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Eternal India
encyclopedia
PERCEPTIONS
DASHAAVATHAARA
(TEN INCARNATIONS OF VISHNU)
ARRIVAL OF INCARNATIONS
Mathsyaavathaara
or 'fish incarnation'
refers to the ancient legend of the fish and the
deluge wherein Manu embarked in a ship with,
the rishis with the seeds of all existing things.
Kurmaavathaara
or the 'tortoise incar-
nation' arrived to support the mount Mandara
that had started sinking during the Samudra-
manthana or churning of the ocean.
Varaahaavathaara
or the 'boar incarnation'
arrived to kill the demon Hiranyaksha and it
lifted the earth out of the flood waters in which
it had been submerged. It is also a symbolic
representation of saving the world from the
'deluge of sin'.
Narasimhaavathaara
or the 'man-lion
incarnation', is a combination of man (the best
of higher creatures) and the lion (the best of
lower creatures) representing the embodiment
of valour. He saved Prahlad the great child
devotee from the oppression and torture by his
father, the demon Hiranyakasipu.
Vaamanavathaara
or the 'dwarf incarnation'
is connected to the legend of Bali. He
approached Bali for gift of land and covered the
three worlds with three big steps.
The next five incarnations are in the human
form.
Parasuraama
exterminated the tyrannical
among the
kshatriyas
who were oppressing the
people.
The story of
Raamaavathaara
has now
become an immortal epic —
Ramayana.
Refer
Sec.
F-Religions
Page F-40, F-44.
Krishnaavathaara
is considered
Poor-
naavathaara—
the incarnation in total as
Krishna is the supreme statesman, warrior,
hero, philosopher and teacher, God himself. He
is the expounder of the
'Bhagavad Gita'.
Buddhaavathaara
or the incarnation of
Buddha though "originally foreign to the cycle
of the
Avataras"
was however incorporated as
the ninth avatara as Buddha represented the
enlightenment of the humans.
Kalkiavataara
has yet to come to 'inau-
gurate a reign of universal goodness, peace and
prosperity. At the end of the Kali Yuga this
incarnation bearing the name of Kalki will
arrive 'to put an end to wickedness, and
establish a kingdom of righteousness'. This
avathaara
represents the hope for wiping out
the suppression, oppression and evil and
establish the 'kingdom of truth.'
“Whenever, O descendent of Bharat, there is
decline of
Dharma
and rise of
Adharma,
then I
incarnate Myself.”
GOD BECAME MAN SO THAT MAN COULD BECOME GOD.