Manifestations of the Divine – avatars
An avatar (or avatara)The Hindu word for incarnation of a god in a human (or animal) form on Earth. The spelling ‘avatara’ comes from the Sanskrit. is an appearance or an incarnation of a god or goddess on Earth. Hindus believe that a god or goddess takes the form of a human or animal in times of great need, to save humanity from danger or evil. For example:
- The seventh avatar of VishnuVishnu is the aspect of Brahman responsible for the preservation of the world. Vishnu forms one part of the Trimurti, along with with gods, Brahma and Shiva. is Lord RamaA Hindu deity, the hero of the Ramayana story, another avatar of Vishnu., who lived on Earth and fought the evil ten-headed demon Ravana (Ravan)The ten-headed demon in the Hindu Ramayana story..
- The eighth avatar of Vishnu is Lord KrishnaHindu deity, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. There are many tales of him as a mischievous but loving child., who is very widely loved and worshipped in Hindu communities today.
Hindu stories tell of many different avatars. In VaishnaviteHindus who focus their worship on the god Vishnu. Hindu communities, the ten appearances of the great god Vishnu are especially important examples of avatars.
Avatars of Vishnu
Vishnu is one of the three gods of the trimurtiThe three main deities of Hinduism. Refers to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.. As the god of preservation, he keeps life going. To do this, he has appeared nine times on Earth across the ages (and a tenth avatar is still to come in the future). The most famous avatars of Vishnu are the seventh (Rama) and the eighth (Krishna). The tenth and final avatar is called Kalki. The stories say he will ride in on a white horse to destroy all the evil in the world.
| 1 | Matsya – The Fish |
| 2 | Kurma – The Tortoise |
| 3 | Varaha – The Boar |
| 4 | Narasimha – The Man-Lion |
| 5 | Vamana – The Dwarf |
| 6 | Parasurama – The Angry Man |
| 7 | Lord Rama – The Perfect Man |
| 8 | Lord Krishna – The Divine Statesman |
| 9 | Balarama – Krishna’s Elder Brother |
| 10 | Kalki – The Mighty Warrior (still to come) |
| 1 |
| Matsya – The Fish |
| 2 |
| Kurma – The Tortoise |
| 3 |
| Varaha – The Boar |
| 4 |
| Narasimha – The Man-Lion |
| 5 |
| Vamana – The Dwarf |
| 6 |
| Parasurama – The Angry Man |
| 7 |
| Lord Rama – The Perfect Man |
| 8 |
| Lord Krishna – The Divine Statesman |
| 9 |
| Balarama – Krishna’s Elder Brother |
| 10 |
| Kalki – The Mighty Warrior (still to come) |
Question
In Hindu worship, what is an avatar?
Avatars are appearances of the gods and goddesses on Earth. Examples include the ten avatars of Vishnu.