add site
services
publishers
database
health videos
toolbar
stats
live show
health store
more stuff
JOIN/LOGIN
| advertise add site services publishers database health videos
| | about toolbar stats live show health store more stuff JOIN/LOGIN |
Your Avatar nkpmedicalforums.com | Association :: View topic - Avatar... guch.org.uk | Avatar bracesvip.com |
For the film, see Avatar (2009 film). For other uses, see Avatar (disambiguation). In Hinduism, Avatar or Avatāra (Devanagari अवतार, Sanskrit for "descent (of a deity)", from the verbal root tṝ "to cross over") refers to the appearance in physical form, having descended from heaven to earth, of a deity. It is mostly translated into English as "incarnation", though more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation".[1] The term is most often associated with Vishnu, though it has also come to be associated with other deities.[2] Varying lists of avatars of Vishnu appear in Hindu scriptures, including the ten (daśāvatāra) of the Garuda Purana and the twenty-two avatars in the Bhagavata Purana, though the latter adds that the incarnations of Vishnu are innumerable.[3] The avatars of Vishnu are a primary component of Vaishnavism. One of the earliest references to avatar, and the first to mention the doctrine of avatar, is in the Bhagavad Gita.[4] Shiva, and Ganesha are also described as descending in the form of avatars, with the Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana describing the specific avatars of Ganesha. The various manifestations of Devi, the Divine Mother principal in Hinduism, are also described as avatars or incarnations by some scholars and followers of Shaktism.[4][5] The avatars of Vishnu carry a greater theological prominence than those of other deities —which some scholars see as imitative of the Vishnu avatar lists.[1][6]
[edit] Etymology and meaningAvatar is derived from ava (down) and tṝ (to cross), describing the descent of a deity into manifest form. The word avataraṇa first referred to the act of descending (not to the deity who descended), and was then replaced by avatāra, which was used in a similar way. Avataraṇa is also used to describe the removal of the burden of the earth (literally "making the burden [of the earth] descend" (bhārāvataraṇa)). Avatāra was initially used to describe different deities, then around the sixth century CE it began to be used primarily to describe descents of Vishnu.[7] While earlier texts mention deities taking on different forms, the Bhagavad Gita is the first text to discuss the doctrine of avatar (though the word avatāra does not appear in the Gita).[8] "Descent" refers to the descent of Vishnu from heaven to earth, and also to the metaphysical descent of Vishnu from his transcendent form to a material one.[9] Regarding the loose translation of avatāra to "incarnation", some scholars see the meaning corresponding more closely to the view of Docetism in Christian theology, as distinct from the idea of incarnation in mainstream Christology and its implication of God 'in the flesh'.[10][11] See also: Incarnation [edit] Avatars of VishnuMain article: Vishnu  The concept of avatar within Hinduism is most often associated with Vishnu, the preserver or sustainer aspect of God within the Hindu Trinity or Trimurti. The descents of Vishnu are also integral to his teaching and tradition, whereas the accounts of other deities are not so strictly dependent on their avatar stories. Although it is usual to speak of Vishnu as the source of the avatars, within the Vaishnavism branch of Hinduism Narayana, Vasudeva, and Krishna are also seen as names denoting divine aspects which descend as avatars.[1] The Bhagavata Purana describes Vishnu's avatars as innumerable, though there are ten incarnations (Dasavatara, Sanskrit: ten avatars) that are widely seen as his major appearances.[1][3] Krishna and Rama are the two mostly widely known and worshiped avatars of Vishnu, with their stories told in the two popular epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.[12] Different lists of Vishnu's avatars appear in different texts, including: the dasavatara from the Garuda Purana; lists of twenty-two, twenty-three, and sixteen avatars in the Bhagavata Purana;[13] thirty-nine avatars in the Ahirbudhnya saṃhitā;[14] the dasavatara again in Agni Purana; the first eight of the dasavatara in Padma Purana. The commonly accepted number of ten was fixed well before the 10th century CE.[13] In addition, various Vaishnava saints and founders are considered to be partial avatars.[15] Vishnu's avatars typically descend for a very specific purpose. An oft-quoted passage describes the typical role of an avatar of Vishnu—to bring dharma, or righteousness, back to the social and cosmic order:[1][2]
Some Vaishnavism schools consider Krishna to be the source of all avatars, with the various avatars categorized in many different ways. For example: Purusavatara is the first avatara; Gunavataras are represented by the Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) who each preside over one of the gunas (rajas, sattva, and tamas); Lilavataras are the well-known ones, and include Avesavataras (beings into whom part of God Himself has entered) and saktyamsavesa (into whom only parts of His power enter); Kalpa-, Manvantara-, and Yuga-avataras descend during different cosmic ages.[16] [edit] DaśāvatāraMain article: Daśāvatāra  The ten most well known descents of Vishnu are collectively known as the Dasavatara (Sanskrit: ten avatars). This list is included in the Garuda Purana (1.86.10"11).[17] The first four are said to have appeared in the Satya Yuga (the first of the four Yugas or ages in the time cycle described within Hinduism). The next three avatars appeared in the Treta Yuga, the eighth descent in the Dwapara Yuga and the ninth in the Kali Yuga. The tenth, Kalki, is predicted to appear at the end of the Kali Yuga.[18]
Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna, is sometimes considered as one of the Dasavatar, omitting Buddha from the list. In other traditions, Balarama is considered as a partial avatar of Vishnu or an avatar of Shesha, the serpent on which Vishnu sleeps.[19][20] [edit] In the Bhagavata Purana As many as forty specific avatars of Vishnu are mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana, though the book adds that the number is innumerable.[21] Twenty-two avatars of Vishnu are listed numerically in the first book:[22]
Besides these, another four avatars are described later on in the text as follows:
[edit] Avatars of Ganesha The Linga Purana declares that Ganesha incarnates to destroy demons and to help the gods and pious people.[23] [edit] In the Mudgala PuranaThe Mudgala Purana describes eight avatars of Ganesha:[24]
[edit] In the Ganesha PuranaFour avatars of Ganesha are listed in the Ganesha Purana:[25]
[edit] Avatars of Shiva Although Puranic scriptures contain occasional references to avatars of Shiva, the idea is not universally accepted in Saivism.[4][26] The Linga Purana speaks of twenty-eight avatars of Shiva.[27] In the Shiva Purana there is a distinctly Saivite version of a traditional avatar myth: Shiva brings forth Virabhadra, one of his terrifying forms, in order to calm Narasimha, an avatar of Vishnu. When that fails, Shiva manifests as the human-lion-bird Sharabha. The story concludes with Narasimha becoming a devotee of Shiva after being bound by Sharabha.[28][n 1] The monkey-god Hanuman who helped Rama - the Vishnu avatar is considered by some to be the eleventh avatar of Rudra (Shiva).[29] Some regional deities like Khandoba are also believed by some to be avatars of Shiva.[30][31] [edit] Avatars of Devi Avatars are also observed in Shaktism, the sect dedicated to the worship of the Goddess (Devi), but they do not have universal acceptance in the sect. The Devi Bhagavata Purana describes the descent of Devi avatars to punish the wicked and defend the righteous—much as the Bhagavata Purana does with the avatars of Vishnu.[32] Like Vishnu, his consort Lakshmi incarnates as Sita and Radha - the consorts of Rama and Krishna avatars.[33] Nilakantha, an 18th century commentator on the Devi Bhagavata Purana - which includes the Devi Gita - says that various avatars of the Goddess includes Shakambhari and even the masculine Krishna and Rama - generally thought to be Vishnu's avatars.[34] Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati are also goddesses worshipped as Devi avatars.[35] [edit]
There are many senses and shades of meaning of the term avatar within Hinduism. [edit] Purusha avatarsPurusha avatars are sometimes described as the original avatars of Vishnu or Krishna within the Universe:[36][37][unreliable source?] [edit] Guna avatarsMain article: Trimurti The personalities of the Trimurti (Hindu trinity) are also sometimes referred to as Guna avatars, because of their roles of controlling the three modes (gunas) of nature,[37] even though they have not descended upon an earthly planet in the general sense of the term 'avatar'.
[edit] Manvantara avatarsManvantara avatars are beings responsible for creating progeny throughout the Universe, said to be unlimited in number.[38][unreliable source?] They do not take birth. [edit] Shaktyavesa and Avesa avatarsAvataric incarnations are classified as two kinds
When Vishnu himself descends, he is called sakshat or shaktyavesa-avatara, a direct incarnation of God. But when he does not incarnate directly, but indirectly empowers some living entity to represent him, that living entity is called an indirect or avesa avatar.[39][unreliable source?] There are said to be a great number of avesa avatars. Examples include Narada Muni, Shakyamuni Buddha, and Parashurama. Parashurama is the only one of the traditional ten avatars that is not a direct descent of Vishnu. According to the Sri Vaishnavism sect of Hinduism, there are two types of primary or direct avatars, Purna avatars and Amsarupavatars:
The avesa or indirect avatars are generally not worshiped as the Supreme being. Only the direct, primary avatars are worshiped in this way. In practice, the direct avatars that are worshiped today are the Purna avatars of Narasimha, Rama and Krishna. Among most Vaishnava traditions, Krishna is considered to be the highest Purna avatar. However, followers of Chaitanya (including ISKCON), Nimbarka, and Vallabha Acharya differ philosophically from other Vaishnavas, such as Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya, and consider Krishna to be the ultimate Godhead, not simply an avatar. That said, all Hindus believe that there is no difference between worship of Vishnu and His avatars as it all leads to Him. According to Madhvacharya (chief proponent of Dvaita or school of differential monism), all avatars of Vishnu are alike in potency and every other quality. There is no gradation among them, and perceiving or claiming any differences among avatars is a cause of eternal damnation. See Madhva's commentary on Katha Upanishad. [edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ↑ top of page ↑ | about thumbshots |
