Dashavatara

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"Dashavatar" redirects here. For other uses, see Dashavatar (disambiguation).

The ten avatars of Vishnu, (Clockwise, from top left) Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Vamana, Krishna, Kalki, Balarama, Parshurama, Rama and Narasimha,
(in centre) Krishna

Dashavatara (IAST: Davatra) refers to the ten avatars of Vishnu, the Hindu God of universal preservation.
Etymologically, Dashavatara (Sanskrit: , derives from daa, 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 lila-avatars.[2]
Contents
[hide]

1 Historical perspective

2 Avatars

2.1 Difference of opinions in other religions and certain sects Hinduism

3 Alternative lists

4 See also

5 References

6 External sources

7 External links

Historical perspective[edit source | editbeta]

The first four incarnations of Vishnu appeared in Satya or Krita Yuga, the first of the four Yugas, 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 Vis n
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the
u
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 Buddhism is sometimes
called Buddha-Bhagavatism.[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 Naalayira Divya Prabandha.[9][10]

Avatars[edit source | editbeta]

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Dashavatara

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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 the Satya 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, or Prithvi, 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.

4. Narasimha, the half-man/half-lion appeared in the Satya Yuga. The rakshasa 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 rakshasa at the courtyard threshold of his house, at
dusk, with his claws, while he lay on his thighs.
5. Vamana, the dwarf, appeared in the Treta Yuga. The fourth descendant of Hiranyakashyap, Bali, with
devotion and penance was able to defeatIndra, 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 and Tulunadu. He is still worshiped there as the king of prosperity and
recalled before the time of harvest.

Avatars of Vishnu lithograph by Raja Ravi Varma. Anti-clockwise from left top corner: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana,
Parshurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Kalki surround Vishnu.

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 a Kshatriya). His mother was from the Kshatriya
Suryavanshi clan that ruled Ayodhya, of the line of Rama. King Kartavirya 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.
7. Shree Rama, Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya, appeared in the Treta Yuga. Rama is a
commonly worshiped avatar in Hinduism, and is thought of as the ideal heroic man. His story is
recounted in one of the most widely read scriptures of Hinduism, the Ramayana. While in exile from
his own kingdom with his brother Lakshman 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 , 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. As brother of Krishna, he is worshipped either with his sibling as the
eighth avatar of Vishnu.He may have originated in Vedic times as a deity of agriculture and fertility. In
scripture, Vishnu impregnated the belly of the goddess Devaki with two hairs, one black, one white. To
ensure their safety, they were transferred before birth to Rohini. 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.
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 brotherBalarama (generally included as one of Dashavatara in Sri
Vishnava lists, instead of Buddha), and was the central character of theBhagavad 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 of Vishnu, 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 of end 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[edit source | editbeta]
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 ks a
tra-ksaya kurvate
paulastya jayate hala kalayate krunyam tanvate
mlecchn mrchayate daakr t i-kr te kr s n
ya tubhya namah
In his opinion the ten avatars of Vishnu are Shri Kr is hna, Matsya, Varha, Narasiha,
Vmana, Paraurma, Shri Rma, Balarma, Buddha and Kalki.
The Pcartra Vaishnava Sanskrit Agamic texts. The term has also been attributed to
the Shatapatha Brahmana.[13] mentions about theVyuha ManifestationVasudeva,
characterized by the six gunas, is sometimes called the first Vyuha. From Vasudeva
emanates Sankarshana in whom jnana and bala alone get manifested.
From Sankarshana comes Pradyumna to whom belong aishvarya and virya.
From Pradyumna emanates Aniruddha to whom shakti and tejas appertain.[14]

Alternative lists[edit source | editbeta]

Temple door depicting the ten avatars, Sree Balaji Temple, Goa. (from leftmost upper corner, clock wise) Matsya,
Narasimha, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Kalki, Vamana, Vithoba, Varaha and Kurma.

In Vishishtadvaita tradition, Balarama is considered an incarnation, while Buddha is not

included.[15][16] Gaudiya Vaishnavas, for example, worshipKrishna 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.
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 ofAnanta 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.