Avatar - Symbolism

In Hinduism, an avatar or avatara (Sanskrit अवतार), is the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of an Immortal Being, or of the Ultimate Supreme Being. It derives from the Sanskrit word avatāra which means "descent" and usually implies a deliberate descent into mortal realms for special purposes. The term is used primarily in Hinduism, for incarnations of Vishnu the Preserver, whom many Hindus worship as God. The Dasavatara (see below) are t ...

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• Avatar - Teachings and significance
• Avatar - The ten Avatars or Dasavatara
• Avatar - The 24 Avatars of the Puranas
• Avatar - Types of avatars
• Avatar - The Ninth Avatar: Balarama or Buddha?
• Avatar - Symbolism
• Avatar - List of other people considered to be avatars
• Avatar - Other Uses

Read more here: » Avatar: Encyclopedia - Avatar

The Maha Avatara (Great Avatars) of Vishnu are usually said to be ten and this is popularly known as the Dasavatara (dasa (dasha) in Sanskrit means ten). The first four of the ten avatars have appeared in the Krita Yuga (the first of the four Yugas or Ages that comprise one Mahayuga - for more details please read the section above on Lord Brahma). The next three avatars appeared in the Treta Yuga, the eighth incarnation in the Dwapar Yuga and the ninth in the Kali Yuga. The ...

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Avatar, Avatar - Teachings and significance, Avatar - The ten Avatars, or Dasavatara, Avatar - The 24 Avatars of the Puranas, Avatar - Types of avatars, Avatar - The Ninth Avatar: Balarama or Buddha?, Avatar - Symbolism, Avatar - List of other people considered to be avatars, Avatar - Other Uses

Read more here: » Avatar: Encyclopedia II - Avatar - The ten Avatars, or Dasavatara

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 m ...

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Avatar, Avatar - Teachings and significance, Avatar - The ten Avatars or Dasavatara, Avatar - The 24 Avatars of the Puranas, Avatar - Types of avatars, Avatar - The Ninth Avatar: Balarama or Buddha?, Avatar - Symbolism, Avatar - List of other people considered to be avatars, Avatar - Other Uses

Read more here: » Avatar: Encyclopedia II - Avatar - Symbolism

The philosophy reflected in the Hindu epics is the doctrine of the avatar (incarnation of Vishnu or God as an animal or a human form). The two main avatars of Vishnu that appear in the epics are Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, and Krishna, the advisor of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. Unlike the superhuman devas (gods) of the Vedic Samhitas and the abstract Upanishadic concept of the all-pervading Brahman, the avatars in these epics are intermediaries between the Supreme Being represented as eithe ...

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Avatar, Avatar - Teachings and significance, Avatar - The ten Avatars or Dasavatara, Avatar - The 24 Avatars of the Puranas, Avatar - Types of avatars, Avatar - The Ninth Avatar: Balarama or Buddha?, Avatar - Symbolism, Avatar - List of other people considered to be avatars, Avatar - Other Uses

Read more here: » Avatar: Encyclopedia II - Avatar - Teachings and significance

Besides the ten traditional avatars of Hinduism, some other Indian Hindus are considered to be avatars by themselves or by others. Some of these include: Chaitanya (1486-1534) is claimed to be an avatar of Krishna by the Gaudiya Vaishnavism sect. He is also known as the 'Golden Avatar'. His appearance is predicted in the latter texts of the Srimad Bhagavatam. For more information, see Gaudiya Vaishnava Theology. Ayya Vaikundar (1809-1851) According to Akilattirattu Ammanai, the religious book of Ayyavazhi, Lord Vaikunda ...

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Avatar, Avatar - Teachings and significance, Avatar - The ten Avatars or Dasavatara, Avatar - The 24 Avatars of the Puranas, Avatar - Types of avatars, Avatar - The Ninth Avatar: Balarama or Buddha?, Avatar - Symbolism, Avatar - List of other people considered to be avatars, Avatar - Other Uses

Read more here: » Avatar: Encyclopedia II - Avatar - List of other people considered to be avatars

The Maha Avatara (Great Avatars) of Vishnu are usually said to be ten and this is popularly known as the Dasavatara (dasa (dasha) in Sanskrit means ten). The first four of the ten avatars have appeared in the Krita Yuga (the first of the four Yugas or Ages that comprise one Mahayuga - for more details please read the section above on Lord Brahma). The next three avatars appeared in the Treta Yuga, the eighth incarnation in the Dwapar Yuga and the ninth in the Kali Yuga. The ...

See also:

Avatar, Avatar - Teachings and significance, Avatar - The ten Avatars or Dasavatara, Avatar - The 24 Avatars of the Puranas, Avatar - Types of avatars, Avatar - The Ninth Avatar: Balarama or Buddha?, Avatar - Symbolism, Avatar - List of other people considered to be avatars, Avatar - Other Uses

Read more here: » Avatar: Encyclopedia II - Avatar - The ten Avatars or Dasavatara

Puranas list twenty-five avataras of Vishnu. A description of these is found in the Bhagavata Purana, Canto 1. 1) Catursana 2) Narada 3) Varaha 4) Matsya 5) Yajna 6) Nara-Narayana 7) Kapila 8) Dattatreya 9) Hayasirsa 10) Hamsa 11) Prsnigarbha 12) Rsabha 13) Prithu 14) Narasimha 15) Kurma 16) Dhanvantari 17) Mohini 18) Vamana 19) Parasurama 20) Raghavendra (Rama) 21) Vyasa 22) Balarama 23) Krishna 24) Kalki ...

See also:

Avatar, Avatar - Teachings and significance, Avatar - The ten Avatars or Dasavatara, Avatar - The 24 Avatars of the Puranas, Avatar - Types of avatars, Avatar - The Ninth Avatar: Balarama or Buddha?, Avatar - Symbolism, Avatar - List of other people considered to be avatars, Avatar - Other Uses

Read more here: » Avatar: Encyclopedia II - Avatar - The 24 Avatars of the Puranas