Service(Seva)

HonoringFamilyTraditions

TheTenAvatarsofVishnu:aGuide
July2,2013(20130702T06:42:15+00:00)byAmbaaChoate<http://www.patheos.com/blogs/whitehindu/author/whitehindu/>

Avatarsarenotjustacartoonshoworamovieoravideogame
persona.ThewordAvatarcomesfromaSanskritwordthatmeansdescent
anditreferstowhenadeitymanifestsinanearthlyembodiment.
SomebelievethatthereisnolimittopossibleavatarsandGodwillbebornin
theworldwheneverthereisasevereneed.PeoplewiththisbeliefmayseeJesus
asanavatar,aswellasmanyotherrespectedspiritualteachers.
OthersbelieveinthetenavatarsofVishnu:thatthereareasetnumberof
avatarswhosenamesandformsarealreadyknown.OfthemanyGodsof
Hinduism,onlyVishnumanifestsinthisway.Iamnotsurewhythatis.I
wouldguessthatithastodowithhimbeingthemiddleofthetrinity.AsThe
PreserveritisVishnusjobtokeepthingsrunningsmoothlyafterTheCreator
createdandbeforeTheDestroyerdestroys.(Thereisevidencethatsomeof
theseincarnationswereoriginallyassociatedwithBrahmainstead,butwere
shiftedasworshipofBrahmadeclined).Update:Imightbewrongaboutthis.I
haveneverheardaboutanyavatarsthatarenotVishnu,but
Wikipedia<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar#Avatars_of_Ganesha>suggeststhat
Ganesha,Devi,BrahmaandShivahaveavatarsaswell.
ItmaybeconfusingforsomethatKrishnahassuchaprominentplacein
worship.KrishnaisanavatarofVishnu.Krishnaisthenameofthehuman
embodiment,buttheGodisactuallyVishnu.Ramaisexactlythesameway.So
RamaandKrishnaareembodimentsofthesameGod.
1)Matsya<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsya>issaidtobethefirstavatarof
Vishnu.Heisafish(orsometimesdepictedashalfmanandhalffishlikea
mermaid).Heissaidtohaverescuedthefirstmanfromafloodinastorythat
seemstohaveinfluencedtheNoahfloodstory(or,perhapsmorelikely,both
storieswereinfluencedbyacommonsource).Matsyaisassociatedwiththe
beginningoftheworld.
2)Kurma<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurma>isthesecondavatarof
Vishnu.Thisembodimentwasaturtle.Thisincarnationisassociatedwiththe
veryfamouschurningoftheocean
story<http://www.hinduwebsite.com/churning.asp>.Whilethedevasandasuras
werechurningtheoceanforthenectarofimmorality,themountaintheywere
usingbegantosinkinthesoftoceanfloor,soVishnubecameaturtleandrested
themountainonhisback.
3)Varaha<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varaha>isthethirdavatar.This
embodimentwasasagiganticboar.HisloveristheEarthherself(Bhudevi).The
storygoesthattheuniversewasfullofprimordialwatersandtheearthwas

smallandlostinit.Varahadoveinandrescued,thenmarriedher.
4)Narasimha<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narasimha>,thefourthavatar,
ishalfmanandhalflion(notethesecondpartofhisnamesimhameans
lion.)HeisknownastheGreatProtector,protectingdevoteeswhoarein
need.Heisthemanifestationofdivineanger.Hismainstoryisfromwhena
demonisupsetthathissonworshipsVishnuandVishnutakesthisformto
protecttheson.Becausethedemonhadaboonlistingagreatmanythingsthat
couldnotkillhim,thisformthatisneithermannoranimalwascreated.(The
weaponPashupatafirstmakesanappearanceinthisstory.Itwillbecomean
importantpartofTheMahabharataplot).

OmostunfortunatePrahlad,youhavealwaysdescribedasupremebeing
otherthanme,asupremebeingwhoisaboveeverything,whoisthe
controllerofeveryone,andwhoisallpervading.ButwhereisHe?IfHeis
everywhere,thenwhyisHenotpresentbeforemeinthispillar?

Prahladthenanswers,Hewas,HeisandHewillbe.Inanalternate
versionofthestory,Prahladanswers,Heisinpillars,andheisinthe
smallesttwig.Wikipedia<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narasimha>

5)Vamana<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vamana>,thefifthavatar,isthe
firstfullyhumanone.Heisoftenportrayedasalittlepersonandissometimes
calledthedwarfavatar.

DressedupasatinyBrahman,hewenttothehouseoftheevilRajawhile
heperformedapooja.Nearitsend,thepractitionermustgivesomething
tothosepresent.Heaskedthedwarfwhathewished,andVamanareplied
thathewantedthreefeetofland.TheKingconsented.Vamanathengrew
solargethatonefootcoveredtheplanet,anothertheheavens,andso
therewasnowheretoplacethethird.Theevilkingthenrealizedhis
mistake,andinshamebowedhisheaddownforthethirdfootstepof
Vamana.Wikipedia<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vamana>

6)Parashurama<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parashurama>isthesixthavatar.
HeisanavatarofVishnu,adescendantofBrahma,andastudentofShiva!He
wasagurutoBishma,Drona,andKarna(keycharactersinTheMahabharata).
Parashuramaisanimmortaland,assuch,hewasaliveduringseveralother
incarnationsofVishnu(includingKrishnaandRama).This,tome,shows
howasoulisnotasindividualasweusuallythink!Hehadimportant
rolesinboththeMahabharataandtheRamayana.IfanyofyouhaveseenPeter
BrooksThe
Mahabharata<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006LPEG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?
ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00006LPEG&linkCode=as2&tag=ruthmadi
20>

,heisthecharacterwhogivesKarnathedivineweapon(theonewhohas

aseriousgrudgeagainsteveryoneoftheKshatriyacaste).

DidyouknowthatthereisanIndianmartialart?Parashuramaissaidtobe
thefounderofKalaripayattu<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalaripayattu>.

7)Rama<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rama>istheseventhavatar.Heisoften
consideredtheperfectman.Hisdevotiontoandrespectforhisfatherishighly
praised.ThestoryoftheRamayanaisprettywellknownaroundtheworldand
thestoryofRamaswife,Sita,kidnappedbyademonandrescuedbyRamaand
monkeyservant,Hanuman.Ramaisoneofthebestknownoftheavatarsand
theresalottobesaidabouthim.MorethanIcouldfithere!
8)Krishna<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna>istheeightavatar.Heisno
doubtthemostwellknown.Krishnaholdsthedistinctionofhavingdelivered
oneofthemostbelovedtextsinHinduscripture:TheBhagavadGita(TheSong
oftheLord).Itdescribeshowtofreeonesselffromtheprisonofendlesscycles
oflifeanddeath.Krishnaisafascinatingfigure,worthstudyingmuchcloser.
Hislifeisoftenbrokenintodifferentsegments.Somefocusworshiponhischild
formwhenhewasknownasacuteandmischievousbutterlover.Hewasborn
tooverthrowanevilkingandwaskillingdemonswhenhewasatoddler.Some
focusonKrishnasteenageyearswhenhewasfawnedoverbylotsofyoung
women,thegopis(cowherdinggirls).Hisflutewouldmelttheirhearts.Several
poetshavewrittenlovesongstoKrishnainthisstage.Inhislaterlifeasaking,
KrishnawasakeyfigureinTheMahabharata,guidingthePandavabrothersand
itwasduringthattimethathespoketheGita.
9)Buddha<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha_in_Hinduism>is
thoughttobetheninthavatarbysome.(SomeothersbelieveKrishnasbrother
Balaramawastheninthavatar).BuddhawasoriginallyaHinduprincenamed
Siddhartha.SeveralHindutextsrefertoabuddha,buttheymayreferto
differentpeopleasthewordmeansenlightenedone.SomesaythatVishnu
cameintheformofBuddhatochangetheHindutraditionsaroundanimal
sacrifice,makingnewrulesforanewage.
10)Kalki<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalki>,thelastavatar,hasnothappened
yet.ItissaidthathewillappearattheendoftheKaliYuga(thelastage,which
wearecurrentlyin)toheraldtheendoftheworld(rather,theworldwill
becomeunmanifestuntilitallstartsoveragain).Interestingly,heisa
horseman,ridinginonawhitehorsewithablazingswordtodestroythe
darknessofthelastage.
Thereisalotofmetaphorandsymbolismtobefoundinthesestories.Mostof
themcomefromvariouspuranas<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purana>(meaning
somethingold),whichareancienttextsofstoriesandmyths.Onethingthat

standsouttomeishowmanyoftheavatarsarenothuman.Ithinkthatshows
thatalloflifeisdivine.Ahumanembodimentisveryimportantfor
enlightenment,butsoulstravelthroughalltypesofembodimentsontheir
journey.
Whatmakesanavatardifferentfromanyotherwisesageorrealized
saint?Thoughweashumanbeingcanrealizethatwehavedivinitywithinus
andknowthatweareonewithGod,anavatardoesnthavetorealizethat.He
comestotheworldalreadyknowingthatheisGodandhavingaparticularrole
toplaytoguidetheplayoftheuniverse.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsya>

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AboutAmbaaChoate
AmbaaisanAmericanwomanofEuropeanancestrywhoisalsoapracticing
Hindu.Sheisfascinatedwithquestionsofphilosophy,culture,andthe
meaningoflife.JoinherinthejourneytoexplorehowanonIndianconvert
toHinduismexperiencesherreligion.

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