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Shri Vishnu - 24 Incarnations
Shri Vishnu Incarnations (Avatars)
The word “Avatar”, a Sanskrit word means “descent”. In Sanatana Dharma it means the Descent/Incarnation/Manifest/Appearance of Lord/Supreme Being/Deity in an earthly embodiment.
The concept of Avatar in Sanatana Dharma mostly related to Lord Vishnu, one of The Trinity. Srimad Bhagavatam described the innumerable Lord Vishnu’s Avatars, mostly The Ten Incarnations (Dashavatara) are widely known. And among them Lord Shri Rama (related to Ramayana) and Lord Shri Krishna (related to Mahabharata) are widely worshiped Avatars of Lord Vishnu. In Srimad Bhagavatam, around 24 different Avatars of Lord Vishnu are discussed that were descended in different Yugas.
There is no reference of Avatar exists in Vedas. The Bhagavad Gita discusses the subject matter associated with Avatar in textual format in Chapter 4 Slokas 5~9, where Lord Shri Krishna Himself declared the role of taking Avatar.
Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion — at that time I descend Myself. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium. (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Verses 7~8)
Classifications of Avatars:
Avatar, incarnations are broadly classified into two kinds. When Lord Vishnu Himself descends on earth, He is called Sakshaty-Avatara, and when He indirectly empowers some living entity to represent Him, than that living entity is called an Avesa-Avatara.
Examples:
Direct (Sakshaty): Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, Lord Narasihma etc.
Indirect (Avesa): Narada Muni, Parashurama, VayasDeva etc.
Sakshaty or Direct Avatars are further classified into two more categories:
Purna Avatar: Lord Visnhu takes form directly and all the qualities and powers of God are expressed. (Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Lord Narasimha)
Amsarup Avatars: Lord Vishnu takes form directly but He is manifest in the person only partially (Matsya, Kurma, Varaha )
Absolute and partial incarnation
In Bhagavata Purana, it is mentioned that whenever evil triumphs over good, darkness take over light, and tyranny rules over justice and Lord Vishnu will reincarnate on earth to restore Dharma and guide the people in the right path.
It is explained in the Bhagavatam Canto 1 chapter 3. Even though there are innumerable incarnations of the Lord, some of the important ones are mentioned in this chapter.
‘In the parables of Narayan from the Mahabharat (Mahabharat Shantiparva 399) there is a discussion on the six incarnations namely, Varaha (the boar), Nrusinha (the man-lion), Vaman (the dwarf), Bhargavrama, Dasharathirama and Vasudevkrushna. Further in the same chapter there is a mention of the Hansa (swan) incarnation. Thus by the exclusion of Buddha there are ten incarnations in all. In some books the number goes upto twelve.
The twenty-four incarnations described in the Bhagvat Puran (6.2.7) are 1. Narayan [the Absolute Being (Virat Purush)], 2. Brahma, 3. Sanatkumars (constituted by four of Them), 4. Naranarayan, 5. Kapil, 6. Dattatreya, 7. Suyadnya, 8. Hayagriv, 9. Rushabh (the bull), 10. Pruthu, 11. Matsya (the fish), 12. Kurma (the tortoise), 13. Hansa, 14. Dhanvantari (the physician of deities), 15. Vaman, 16. Parshuram, 17. Mohini, 18. Nrusinha, 19. Vedavyas, 20. Vyas, 21. Balaram, 22. Krushna, 23. Buddha and 24. Kalki.
हरेः सत्त्व-निधेर् द्विजाः अवतारा हि असङ्ख्येया
यथाविदासिनः कुल्याः सरसः स्युः सहस्रशः
avatārā hi asaṅkhyeyā hareḥ sattva-nidher dvijāḥ
yathāvidāsinaḥ kulyāḥ sarasaḥ syuḥ sahasraśaḥ
O brāhmaṇas, the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets flowing from inexhaustible sources of water.
Similar thing was said to Arjuna by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad Gita.
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि जन्मानि तव चार्जुन |
तान्यहं वेद सर्वाणि न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप || ५ ||
bahūni me vyatītāni janmāni tava cārjuna |
tānyahaṃ veda sarvāṇi na tvaṃ vettha parantapa || 4.5 ||
Many births of Mine have passed, O Arjuna, and so is it with you also. I know them all, but you do not know them.
This is a verse from Shri Gurucharitra (3:78). It is believed that there are only ten incarnations, but this is said only grossly. If one views carefully then one will realise that the tradition of incarnations is continuous. The process of going from sattva to tama and consequent deterioration in Righteousness (Dharma) goes on constantly. That itself is the very nature of Prakruti (creation) just like water which has the inherent tendency to flow along a gradient. And when there is a possibility of the tama component reaching a peak, an absolute incarnation (purnavatar) manifests. Internally all saints are absolute. Though They possess the attributes of omniscience and omnipotence yet in accordance with the mission for that period (kal) they are used only limitedly. Hence the ignorant do not refer to Them as incarnations, that is all. Saints give Their close disciples an intense realisation that ‘I Myself am an incarnation of The Lord’. In this context, Saint Eknath says that only a liberated soul (jivanmukta) will recognise another. The Lord has said ‘सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि स योगी मयी वर्तते ।’ in the Shrimadbhagvadgita 6:31. This means that since the mode of speech (vani) of all saints and Their close disciples is in accordance with the Vedas, it is divine. So, irrespective of Their outward behaviour They have merged into Me. Saint Dnyaneshvar poses a question as to ‘why the chance utterance of words (disciples) of these saints may not be called the Vedas?’. Thus it can be said that as an individual becomes more and more sattvik (sattva predominant) The Lord Himself gets the mission of reinstatement of Righteousness (Dharma) accomplished from him. Considering the influence of the yug (era) and the passage of time the code of Righteousness in man constantly changes. Despite that, saints mould his mental state in such a way that he is able to realise the truth.
As per bhagavatam and as explained by Sriman Madhwacharya, who propagated Dwaitha matha, the 24 names of Sriman Naarayana, are , kesava, naaraayana, madhava, govinda, vishnu, madhusoodana, trivikrama, vamana, sridhara, hrushikesa, padmanabha, damodhara, sankrushna, vasudeva, pradyumna, aniruddha, purushottama, adokshaja, narasimha, achutha, janardana, upendra, haraye, srikrishna. These names of Sriman Naaraayana are chanted while having achamana during Sandhyavandana kala.
I bow to Vishnu, Master of Universe unquestionably, Who rests on great serpent bed, peaceful perpetually, From His navel sprouts Lotus of Creative Power surely, He the Supreme Lord of cosmos undeniably does be
hinduism.stackexchang
avatarsofbrahmavishnumahesh.blogspot.
hindujagruti.
This post is for sharing knowledge only, no intention to violate any copy rights
Shri Vishnu Incarnations (Avatars)
The word “Avatar”, a Sanskrit word means “descent”. In Sanatana Dharma it means the Descent/Incarnation/Manifest/Appearance of Lord/Supreme Being/Deity in an earthly embodiment.
The concept of Avatar in Sanatana Dharma mostly related to Lord Vishnu, one of The Trinity. Srimad Bhagavatam described the innumerable Lord Vishnu’s Avatars, mostly The Ten Incarnations (Dashavatara) are widely known. And among them Lord Shri Rama (related to Ramayana) and Lord Shri Krishna (related to Mahabharata) are widely worshiped Avatars of Lord Vishnu. In Srimad Bhagavatam, around 24 different Avatars of Lord Vishnu are discussed that were descended in different Yugas.
There is no reference of Avatar exists in Vedas. The Bhagavad Gita discusses the subject matter associated with Avatar in textual format in Chapter 4 Slokas 5~9, where Lord Shri Krishna Himself declared the role of taking Avatar.
Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion — at that time I descend Myself. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium. (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Verses 7~8)
Classifications of Avatars:
Avatar, incarnations are broadly classified into two kinds. When Lord Vishnu Himself descends on earth, He is called Sakshaty-Avatara, and when He indirectly empowers some living entity to represent Him, than that living entity is called an Avesa-Avatara.
Examples:
Direct (Sakshaty): Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, Lord Narasihma etc.
Indirect (Avesa): Narada Muni, Parashurama, VayasDeva etc.
Sakshaty or Direct Avatars are further classified into two more categories:
Purna Avatar: Lord Visnhu takes form directly and all the qualities and powers of God are expressed. (Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Lord Narasimha)
Amsarup Avatars: Lord Vishnu takes form directly but He is manifest in the person only partially (Matsya, Kurma, Varaha )
Absolute and partial incarnation
- Absolute incarnations (purnavtar) : When The Supreme God assumes an incarnation along with His shaktivyuha (constellation of energies), in order to slay demons like Ravan and Kansa who grossly violate Righteousness (Dharma) and ethical codes and become a burden on Mother Earth and remains in the world for sometime even after the task is accomplished, the incarnation is known as an absolute incarnation. From this point of view Rama and Krushna are believed to be absolute incarnations. (Usually only Krushna is accepted as an absolute incarnation.) Rama’s brother, Lakshman is the incarnation of the divine serpent, Shesh and the monkeys are incarnations of the deities in heaven. Similarly Balaram is the incarnation of Shesh, Rukmini of Lakshmi and the gopas and gopis (cowherds and their wives) accompanying Krushna those of deities and celestial beauties. This is the energy constellation of Rama and Krushna.
- Partial incarnations (anshavtar) : To pacify minor disruptions The Supreme God incarnates for a short period of time and disappears after completion of the task. This is referred to as a partial incarnation. In the Adiparva of the Mahabharat, chapters 54 to 64 enlist the partial incarnations. Such a list has also been given in the fourth skandha (volume) of the Devibhagvat quoting the incarnations assumed by different deities.
In Bhagavata Purana, it is mentioned that whenever evil triumphs over good, darkness take over light, and tyranny rules over justice and Lord Vishnu will reincarnate on earth to restore Dharma and guide the people in the right path.
It is explained in the Bhagavatam Canto 1 chapter 3. Even though there are innumerable incarnations of the Lord, some of the important ones are mentioned in this chapter.
‘In the parables of Narayan from the Mahabharat (Mahabharat Shantiparva 399) there is a discussion on the six incarnations namely, Varaha (the boar), Nrusinha (the man-lion), Vaman (the dwarf), Bhargavrama, Dasharathirama and Vasudevkrushna. Further in the same chapter there is a mention of the Hansa (swan) incarnation. Thus by the exclusion of Buddha there are ten incarnations in all. In some books the number goes upto twelve.
The twenty-four incarnations described in the Bhagvat Puran (6.2.7) are 1. Narayan [the Absolute Being (Virat Purush)], 2. Brahma, 3. Sanatkumars (constituted by four of Them), 4. Naranarayan, 5. Kapil, 6. Dattatreya, 7. Suyadnya, 8. Hayagriv, 9. Rushabh (the bull), 10. Pruthu, 11. Matsya (the fish), 12. Kurma (the tortoise), 13. Hansa, 14. Dhanvantari (the physician of deities), 15. Vaman, 16. Parshuram, 17. Mohini, 18. Nrusinha, 19. Vedavyas, 20. Vyas, 21. Balaram, 22. Krushna, 23. Buddha and 24. Kalki.
हरेः सत्त्व-निधेर् द्विजाः अवतारा हि असङ्ख्येया
यथाविदासिनः कुल्याः सरसः स्युः सहस्रशः
avatārā hi asaṅkhyeyā hareḥ sattva-nidher dvijāḥ
yathāvidāsinaḥ kulyāḥ sarasaḥ syuḥ sahasraśaḥ
O brāhmaṇas, the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets flowing from inexhaustible sources of water.
Similar thing was said to Arjuna by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad Gita.
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि जन्मानि तव चार्जुन |
तान्यहं वेद सर्वाणि न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप || ५ ||
bahūni me vyatītāni janmāni tava cārjuna |
tānyahaṃ veda sarvāṇi na tvaṃ vettha parantapa || 4.5 ||
Many births of Mine have passed, O Arjuna, and so is it with you also. I know them all, but you do not know them.
This is a verse from Shri Gurucharitra (3:78). It is believed that there are only ten incarnations, but this is said only grossly. If one views carefully then one will realise that the tradition of incarnations is continuous. The process of going from sattva to tama and consequent deterioration in Righteousness (Dharma) goes on constantly. That itself is the very nature of Prakruti (creation) just like water which has the inherent tendency to flow along a gradient. And when there is a possibility of the tama component reaching a peak, an absolute incarnation (purnavatar) manifests. Internally all saints are absolute. Though They possess the attributes of omniscience and omnipotence yet in accordance with the mission for that period (kal) they are used only limitedly. Hence the ignorant do not refer to Them as incarnations, that is all. Saints give Their close disciples an intense realisation that ‘I Myself am an incarnation of The Lord’. In this context, Saint Eknath says that only a liberated soul (jivanmukta) will recognise another. The Lord has said ‘सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि स योगी मयी वर्तते ।’ in the Shrimadbhagvadgita 6:31. This means that since the mode of speech (vani) of all saints and Their close disciples is in accordance with the Vedas, it is divine. So, irrespective of Their outward behaviour They have merged into Me. Saint Dnyaneshvar poses a question as to ‘why the chance utterance of words (disciples) of these saints may not be called the Vedas?’. Thus it can be said that as an individual becomes more and more sattvik (sattva predominant) The Lord Himself gets the mission of reinstatement of Righteousness (Dharma) accomplished from him. Considering the influence of the yug (era) and the passage of time the code of Righteousness in man constantly changes. Despite that, saints mould his mental state in such a way that he is able to realise the truth.
As per bhagavatam and as explained by Sriman Madhwacharya, who propagated Dwaitha matha, the 24 names of Sriman Naarayana, are , kesava, naaraayana, madhava, govinda, vishnu, madhusoodana, trivikrama, vamana, sridhara, hrushikesa, padmanabha, damodhara, sankrushna, vasudeva, pradyumna, aniruddha, purushottama, adokshaja, narasimha, achutha, janardana, upendra, haraye, srikrishna. These names of Sriman Naaraayana are chanted while having achamana during Sandhyavandana kala.
I bow to Vishnu, Master of Universe unquestionably, Who rests on great serpent bed, peaceful perpetually, From His navel sprouts Lotus of Creative Power surely, He the Supreme Lord of cosmos undeniably does be
hinduism.stackexchang
avatarsofbrahmavishnumahesh.blogspot.
hindujagruti.
This post is for sharing knowledge only, no intention to violate any copy rights