Is Krishna really an avatar ?

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

 

This is a question I faced from the secular brigade and even from our

religious groups. We can not prove God but we can understand his words.

 

And it takes nothing less than the genius of Osho to dig out a great

explanation from Krishna's signal statement in Kurukshetra. Read this

blog at

 

<http://sanatanavenkat.blogspot.com/2009/04/is-krishna-really-avatar.html>

 

And do not forget to register your comments. Also, please circulate it

to all who may need it. You may use the content even without my name.

J Venkatasubramanian

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Namaste all.

 

A great devotee of Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

said in his Sanskrit prayer:

 

 

anAdiH sAdir vA paTur atimRdur vA pratipada-

pramIlat-kAruNyaH praguNa-karuNA-hIna iti vA |

mahA-vaikuNThezAdhika iha naro vA vraja-pater

ayaM sUnur goSThe pratijani mamAstAM prabhu-varaH ||

 

I don't care if Krishna is beginningless

or was born at some time,

whether he is brilliant or a fool,

whether he is compassionate at every moment or

whether he is totally devoid of any quality of mercy.

 

I don't even care whether he greater than Narayan,

the lord of Vaikuntha, or

whether he is just an ordinary human being.

 

I only pray that this Son of the cowherd chief

be my chosen Lord here in this land of Vraja,

birth after birth.

 

- Svaniyama-dasakam, 5, Srila Raghunath Das

 

Jaya Sri Radhe!

 

, Venkat <apexpreci2000 wrote:

 

http://sanatanavenkat.blogspot.com/2009/04/is-krishna-really-avatar.html

[Guest guest]

This was a really beautiful shlok. THank you!

 

--- On Sun, 26/4/09, pyari_h <no_reply > wrote:

 

pyari_h <no_reply >

Re: Is Krishna really an avatar ?

 

Sunday, 26 April, 2009, 7:24 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Namaste all.

 

A great devotee of Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

said in his Sanskrit prayer:

 

anAdiH sAdir vA paTur atimRdur vA pratipada-

pramIlat-kAruNyaH praguNa-karuNA- hIna iti vA |

mahA-vaikuNThezAdhi ka iha naro vA vraja-pater

ayaM sUnur goSThe pratijani mamAstAM prabhu-varaH ||

 

I don't care if Krishna is beginningless

or was born at some time,

whether he is brilliant or a fool,

whether he is compassionate at every moment or

whether he is totally devoid of any quality of mercy.

 

I don't even care whether he greater than Narayan,

the lord of Vaikuntha, or

whether he is just an ordinary human being.

 

I only pray that this Son of the cowherd chief

be my chosen Lord here in this land of Vraja,

birth after birth.

 

- Svaniyama-dasakam, 5, Srila Raghunath Das

 

Jaya Sri Radhe!

 

@ s.com, Venkat <apexpreci2000@ ...> wrote:

 

http://sanatanavenk at.blogspot. com/2009/ 04/is-krishna- really-avatar. html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

, Venkat <apexpreci2000 wrote:

> This is a question I faced from the secular brigade and even from

 

All avtaars- Krishna, Rama, jesus(if you accept him as one), led very ordinary

lives. They rarely showed miracles, & never tried to extend their life by

supernatural means. Neither did they use their super duper powers to defeat

evil- they werent superheroes!

 

If God wanted to defeat evil using super powers, then why take birth- God can do

that sitting easily in heaven. For that matter, why allow evil to arise in 1st

place?

 

Evil is necessary, as it is an important part of our ignorance of our True

nature. If we knew our true nature, we wouldnt do half the things we do now.

 

I read a story of a Christian mystic in Cyprus, who practiced Indian Yoga. Once,

he was arrested by the police, who punched him very hard. His face started

bleeding, but he didnt get angry. He said to the policeman " You dont know this

yet, but you have hurt yourself, not me " . The policeman was surprsed &

apologised to him. If you believe that we are all part of 1 supereme reality,

any violence towards others is violence towards ourself.

 

As such, the way to fight evil is through knowledge, through love & compassion.

Thats what the avtaars come here to show us- that an ordinary person, with no

superpowers or help from God, can help fight his own inner ignorance which is

reflected in the outer world as evil.

 

Each avtaar showed us how to live. Ram showed us how to follow the path of

Dharma, even if it leads to misery, grief & personal loss. Buddha showed us to

never stop looking for God, to put personal quest above any & all religons.

Jesus showed us the power of Love, & how to let it lead all our actions. Krishna

showed us how me live like a complete Person- in the world, yet above it, like a

Lotus.

 

The world is an extension of God- it is his bliss(Ananda). God expands into the

universe, so he can experience his own glory, & feel the bliss of perfectness,

of oneness. So even though God is perfect, such completeness cannot be realised

until one has seen uncompleteness, inperfection. One cannot know what supreme

knowledge is, till one has known ignorance.

 

Thats why Avtaars come- they show us how to achieve onenes with the infinite,

while still living in the world of ignorance. Everything else is just show.

 

luv,

Shantnu

[Guest guest]

Namaste all.

The 16th century bhakta-poet, Nandadas,

sang about the blissful devotional condition:

=============

About Shri Krishna

=============

 

O friend, since I heard Krishna's name,

I have forgotten my home

and have gone completely mad.

My eyes fill with tears – my mind reels.

My body is transformed.

The fruit of all my fasts and dharma practices

finally arose when I heard the sacred name.

Sings Nandadas, " Look at what happened to her

after truly hearing His name just once –

Imagine what will happen when she sees Him! "

 

- Shyamdas

 

from: http://www.shyamdas.com/

 

 

 

, shanracer <no_reply wrote:

 

> Thats why Avtaars come- they show us how to achieve onenes with the infinite,

while still living in the world of ignorance.

[Guest guest]

Article of the Month - July 2009

*********************************************************

 

====================================================

Concept Of Incarnation And Vishnu's Ten Avataras

====================================================

 

The concept of 'avatar' - incarnation, is the foremost cardinal

of Hinduism. An incarnation - descent of God in whatever form He

chose to emerge on the earth for accomplishing a divine

objective, or presenting an absolute model of life or sublimating

a virtue, along with accomplishing such divine objective, is

considered in Hindu way of life a cosmic reality occurring from

time to time or when it became emergent for re-setting the world

to order. Hinduism, or rather Indian masses, discovered in these

'avatars' their ultimate ethical modules, norms of personal

living, community life, governance and polity, roots of the most

of their customs and conventions, permissibilities and

prohibitions, indulgences and renunciations, ideals to pursue and

weaknesses to evade, broadly, all that distinguished the 'humane'

from the 'beast' irrespective of whether a man or an animal.

Legends of incarnations have given to Indian society a huge body

of corrective texts in the name of Puranas, to culture, its

versatility and visual aspect, to literature, themes of its

epics, emotionalism for its songs and dramatic turns of

situations for its stage, to stone, its utmost forms and

narratives, to canvas, its colours and linear dimensions, and to

common man, his forbearance and strength to combat evil. At one

time incarnation theory might have been a potent instrument for

reducing conflicts of old and new beliefs, or those of elite and

tribes, for it had scope for respecting on equal footings the

faith's all diverse forms and to unite various believing groups.

Elevation of the humblest, the fish, the most ignored, the

tortoise, and the man's headstrong antagonist, the boar, first

three of Vishnu's ten incarnations, to the status of the Supreme

Being, not only generated reverence for all beings but also

helped cosmic unity and equilibrium.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/RN30/

 

 

Incarnation: The Ultimate Godhood

 

To the believer, incarnation is the truest occurrence beyond

question or blink of eye, so much that he would not see God

beyond an incarnated form. Not merely that he reveres Rama or

Krishna as 'Para Brahma' - Ultimate God, but sometimes such

reverence is seen overpowering Puranic assertions and founding

its own tradition of theology replacing by an incarnated form the

absolute Godhood such as in Orissa where Krishna who as

Jagannatha - Lord of the world, is God in His proto form, others

being just Jagannatha's incarnations.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/PL56/

 

Not a mere folk, or local tradition of worship, it transforms

into scriptural classicism long back. The twelfth century Gita

Govinda, a poem of love of Radha and Krishna by Jaideva, a poet

of Orissa, begins with paying homage to Jagannatha's ten incarnations.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/book/details/IDF922/

 

Now for centuries in most part of India Rama and Krishna have

completely replaced Vishnu, and Vaishnavism connotes worship

rendered to Rama and Krishna.

 

A rhetorician's approach is hardly different. To him, the cosmos

is God's manifest vision in its macro form. An incarnation is His

scaled manifestation and is, hence, as real as the universe. To

him, an incarnation is the expression of the corrective course

that the cosmos initiates from time to time. The modern mind,

too, does not reject incarnation theory for it finds it consonant

with the scientific perception of elemental balance, the basic

principle of cosmic existence. Elemental imbalance leads to

dissolution. It finds agreeable the perception of the ancient

philosopher who classified all elements that constituted cosmos

on the basis of their inherent 'gunas' - qualities, as 'sattva' -

true, helpful and pleasurable, 'rajas' - active and passionate,

and 'tamas' - indolent and evil. This simplified the factum of

elemental imbalance which occurred whenever 'sattva' deteriorated

and 'tamas' gained upper hand. Then God, who manifests as cosmos

and is the cumulative body of all elements, descends into the

form that incarnates 'sattva' and destroys such part of 'tamas'

that endangered cosmic balance. In this the common man saw

resounding what he has ever felt: 'good always prevails'.

 

 

Incarnation Theory And Other Sects

 

Variations apart, God's descent on the earth for restoring order

and to let good prevail, as God's Prophet, messenger, or Son,

possessed of all that Godhood represented, has been proclaimed

world over in all major theologies, Islam, Christianity... The

Buddhism did not uphold the incarnation theory; however, the

Buddhist perception of the continuum of goodness as Bodhisattvas

across hundreds of births, as an animal or man, was mere

assertion of the truth that recurrence of goodness - 'sattva', in

one form or the other is incessant. It was the same with the

Jainism. Elimination of 'sinful' takes place after the 'jiva' -

being, has passed through enumerable virtuous births. A virtuous

birth is the essential condition for the elimination of evil

within, as in Jainism, within-and-beyond, as in Buddhism, and

beyond, as in incarnation concept of Hinduism. Broadly, this

virtuous birth for effecting good is the crux of the incarnation

theory; though, while in Jainism the virtuous birth ruins the

jiva's own sins and leads it to good and salvation, in Buddhism,

to the being's own good and that of others by way of showing them

the path of redemption - both defining human level, in the Hindu

theory the 'avatar' is God's direct descent to human level for

restoring order and doing good of all beings. Unlike in Jainism,

Buddhism and most other theologies, an incarnation is not a

birth - the outcome of a biological process, but God's descent by

His own choice.

 

 

Evolution Of Incarnation Theory, Their Types And Number

 

The concept of incarnation has its origin in the Rig-Vedic

mysticism itself where unlike other gods Vishnu has been

conceived as a cosmic presence without a manifest form. This

unmanifest presence which the Rig-Veda sought to personalise

might have led seers to discover Vishnu in other beings as well

as conceive him with various forms, and finally the idea of

avatars might have evolved. Vishnu's incarnations, at least three

of them - Matsya, Varaha and Vamana, in real perspective and

unambiguous terms, surface in Brahmans, Shatpatha and Etareya in

special. In the Mahabharata the theory has been further

consolidated. It is, however, in Puranas that the cult of

incarnation emerges as the ultimate Hindu vision of Godhood.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/book/details/IDI646/

 

Texts have classified Vishnu's incarnations into three types :

Purnavatara or complete incarnation, Anshavatara or partial

incarnation, and Aavesavatara or birth of a divine sentiment

transforming a being completely but for the time being. Rama or

Krishnavatara are examples of Purnavataras, numerous divinities,

hermits, Manus, gods among others, of Anshavataras, and

Parasurama, of Avesavatara.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/PG59/

 

Sometimes an incarnation appears to be a mere transform. Narsimha

appears to be Vishnu's transformation for a limited objective.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/book/details/IDH184/

 

The myth related to Vamanavatara in Shatpatha Brahman represents

Vamana more like Vishnu's transform rather than an incarnation.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/HJ48/

 

Vishnu's adopting to the form of Mohini in Samudra-manthana -

ocean-churning myth, and his emergence on Sheshachala as

Venkatesh among others are also his transforms.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/OR44/

 

Vishnu incarnated innumerable times. According to the Mahadevi

Bhagavata such large number of his incarnations was the result of

a curse, which sage Bhragu had pronounced against him for his

heinous sin of killing a woman, Kavyamata, the wife of

Shukracharya, when in the absence of her husband she was giving

protection to 'asuras' - demons, behind her. In various texts

number and forms of incarnations widely vary. Occasional

incarnations, such as those during the twelve Devasura-sangrams -

wars between gods and demons, are in addition to what Puranas

enumerated. The number of incarnations in the Mahabharata and

Vayu Purana is the same ten but while those in Mahabharata

include goose, fish and tortoise, in Vayu Purana these are

replaced with Dattatreya, Veda-Vyasa and one incarnation without

name. In the Bhagavata Purana Harivansha and other Puranas his

incarnations are said to be innumerable. These texts maintain

that Vishnu had countless incarnations in the past and shall have

as many in future. At least fifty-three of them have been

distinctly identified and listed with names. In Mahadevi

Bhagavata, this number is twenty-six. However, in popular

traditions, which powerfully reflect also in early sculptures,

the number of his incarnations is ten and sometimes twenty-four.

Ten incarnations emerge as theme of Indian sculptures and reliefs

right from the early Gupta period in the fifth century itself,

which the fifth century Gupta temple at Deogarh in Lalitpur

district of Uttar Pradesh affirms. Details of ten incarnations,

namely, Matsya -Fish, Kurma - Tortoise, Varaha - Boar, Narsimha -

Lion-man, Vamana - Dwarf, Parasurama, Rama, Krishna, Balarama or

Buddha, and Kalki, are given hereunder.

 

 

Matsyavatara

 

Matsyavatara has two accounts in texts, one relates to protecting

Manu, progenitor of mankind, Vivasvana's son and fifth in the

line of Brahma, and the other, to recovering Brahma's Vedas. Manu

is more often known as Vaivasvata Manu after his father. It is

said that once when Brahma was fully absorbed in reciting Vedas,

Hayagriva, a demon, slipped into his chamber and stole away the

Vedas. With the Holy Scriptures the demon entered into waters and

hid him there. For recovering the Vedas Vishnu incarnated as

Matsya, entered the waters, killed Hayagriva and brought back the

sacred texts. The myth is seen as symbolizing the restoration of

true knowledge when ignorance sought to enshroud it under the

cover of darkness.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/HJ56/

 

The other myth has wider acceptance from the Vedic texts to the

twentieth century's Hindi epic Kamayani of Jai Shankara Prasad,

of which main theme is the Great Deluge and Manu's escape from

it. As the myth has it, while bathing in river Kritamala in

course of penance, a tiny fish appeared before Manu and prayed

him to protect it from larger fishes as it was afraid of them.

Manu lifted it on his palm and brought it to his palace and put

it into a pot. In two-three days it grew larger to the pot's

size. Manu transferred it to a larger pot but in next two-three

days that pot too failed to contain it. Manu now put it into a

tank but in another few days it grew to a size larger than the

tank. Now, Manu shifted it to the Ganges but as before Ganges too

fell short to its size. Finally, the fish revealed to Manu that

within seven days the world would have a great flood. Hence, he

should make a large boat, board it along with Sapta-rishis -

seven sages, Brahma's spiritual sons, and their wives and escape.

The fish promised him to help. As advised by the fish, Manu made

a boat and when the Great Deluge began enveloping the world

boarded it along with Sapta-rishis and their wives and with the

help of the fish paddled it to safety. In the Mahabharata the

Himalayan peak where Manu's boat moored has been named as

Naubandhana, while in other texts, as Navaprabhanshana, one

meaning 'where the boat was moored', and other, 'which rescued

the boat'. The Matsya Purana alludes to Manu as the ruler of

Dravinda, and the mount where his boat reached as Malaya, not

Himalayas.

 

Significantly, world literature, to include Greek, Latin,

European, Babylonian, and South Asian among others, abounds in

tales of Great Flood with someone like Manu escaping it under

Divine commandment. The Holy Bible (Genesis, Chapters 6, 7 and 8)

in Noah's episode seems to recount an identical flood and

emergence of God instructing Noah to make an ark with given

length, breadth and height to protect him his wife, sons, wives

of his sons, males and females of different species of animals

and birds, creepers, and vegetables - seeds of life in all its

shades and kinds for He was going to flood the world to destroy

it along with all flesh which was dirtied by so much of violence.

Noah acted as commanded and was instrumental in protecting the

seed of life and recreating its all forms. Except a different

name of the place where the boat lands and such details of

species which Noah is commanded to take with him, this Biblical

story is repeated almost verbatim in the Holy Koran (11.3,

25-49). In Matsyavatara, Vishnu, God manifest, acts as fish, from

swelling His body-size for causing the flood to securing

re-emergence of life; in the Holy Bible, God Himself, not through

an incarnated form, does it.

 

 

Kurmavatara

 

Kurmavatara does not have parallel in world literature but in

India it has more versions than one. In Shatpatha Brahman,

Mahabharata and Padma Purana, Kurma in its divine birth assists

Prajapati in his act of procreation. Linga Purana claims that

Vishnu had incarnated as tortoise to hold the earth when it was

sinking into Patala - nether world. The diameter of this Kurma's

back was thousands of millions of miles. However, Kurmavatara is

more popularly liked with the myth of Samudra-manthana -

ocean-churning, which appears in Padma Purana, Bhagavata and many

other texts, though this myth, too, has two versions. It is said

that once sage Durvasa's devotees offered him a garland of

celestial Parijata flowers. A majestic garland of hardly any use

to an ascetic, he gave it to Indra but the arrogant Indra,

instead of wearing it himself, tied it on the tusk of his

elephant Airavata. However, beetles, gathered around it for its

fragrance and honey, began teasing the elephant which in fury

destroyed the garland. This annoyed the sage and he cursed Indra

that Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and abundance, would

desert him. The curse worked. Lakshmi disappeared into oceanic

depths and with her, also Indraloka's prosperity, wealth and

majesty. When entreated, Vishnu told gods that they might regain

her only after they churn ocean.

 

This part of the myth has been differently narrated in some

texts. Not merely Indra, Durvasa's curse worked against all gods.

Their faces revealed wrinkles and hair turned white, the signs of

old age. When approached, Vishnu advised gods to obtain

Ambrosia - Amrita or nectar, which alone could cure them of their

malady, and for it they were required to churn ocean. The job

being massive they persuaded demons to join them in the act under

assurance that whatever was obtained would be equally divided.

Demons, tired of hundreds of years of war and in hope of becoming

immortal, readily agreed. As Vishnu advised, Mount Mandrachala

was made the churning rod, and serpent Vasuki, the churning rope.

Gods held Vasuki's tail-part, while demons, its hoods. However,

before long, due to its volume and weight Mandrachala began

sinking into the ocean's basin. Thereupon Vishnu incarnated as

Kurma, crept under the Mount Mandrachala, held it on its back and

then the act of churning was performed uninterrupted.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/tortoise.jpg

 

 

Varahavatara

 

Not as Vishnu's incarnation, and also in somewhat ambiguous

terms, Varaha features first in the Rig-Veda, though it is in

later Vedic literature that the myth begins gaining some shape.

In the Taittiriya Samhita Varaha is alluded to as Prajapati's

incarnation. One day, before the earth emerged, Prajapati, when

as wind he roamed around in the sky, noticed the earth submerged

into waters. Thereupon Prajapati transformed himself into Varaha,

entered waters and lifted the earth above them. In Taittiriya

Brahman it has been presented in a slightly different way. Brahma

had mud deposited around the lower part of the lotus rising from

his navel. Prajapati, incarnating as Varaha, collected this mud

and scattered it on petals of lotus. In due course it was from

this mud that the earth emerged.

 

However, in the Mahabharata and later in Puranas - Matsya, Linga,

Vayu, Padma among others, Varaha emerges as an incarnation of

Vishnu, though the myth yet related to the act of rescuing the

earth. It is said that under a curse Jaya and Vijaya,

door-guardians of Vishnu, were born as sons of sage Kashyapa of

his wife Diti. They were named Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu.

Conceived in an inauspicious hour both were notorious and

destructive. One day, Hiranyaksha descended the ocean and began

beating its waves with his cudgel. This sent ocean into tides and

tremors after which Varuna, the sea-god, rushed to Vishnu and

sought his protection. Vishnu incarnated as Varaha and reached

the ocean. Seeing Vishnu as Varaha heading towards him

Hiranyaksha picked up the earth in one of his hands and ran to

the nether world. Varaha chased him, killed him and carrying on

its tusks restored the earth to its original position.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/HJ10/

 

 

Narsimhavatara

 

Vishnu's Narsimhavatara relates to Hiranyaksha's brother

Hiranyakashipu who, annoyed with Vishnu for killing his brother

Hiranyaksha in his Boar incarnation, had developed for him

exceptional hatred. For obtaining such powers with which he could

avenge his brother's killing he went to mount Mandara and engaged

in penance. Pleased by his austerities Brahma appeared and

commanded him to ask for whatever he wished. Hiranyakashipu asked

for a number of things, but mainly that no one should ever be

able to kill him. Brahma granted whatever he wished and also that

he would not be killed by anyone but Vishnu. Some texts have

added dramatic curves to this part of the episode. According to

them, Hiranyakashipu asked Brahma that he should neither be

killed by a god, demon, man nor animal, neither in day nor during

the night, and neither inside the house nor outside it. Brahma

granted his prayer.

 

Now invincible, Hiranyakashipu had his sway over the entire

earth. Atrocious and cruel as he was, he proclaimed that no body

in his dominions would commemorate Vishnu's name. In the due

course he had a son by the name of Prahlad. Prahlad was Vishnu's

devotee by birth. It is said that the first word that he uttered

was Vishnu. This greatly upset Hiranyakashipu. When Prahlad grew

to age, he appointed a teacher to divert his mind from Vishnu but

instead, Prahlad, the child, converted the teacher into a Vishnu's

believer. The enraged Hiranyakashipu threw Prahlad before a mad

elephant. The elephant charged at Prahlad but instead of hitting

him elephant's tusks struck to the ground and broke. Venomous

snakes were deployed to kill Prahlad but the moment a snake bit

him its fangs were destroyed. Hiranyakashipu put him into blazing

fire but the moment fire touched Prahlad's body it turned cool

and soothing. According to one version, there rose out of the

fire a ghost that attacked Prahlad to kill him but instantly

there emerged in the air a wheel which beheaded the ghost.

Burning with rage Hiranyakashipu cried and asked Prahlad where

his Vishnu was. Prahlad coolly replied, " he is everywhere and in

everything. " Hiranyakashipu asked sarcastically if he was also in

the doorjamb. Before Prahlad could say, " yes " , the door-pillar

burst and out of it emerged a horrible-looking Narsimha - half

lion-half man. It was evening, neither the day nor the night and

the place was neither inside the house nor outside it. Narsimha

caught hold of Hiranyakashipu, pushed him to ground and with its

horrible claws tore his breast and killed him.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/HI77/

 

 

Vamanavatara

 

Vishnu's incarnation as Vamana is one of his three incarnations

which had their origin in Vedic literature. In Vedic texts Vamana

seems to have been a mere transform of Vishnu, a form to which

Vishnu resorts when gods pray him for freeing their habitation

from demons. Here, with his third stride he covers the Vedas and

Vak, that is, all manifest and unmanifest, and known and spoken.

However, in Puranas Vamana emerges as a regular incarnation born

as Aditi's son by sage Kashypa for recovering gods' lost power

and position. As the myth has is, Bali, fourth in the line of

Hiranyakashipu and grandson of Prahlad, was the king of demons.

His exceptional prowess had given him the name Mahabali - the

mighty. Once when battling for taking possession of Ambrosia, the

nectar, obtained from churning of ocean, Indra beheaded him with

his disc. However, his demon-followers picked up his body and

carried it to nether world where Shukracharya, demons' teacher,

revived him to life. Now he devoted himself to further penance

and acquired such powers as would defeat gods. With renewed

vigour and powers he not only defeated gods, destroyed their

power and position but also evicted them of their habitation.

Indra's mother Aditi, sage Kashyapa's wife, heard all about it

which filled her with grief. When Kashyapa knew the reason of her

sadness, he advised her to observe a particular fast which would

please Vishnu who alone could restore to gods their position and

power. Aditi did as Kashyapa advised her. Pleased by her fast,

Vishnu appeared before her and as she desired he took birth as

her son. He was born in dwarfish form and was named Vamana.

 

At that time Mahabali was celebrating the occasion of his

conquest over the world at Narmada's banks by performing

sacrifice. In the gathering were a large number of hermits and

Brahmins. Vamana also joined them. When his turn came, he prayed

Mahabali to grant him a piece of land measuring three strides as

alms. Mahabali's teacher Shukracharya warned him against granting

the request but Mahabali paid no heed and granted it. He asked

Vamana to measure it. Vamana expanded his body to such size that

in two steps he covered the entire earth, heaven, and Patala, and

asked the demon king for the space to put his third. Mahabali,

true to his words, presented his head and asked Vamana to put it

there. Vishnu placed his foot on his head and pushed him into the

Patala and thus, gods' position and power were restored. Vishnu

in this form has been designated in Puranas as Vishnu-kranta,

Tri-Vikram or Vikranta, a form widely represented also in early sculptures.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/PG51/

 

 

Parasurama

 

Texts name Vishnu's sixth incarnation as Parasurama - Rama with

Parasu or axe. As the myth goes, once Karttaviryarjuna, the

Kshatriya king of Mahismatinagar, did great penance and pleased

Dattatreya, a great sage, who, as he desired, blessed him with a

thousand arms. One day, he was on a hunting expedition around the

bank of river Narmada. Tired he looked for a place to rest and

reached the hermitage of sage Jamadagni who was living there with

his wife Renuka, Parasurama and other sons. At that time

Parasurama was out. The sage summoned his divine cow Kamadhenu

that served Karttaviryarjuna and his retinue with delicious food.

When leaving, Karttaviryarjuna asked the sage for the cow, and

when he did not concede, the king caught it and took it away

forcibly. On his return Parasurama heard of it. He instantly left

for Mahismatinagar, killed Karttaviryarjuna and brought Kamadhenu

back. This, however, sowed the seeds of enmity and now onwards

Karttaviryarjuna's sons looked for an opportunity to avenge their

father's killing.

 

In another event, one day Parasurama's mother Renuka went to the

river to fetch water. At that time a gandharva, named

Chitraratha, was bathing in the river. Renuka's eye fell on him.

With his divine eye Jamadagni saw it and when she came back the

enraged sage asked each of his sons to behead her but none except

Parasurama obeyed him. Pleased with his filial devotion his

father told him to ask for anything he desired. Parasurama asked

his father to revive his mother, which Jamadagni accomplished.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/PL86/

 

One day when Parasurama was out, Karttaviryarjuna's sons, who

were looking for an occasion to avenge their father's killing,

entered the hermitage of Jamadagni. They cut off the head of the

sage and carried it with them. On Parasurama's return his mother

told him how his father was killed. Wailing miserably she beat

her breast twenty-one times. The event transformed Parasurama

into Aveshavatara - incarnation of revenge, and with his divine

wrath he traveled over the world twenty-one times and eliminated

all wicked Kshatriya kings and freed the earth of wickedness.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/book/details/IDK515/

 

 

Rama and Krishna Avatars

 

Rama, the eldest son of Dasharatha, the king of Ayodhya, was

Vishnu's seventh, and in one sense full and absolute

incarnation - Purnavatara, for as Rama, Vishnu not only

eliminated evil such as Ravana and the host of his demons but

also presented the ultimate model of life, polity and kingship.

As Krishna, in his eighth incarnation, Vishnu had a more

accomplished incarnation for as Krishna he not only redeemed the

world from mighty evil forces but also sublimated to divine

heights the virtues like love and devotion and expounded such

principles as detachment and 'Karma' - one's obligation to act.

Born to Devaki and Vasudeo and brought up by Yashoda and Nand,

Krishna was both, the son of Devaki and Vasudeo, as also of

Yashoda and Nand; thus as Krishna, Vishnu represented also the

dimensional breadth of worldly relations. In some texts Krishna

appears as ninth, and Balarama, as eighth incarnation.

 

 

Balarama or Buddha: The Ninth Incarnation

 

In the same myth Balarama is said to be the incarnation of Vishnu

as also of serpent Shesh on Vishnu's behest. As scriptures have

it, when the misdeeds of many kings, more so of Kansa, Mathura's

king, became cumbersome to Bhoodevi, the mother earth, she

transformed into a cow and reached before Vishnu praying him to

redeem her of the evil powers tramping her under their feet.

Vishnu promised her that he would take birth as Vasudeo's sons,

Balarama and Krishna, and redeem her of Kansa and other wicked

kings. Vasudeo and Devaki were in Kansa's prison and six of their

children had been killed by Kansa as soon as they were born. The

seventh in her womb was Balarama or Balabhadra. Now the myth

slightly varies. Instead of incarnating himself Vishnu directs

Shesh to incarnate as Balarama to help Vishnu, when he incarnates

as Krishna, in his mission against demons. As Kansa was sure to

kill this seventh child too, as soon as it was born, Vishnu

directed Yogamaya to transfer the foetus from Devaki's womb to

Rohini's, Vasudeo's other wife. In due course Rohini bore a child

who was initially named Sangharsana, but became popular later as

Balarama or Balabhadra.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/PG58/

 

The texts and traditions that identify Balarama as the

incarnation of serpent Shesh include Buddha as Vishnu's ninth

incarnation, though in his Buddhavatara Vishnu adopts an

altogether different path to uphold 'dharma' - righteousness. It

was those days when demons had defeated gods and had their sway

all over, endangering the very existence of 'dharma'. Gods

approached Vishnu and entreated him to do something for

protecting it. On gods' prayer, Vishnu incarnated as Gautam

Buddha or Siddhartha, son of Kapilavastu's king Suddhodhana.

Thereafter Gautam Buddha went around the country, preached demons

and persuaded them to reject the Vedas and Vedic laws. Vishnu

Purana, Agni Purana and many others assert that Vishnu as Buddha

planned to render all demons anti-Vedas and convert them to the

path of Buddhism and thus send them to hell without killing or warfare.

 

 

Kalkiavatara

 

As Agni Purana and other scriptures have it, Vishnu is scheduled

to incarnate in his last and tenth incarnation as Kalki that

shall take place during the last part of Kaliyuga, the age of

Kali, when people will have lost faith in God, become irreligious

and atheist, those of the low castes would rule and feed upon

human beings, and the rest, converted into thieves and

evil-doers. At this juncture, Vishnu shall incarnate as Kalki,

the son of a Brahmin named Vishnuyashas in the village Sambhala.

He would take over as the priest of Yajnavalkya. Kalki would have

the power to create arms and soldiers by his mere will and by

them he would destroy the wicked. With this would begin the new

eon which will be known as Kritiyuga. Opinions differ as to

whether Kalkiavatara has taken place or not. Texts assert that it

shall take place during the last part of Kaliyuga. In Vana-parva,

Mahabharata has estimated Kaliyuga's age as 4, 32. 000 years. The

Great War itself had taken place around the beginning of

Kaliyuga. Thus, so far Kaliyuga's age would be around 5000 years

or so. Obviously, it will take a long time for Kaliyuga to reach

its last part when Kalki would incarnate.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/PG56/

 

===========================================

This article by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet

===========================================

 

-------

For Further Study

-------

 

Rig-Veda Samhita: Edited by F. Maxmuller; English translation by

H. H. Wilson, Poona

 

Shatpatha Brahmana: Edited by Albert Waver, Leipzig, 1924

 

Etareya Brahman: Gita Press, Gorakhpur

 

Taittiriya Samhita: Gita Press, Gorakhpur

 

Taittiriya Brahman: Gita Press, Gorakhpur

 

Linga Purana: Poona

 

Matsya Purana: Poona

 

Mahabharata: Gita Press, Gorakhpur; Critical Edition, Poona;

English translation by Pratap Chandra Rai, Calcutta.

 

Valmiki Ramayana: Gita Press, Gorakhpur, 1976.

 

Padmapurana: Gita Press, Gorakhpur, 1981

 

Bhagavata Purana: Gita Press, Gorakhpur, 1961.

 

Vishnupurana: Bombay, 1889; Gita Press, Gorakhpur, 1980.

 

Mahadevi Bhagavata: Gita Press, Gorakhpur

 

Harivansha Purana: Gita Press, Gorakhpur

 

Vayu Purana: Gita Press, Gorakhpur

 

P. C. Jain & Usha Bhatia: The Magic of Indian Miniatures

 

Dr. Daljeet & P. C. Jain: Krishna : Raga se Viraga Tak

 

Suvira Jaiswal: Origins and Development of Vaishnavism D. O.

Flaherty: Hindu Myths

 

Veronica Ions: Indian Mythology

 

Devdatta Pattanaik: Vishnu

 

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===========================================

> The 16th century bhakta-poet, Nandadas,

> sang about the blissful devotional condition:

> =============

> About Shri Krishna

> =============

>

> O friend, since I heard Krishna's name,

> I have forgotten my home

> and have gone completely mad.

> My eyes fill with tears – my mind reels.

> My body is transformed.

> The fruit of all my fasts and dharma practices

> finally arose when I heard the sacred name.

> Sings Nandadas, " Look at what happened to her

> after truly hearing His name just once –

> Imagine what will happen when she sees Him! "

>

> - Shyamdas

 

> > Thats why Avtaars come- they show us how to achieve onenes with the

infinite, while still living in the world of ignorance.

>