animal, gathered in a massive
cyclone.
Kurma
Avatar - The tortoise. This appeared in the Satya Yuga. The
devas and asuras were at war to gain the nectar of immortality. Mount Mandara started
to sink and Lord Vishnu took the form of a tortoise to bear the weight of the
mountain.
Varaha
Avatar - The boar. This occurred in the Satya Yuga. Hiranyashika,
a demon controlled the earth (Prithivi) and stored it between the oceans. To restore the earth to its original
position, Varaha engaged in a war that lasted over thousand years, in which he
was victorious in the end.
Narasimha
Avatar - The half-man/half-lion. This took place in the
Satya Yuga. The demon Hiranyakashipu was granted a powerful boon by Brahma,
making him immortal to all weapons and at all levels of the universe (sky,
earth and stars). Lord Vishnu appeared as a half lion and half man to kill him
with his claws, while he lay on his thighs.
Vamana Avatar - The dwarf. This appeared in the Treta Yuga. The fourth descendant of Hiranyakashyap, Bali defeated Lord Indra, which made all deities afraid of him and made them seek refuge with Lord Vishnu. Abiding by, Lord Vishnu appeared as Vamana between Brahmins and made Bali promise him three paces of land. Then Vamana stomped Bali’s head as third pace of land to defeat him.
Parashurama
Avatar - Rama with the axe. This appeared in the Treta
Yuga. Parashurama is son of Jamadagni and Renuka who received an axe after a
penance to Shiva. King Kartavirya Arjuna and his army visited Jamadagni at his
ashram. Jamadagni was able to feed them with the divine cow Kamadhenu. The king
demanded the animal but Jamadagni refused. Outraged king took it by force and
destroyed the ashram. Parashurama then killed the king at his palace and
destroyed his army. In revenge, the sons of Kartavirya killed Jamadagni.
Parashurama took a vow to kill every Kshatriya on earth twenty-one times over,
and filled five lakes with their blood. Ultimately, his grandfather, the great
rishi Rucheeka, appeared and made him halt.
Rama
Avatar - The king of Ayodhya. This appeared in the Treta
Yuga. This cult is explained in detail in the Major Indian scripture Ramayana.
Rama’s wife Sita was kidnapped by a demon king Ravanan to Lanka. Rama along
with his brother Lakshman and his trusted follower Hanuman waged a war and
defeated Ravanan.
Balarama
Avatar / Adhishesha – Brother of Krishna. This took place
in the Dwarapa Yuga. Kamsa brother of his mother, Devaki was intending in
killing her children as he was afraid of death to be caused by them. In order
to save the children, Lord Vishnu transferred the souls from the womb of Devaki
to Rohini and twined it with a black and white hair. As a result, Krishna was
born black and Balarama was born fair. Subsequently, Balarama grew up with his
brother Krishna and also played a major role in the Battle of Kurukshetra where
he remained neutral between his disciples Duryodhana and Bhima.
Krishna
Avatar - Eighth son of Devaki and Vasudev. He appeared in
the Dwapara Yuga alongside his brother Balarama. He was the central character
of the Bhagavad Gita. He is mentor to Arjuna, delivering him the Gita at the
Battle of Kurukshetra. The appearance of Krishna coincided with the beginning
of Kali Yuga.
No comments:
Post a Comment