thumb|250px|The ten avatars of [[Vishnu (clockwise, from upper left corner):
Matsya,
Kurma,
Varaha,
Vamana,
Krishna,
Kalki,
Buddha,
Parshurama,
Rama &
Narasimha, and Krishna (centre)]]
In
Hinduism,
Avatar or
Avatara (
Devanagari ,
IAST , the
Sanskrit for "descent" (viz., from heaven to earth, from the verbal root "to cross over")) usually implies a deliberate descent from higher spiritual realms to lower realms of existence for special purposes, often translated into English as
incarnation.
Avatars that are of importance are mainly those of the
Supreme Being which are plenary and marked with superhuman qualities. Other types of descents are limited expansions of
Ishvara, and some that are descents of lesser empowered divinities. The term is used primarily in Hinduism for descents of
Vishnu whom
Vaishnava Hindus (one of the largest branches of Hinduism) worship as the Supreme God, a distinctive feature of Vaishnavism. While
Shiva and
Ganesha are also described as descending in the form of avatars, with the
Ganesha Purana and the
Mudgala Purana detailing Ganesha's avatars specifically, the avatars of Vishnu carry a greater theological prominence than those of Shiva or Ganesha and upon examination relevant passages are directly imitative of the Vaishnava avatara lists.
[Matchett, Freda, Krsna, Lord or Avatara? the relationship between Krsna and Visnu: in the context of the Avatara myth as presented by the Harivamsa, the Visnupurana and the Bhagavatapurana, Routledge, 2000] Avatars of Vishnu
The most traditional form of Avatar within Hinduism is the descents of
Vishnu, the preserver or sustainer aspect of God within the Hindu Trinity or
Trimurti.
Dasavatara: Ten Avatars of Vishnu in the Garuda Purana
thumb|[[Matsya, first avatar of
Vishnu]]
The ten most famous descents of Vishnu are collectively known as the "Dasavatara" ("dasa" in
Sanskrit means ten). This list is included in the
Garuda Purana (1.86.10"11) and denotes those avatars most prominent in terms of their influence on human society.
The first four are said to have appeared in the
Satya Yuga (the first of the four
Yugas or ages in the time cycle described within Hinduism). The next three avatars appeared in the
Treta Yuga, the eighth descent in the
Dwapara Yuga and the ninth in the
Kali Yuga. The tenth is predicted to appear at the end of the Kali Yuga in some 427,000 years time.
- Rama, Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya, appeared in the Treta Yuga.
- Kalki ("Eternity", or "time", or "The Destroyer of foulness"), who is expected to appear at the end of Kali Yuga, the time period in which we currently exist, which will end in the year 428899 CE.
Avatars of Vishnu in the Bhagavata Purana
right|thumb|VarahaTwenty-two avatars of Vishnu are listed numerically in the first Canto of the
Bhagavata Purana as follows:
- Catursana [SB 1.3.6] (The Four Sons of Brahma)
- Narada [SB 1.3.8] (The Traveling Sage)
- Kapila [SB 1.3.10] (The Philosopher)
- Yajna [SB 1.3.12] (Vishnu temporarily taking the role of Indra)
- Prithu [SB 1.3.14] (King who made earth Beautiful and Attractive)
- Kurma [SB 1.3.16] (The Tortoise)
- Mohini [SB 1.3.17] (Beautiful/Charming Woman)
- Vamana [SB 1.3.19] (The Dwarf)
- Balarama [SB 1.3.23] (Krishna's Elder Brother)
- Buddha [SB 1.3.24] (The Enlightened)
- Kalki [SB 1.3.25] (The Destroyer)
Besides these, another four avatars are described later on in the text as follows:
- Hamsa [SB 11.13.19] (The Swan)
- Golden avatra [SB 11.5.32] (Avatara in Kali-yuga for propagating hari-namasankirtan)
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was born in the 15th century, is widely worshiped as the
Golden Avatar, especially by followers of the
Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, referring to a number of texts from the
Mahabharata,
Upanishads, and other
Puranic scriptures ().
After
Kalki avatar is described in the Bhagavata Purana it is declared that the avatars of Vishnu are innumerable.' However the above list of twenty six avatars is generally taken as of those of greatest significance.
Other kinds of avatars within Vaishnavism
Although it is usual to speak of Vishnu as the source of the avataras, within the
Vaishnavism branch of Hinduism Vishnu is only one divine being that manifests in form. In that tradition
Narayana,
Vasudeva and
Krishna are also seen as names denoting divine aspects which take avataric form.
In addition there are other senses and shades of meaning of the term avatar within Hinduism.
Purusha avatars
Purusha avatars are sometimes described as the original avatars of Vishnu or Krishna within the Universe:
Guna avatars
The personalities of the
Trimurti (Hindu trinity) are also sometimes referred to as
Guna avatars, because of their roles of controlling the three modes (
gunas) of nature,
even though they have not descended upon an earthly planet in the general sense of the term 'avatar'.
- Brahma - Controller of the mode of passion and desire (rajas)
- Shiva - Controller of the mode of ignorance (tamas)
Manvantara avatars
Manvantara avatars are beings responsible for creating progeny throughout the Universe, said to be unlimited in number. They do not take birth.
Shaktyavesa and Avesa avatars
Avataric incarnations are classified as two kinds
When Vishnu himself descends, he is called
sakshat or
shaktyavesa-avatara, a direct incarnation of God. But when he does not incarnate directly, but indirectly empowers some living entity to represent him, that living entity is called an indirect or
avesa avatar.
There are said to be a great number of
avesa avatars. Examples include
Narada Muni,
Shakyamuni Buddha, and
Parashurama. Parashurama is the only one of the traditional ten avatars that is not a direct descent of Vishnu.
According to the
Sri Vaishnavism sect of Hinduism, there are two types of primary or direct avatars,
Purna avatars and Amsarupavatars:
- Amsarupavatars are those in which Vishnu takes form directly but He is manifest in the person only partially. (e.g. avatars from Matsya to Parashurama).
The
avesa or indirect avatars are generally not worshiped as the Supreme being. Only the direct, primary avatars are worshiped in this way. In practice, the direct avatars that are worshiped today are the Purna avatars of Narasimha, Rama and Krishna. Among most
Vaishnava traditions,
Krishna is considered to be the highest
Purna avatar. However, followers of
Chaitanya (including
ISKCON),
Nimbarka, and
Vallabha Acharya differ philosophically from other
Vaishnavas, such as
Ramanujacharya and
Madhvacharya, and consider
Krishna to be the ultimate Godhead, not simply an avatar. That said, all Hindus believe that there is no difference between worship of
Vishnu and His avatars as it all leads to Him. According to
Madhvacharya (chief proponent of
Dvaita or school of differential
monism), all avatars of
Vishnu are alike in potency and every other quality. There is no gradation among them, and perceiving or claiming any differences among avatars is a cause of eternal damnation. See Madhva's commentary on
Katha Upanishad, or his Mahabharata-Tatparya-Nirnaya.
See also
