24 Avatars / Incarnations of Lord Vishnu
- Matsya,
- Kurma,
- Varaaha,
- Nrisingh,
- Vaaman / Vaman,
- Parashuram,
- Lord Ram,
- Lord Balraam,
- Lord Krishna,
- Kalki,
- Sages Sankaadi,
- Sage Narad,
- Sage Kapil,
- Sage Veda Vyas,
- Lord Nar-Narayan,
- Lord Dattatreya,
- Lord Rishabdeo,
- King Prithu,
- Dhanvantri,
- Mohini,
- Lord Hayagriva,
- Sri Hari,
- The Yagya,
- The Hans.
The 10 main Avatars / incarnations of Vishnu:
(i) Matsya or Fish incarnation of Vishnu: In this incarnation as a Fish or Matsya, which is the first of ten divine incarnations of Vishnu, the Lord is said to have saved Manu, the progenitor of mankind, and the Saptarishis (the seven mental sons of the creator Brahma) along with their wives during the dooms-day deluge. They were made to board a boat which was pulled by this Fish and saved from being drowned. They re-populated the world later on. It is a story identical to the Biblical story of the Noah’s Arc.
(ii) Kurma or Tortoise incarnation of Vishnu: It is the second incarnation of Vishnu. The Lord had supported the legendary Mountain called Mandara which had started sinking during the churning of the ocean by the Gods and the Demons in search of Amrit, the elixir of eternal and life.
(iii) Varaaha or Boar incarnation of Vishnu: It is the third incarnation of Vishnu in which he killed the demon Hiranyaaksha and lifted the earth from the flood water where it had vanished. According to some versions, this demon had hidden the earth in the bowls of the ocean. This extrication and resurrection of the earth is a symbolic way of saying that the Lord saves the creation from being submerged in the vast ocean of sins and evil. An Upanishad preached by Lord Varaaha appears in the Krishna Yajur Veda tradition as its 30th Upanishad. The female aspect of Varaaha is known as Goddess Vaaraahi.
(iv) Nrisingh or half man and half lion incarnation of Vishnu: Lord Nrisingh or Narsingh is the half lion and half man incarnation of Lord Vishnu to slay the demon Hiranyakashipu who had been tormenting Prahalad, his son, because the latter worshipped Vishnu. Lord Vishnu had incarnated as Nrisingh to kill the demon Hiranyakashipu who had been tormenting his own son Prahalad because the child was a devout follower of Vishnu. After having killed the demon, Nrisingh started roaming in the forests, striking terror in the hearts of all the creatures. It was then that Shiva, the universal Lord who has been honoured with the epithet of ‘Mahadev’ as he is the greatest and supreme God, had assumed the form of Sharav, the killer, and liberated Vishnu from the body of Nrisingh. [Refer Sharav Upanishad of Atharva Veda, verse no. 8.] Thus liberated, Vishnu had thanked him a lot (refer Sharav Upanishad of Atharva Veda, verse no. 19) and went to his divine abode called Vaikunth. So this ferocious form of Shiva known as Sharav was also called ‘Rudra’, the angry and ferocious form of the Lord. One can imagine the fight that might have raged between Nrisingh and Rudra, and obviously Rudra must have been more ferocious than Nrisingh in order to subdue the latter. This ‘half lion and half man’ form of the Lord is a visible image that has a cosmic counterpart as the ‘half man and half female’ manifestation of the Lord that is known as ‘Ardha-Narishwar’. This cosmic form of Brahm as Ardha-Narishwar has two components—the right half is depicted in iconography as being a male representing Shiva, the great God, the other half is female representing his divine Shakti known as Parvati or Uma. This Shakti represents the dynamic energy of Shiva. When this applies to Brahm, the male aspect refers to the Supreme Being himself while the female aspect applies to Maya which is the dynamic power that Brahm employed to initiate this magical creation. This depiction is basically envisioned to drive home the point that Brahm and Shakti are inseparable in the context of the creation of the world. This elementary method of reproduction is known as ‘asexual reproduction’ and is depicted by many asexual plants and animals even today. For instance, the one-celled amoeba reproduces itself by cleavage. On the other hand, if we were to regard Brahm in its purest form as the cosmic Consciousness, then Brahm would not need the other half of the Maya, and would only be one and universal entity which has no definite and describable form and shape, it has no characteristic features, attributes and qualities. This form of the sublime and most subtle Brahm is known as either the Hiranyagarbha or the Viraat Purush depending upon the level of subtlety and grossness which is assigned to it, the former being more subtle than the latter. The ‘lion’ part is a metaphor for the grand qualities of unmatched authority, stupendous strength, physical prowess and complete and unchallenged sway over the entire domain of creation just like a lion has over the forest and its inhabitant wild animals. This term is symbolic of the inherent stupendous might of the supreme Brahm as the unquestioned and powerful Lord of this forest-like world inhabited by myriad varieties of living beings, called the Jivas, just like a dense forest infested by wild animals. Similarly, the ‘man’ part symbolizes the fact that Brahm is the most highly placed Lord much like a human being who represents the highest level in the ladder of evolution. In other words, even as the lion is the unquestioned lord of the wilds and the man is of all the living beings, the supreme transcendental Brahm is the unquestioned Lord of all that exists with all its variations in this creation, whether in its primary form represented by the wild and primitive animals of the jungle or in its more evolved and developed form represented by the man, with all the other stages of creation included in between these two. Lord Nrisingh is the fourth incarnation of the Supreme Being who had taken various forms to ward off and overcome evil forces in creation when they become ascendant and overcame the good and the righteous. The Lord did this to maintain order in the creation which is like his offspring. So when one of his great devotees known as Prahalaad was being extremely tormented by his own father, the demon Hiranyakashipu, the Lord appeared as Nrisingh—or as a half lion and half man form—from the pillar to which the innocent lad was tied by the demon to prove to him the omnipresence and all-pervading form of the Supreme Being. Nrisingh is a personification of the grand virtues of dynamism, power, energy, valour and strength, and hence is worshipped by warriors and rulers in general. The Mantra of this Lord is believed to be very powerful and effective against enemies and opponents. Iconographically, there are many forms of Nrisingh. Some of them are as follows—as seated (Aasin), as standing (Sthaanak), as boon-giver (Vardaayak), as ferocious and angry (Ugra), as striding (Yaanak), in the company of Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth and the divine consort of Vishnu (Laxmi-Nrisingh), as seated in Yoga or doing meditation like Shiva (Yoga-Nrisingh), as a resident of a mountain (Girija), etc. His images depict him in either the two-hand form or in a four-hand form. In the latter case, the two back hands hold a conch and discus like the case of Vishnu. The two front hands are shown as killing the demon Hiranyakashipu by forcing the latter on his lap, tearing his abdomen, and yanking his entrails out by his sharp nails. An entire Puran called Narsingh Puran is likewise dedicated to this Godhead. This Puran glorifies Nrisingh as an incarnation of Vishnu, and is regarded as being synonymous with Narayan, one of the names of Lord Vishnu who is none but the Supreme Being called Brahm. Since Lord Vishnu himself is a macrocosmic, all-inclusive and invisible form of the supreme transcendental Brahm, therefore Nrisingh is a de-facto visible form of the otherwise invisible Brahm. Similarly, an entire Upanishad known as the Nrisingh Tapini Upanishad of the Atharva Veda tradition is dedicated to this deity. It also lists the various divine Mantras dedicated to Lord Nrisingh. It is the 7th Upanishad of this Veda. The Shukar Rahasya Upanishad of Krishna Yajur Veda, verse no. 27, while describing the processs of invoking one of the components ‘Asi’ (‘is’) of the Maha Vakya (the great saying of the Vedas) ‘Tattwamasi’ (‘that essence is you’) says that the Shakti (dynamic energy) of this individual component ‘Asi’ is Nrisingh. The Skanda Upanishad of Krishna Yajur Veda, verse no. 13 praises Lord Nrisingh as an incarnation of the Trinity Gods consisting of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the sustainer, nourisher and protector, and Shiva the concluder of creation. His divine and glorious virtues are similar to Brahm. Earlier in this Upanishad it has already been established that these three Gods of the Trinity are Brahm personified, as well as the fact that the creature’s Atma or pure ‘self’ which is Consciousness personified, are also Brahm personified. Hence, by worshipping Nrisingh one is offering prayers to Brahm and honouring the grand virtues of creation exemplified by the latter. He is also offering worship to the ‘consciousness’ that represents Brahm in the physical body of Lord Nrisingh.
(v) Vaaman / Vaman or the Dwarf incarnation of Vishnu: This is the fifth incarnation of Vishnu. When Bali, the grandson of Prahalad for whom Vishnu had incarnated as Nrisingh, conquered the entire world and deprived Indra, the king of Gods who ruled over the heavens, Vishnu had taken the dwarfish form of a Brahmin mendicant to retrieve the heaven for Indra when he was requested by Aditi, the mother of Gods, to do so. He approached Bali, who was famous for his charities, as a ‘Vaaman’ or a dwarf, and begged him for ground sufficient enough to be covered by his three small steps. When the unsuspecting Bali agreed, Vaaman measured the entire earth with one step, the heaven with the second step, and for the third step he measured Bali’s own head symbolizing the crown of the kingdom of Bali. He put his third step on Bali’s head and pushed the latter to the nether world. Hence, Vishnu is also called ‘Trivikram’—one who conquered the three worlds in three steps. But the Lord is so kind and gracious that he saw the injustice done to a magnanimous Bali who had been righteous and firm in his vow of making charity, and never rescinded on his commitments. So, the Lord made him the king of the nether world, and himself took up the job of protecting him there as his gatekeeper. This incarnation of Lord Vishnu is his fifth and followed the Nrisingh form which was the fourth. The idea behind this Vaaman incarnation is that even the most humble looking man, represented by the diminutive Vaaman in this story, can indeed have the stupendous power of the Spirit that even the most powerful gods and kings lack.
(vi) Parashuram or Ram with a battle-axe: This is the sixth incarnation of Vishnu. Parashuram was the son of sage Jamdaagni and his wife Renuka. He had subdued the haughty Kshatriya race or the warrior race led by king Kaartavirya who had become tyrannical and were oppressing others.
(vii) Lord Ram: This was the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. Ram was born in the Ikshwaku dynasty belonging to the solar race that ruled the kingdom of Ayodhya as the son of Dasrath and his eldest queen Kaushalya. In this incarnation, Laxmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity who is the divine consort of Lord Vishnu, accompanied him as Sita, the divine consort of Lord Ram. The epic story of Ramayan in which the Lord slayed the arrogant and cruel demon Ravana is woven around this incarnation. Lord Ram exemplified the grand virtues of righteousness, auspiciousness, nobility, propriety and probity, and is therefore lauded as the ‘Maryada Purshottam’—the excellent male who always observed the strictest code of proper conduct. Lord Ram’s divine name ‘Ram’ is regarded as a Tarak Mantra—i.e. a Mantra that has the spiritual power to bestow liberation and deliverance to the creature. There are three Upanishads dedicated to the Lord—viz. Ram Purvatapini Upanishad, Ram Uttartapini Upanishad and Mukti Upanishad. The former two belong to the Atharva Veda tradition, and the third to the Shukla Yajur Veda tradition. Lord Ram manifested himself in the Treta Yug which is the second era of the four-era one cycle of creation according to Hindu philosophy.
(viii) Lord Balraam: This is the regarded as the eighth incarnation of Vishnu. Balram was the strong elder brother of Lord Krishna of the Mahabharat fame. Both Balram and Krishna, being brothers, were born in Dwapar Yug which was the third era of the four-era cycle of creation. At the time of his death, the celestial serpent Sheshnath emerged from his mouth giving credence to the theory that he was an incarnation of Sheshnath who had earlier manifested himself as Laxman, the younger brother of Lord Ram during the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. If this is the case then according to some scholars it would not be proper to include Balraam as an incarnation of Vishnu. Therefore, Balraam is excluded from the list and Lord Krishna is regarded as the eighth incarnation. If this is taken into account, then it is suggested that Lord Buddha who established Buddhism is to be regarded as the ninth incarnation of Vishnu instead of it being Lord Krishna.
(ix) Lord Krishna: Krishna is the ninth incarnation of Vishnu. He is a well known deity and it is he who had pronounced the famous Gita and preached it to Arjun on the eve of the epic Mahabharata war. Krishna’s story is narrated in full in Srimad Bhagwat Mahapuran. But according to some accounts, Krishna is the eighth incarnation replacing Balraam. This has been explained above.
(x) Kalki: This would be Vishnu’s tenth and last incarnation before one cycle of creation ends. It is predicted that he would be born during the present Kali Yug, which is the fourth and the last era. He is visualized as riding on the back of a white horse, a drawn sword in hand, eliminating evil-mongers and those who are opposed to Dharma or righteous way of life. His main aim would be to restore Dharma.
Besides the above described ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, there are said to be fourteen more minor Avtaars or incarnations of Vishnu, thereby bringing the total number of incarnations to twenty-four Avtaars or incarnations of Vishnu. They are also called the twenty-four Vyuhas of Vishnu, and they are the various manifestations of the Lord on different occasions to fulfill his obligations of taking care of the creation. Aside of the ten Avtaars described above,
The rest of the 14 other Avtaars are briefly the following:
(xi) Sages Sankaadi,
(xii) Sage Narad,
(xiii) Sage Kapil,
(xiv) Sage Veda Vyas,
(xv) Lord Nar-Narayan,
(xvi) Lord Dattatreya,
(xvii) Lord Rishabdeo,
(xviii) King Prithu,
(xix) Dhanvantri,
(xx) Mohini,
(xxi) Lord Hayagriva,
(xxii) Sri Hari,
(xxiii) The Yagya or the sacred Fire sacrifice as a manifestation of Lord Vishnu,
(xxiv) The Hans, the divine Swan.