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Dashavatara - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dashavatara (IAST: Davatra) refers to the ten avatars of Vishnu, the Hindu God of universal preservation. Etymologically, Dashavatara (Sanskrit: , derives fromdaa, meaning 'ten' and avatra, meaning 'descent'). God Vishnu incarnates on Earth from time to time to eradicate evil forces, to restore the dharma and to liberate the worthy ones or devotees from the cycle of births and deaths.[1] The avatars in this list are also described as lilaavatars .[2]
Contents [hide] 1 Historical perspective 2 Avatars 2.1 Difference of opinions in other religions and certain sects Hinduism 3 Alternative lists 4 Symbolism 5 References 6 External sources 7 External links

Historical perspective

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The first four incarnations of Vishnu appeared in Satya or Krita Yuga, the first of the fourYugas, also called 'The Golden Age'. The next three appeared in Treta Yuga, the eighth and ninth in Dwapara Yuga and the tenth will appear in Kali Yuga. The time till completion for Kali Yuga is in 427,000 years.[3] In the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana, the Kali-yuga is described as ending with the appearance of Kalki, who will defeat the wicked, liberate the virtuous, and initiate a new Satya or Krita Yuga.[4] At that time, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear on the earth. Acting with the power of pure spiritual goodness, He will rescue eternal religion. Lord Viu the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the spiritual master of all moving and nonmoving living beings, and the Supreme Soul of all takes birth to protect the principles of religion and to relieve His saintly devotees from the reactions of material work. - Bhagavata Purana, 12.2.16-17[5] The adoption of Buddha as one of the avatars of Vishnu under Bhagavatism was a catalyzing factor in assimilation during the Gupta period between 330 and 550 CE. Mahayana Buddhismis sometimes called BuddhaBhagavatism.[6] By this period, the concept of Dashavatara was fully developed.[7] The evolution of historical Vishnuism produced a complex system of Vaishnavism, often viewed as a synthesis of the worship of Vishnu, Narayana, Vasudeva and Krishna, and which was well established by the time of the Bhagavad Gita from 4 BCE to the 3rd century CE.[8] Twelve alvars, or saints, spread the sect to the common people with their devotional hymns. Early alvars did not distinguish or list the Dashavatara, nor did they distinguish Krishna. Their poems in praise of Vishnu and Krishna in Tamil language are collectively known as NaalayiraDivya Prabandha.[9][10]

Avatars

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Religion Hinduism Suprem e Deity Vishnu Krishna Rama Im portant deities Dashavatara Matsya Kurma Varaha NarasimhaVamana Parasurama Rama KrishnaBalarama Kalki Other Avatars Mohini Nara-Narayana Hayagriva Related Lakshmi Sita Hanuman Shesha Texts Vedas Upanishads Bhagavad GitaDivya Prabandha Ramcharitmanas Puranas Vishnu Bhagavata Naradeya GarudaPadma Agni Sam pradayas (Vishishtadvaita)Brahma (Dvaita, Acintyabhedabheda)Rudra (Shuddhadvaita)Nimbarka (Dvaitadvaita) Philosopher-Acharyas Madhva Chaitanya VallabhaSrimanta Sankardev Srimanta MadhavdevNimbarka Pillai Lokacharya PrabhupadaVedanta Desika Manavala Mamunigal Related traditions Pushtimarg Bhagavatism ISKCONSw aminarayan Ekasarana PranamiRamanandi Vaikhanasas Hinduism portal
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The following list contains ten names. Some religious traditions believe the ten avatars to be incarnations of Krishna, rather than Vishnu, and so do not include him on the list.[11] 1. Matsya , the fish, from the Satya Yuga. Lord Vishnu takes the form of a fish to save Manu 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. 2. Kurma , the tortoise, appeared in theSatya Yuga. When the devas and asuras were churning the Ocean of milk in order to get amrita, the nectar of immortality, the mount Mandara they were using as the churning staff started to sink and Lord Vishnu took the form of a tortoise to bear the weight of the mountain. 3. Varaha , the boar, from the Satya Yuga. He appeared to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth, orPrithvi, and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the story. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha is believed to have lasted for a thousand years, which the former finally won. Varaha carried the Earth out of the ocean between his tusks and restored it to its place in the universe.
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4. Narasimha , the half-man/half-lionappeared in the Satya Yuga. Therak shasa(An evil person)Hiranyakashipu, the elder brother of Hiranyaksha, was granted a powerful boon from Brahma, not allowing him to be killed by man or animal, inside or out, day or night, on earth or the stars, with a weapon either living or inanimate. Vishnu descended as an anthropomorphic incarnation, with the body of a man and head and claws of a lion. He then disembowels the rak shasa at the courtyard threshold of his house, at dusk, with his claws, while he lay on his thighs. 5. Vamana , the dwarf, appeared in theTreta Yuga. The fourth descendant of Hiranyakashyap, Bali, with devotion and penance was able to defeat Indra, the god of firmament. This humbled the other deities and extended his authority over the three worlds. The gods appealed to Vishnu for protection and he descended as the dwarf Vamana. During a yajna of the king, Vamana approached him in the midst of other Brahmins. Bali was happy to see the diminutive holy man, and promised whatever he asked. Vamana asked for three paces of land. Bali agreed, and the dwarf then changed his size to that of a giant. He stepped over heaven in his first stride, and the netherworld with the second. Bali realized that Vamana was Vishnu incarnate. In deference, the king offered his head as the third place for Vamana to place his foot. The avatar did so and thus granted Bali immortality. Then in appreciation to Bali and his grandfather Prahlada, Vamana made him ruler of Pathala, the netherworld. Bali is believed to have ruled Kerala andTulunadu. He is still worshiped there as the king of prosperity and recalled before the time of harvest. 6. Parashurama , Rama with the axe, appeared in the Treta Yuga. He is son of Jamadagni and Renuka. He received an axe after a penance to Shiva. Parashurama is the first Brahmin-Kshatriya in Hinduism, or warrior-saint, with duties between a Brahmana and aKshatriya). His mother was from the Kshatriya Suryavanshi clan that ruledAyodhya, of the line of Rama. KingKartavirya Arjuna and his army visited the father of Parashurama at his ashram, and the saint was able to feed them with the divine cow Kamadhenu. The king demanded the animal, Jamadagni refused, and the 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. He is a Chiranjivi, and believed to be alive today in penance at Mahendragiri.
Avatars of Vishnu lithograph by Raja 7. Rama , Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya, appeared in Ravi Varma. Anti-clockw ise from left top the Treta Yuga. Rama is a commonly worshiped avatar corner: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, in Hinduism, and is thought of as the ideal heroic man. His story is Vamana, Parshurama, Rama, Krishna, recounted in one of the most widely read scriptures of Hinduism, Buddha, Kalki surround Vishnu.

the Ramayana. While in exile from his own kingdom with his brotherLakshman and the monkey king Hanuman, his wife Sita was abducted by the demon king of Lanka, Ravana. He travelled to Ashoka Vatika in Lanka, killed the demon king and saved Sita. 8. Balarama ( , Balarma), also known as Baladeva, Balabhadra and Halayudha, is the elder brother of Krishna, he is considered as the Sankarshana form of Vishnu and the eighth avatar of Vishnu. In Vaishnavism, a major branch of Hinduism, Balarama is worshipped as an avatar of Adishesha, and he is described as such in the Bhagavata Purana.[1] As brother of Krishna, he is worshipped either with his sibling as the eighth avatar of Vishnu, or with Rama, as the seventh. He may have originated in Vedic times as a deity of agriculture and fertility. In scripture, Vishnu blessed goddess Devaki to bear two descendants, one with dark complexion, one
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fair. To ensure their safety, they were transferred before birth to Rohini (see history of Krishna). Krishna was born with darker complexion, while Balarama was fair. In Jainism he is known as Baladeva. He is often depicted with a drinking cup, pitcher, shield and sword.In some sections of Hinduism Buddha is considered as ninth avatar of Lord Vishnu. 9. Krishna , was the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudev. Krishna is the most commonly worshiped deity in Hinduism and an avatar inVaishnava belief. His name means 'dark' or 'attractive', and he appeared in the Dwapara Yuga alongside his brother Balarama (generally included as one of Dashavatara in Sri Vishnava lists, instead of Buddha), and was the central character of the Bhagavad Gita, the most published Hindu canon. He is mentor to Arjuna, delivering him the Gita at the Battle of Kurukshetra. He is often depicted playing the murali and having a mischievous spirit.[12] The appearance of Krishna coincided with the beginning of Kali Yuga. 10. Kalki ("Eternity", or "White Horse", or "Destroyer of Filth"), is the final incarnation ofVishnu, foretold to appear at the end of Kali Yuga, our present epoch. He will be atop a white horse and his sword will be drawn, blazing like a comet. He is the harbinger ofend time in Hindu eschatology, and will destroy all unrighteousness and evil at the end of Kali Yuga.

Difference of opinions in other religions and certain sects Hinduism

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Some sects of Buddhism and Jainism worship the Hindu gods. The bhakti poets of the latter ages like Jayadeva introduced Buddha into the dashavathars. During the time of Jayadeva, Buddhism was a predominant religion in India, which later faded.The Jayadevas Dasavatara Stotra Pralaya Payodhi Jale (from Gita Govinda) by Jayadeva concludes after listing the ten avatars each with a separate stanza: vedn uddharate jaganti vahate bh-golam udbibhrate daitya drayate bali chalayate katra-kaya kurvate paulastya jayate hala kalayate kruyam tanvate mlecchn mrchayate daakti-kte kya tubhya nama In his opinion the ten avatars of Vishnu are Shri Kiha, Matsya, Varha, Narasiha, Vmana, Paraurma, Shri Rma, Balarma, Buddha and Kalki. The Pcartra Vaishnava Sanskrit Agamic texts. The term has also been attributed to theShatapatha Brahmana.[13] mentions about theVyuha ManifestationVasudeva, characterized by the six gunas, is sometimes called the first Vyuha. From Vasudeva emanatesSankarshana in whom jnana and bala alone get manifested. From Sankarshana comesPradyumna to whom belong aishvarya and virya. From Pradyumna emanates Aniruddha to whom shakti and tejas appertain.[14]

Alternative lists

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In Vishishtadvaita tradition, Balarama is considered an incarnation, while Buddha is not included.[15][16] Gaudiya Vaishnavas, for example, worship Krishna as Svayam Bhagavan, or source of the incarnations.[17][18][19] The Vallabha Sampradaya and Nimbarka Sampradaya, (philosophical schools) go even further, worshiping Krishna not only as the source of other incarnations, but also Vishnu himself, related to descriptions in the Bhagavata Purana. The first lines of the Bhagavata Purana open: Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya ete Camsah kalah pumsah krishna stu bhagavan svayam I bow to God, Krishna, who appeared as the son of Vasudeva Bhagavata Purana, Srimad Bhagavadam, Bhagavata Purana, 1.3.28[20][21] In traditions that emphasize the Bhagavata Purana, Krishna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whom everything else emanates.
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In Vishishtadvaita, Balarama is the eighth avatar of Vishnu, while Krishna is the ninth. Buddha is considered as an avatar of Vishnu in Madhva (Dvaita), Smartha and Advaita traditions. The Bhagavata Purana describes Balarama as appearing in the Dwapara Yuga, with Krishna, as an incarnation of Ananta Shesha. He is also an avatar of Vishnu in the Vaishnava movements of Vishishtadvaita, although these lists do not mention Buddha. In Maharashtra and Goa, Vithoba's image replaces Buddha as the ninth avatar of Vishnu in some temple sculptures and Hindu astrological almanacs. Maharashtra scholars have also praised Vithoba as a form of Buddha.[22] In Orissa, Jagannath is sometimes depicted as the ninth avatar instead of Buddha. Jayadeva, a great Vaishnava saint and renowned poet of 12th century from Orissa, included Buddha as the ninth avatar in the famous song Gita Govinda.

Symbolism

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It is speculated that the dasavatara story is a symbolization of theory of evolution. [23][24] [25][26] Matsya - fish, the first life in water Kurma - amphibians Varaha - animals on land Narasimha - beings between animal and human Vamana - short human beings Parasurama - humans using weapons Rama - humans living in community Krishna - humans with animal husbandary Balarama - humans with agriculture Kalki - humans with the power of destruction
Temple door depicting the ten avatars, Sree Balaji Temple, Goa. (from leftmost upper corner, clock w ise) Matsya, Narasimha, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Kalki, Vamana, Vithoba, Varaha and Kurma.

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