Avatar
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
According to the Bhagavan Puranas countless avatars descend into our universe: "O brahmanas, the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets flowing from inexhaustible sources of water" (1.3.26). Vaishnavism theologians have categorised the many avatars into a number of different types depending on their specific personality and role 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 lilavatars refers specifically to those avatars 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/or moksha(liberation). The Dasavatars, that is, the ten avatars of Vishnu, as well as other avatars from the Puranas (as listed below) are examples of this type. There are too many lila-avatars to list.
Full and Partial avatars
Hindu traditions typically distinguish between two different types of avatars: those which are direct incarnations of Vishnu (purna avatara), and those in which Vishnu is only partially manifest (ansa avatara). In practice, the direct avatars that are worshipped today are the Purna avatars of Narasimha, Rama and Krishna. Some Vaishnavite sects, such as Sri Vaishnavism, consider these avatars to be the only instances in which Vishnu directly descends. 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, only the direct, primary avatars are worshipped in this way. This category of avatars is said to include the remainder of the Dasavatara, as well as many, many more incarnations. In any event, most Hindus believe that there is no difference between worship of Vishnu and His avatars as it all leads to Him. However, followers of Caitanya (including ISKCON), Nimbarka, Vallabhacharya differ philosophically from other Vaishnavites, such as Ramanuja and Madhva and consider Krishna to be the ultimate Godhead, and not only an avatar but also the supreme personality of the divine, as well.
Other Types
Additional nomenclatures for distinguishing types of avatars include those of Purusha avatars, guna avatars, and Manvantara avatars. Purusha avatars are described as the original avatars of Vishnu within the universe. They include: Vasudeva, who was the son of Śũrasena, of the Yadava dynasty; Sankarshan, one of the primal beings of creation who ruled over all nagas, or nature spirits; Pradyumna, a son of Krishna; and Pradyumna's son Aniruddha. Each of these gods provided the ingredients for the creation of the material universe. Guna avatars, meanwhile, are the avatars in control of the three modes of nature (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: These are beings responsible for creating progency throughout the universe, 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. According to Madhvacharya, 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. 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 are said to have appeared in the Satya Yuga (the first of the four Yugas or ages in the time cycle described within Hinduism). They are: Matsya, the fish, Kurma, the tortoise, Varaha, the boar, and Narasimha, the half-man/half-lion. Matsya saved Manu Vaisvasta, the eventual creator of the human species, by rescuing him from tempestuous waters during a great flood of 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 back to set the churning mighty stick upon. Varaha battled the demon Hiranyaksa beneath the cosmic ocean and rescued the earth goddess Prthivi from a watery grave by placing her on his tusk. Narasimha used his status 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, Rama with the axe, and Rama, the prince and king of Ayodhya. After the earth had been taken over by Bali, an asura, 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 warrior caste, and restored the priority of the priestly caste, the Brahmins, who had been oppressed by the warriors. Rama, meanwhile, defeated Ravana and thereby freed the world from the demon's clutches, then instituted a reign of virtue and prosperity. This would serve as an ideal societal structure for rulers in later times.
The eighth incarnation, Krishna (meaning 'dark coloured' or 'all attractive'), is the only incarnation 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 the evil Kauravas. This battle is recored in the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, which is best known for the Bhagavad Gita, a poem within it in which Krishna elucidates the path of righteousness for Arjuna, a Pandava warrior. Krishna is said to have appeared 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 list which contain no reference to Buddha.
The ninth incarnation, the Buddha (meaning 'the enlightened one') appeared in the Kali Yuga (specifically as Siddhartha Gautama) 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 avatar doctrine. Although Hindus consider the teachings of the Buddha to be heterodoxical, they acknowledge that his arrival reinstated the balance of dharma which had been offset by Brahmins who were abusing the Vedic system for their own interests. The tenth, Kalkin ("Eternity", or "time", or "The Destroyer of foulness") has yet to appear of earth, but is set to appear 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 his 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.
Some groups claim that the ten avatars represent the evolution of life and of mankind on earth. 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 mammals. Vamana, the dwarf, symbolizes this incomplete development of human. Then, Parashurama, the forest-dwelling hermit armed with an axe, connotes completion of the basic development of humankind. The King Rama signals humanity's ability to govern nations. Krishna, an expert in the sixty-four fields of science and art according to Hinduism, indicates man's advancement in culture and civilization. Balarama, the alternative ninth avatar whose weapon was a plough, could stand for the development of agriculture. Buddha, the enlightened one, symbolizes social advancement of man. Kalki, the final avatar, has sometimes been mysteriously described as being a "yantra-manava", or a machine-man, which could be interpreted to suggest some sort of further, technologically advanced human being which is as of yet unknown. Thus, the avatars represent the evolution of life and society with changing epoch from Krita Yuga to Kali yuga. The animal evolution and development connotations also bear striking resemblances to the modern scientific theory of Evolution.
The 25 Avatars of the Puranas
The Puranas list twenty-five avatars of Vishnu in total. In addition to the ten listed above, these additional avatars are Catursana, the four sons of Brahma; Narada, the travelling sage; Yajna, Vishnu temporarily taking the role of Indra; Nara-Narayana, twin brothers; Kapila, the philosopher; Dattatreya, combined avatar of the Trimurti); Hayagriva, a horse; Hamsa, the swan; Prsnigarbha; Rishabha, father of King Bharata; Prithu; Dhanvantari, father of ayurveda; Mohini, a beautiful woman; Ramachandra, the king of Ayodhya; Vyasa, writer of the Vedas, and Balarama, Krishna's elder brother. A description of these is found in the Bhagavata Purana, Canto 1, Chapter 3.
Historical and Religious Figures
Besides the avatars of Hinduism listed in the Puranas and Vedas, some other Indian Hindus are considered to be full 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 Puranic scriptures [1], Caitanya Mahaprabhu (1485-1533) is listed as an avatar and is widely worshiped as such by followers of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. In this connection Caitanya is often referred to as the Golden Avatar. Hans Ji Maharaj (1900–1966), declared that the Satguru is an avatar with the 64 kalas. Jagadguru Kripaluji Maharaj (1922-present) is claimed by his followers to be an avatar of Krishna and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Mahavatar Babaji is described by Paramahansa Yogananda in his Autobiography of a Yogi as an Avatar. Meher Baba (1894-1969) said he was the last avatar of the Kali Yuga or White Horse avatar. Mother Meera (1960-present) claims and is believed to be an Avatar of Adipara-Shakti. Narayani Amma (1976-present) claimed as the real Narayani Avatar. Sathya Sai Baba (1926?-1929?-present) claims and is believed by his devotees to be an avatar of Shiva, Shakti and Krishna. His followers say his advent was predicted in the book Bihar-al-anvar containing the preachings of Mohammad, in the Bible - especially in the Book of Revelation, in Hindu scriptures (Naadi), by Hindu saints like Sri Aurobindo. Some of Shirdi Sai Baba's (1838-1918) followers believed him to be an avatar of Dattatreya and Shiva. Sri Ramakrishna (1836–1886) is reported to have said to Swami Vivekananda, "He who was Rama and Krishna is now, in this body, Ramakrishna." Sarada Devi, who was married to Ramakrishna in a traditional Indian child marriage, is likewise considered by many to be an incarnation of Kali. This pairing of contemporaneous avatars is rare if not unique in Hindu history. Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi, and Vivekananda are worshipped by devotees worldwide as a holy trinity, the latter not as an avatar but as someone who is eternally free nityasiddha or ishwarakoti, born on earth to assist avatar in His mission, possessor of total enlightenment and liberation from his very birth.
Some Hindus with a universalist outlook view the central figures of various non-Hindu religions as avatars. Some of these religious figures include: Zoroaster (Zarathustra) the 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.
Criticism of contemporary avatars
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.
See also
ReferencesISBN 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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- ↑ Vedic Encyclopedia "Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu predicted"
