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What Does The Word Avatar Actually Means?
It seems that as we browse through the internet and the media we see the word avatar is increasingly used in a number of ways.
But often it is in ways that have nothing to do with its real meaning. Or we also find that an increasing number of people are referring themselves as avatars of God.
So let us really understand what the word means and how it is referred in relation to its real purpose, or how to discern who is really an avatar.
First of all the word avatar actually means a form of God when He descends into this material world.
There are many such forms listed in the Vedic texts, which will be discussed in this article. Many times they are referred to as incarnations of God.
But the word incarnation is not proper either because it actually means when someone or something reincarnates, or takes another material body of flesh and blood.
However, people use the word incarnation in this context quite often anyway. But God does not take such a material form. His form is always spiritual, transcendental to the norms and laws of material nature.
And He descends from the spiritual strata as He is, or in a form to do a specific activity, mission, or carry out a particular purpose.
As mentioned in the Puranas and other portions of the Vedic literature, the Supreme Being descends in various forms, called avatars.
How many "kinds" of incarnations (avatars) Lord Krishna takes ?
There are 6 kinds of incarnations of Lord Krishna, which include those of,
- Vishnu Avatars ( purusha-avatars)
- Pastime Avatars ( lila-avataras )
- Avatars that control the modes of nature ( guna-avataras )
- Avatars of Manu ( manvantara-avataras )
- Avatars in different millenniums / yuga ( yuga-avataras ) and the
- Empowered individuals ( shatyavesha-avataras )
However, Lord Krishna Himself descends to this material world once in a day of Brahma [ Brahma’s day is calculated as 4,300,000 years (the time of one cycle of the 4 yugas) x 1,000 ( 1000 cycles of each kalpa / 1 kalpa = 4 yugas – Satyuga , Tretayuga, Dwaparyuga & Kaliyuga / One day of Lord Brahma is = 4,320,000,000 solar years ] to manifest His transcendental pastimes.
All other avataras are potentially situated in the body of the primeval Lord Krishna.
Thus, according to one’s opinion, one may address Him as any one of the avataras.
This is because all of the plenary expansions of the Supreme God exist within the body of the original person Sri Krishna himself.
Thus, He can expand Himself as one flame from a candle lights another, but all such flames come from the original.
For the creation purpose - how does Lord Krishna expands himself in his vishnu avataras ?
A few additional verses that clarify this topic which describes the principle incarnations of the Supreme Lord. Having done that, Brahma Samhita ( ५.१ ) says:
ईश्वरः परमः कृष्णः सच्चिदानन्द विग्रहः।
अनादिरादि गोविन्दः सर्वकारण कारणम्॥
“Krishna who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all.
He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.”
Srimad-Bhagavatam ( १.३.२८ ) says,
एते चांशकलाः पुंसः कृष्णस्तु भगवान् स्वयम् |
इन्द्रारिव्याकुलं लोकं मृडयन्ति युगे युगे ||
“All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Sri Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead.
All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists.”
Lord Brahma continues to pray and explains in his Brahma Samhita how the potency in Sri Krishna’s expansions spreads from one form to another:
दीपार्चिरेव हि दशांतरं अभ्युपेत्य
दीपायते विवृत-हेतु-समान-धर्म
यस्तादृगेव हि च विष्णुतया विभाति
गोविंदं आदिपुरुषं तमहं भजामि
“The light of one candle being communicated to other candles, although it burns separately in them, is the same in its quality.
I adore the primeval Lord Govinda who exhibits Himself equally in the same mobile manner in His various manifestations.“
Thus, the Vedic knowledge clearly accepts Sri Krishna (Govinda) as the original independent causeless fountainhead of all of His various personality manifestations known as the various Vishnu avataras (forms/personalities).
There are many more mentions as well, as this is a short overview about this inquiry, below are the further mentions about Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Controller & the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
– Bhagavad Gita (५.२९)
– Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi-lila (५.१४२)
– Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi-lila (७.७)
– Srimad-Bhagavatam (१०.६८.३७)
– Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya-lila (२०.३०६)
– Bhagavad Gita (७.७)
– Bhagavad Gita (१०.१२ – १३)
– Atharva Veda (Gopala-tapani Upanishad १.२४)
– Narayana Upanishad (१)
– Narayana Upanishad (४)
– Mahabharata, Moksha-dharma
– Varaha Purana
– Bhagavad Gita (१०.८)
expansions
KRISHNA (Adi Purusha – Original Personality of Godhead)
|
BALARAMA (First expansion)
|
ORIGINAL CHATUR VYUHA
(Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha)
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Narayana
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SECOND CHATUR VYUHA
(Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha)
|
(Maha Sankarsana)
|
MAHA VISHNU who expands into three forms:
(1) MAHA VISHNU lies on the Causal Ocean which appears in one corner of the spiritual world.
(2) Maha Vishnu expands as GARBHODAKASAYI VISHNU, Who enters into each universe with the living entities of that particular universe and thus activates each universe by His presence.
(3) To maintain the universe Garbhodakasayi Vishnu expands as KSIRODAKASAYI VISHNU.
What is the process of Lord's incarnation in the material universe ?
Whenever Lord Sri Krishna desires to manifest His incarnation on earth, He first sends His respectable predecessors. These take the form of the incarnations of His father, mother, and spiritual master.
They appear first ( Before Lord’s Avatara ) in order to prepare the way for the Supreme Being’s appearance. ( Chaitanya Charitramrit Adi – Lila – ३.९३-९४ )
These people, however, are the Lord’s great devotees who serve Him by participating in His pastimes ( leelas ).
Thus, though the Lord personally has nothing to do with this material existence, He comes to earth and imitates material life just to expand the varieties of ecstatic enjoyment for His devotees ( Srimad Bhagavatam – १०.१४.३७ ).
In this way, Lord Krishna, the original Soul of all living beings, has appeared as an ordinary human being for the benefit of the whole universe and out of His causeless mercy.
This He has done by the strength of His own spiritual potency.
Not only do the devotees enjoy Sri Krishna’s pastimes, but He also enjoys His transcendental activities in various forms in this material world, which cleanse away all the unhappiness of those who joyfully chant His glories. ( Srimad Bhagavatam – १०.४०.६ )
Which are the main avataras of the supreme being ?
There are 22 main lila-avataras of the Lord Krishna who appear throughout the ages or yugas.
They all have specific forms or bodily features, and particular purposes for appearing.
These are listed in the various Vedic texts, especially the Puranas, and their many pastimes are explained in detail therein.
We will only have a short summary of each of the main avataras.
1st Avatara: The Kumaras
The first listed of these incarnations are the four sons of Brahma, the Kumaras. They took a vow of celibacy and underwent severe austerities for realization of the Absolute Truth.
They are considered empowered incarnations ( avataras ), or shaktyavesha-avataras, whose mission was to teach the process of spiritual development. Knowledge of spiritual truth had disappeared from the previous universal devastation and they helped re-establish it.
2nd Avatara: Lord Varaha
Lord Varaha was the second incarnation of Lord Krishna who appeared in the form of a huge boar.
He lifted the earth out of the nether regions of the filthy waters of the universe, which was a suitable activity for a boar. He did this to counter the nefarious activities of the demons who had put the earth planet into jeopardy. ( Srimad-Bhagavatam – १.३.७ & २.७.१ )
3rd Avatara: Devarshi Narada Muni
The third incarnation was the empowered avatara known as the sage among the demigods, Devarshi Narada Muni.
He collected expositions of the Vedas which dealt with the process of devotional service to Lord Krishna, and authored the great classic scripture called Narada-pancaratna. He also traveled throughout the universe singing His praises and giving instruction on bhakti-yoga and how to attain real happiness.
Thus, he has many disciples all over the creation. Narada Muni had once been taught the science of loving service to the Supreme during the Lord’s Hamsavatara incarnation, the swan-like form of the Supreme, who had been very much pleased by Narada.
4th Avatara: Nara and Narayana
In the fourth incarnation, the Lord became the twin sons known as Nara and Narayana.
They were born of Murti, the wife of King Dharma. They underwent severe austerities in the area of Badarikashrama in the Himalayas to demonstrate the process of controlling the senses for spiritual advancement.
The celestial beauties who were the companions of Cupid (Kaamadev) went to distract Narayana from His vows, but were unsuccessful when they could see many other beautiful women like them emanating from the Supreme Being. Everything comes from the Supreme, who remains unattached to all His manifestations.
5th Avatara: Lord Kapila
The fifth incarnation was Lord Kapila, the foremost among perfected beings.
He explained for the first time the system of the Sankhya philosophy and the way of understanding the Truth by the analysis of material elements.
He incarnated as the son of the sage Kardama Muni and his wife Devahuti. He also gave great expositions to his mother on the science of devotional service to the Supreme Lord.
By that means she became cleansed of all material tendencies and achieved liberation. This spiritual knowledge is provided in detail in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. ( Srimad-Bhagavatam – २.७.३ )
6th Avatara: Lord Dattatreya
The sixth incarnation was born as Dattatreya, the son of the sage Atri and his wife Anasuya, both of whom had prayed for an incarnation to be their son. Dattatreya spoke on the subject of transcendence to Alarka, Prahlada, Yadu, Haihaya, and others.
7th Avatara: Yajna
The seventh incarnation was Yajna, the son of Ruci and his wife Akuti. During the time of Svayambhuva Manu there was no living entity qualified to take the post of Indra, the King of Heaven, Indraloka.
So Yajna took up the post of Indra and was assisted by His own sons, such as Yama, the lord of death, and other demigods to rule the administration over universal affairs.
8th Avatara: King Rishabha
King Rishabha was the eighth incarnation, who appeared as the son of King Nabhi and his wife Merudevi. Again He demonstrated the path of spiritual perfection by performing yoga and instructing His sons in the process of tapasya, austerities for spiritual development. This path sanctifies one’s existence and leads to eternal spiritual happiness. This is followed by those who have fully controlled their senses and are honored by all orders of life.
9th Avatara: Prithu Maharaj
The ninth incarnation was Prithu, who accepted the body of a king.
He had been prayed for by the brahmana priests to counteract the problems that had been brought on by impious activities of the previous king, Vena. Prithu made various arrangements to cultivate the land to yield various forms of produce.
Although King Vena was bound for hell due to the reactions of his misdeeds and the curse of the brahmanas, he was delivered by Prithu.
10th Avatara: Matsya
After the time of the Chakshusha Manu there was a complete inundation over the whole world by water.
Manu had been warned about this flood and built a ship in which he and his family survived.
The Lord accepted the form of a huge fish to protect Vaivashvata Manu and guide the ship to safety on a huge mountain peak. This was the Matsya Avatara. After the period of each Manu there is a devastation by water over the earth.
The Lord then appears to show special favor to His devotees and protect them from the devastation and allow society to start a new. In this way, He protects all of the living entities as well as the Vedas from destruction( Srimad-Bhagavatam – १.३.१५ & २.७.१२ ).
After the last flood, Manu and his family and the surviving living creatures again repopulated the earth. Local people of Uttarakhand in Northern India identify the Nanda Devi mountain as the one in the story of the flood.
11th Avatara: Kurma
The eleventh incarnation of the Supreme was in the form of a Huge tortoise, Kurma, whose main mission was to act as a pivot for the Mandara Hill, which was being used as a churning rod between the demons and demigods.
The scheme was that the demons and demigods wanted to produce a nectar from the ocean by this churning action which would make them immortal.
Each side wanted to be the first to get it, and the back of Lord Kurma was the resting place for the hill. As the mountain moved back and forth on the back of Matsya while He was partially asleep, He felt it as an itching sensation.
12th Avatara: Lord Dhanvantari
In the twelfth incarnation the Lord appeared as Dhanvantari who produced the nectar that came from the churning action ( समुद्र मंथन ). He is considered the lord of good health. It is He who inaugurated the medical science in the universe. ( Srimad-Bhagavatam – २.७.२१ )
13th Avatara: Mohini
The Lord accepted the thirteenth incarnation by becoming Mohini, the most beautiful woman who allured the demons away from the pot of nectar and gave it to the demigods.
Thus, the Lord prevented the havoc that would have taken place if the demons had gotten the nectar and became immortal.
14th Avatara: Lord Narashimha deva
In the fourteenth incarnation the Lord appeared as Narashimhadeva, the half-man half-lion form that displayed the anger and power of the Supreme Being when one of His devotees was in peril. The Lord placed the demon Hiranyakashipu on His lap and with His long fingernails tore apart the body of the atheist who had threatened the life of his son, Prahlada, who was a staunch devotee of the Lord.
15th Avatara: Lord Vamana
In the fifteenth avatara, the Lord as Vamana assumed the form of a dwarf-brahmana. He appeared as the youngest son of His mother, Aditi. He visited the sacrificial arena of Bali Maharaja on the pretense of asking for a measly three steps of land. Bali quickly agreed, thinking that this dwarf could not take up much land.
However, when Vamana took two steps, His body became so gigantic that it covered the whole universe.
There was no where else to place His third step, so Bali, understanding that this was the Supreme Being, offered his own head for the Lord to place his step on. Thus, Vamana humbled Bali, who then became qualified to be given his own planet.
16th Avatara: Lord Parashurama
In the sixteenth incarnation, the Lord accepted the mighty form of Parashurama and annihilated the wicked class of warrior kings twenty-one times in order to free the earth of the burden of these nefarious rulers. In this way, He could establish a noble administration.
17th Avatara: Vedvyas
The seventeenth incarnation was Srila Vyasadeva / Vedvyas , who appeared as the son of Parashara Muni and his wife Satyavati. His mission was to divide the one Veda into various branches and sub-branches so the people who are less intelligent can more easily understand them.
He then composed the more important Vedic texts, culminating in his own commentary of the Vedic writing in the form of the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
In this way, the one Veda became the four main samhitas, namely the Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva Vedas. Then came the Brahmana texts, the Vedanta Sutras, the Mahabharata, and then the Puranas, of which Vyasadeva considered the Srimad Bhagavatam the most important and complete.
It is also explained that Srimad Bhagavatam is the literary incarnation of God, which is meant for the ultimate good of all people, and is all-blissful and all-perfect.
Sri Vyasadeva offered it to his son after extracting the cream of all the Vedic literatures. This Srimad Bhagavatam is as brilliant as the sun, and has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krishna to His own abode.
Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of this age of Kaliyuga can get light from this Purana.
18th Avatara: Lord Rama
In the eighteenth incarnation, the Lord appeared as King Rama. In order to please the demigods and mankind, He displayed His superhuman powers as the ideal king and killed the demon King Ravana. Lord Rama appeared in the family of Maharaja Ikshvaku as the son of Maharaja Dasaratha, with His internal potency and wife, Sita.
19th & 20th Avatara: Lord Krishna and His brother Lord Balarama
In the nineteenth and twentieth incarnations, the Lord advented Himself as Lord Krishna and His brother Lord Balarama in the Yadu dynasty near the end of Dvapara-yuga. He displayed wonderful pastimes to invoke the attraction of the people and, again, to relieve the burden of the world of numerous demons and atheists.
Lord Krishna is directly the original Personality of Godhead, and Balarama is the first plenary expansion of the Lord Krishna. From the original Lord Balarama comes all the other expansions of the Lord.
21st Avatara: Lord Buddha
The next incarnation of the Lord appeared in the beginning of Kali-yuga as Lord Buddha, the son of Anjana, for the purpose of deluding the envious who had misused the Vedic path, and to preach a simple system of nonviolence. At the time people in general were falling away from the proper execution of the Vedic system and had misused the Vedic recommendation of sacrifice and began offering and consuming animals. Lord Buddha denounced all such actions and taught people simply to follow him and his teachings.
Thus, he fooled the faithless people who then believed in Lord Buddha and gave up the misuse of the Vedic system.
22nd Avatara: Lord Kalki Avatar
The twenty-second and final incarnation of the Supreme will appear at the end of Kali-yuga, at the conjunction of the next yuga. He will take His birth as the Kalki incarnation, the son of VishnuYasha in the village of Shambala, when the rulers of earth will have degenerated into common thieves and plunderers ( Srimad-Bhagavatam – १.३.२५ & २.७.३८ )
At that time there will be no topics on the subject of God, nor any knowledge of religion. Then, rather than trying to teach or show the way of progress when people will be too retarded and slow minded to understand philosophy, He will simply slaughter the foolish rogues who wander the earth. This will take place about 427,000 years from now.
Source / स्त्रोत:
1. Srimad-Bhagavatam – 1.2.34
2. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.5
3. Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 20.263-4
4. Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 20.245-246
5. Chaitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 3.6
6. Chaitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 2.112
7. Chaitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 2.133-115
8. Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.5.purport
9. Bhagavad-gita 4.7-8
10. Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.86.45
11. Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 20.352
12. Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.7.2.purport
13. Chaitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 14, 18.purport
14. Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 20.354
15. Chaitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 3, 93-94
16. Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.37
17. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.14.55
18. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.40.16
19. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 3.2.7
20. Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 20.382
21. Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.6
22. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.7.5
23. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.7 & 2.7.1
24. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.8
25. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.7.19
26. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.9
27. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.7.6
28. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.10
29. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.7.3
30. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.11 & 2.7.4
31. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.12
32. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.13 & 2.7.10
33. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.7.11
34. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.14
35. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.7.9
36. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.15 & 2.7.12
37. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.16
38. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.7.13
39. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.7.21
40. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.17
41. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.18 & 2.7.14
42. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.19 & 2.7.17-18
43. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.20 & 2.7.22
44. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.21& 2.7.36
45. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.40-43
46. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.22
47. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.7.23-5
48. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.23 & 2.7.26
49. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.24 & 2.7.37
50. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.25 & 2.7.38
51. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.35, 37
52. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.38
53. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.3.5.purport & Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 20, 319-328
54. Bhagavad-gita 8.17 & Srimad-Bhagavatam.3.11.20 & Vishnu Purana, Book One, Chapter Three, p.35
55. Chaitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 3, 7-10 & Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.30.49 purport
56. Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.5.purport & Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 20, 329-333
57. Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 20, 334-347 & Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.32, 36 & 12.3.51-2
58. Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 20.369-73