Avatar

The ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, copyright BBT

In Hindu philosophy, an avatar, avatara or avataram, avatāra), most commonly refers to the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of a higher being (deva), or the Supreme Being (God) onto planet Earth. The word derives directly from the Sanskrit avatāra-, which literally means "descent" and usually implies a deliberate displacement of the divine from heaven into the realms of material existence for the purpose of changing that realm. This terminology suggests that the deity actually comes down from heaven to earth in order to assume a worldly form. Further, the "descent" may also suggest a degree of diminution in the power of the deity as they exist in the world, since avatars seem to be sacrificing some of their godly power by assuming the form of a living being, and thereby inheriting physical limitations such as the senses.

The concept of the avatar is propounded primarily in Hinduism, particularly in Vaishnavism, the school which worships Vishnu, the deity from whom the vast majority avatars are said to derive. The word has also been used by extension to refer to the incarnations of God in other religions, especially by adherents to dharmic traditions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, when explaining other figures who are said to be wholly or partially god, such as Jesus of Nazareth.

Types of avatars

File:Madhvacharya avatars.jpg

Avatars of Madhvacharya. From top (in order of occurrence): Hanuman, Bhima and Shri Madhvacharya

According to the Bhagavan Purana, countless avatars descend into our universe. Verse 1.3.26 explains that "the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets flowing from inexhaustible sources of water". Vaishnavism theologians have categorised the many avatars into a number of different nomenclatures to better characterize their specific role or godly status, among other attributes, as described in scripture. Not all are recognised as 'full' or 'direct' incarnations of Vishnu. Some avatars are believed to be souls blessed with certain abilities of 'divine origin', although they themselves are an individual jiva, or soul.

Lila avatars

Lila avatars are the most commonly identified variation of avatar. Lila translates to 'pastime', and thus the term lila avatar refers specifically to those incarnations of Vishnu which descend at regular intervals throughout history. Through the power of maya, the divine ability to manipulate forms in the material world, lila avatars are able to assume bodily forms in order to set in motion a divine drama, of sorts. This typically involves the performance of a particular series of events in order to instruct others, navigating humanity toward the paths of dharma (righteousness), bhakti (devotion) and ultimately moksha(liberation). The Dasavatars, that is, the ten well-known avatars of Vishnu, as well as the other avatars from the Puranas (as listed below) are just a few examples of lila avatars. In total, Vaishnavites claim that there are too many lila-avatars to list.

Full and Partial avatars

Hindu traditions also typically distinguish between two different types of avatars: those which are direct incarnations of Vishnu (purna avatara), and those in which the personality Vishnu is only partially manifest (ansa avatara). In practice, the avatars that are most commonly worshipped today are the purna avatars of Narasimha, Rama and Krishna. Some Vaishnavite sects, such as Sri Vaishnavism, consider these figures to be the only avatars which were full incarnations of Vishnu. Among most Vaishnava traditions, Krishna is considered to be the highest kind of Purna avatar. The ansa avatars, meanwhile, are generally not worshipped as the Supreme being. This category of avatars is said to include the remainder of the Dasavatara, as well as many, many other incarnations. In any event, most Hindus believe that there is little or no difference between worship of Vishnu and worship of His avatars, since all such worship is essentially being directed toward the supreme god.

This is not the case in all Vaishnavite sects, however. Followers of Caitanya, including the schools of ISKCON), Nimbarka, and Vallabhacharya, consider Krishna to be the ultimate Godhead, and not only an avatar but also the supreme personality of the divine, as well. As such, these schools hold that all other beings exist because of Krishna, including Vishnu himself as well as his avatars. According to Madhvacharya, on the other hand, all avatars of Vishnu are alike in potency and every other quality, with no gradation among them. For Madhvacharya, perceiving or claiming any differences among avatars was sufficient cause for eternal damnation.

Other Types

Additional variations of avatars include those of Purusha avatars, guna avatars, and Manvantara avatars. Purusha avatars are described as the original avatars of Vishnu in the context of the physical universe. They include: Vasudeva, the son of Śũrasena of the Yadava dynasty; Sankarshan, who ruled over all nagas, or nature spirits; Pradyumna, a son of Krishna; and Pradyumna's son Aniruddha. Each of these gods provided the primal ingredients for the creation of the material universe. Guna avatars, meanwhile, are the avatars in control of the three modes of nature, or (gunas). They are: Brahma, controller of the mode of passion and desire (or rajas); Vishnu, controller of the mode of goodness (or sattva), and Shiva, controller of the mode of ignorance (or tamas). These three personas are together known as the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity. Manvantara avatars are beings responsible for creating progency throughout the universe, and are said to be unlimited in number.

Examples of Avatars

Dasavatara: The Ten Avatars of Vishnu

The ten most famous incarnations 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. Each avatar performed their duty by restoring the stability of the world, thus, all upheld Vishnu's nature as sustainer of the universe. The majority of avatars in this list of ten are categorised as 'lila-avatars'.

The first four avatars are said to have appeared in the Satya Yuga, the first of the four Yugas or ages of the time cycle described within Hinduism. They are: Matsya, the fish, Kurma, the tortoise, Varaha, the boar, and Narasimha, who was half-man and half-lion. Matsya saved Manu Vaisvasta, the eventual creator of the human species, by rescuing him from tempestuous waters during a great flood which ravaged the primordial earth. When gods and demons could not find a secure base upon which to churn the milk of order so they could extract the nectar of immortality, Kurma offered his broad shell so the mighty churning stick could be firmly set upon it. Varaha battled and defeated the demon Hiranyaksa beneath the cosmic ocean, then proceeded to rescue the earth goddess Prthivi from a watery grave by placing her on his tusk and swimming to the surface. Narasimha used his status as neither fully human or fully beast to defeat Hiranyaksipu, another oppressive demon who was invulnerable to both human beings and animals.

The next three avatars appeared in the Treta Yuga. They are: Vamana, the dwarf, Parashurama, the man bearing an axe, and Rama, the prince and king of Ayodhya. After the earth had been taken over by the malevolent Bali, Vamana asked him for all the territory he could encompass in three strides. Bali gladly agreed, only to have Vamana assume his cosmic form as Vishnu and traverse the entire universe with his three steps. In a number of battles, Parashurama defeated the Kshatriyas, or militant caste, and restored the priority of the priestly caste, the Brahmins, who had been oppressed by the warriors who were traditionally their underlings. Rama, meanwhile, defeated Ravana and thereby freed the world from the demon's clutches, instituting a reign of virtue and prosperity. This kingdom would serve as an ideal societal structure for rulers in every generation which followed.

The eighth incarnation, Krishna (meaning 'dark coloured' or 'all attractive'), is the only avatar to have appeared in the Dwapara Yuga. During his appearance on earth, Krishna defeated the oppressive demon Kamsa while aiding the Pandava brothers to victory over their evil cousins, the Kauravas. This battle is recorded in the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, which is best known for a poem included within it, the Bhagavad Gita, wherein Krishna elucidates the path of righteousness for Arjuna, a Pandava warrior. Krishna is said to have appeared on earth along with his brother Balarama. According to the Bhagavata Purana Balarama is said to have appeared in the Dwapara Yuga (along with Krishna) as an incarnation of Ananta Shesha. He is also counted as an avatar Vishnu by the majority of Vaishnava movements and is included as the ninth Dasavatara in some versions of the Dasavatara which contain no reference to the Buddha.

Buddha (or "the enlightened one"), the ninth incarnation of Vishnu, appeared in the Kali Yuga, the time period in which we currently exist. This is a uniquely Hindu understanding of the Buddha, since Buddhists do not confirm the existence of the Creator God, and therefore do not acknowledge the doctrine of the avatar. Although Hindus consider the teachings of the Buddha to be heterodoxical, they acknowledge that his arrival reinstated the balance of dharma which had been upset by Brahmins who abused the Vedic system for their own personal interests. The tenth avatar, Kalkin ("Eternity" or "The Destroyer of foulness") has yet to appear upon the earth, but is set to arrive at the end of the Kali Yuga in some 427,000 years time, as predicted in verse 8.17 of the Bhagavad Gita. Due to his pending arrival, Kalki is the most mysterious of the avatars, though he is popularly imagined as a rider upon a white horse wielding a comet-like sword. Kalki will bring the world to its end, rewarding the virtuous while punishing the wicked.

The 25 Avatars of the Puranas

Deity form of Varaha, Khajuraho, 12th C AD

The Puranas list twenty-five avatars of Vishnu in total. In addition to the ten listed above, these avatars include the Catursana, the four sons of Brahma who are together considered one incarnation; Narada, the travelling sage; Yajna, an incarnation within whom Vishnu temporarily assumed the role of Indra; Nara-Narayana, twin brothers; Kapila, the philosopher; Dattatreya, the combined avatar of the Trimurti); Hayagriva, a horse; Hamsa, the swan; Prsnigarbha, creator of the planet known as Dhruvaloka; Rishabha, father of King Bharata; Prithu, monarch of the solar pantheon who introduced agriculture to humankind; Dhanvantari, father of ayurveda; Mohini, a beautiful woman; Ramachandra, the king of Ayodhya; Vyasa, writer of the Vedas, and Balarama, Krishna's elder brother. Balarma is sometimes considered the ninth avatar in place of the Buddha. A full description of each of these incarnations is found in the Bhagavata Purana, Canto 1, Chapter 3.

Historical and Religious Figures Considered Avatars

Besides the avatars of Hinduism listed in the Puranas and Vedas, many other Hindus are considered to be avatars by themselves or by others. Based on a verse in the latter texts of the Bhagavata Purana 11.5.32 and a number of texts from the Mahabharata and other scriptures , Caitanya Mahaprabhu (1485-1533) is listed as an avatar of Vishnu by followers of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, and is widely worshiped as such. Caitanya is often referred to as the Golden Avatar, a moniker based upon the supposed hue of his skin. Sri Ramakrishna (1836–1886) is reported to have said to Swami Vivekananda "he who was Rama and Krishna is now, in this body, Ramakrishna", seemingly an endorsement of his incarnate godliness. Ramakrishna's wife, Sarada Devi, is likewise considered by many to be an incarnation of Kali. This pairing of contemporaneous avatars is rare if not unique in Hindu history. Sathya Sai Baba (1926?-1929?-present), a famous south Indian guru, is believed by his devotees to be an avatar of Shiva, Shakti and Krishna. His followers say his advent was predicted not only in Hindu scriptures, but also in the Bihar-al-anvar, a book which contains the preachings of Mohammad and in the Bible, particularly the Book of Revelation.

Due to the outpouring of individuals claiming to be avatars in modern times, claims to being an incarnation of god have come to be viewed with some suspicion. Many new religious movements related to Hinduism (see Contemporary Hindu movements), some of which are viewed as cults, have more contentious views, including a tendency among disciples in modern times to identify their guru as an avatar. Swami Tapasyananda of the Ramakrishna Mission, on commentating about this phenomenon, has noted the widespread abuse of the avatar doctrine today and has lauded Christianity for limiting Divine Incarnation to a one-time phenomenon. In this view, if followers respect and revere the guru, it is only proper if they respect him as a conduit to God, rather than God incarnate. However, Swami Sivananda, founder Divine Life Society, has said that a guru can be likened to God if he himself has attained realization and is a link between the individual and the Absolute. Such a guru, according to his definition and interpretation, should have actually attained union with God, and should inspire devotion in others while radiating a presence that purifies all.

Some Hindus with an inclusivist outlook perceive the central figures of various non-Hindu religions to be avatars. Some of these religious figures include: Zoroaster (Zarathustra) the founding prophet of Zoroastrianism, Gautama Buddha (563-483B.C.E.-543B.C.E.) the key figure in Buddhism, Mahavira (599 B.C.E.-527 B.C.E.), originator of the tenets of Jainism, Jesus (4 B.C.E.-36), who is thought by some to have spent time in India, as well as Bahá'u'lláh (1817–1892) the founder-prophet of the Bahá'í Faith, who is believed to be Kalkin Avatar. Many other Hindus reject the idea of avatars outside of traditional Hinduism.

Influence of Avatar Philosophy

Within Theosophy and the New Age

The avatar concept was adapted by orientalising Western occultism, specifically Theosophy and Neo-Theosophy. In a series of four lectures delivered at the Theosophical Society at Adyar, Madras, in December 1899, Annie Besant, the president of the society, combines Theosophical concepts with classic Vaishvanite ideas. A decade later, her co-worker the clairvoyant Charles Webster Leadbeater would claim that his young protege Jiddu Krishnamurti was actually the avatar of a Cosmic Christ-like being called the Maitreya. The resulting Star of the East debacle almost destroyed the Theosophical Society. Many New Age teachings have been strongly influenced by Neo-Theosophical ideas as well (primarily through Alice Bailey), and feature a celestial hierarchy of ascended masters. At the head of the hierarchy is the same being, the Maitreya, that Leadbeater claimed to see in Krishnamurti. Some New Age teachings speak of the coming return of Christ, or the coming of the Maitreya, which will usher in a new cosmic Era. According to Benjamin Creme, the Maitreya has already incarnated, and will soon reveal himself.

Evolutionary Connections

Some groups claim that the development from the first to the tenth avatars bears striking resemblances to the modern scientific theory of Evolution. In this view Matsya, the fish, represents life in water, and Kurma, the tortoise, represents the next stage, amphibianism. The third animal, the boar Varaha, marks the developement of life upon land. Narasimha, the Man-Lion, symbolizes the commencement development of mammals. Vamana, the dwarf, symbolizes the incomplete development of human, while Parashurama, the forest-dwelling hermit armed with an axe, connotes completion of the basic development of humankind, perhaps in the form of barbarism. Rama indicates humanity's ability to effectively govern nations, while Krishna, allegedly an expert in the sixty-four fields of science and art, indicates advancement in culture and civilization. Buddha represents the further intellectual advancement of man, culminating in the realization of even greater spiritual truths. Balarama, the alternative ninth avatar whose weapon was a plough, may stand for the development of agriculture. Thus, the avatars represent the evolution of life and society with changing epoch from Krita Yuga to Kali yuga. All in all, this progression of animal life from the sea creature to the intellectual enlightened human is not incongruent with the modern evolutionary theory. This connection gets particularly interesting when taking into considerations descriptions of Kalkin, who has sometimes been described as being a yantra-manava, or a "machine-man", which could be interpreted to suggest the development some sort of technologically enhanced human being which is as of yet unknown.

See also

• Kalkin
• Krishna
• Vaishnavism

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Bassuk, Daniel E. Incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity: the myth of the god-man. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press International, 1987. ISBN 0391034529
• Kinsley, David. "Avatar." Encyclopedia of Religion. Mercia Eliade, ed. New York: MacMillan Publishing, 1987. 14-15.
• Parrinder, Geoffrey. Avatar and incarnation: the Wilde lectures in natural and comparative religion in the University of Oxford. London: Faber, 1970. ISBN 0571093191

External links

General

• Avataras as categorized within Gaudiya Vaishnavism
• Diagram showing the 'family tree' of different Avatars
• Description of different Avatar types
• Animation Project based on Vishnu's Ten Incarnations
• Dasavatara stotra and the ten avataras
• Śrî Das'āvatāra Stotra: composed by Śrî Jayadeva Gosvāmî (inc. Audio file).
• The Avatar site
• Avatars of Lord Guru Datt
• Avatars with meanings.

Academic

• Avatars (Incarnations or Descents) of Vishnu
• Dasavatar discussion with meanings
• Dasavataras (krishna.com)
• Explores the claims made by various possible Avatars

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