See Avatar (disambiguation) for other meanings.

In Hinduism, an avatar is the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of an Immortal Being, or of the Ultimate Supreme Being. It derives from the Sanskrit word Avatāra which means "descent" and usually implies a deliberate descent into mortal realms for special purposes. The term is used primarily in Hinduism, for incarnations of Vishnu the Preserver, whom many Hindus worship as God. The Dasavatara (see below) are ten particular "great" incarnations of Vishnu.

Unlike Christianity, and Shaivism, Vaishnavism believes that God takes a special (including human) form whenever there is a decline of righteousness (dharma) and rise of evil. Lord Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, according to Vaishnavism that is espoused by Ramanuja and Madhva, and God in Gaudiya Vaishnavism, said in the Gita: “For the protection of the good, for destruction of evil, and for the establishment of righteousness, I come into being from age to age.” (Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, verse 8.) In any event, all Hindus believe that there is no difference between worship of Vishnu and His avatars as it all leads to Him.

The word has also been used by extension by non-Hindus to refer to the incarnations of God in other religions, notably Christianity, for example Jesus.

Teachings and significance

The philosophy reflected in the Hindu epics is the doctrine of the avatar (incarnation of Vishnu or God in an animal or a human form). The two main avatars of Vishnu that appear in the epics are Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, and Krishna, the friend of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. Unlike the superhuman devas (gods) of the Vedic Samhitas and the abstract Upanishadic concept of the all-pervading Brahman, the avatars in these epics are intermediaries between the Supreme Being represented as either Saguna Brahman or Nirguna Brahman and mere mortals.

This doctrine has had a great impact on Hindu religious life, for to many it means that God has manifested Himself in a form that could be appreciated even by the least sophisticated. Rama and Krishna have remained prominent as beloved and adored manifestations of the Divine for thousands of years among Hindus. The Upanishadic concept of the underlying unity Brahman is revered by many to be the pinnacle of Hindu thought, and the concept of the avatars has purveyed this concept to the average Hindu as an expression of the manifestation of the Hindu's highest single divinity as an aid to humanity in dark times. The Hindu cycle of creation and destruction contains the essence of the idea of "avatars" and indeed relies on a final avatar of Vishnu, that of Kalki, as the final destructive force at the end of the world.

Aside Rama and Krishna there are many other human or animal forms which appeared on earth or elsewhere in the universe. Scriptures do not describe any appearance as an avatar by Brahma or Shiva (they are themselves listed as guna avatars), but emanations of Vishnu have appeared a number of times. Some Hindus, based on the Ramayana, aver that Shiva incarnated once as the monkey-god Hanuman. Hanuman is more well-known as the son of Vayu, the deva of wind or his emanation. (Hanuman lived in a the jungle and is called vanara, which means people who live in the jungle, and was one of the greatest devotees of Vishnu).

The ten Avatars, or Dasavatara

The Maha Avatara (Great Avatars) of Vishnu are usually said to be ten and this is popularly known as the Dasavatara (dasa (dasha) in Sanskrit means ten):

1. Matsya, the fish
2. Kurma, the tortoise
3. Varaha, the boar
4. Narasimha, the Man-Lion (Nara = man, simha = lion)
5. Vamana, the Dwarf
6. Parashurama, Rama with the axe
7. Rama, Sri Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya
8. Krishna (meaning dark or black; see also other meanings in the article about him.)
9. Balarama (meaning one who holds a plough) or Buddha (see below)
10. 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.

The 25 Avatars of the Puranas

Puranas list twenty-five avataras of Vishnu. A description of these is found in the Bhagavata Purana, Canto 1.

1) Catursana 2) Narada 3) Varaha 4) Matsya 5) Yajna 6) Nara-Narayana 7) Kapila 8) Dattatreya 9) Hayasirsa 10) Hamsa 11) Prsnigarbha 12) Rsabha 13) Prithu 14) Narasimha 15) Kurma 16) Dhanvantari 17) Mohini 18) Vamana 19) Parasurama 20) Raghavendra (Rama) 21) Vyasa 22) Balarama 23) Krishna 24) Buddha 25) Kalki

Types of avatars

• According to Madhva, 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 the Katha Upanishad, or his Mahabharata-Tatparya-Nirnaya.)
• According to SriVaishnava doctrine, there are two type of avatars, primary avatars and secondary avatars. The most common type of primary avatars are called Svarupavatars, in which He manifests Himself in His Sat-cid-ananda form. In the primary avatars, such as Narasimha, Rama, Krishna, Vishnu directly descends. The Svarupavatars are subdivided into Amsarupavatars and Purna avatars. In Amsarupavatars, Vishnu is fully present in the body but He is manifest in the person only partially. Such avatars include the first five avatars from Matsya to Vamana except for Narasimha. Narasimha, Rama and Krishna, on the other hand, are types of Purna avatars, in which all the qualities and powers of the Lord are expressed. Narasimha and Rama are also additionally considered to be Lila avatars.
• Other avatars are secondary avatars, such as Parashurama in which Vishnu does not directly descend. Parashurama is the only one of the traditional ten avatars that is not a direct descent of Vishnu. There are two types of secondary avatars: 1) Vishnu enters a soul with His form. (e.g., Parashurama) or 2) Vishnu does not enter a soul with His own form, but gives him extraordinary divine powers. (e.g., Veda Vyasa.) The secondary avatar class is sometimes called Saktyamsavatar, Saktyaveshavatar or avesha avatar.
• Note that the secondary avatars are not worshipped. Only the direct, primary avatars are worshipped. However, in practice, the direct avatars that are worshipped today are the Purna avatars of Narasimha, Rama and Krishna. Krishna, among most Vaishnavites, is considered to be the highest kind of Purna avatar. However, followers of Chaitanya (including ISKCON), Nimbarka, Vallabhacharya differ philosophically from other Vaishnavites, such as Ramanuja and Madhva and consider Krishna to be the ultimate Godhead, and not simply an avatar. In any event, all Hindus believe that there is no difference between worship of Vishnu and His avatars as it all leads to Him.
• References are cited and given below.
• A number of people in more recent times have claimed to be an avatar. See list of other avatar claimants.

The Ninth Avatar: Balarama or Buddha?

Balarama is the ninth avatar according to Puranic tradition. Scholars believe that with the increase in popularity of Buddhism in India, some time in the latter half of the first millennium CE, a belief that Buddha is the ninth avatar gained prominence as an example of the remarkable ability of Hinduism to assimilate other ideas and cultures and it ultimately contributed to the decline of Buddhism in India. Vaishnava poet Jayadeva Gosvami (12th century) in his famous Dasavatara stotra from Gita Govinda glorifies both Balarama (as 8th avatar) and Buddha (as 9th avatar).

Buddha is therefore often referred to as Buddhadev ("Divine Buddha") by many Hindus. Buddhists, however, do not consider Buddha to be an avatar. A prominent contemporary Hindu thinker who considered Buddha an avatar was Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

Following Madhva, followers of Tattvavada, a/k/a Dvaita do consider Buddha to be an avatar. His preachment of heterodox views (i.e., rejecting the Vedas, etc.) is considered as intended to cause delusion to the demonic and unworthy. Balarama is considered one of the ten avatars by Gaudiyas and Srivaishnavas, but in North India and in Dvaita he is an incarnation of Vishnu's serpent Adi Sesha rather than of Vishnu himself.

A listing of the ten avatars showing Buddha rather than Balarama is available in the Mahabharata. The former is also mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana as an avatar.

Symbolism

Many claim that the ten avatars represent the evolution of life and of mankind. Matsya, the fish, represents life in water. Kurma, the tortoise, represents the next stage, amphibianism. The third animal, the boar Varaha, symbolizes life on land. Narasimha, the Man-Lion, symbolizes the commencement development of man. Vamana, the dwarf, symbolizes this incomplete development. Then, Parashurama, the forest-dwelling hermit armed with an axe, connotes completion of the basic development of humankind. The King Rama signals man's ability to govern nations. Krishna, an expert in the sixty-four fields of science and art according to Hinduism, indicates man's advancement to cultural concerns. Buddha, the Enlightened one, symbolizes the enlightenment and spiritual advancement of man. Balarama, whose weapon was a plough could stand for the development of agriculture.

Note that the time of the avatars does not necessarily indicate much; kings ruled long before Rama and science was pursued long before Krishna. The avatars represent the order, and not the time, of these occurrences, according to certain Hindus. The animal development connotations bear striking resemblances to the theory of Evolution.

List of other avatar claimants

Apart from the ten traditional avatars of Hinduism some other persons claimed to be avatars or are believed to be avatars by their followers.

• Ayya Vaikundar According to Akilattirattu Ammanai, the religious book of Ayyavazhi, Lord Vaikundar arose from the sea as the Avatar of Narayana.
• Buddha accepted as an avatar by some Hindus, for example by Sarvepalli_Radhakrishnan. For more information, see Vaishnava Theology.
• Chaitanya (1486 - 1534) is claimed to be an avatar of Krishna by the Gaudiya Vaishnavism sect. For more information, see Gaudiya Vaishnava Theology.
• Shirdi Sai Baba (18??-1918) some of his followers believed him to be an avatar of Dattatreya
• Meher Baba (1894- 1969)
• Sathya Sai Baba (born circa 1926-1929) claims to be an avatar of Shiva, Shakti and Krishna
• Adi Da (1939- ) claims to be the Kalki avatar
• Samael Aun Weor (1917 - 1977) claimed as the real Kalki Avatar and Buddha Maitreya
• Narayani Amma claimed as the real Narayani Avatar]
• Mother Meera (1960-) claims to be an Avatar of Adipara-Shakti

External links

• The Avatar site
• Dasavatara stotra and the ten avataras
• Avataras categorized
• Avatars (Incarnations or Descents) of Vishnu
• Avatar of Lord Vishnu
• The Ten Avatars
• Dasavatar discussion with meanings
• Gaudiya Vaishnava types of avatar chart; similar beliefs with some modifications with Krishna as the Supreme Person.
• Flash site of the avatars of Sriman Narayana.

References

• Meaning of Parushama, an Avesha avatar.
• Types of Avatars; answers to questions #67-70.
• Bhakti Schools of Vedanta, pg. 94, by Swami Tapasyananda, available at Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. available at India web site: http://www.sriramakrishnamath.org and US site: http://www.vedanta.com.

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