Avatar

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

For other uses, see Avatar (disambiguation).

In Hindu philosophy, an avatar, avatara or avatarim (Sanskrit: अवतार, IAST: avatāra), most commonly refers to the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of a higher being (deva), or the Supreme Being (God) onto planet Earth. The Sanskrit word avatāra- literally means "descent" (avatarati) and usually implies a deliberate descent into lower realms of existence for special purposes. The term is used primarily in Hinduism, for incarnations of Vishnu whom many Hindus worship as God.

Vishnu is said to descend from the spiritual world (Vaikuntha) into this universe as a variety of different types and forms of avatar. The Dasavatara (see below) are the ten most poplularly known incarnations of Vishnu in this connection. In some schools of Vedanta and non-theistic schools of Vedic thought, an Avatar is merely the supreme perfection of a very human yogi. He is the Purusha or "supreme man" beyond which there is nothing. This Purusha is identified with Brahman and in yogic schools it is the supreme perfection.

The word has also been used by extension to refer to the incarnations of God in other religions, especially by adherents to dharmic traditions when explaining figures such as Jesus.

Contents 1 Dasavatara: The Ten Avatars of Vishnu 2 Types of avatars 3 The 25 Avatars of the Puranas 4 Symbolism 5 List of other people considered to be avatars 6 Influence of Avatar Philosophy 6.1 Theosophy 6.2 The New Age 6.3 Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet 7 Criticism of contemporary avatars 8 See also 9 References 10 External links 10.1 General 10.2 Academic

[edit] Dasavatara: The Ten Avatars of Vishnu

Further information: Vishnu

The ten most famous incarnations of Vishnu are collectively known as the 'Dasavatara' (das 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.

The majority of avatars in this list of ten are categorised as 'lila-avatars' as will be discussed below. 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). The next three avatars appeared in the Treta Yuga, the eighth incarnation in the Dwapara Yuga and the ninth in the Kali Yuga. The tenth is predicted to appear at the end of the Kali Yuga in some 427,000 years time.^[1]

1. Matsya, the fish, appeared in the Satya Yuga.
2. Kurma, the tortoise, appeared in the Satya Yuga.
3. Varaha, the boar, appeared in the Satya Yuga.
4. Narasimha, the half-man/half-lion appeared in the Satya Yuga.
5. Vamana, the dwarf, appeared in the Treta Yuga.
6. Parashurama, Rama with the axe, appeared in the Treta Yuga.
7. Rama, Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya, appeared in the Treta Yuga.
8. Krishna (meaning 'dark coloured' or 'all attractive') appeared in the Dwapara Yuga 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.
9. Buddha (meaning 'the enlightened one') appeared in the Kali Yuga (specifically as Siddhartha Gautama).
10. Kalki ("Eternity", or "time", or "The Destroyer of foulness"), who is expected to appear at the end of Kali Yuga, the time period in which we currently exist, which will end in the year 428899 CE.

[edit] Types of avatars

According to the Puranas countless numbers of avatars descend into our universe.^[2] Theologically within Vaishnavism the many avatars have been categorised 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 being a jiva themselves.

Purusha avatars: These are described as the original avatars of Vishnu within the universe:

• Vasudeva
• Sankarshan
• Pradyumna
• Aniruddha

Guna avatars: The avatars in control of the three modes (gunas) of nature.

Main article: Trimurthi

• Brahma - Controller of the mode of passion and desire (rajas)
• Vishnu - As controller of the mode of goodness (sattva)
• Shiva - Controller of the mode of ignorance (tamas)

Lila avatars: There are too many lila-avatars to list. Lila translates to 'pastime', and the lilavatars are those which descend at regular intervals throughout time to perform a particular series of events in order to instruct others in the paths of dharma, bhakti or moksha. The Dasavatars and avatars from the Puranas (as below) are examples of this type.

Manvantara avatars: These are beings responsible for creating progency throughout the universe, said to be unlimited in number. For further information see: Manu.

Shaktyavesa avatars: These are of two types - a direct avatar of Vishnu and a partial avatar of Vishnu's power, given to a specific living being. There are said to be a great number of avatars of this second type imparticular. An example would be Narada Muni or Buddha

Generally partial avatars of Vishnu are not worshipped as God. Only the direct, primary avatars are worshipped in this way. 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. (See Madhva's commentary on the Katha Upanishad, or his Mahabharata-Tatparya-Nirnaya).

Within Gaudiya Vaishnavism Krishna is considered to be the highest avatar (the source of all other avatars), however most other Vaishnava groups accept him simply as an avatar of Vishnu . In any event, most Hindus believe that there is no difference between worship of Vishnu and His avatars as it all leads to Him.

[edit] The 25 Avatars of the Puranas

The Puranas list twenty-five avatars of Vishnu. A description of these is found in the Bhagavata Purana, Canto 1, Chapter 3 ^[3] as follows:

1. Catursana (the four sons of Brahma)
2. Narada (the travelling sage)
3. Varaha (the boar)
4. Matsya (the fish)
5. Yajna (Vishnu temporarily taking the role of Indra)
6. Nara-Narayana (the twins)
7. Kapila (the philosopher)
8. Dattatreya (combined avatar of the trimurthi)
9. Hayagriva (the horse)
10. Hamsa (the swan)
11. Prsnigarbha
12. Rishabha (father of King Bharata)
13. Prithu
14. Narasimha (the Man-Lion)
15. Kurma (the tortoise)
16. Dhanvantari (father of ayurveda)
17. Mohini (beautiful woman)
18. Vamana (the dwarf)
19. Parasurama (the warrior)
20. Ramachandra (the king of Ayodhya)
21. Vyasa (writer of the Vedas)
22. Balarama (Krishna's elder brother)
23. Krishna (the cowherd)
24. Buddha (the reformer)
25. Kalki (the destroyer)

Based on a verse in the latter texts of the Bhagavata Purana^[4], and a number of texts from the Mahabharata and other Puranic scriptures^[5], Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is also listed as an avatar by followers of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. In this connection Chaitanya is often referred to as the Golden Avatar.

[edit] Symbolism

Many 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 man'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, whose weapon was a plough could stand for the development of agriculture. Buddha, the enlightened one, symbolizes social advancement of man.

Note that the time of the avatars also has some significance: Thus, kings rule reached its ideal state in Treta Yuga with Rama Avatar and social justice and Dharma were protected in Dwapar Yuga with the avatar of Krishna. 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 avatars described above are of Vishnu, which in a sense a symbol of the "current state" of the society. The wife of Vishnu is "Laxmi" the goddess of Wealth. The Wealth is generated by the society, and is required to keep it going. This is symbolized by keeping Laxmi at the feet of Vishnu and basically taking care of him. Brahma, the "Creator" god, is the god of Knowledge. He is supposed have created knowledge.

The four Yugas are again the symbolically represented. The description of each Yuga is given as follows: Krita Yuga is represented by a man carrying a small piece of pot (kamandalu). Treta Yuga is represented by a man carrying a Cow and an Anchor. Dwapar Yuga is represented by a man carrying a Bow and Parashu (Axe). Kali Yuga is represented by a man who is ugly, without clothes and making offensive gestures holding in his hand his genitals (sex organ).

If the above descriptions are seen carefully, one realizes that this also represents several technological advancements of the human society. In the first yuga there is a development of pottery, language and yagna (yadnya) rituals etc. The second yuga shows the mastering of agricultural techniques. The third yuga tells the development of weapons technology whereby the agricultural society (now staying in groups) and their generated wealth needs to be protected. The last yuga represents the complete anarchy of the values developed so far and is basically the last phase in the development of any society.

[edit] List of other people considered to be avatars

Besides the avatars of Hinduism listed in the Puranas and Vedas, some other Indian Hindus are considered to be avatars by themselves or by others. Some of these include:

• Hans Ji Maharaj (1900–1966) Declared that the Satguru is an avatar with the 64 kalas ^[6]
• Jagadguru Kripaluji Maharaj (1922-present) is claimed to be an avatar of Krishna and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu by his followers. He is also known as 'Bhaktiyog-Ras-Avtar and 'Jagadgurottam' (Supreme among all previous Jagadgurus), these titles were given to him by Kashi Vidvat Parishat while declaring him 5th Jagadguru in last 2500 years and first in last 700 years (after Jagadguru Madhvachrya) on 14th January, 1957.
• Mahavatar Babaji 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 (argued through an association of Sai Baba's birthdate with "the descent of the overmind") and several other ones [1] by Pope John XXIII as well as by the prophet Nostradamus.
• Shirdi Sai Baba (1838-1918) some of his followers believed him to be an avatar of Dattatreya and Shiva
• Sri Ramakrishna (1836–1886) and Sri Sarada Devi (1853–1920). Ramakrishna 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. Many other Hindus reject the idea of avatars outside of traditional Hinduism. Some of these religious figures include:

• Adi Da (1939-present) states he is the Avatar of " The Bright " incarnate, and uses the title Avatar Adi Da Samraj
• Bahá'u'lláh (1817–1892) the founder-prophet of the Bahá'í Faith, believed to be Kalki Avatar.
• Gautama Buddha (563-483BC-543BC) the key figure in Buddhism. See Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Vaishnava Theology.
• Jesus (4 BC-36) whose teachings inspired Christianity.
• Mahavira (599 BC-527 BC) originator of the tenets of Jainism.
• Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet (1938-present) claims to be the "Third", an avatar of the "solar line", and the successor to Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.^{[citation needed]}
• Samael Aun Weor (1917-1977) claimed to be the real Kalki Avatar and Buddha Maitreya.^{[citation needed]}
• Zoroaster (Zarathustra) the prophet of Zoroastrianism.

[edit] Influence of Avatar Philosophy

[edit] Theosophy

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.

[edit] The New Age

Many New Age teachings have been strongly influenced by Neo-Theosophical ideas (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.

[edit] Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet

Cosmologist Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet contends that the Hindu Line of Ten is a parable of evolution that is best understood with esoteric knowledge of astrology. She holds that Vishnu, the Preserver, corresponds to the fixed (preserving) signs of the Zodiac (Scorpio, Leo, Taurus and Aquarius), and that his 10 incarnations appear only during Astrological Ages ruled by fixed signs. To support this controversial claim, Norelli-Bachelet cites the famous three Steps of Vishnu mentioned in the Rig Veda (1.154) which likens Vishnu to the Lion [Leo], the Bull [Taurus] and the Man [Aquarius]. This view implies that an ancient zodiacal knowledge is embedded in the Ten Avatars of Vishnu. (see History of Astrology)

She considers Sri Aurobindo rather than the Buddha to be the ninth Avatar of Vishnu, on the grounds that he considered Buddha's direction towards 'a featureless Absolute' to be a mistake in the course of evolution of consciousness. In Letters on Yoga, he wrote: 'The next normal step [in evolution after Krishna] is not a featureless Absolute, but the supermind. I consider that in trying to overshoot, Buddha like Shankara made a mistake, calling away the dynamic side of the liberation. Therefore there has to be a correction by Kalki.' Kalki is known to be the last or 10th Avatar of the Hindu line. Norelli-Bachelet contends in The New Way, Volumes 1 and 2 that the 10th is the 9th returned (i.e. reincarnated).

[edit] Criticism of contemporary avatars

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 in modern times to place their guru as ishta-deva.

Swami Tapasyananda of Ramakrishna Mission, on commentating about this phenomenon, said:

The avatar doctrine has been excessively abused by many Hindus today and we have the strange phenomenon of every disciple of a sectarian Guru claiming him to be an avatar. Christianity has therefore limited the Divine Incarnation as an one-time phenomenon. The theory has strong points and equally strong defects but it surmounts the gross abuse of the doctrine indulged in by many Hindus.

Thus, if followers respect and revere the guru, it is only proper if they are using him as a conduit to God, and respect him as a teacher.

However, Swami Sivananda 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, inspire devotion in others, and have a presence that purifies all.

As early as the 17^th century, the great Vaishnavite saint, Raghavendra Swami, in his last speech before departing from the mortal world, warned about the dangers of fraudulent gurus by saying:

The search for knowledge is never easy. As the Upanishads say it is like walking on the razor's edge. But for those who have strong faith and put in sustained effort and have the blessings of Shi Hari and guru this is not difficult. Always keep away from people who merely perform miracles without following the shastras and yet call themselves God or guru. I have performed miracles, and so have great persons like Shrimadacharya. These are based on yoga siddhi and the shastras. There is no fraud or trickery at all. These miracles were performed only to show the greatness of God and the wonderful powers that one can attain with His grace. Right knowledge (jnana) is greater than any miracle. Without this no real miracle can take place. Any miracle performed without this right knowledge is only witchcraft. No good will come to those who perform such miracles and also those who believe in them.

[edit] See also

• Buddha as an Avatar of Vishnu

[edit] References

• Meaning of Parashurama, an Avesha avatar.
• Types of Avatars; answers to questions #67-70.
• Bhakti Schools of Vedanta, pg. 94, by Swami Tapasyananda, available at Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. available at India web site: http://www.sriramakrishnamath.org and US site: http://www.vedanta.org.

1. ^ B-Gita 8.17 "And finally in Kali-yuga (the yuga we have now been experiencing over the past 5,000 years) there is an abundance of strife, ignorance, irreligion and vice, true virtue being practically nonexistent, and this yuga lasts 432,000 years. In Kali-yuga vice increases to such a point that at the termination of the yuga the Supreme Lord Himself appears as the Kalki avatara"
2. ^ Bhag-P 1.3.26 "O brahmanas, the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets flowing from inexhaustible sources of water"
3. ^ Bhag-P 1.3 Canto 1, Chapter 3
4. ^ Bhag-P 11.5.32 "In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Krishna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself."
5. ^ Vedic Encyclopedia "Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu predicted"
6. ^ Gupta, Mahendra. Hans Puran, (1969) New Delhi.

• "Only he is the true teacher [Satguru] who can show what are the religious and social obligations [dharma], show God to you, and give you the Knowledge of the holy name [sat nam]. And he who can give you the Knowledge of this dharma is completely wise. Satguru is the one who has the perfect wisdom. And other than the Satguru no one has the perfect wisdom. Oh! People of the world! Only a perfect avatar with the sixty-four virtues [kalae] can reveal this Knowledge." Hans Ji Maharaj (Bombay, March 1966)

• Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga and The Life Divine, excerpts pertaining to Krishna and Buddha and the evolution of consciousness and selections from Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet's The Gnostic Circle and Vishaal Newsletter regarding the contention that Sri Aurobindo is the 9th of the Hindu Line of Ten Avatars.

[edit] External links

[edit] 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

[edit] Academic

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