A Wisdom Archive on Hindu Incarnation

What is the process of reincarnation?
Carnate means flesh. The word reincarnate means to "reenter the flesh." We Hindus believe the soul is immortal and keeps reentering a fleshy body time and time again in order to resolve experiences and thereby learn all the lessons life in the material world has to offer. To hindus, it explains the natural way the soul evolves from immaturity to spiritual illumination. I myself have had many lives before this one and expect to have more. Finally, when I have it all worked out and all the lessons have been learned, I will attain mukti. This means I will still exist but no longer be pulled back to incarnate in a physical body.

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Buddhism: Relations with other faiths
Some Hindus (primarily in the northern regions of India) believe that Gautama is the 9th incarnation (see avatar) of Vishnu; there are accounts of the Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu that are pro- and anti-Buddhist (i.e., either Vishnu "really meant" what he said while incarnated as Buddha or he was just messing with the Nastikas). This is not a majority view, however.
 

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Krishna Janmashtami
THIS IS THE birthday of Lord Krishna, the eighth Divine Incarnation. It falls on the 8th day of the dark half of the month of Bhadrapada (August-September). This is one of the greatest of all Hindu festivals. Lord Krishna was born at midnight. A twenty-four hour fast is observed on this day, which is broken at midnight.
 
From Hindu Fasts & Festivals by Sri Swami Sivananda.
 

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Krishna (IAST kṛṣṇa, the Sanskrit for "the all-attractive one") is according to common Hindu tradition the eighth avatar of Vishnu. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, however, he is seen as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the fountain head of all avatars. Krishna appears in a number of stories in different cultures and traditions. Sometimes these contradict each other, though ther ... Including:

• Krishna - The name
• Krishna - Texts stories and literature
• Krishna - The story of Krishna
• Krishna - The incarnation
• Krishna - Birth and childhood
• Krishna - Boyhood and youth
• Krishna - Krishna the prince
• Krishna - The Kurukshetra war
• Krishna - The last days
• Krishna - The worship of Krishna
• Krishna - Early references
• Krishna - The Bhakti tradition
• Krishna - Gita Govinda - the song of the cowherd
• Krishna - Recent Krishna bhakti movements
• Krishna - Krishna in Jainism
• Krishna - Krishna in Buddhism
• Krishna - Chronology

Read more here: » Krishna: Encyclopedia - Krishna

List of Hindu deities - Mental son of Brahma. Narada List of Hindu deities - Incarnations of Vayu. Hanuman Bhima Shri Madhvacharya List of Hindu deities - Avatara of Lakshmi. Sita Devi List of Hindu deities - Manifestation of Durga. Chandanayika

Read more here: » List of Hindu deities: Encyclopedia II - List of Hindu deities - Incarnations

List of Hindu deities - Aspects of Brahma. Prajapati List of Hindu deities - Aspects of Shiva. Mahadeva Prajapati List of Hindu deities - Aspects of Devi. Bhavani Durga Jagaddhatri Parvati Shakti Uma Mahavidya Kali Tara Tripura Sundari Bhuvaneshvari Bhairavi Chhinnamasta Dhumavati Bagalam ...

Read more here: » List of Hindu deities: Encyclopedia II - List of Hindu deities - Aspects

Krishna Janmaashtami, also known as "Krishnaashtami", "Gokulaashtami", "Srikrishna Jayanti", "Sree Jayanthi" or sometimes merely as "Janmaashtami", is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu. Krishna Janmaashtami - Date. Krishna Janmashtami is observed on the eighth day of the dark half (Krishna Paksha) of the month of Bhadrapadha in the Hindu calendar, when the Rohini Nakshatram is ascendent. The Hindu ca ... Including:

• Krishna Janmaashtami - Date
• Krishna Janmaashtami - Rituals

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The earliest text that records the deeds of Krishna is the Mahabharata. He is described as the incarnation of Vishnu and is one of the most important characters of the epic. The 18 chapters of the 6th book (Bhishma Parva) that constitute the Bhagavad Gita contain the advice of Krishna to the Pandava, Arjuna, on the battlefield. These chapters are the most well known of the Hindu texts and its importance in Hindu religious thought cannot be overestimated. Every religious school of Hinduism was expected to produce a commentary on it if it had ...

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The tales of Krishna appear in a number of ancient and medieval Hindu texts - virtually every Purana tells the full life-story or some highlights from it. In the absence of any historical biography, this summary is based on the Mahabharata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana. The Mahabharata and its addendum Harivamsa are the oldest sources of the tale. Whilst all the four books are considered sacred by the Hindus, the two Puranas are the most theologically venerated. The scenes from the tale are set in north India, in ...

Read more here: » Krishna: Encyclopedia II - Krishna - The story of Krishna

The Avesha Avatara is a secondary form of an incarnation of God Vishnu in Hinduism. Unlike incarnations of God's personal form, like Rama and Krishna, Avesha, as the word means in Sanskrit, is A-Vesha, or Without Form. Only the spirit of the Lord enters the spirit of the human being to accomplish a religious mission, and leaves after its achievement. The human being becomes a normal being again. Parashurama, the Sixth Avatara was an Avesha. Most Hindus choose not to worship the Avesha Avataras, as the Lord leaves the per ...

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Dattatreya (Sanskrit: दत्तात्रेय) is a Hindu God who is an incarnation of the Divine Trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. The word Datta means "Given", Datta is called so because the divine trinity have "given" themselves in the form of a son to the sage couple Atri and Anasuya. He is the son of Atri, hence the name "Atreya". In the Natha tradition, Dattatreya is recognized as an Avatar or incarnation of the Lord Shiva and as the Adi-Guru (First Teacher) of the Adi-Nath sampradaya of the Nathas. Although ... Including:

• Dattatreya - Dattatreya as an Historical Figure
• Dattatreya - Dattatreya as a Devotional Deity

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