The Avatars of Lord Vishnu

March 23, 2007

Quoted from Canto 1,Chapter 3 of Srimad Bhagvatam.(verses 6 to 25)

1.First were the sons of Lord Brahmâ [the Kumâras] disciplined in austerity for the realization of continuation. Incarnated next for the sake of its welfare,

2.He, like a boar(Varaha Avatara), lifted the world from the lower regions.

3.Thirdly accepted He [in the form of Nârada Muni] His presence among the learned for the sake of evolving vedic knowledge for service in devotion without further material motives.

4.Fourth born as the twin sons of king Dharma in the form of Nara-Nârâyana He underwent severe penances to attain control over the senses.

5.Fifth with the name of Lord Kapila He gave an exposition to the brahmin Âsuri on the nature of metaphysics and the elements of creation because in the course of time the knowledge was lost.

6.Sixth, born as the son of Atri from Anasûyâ who prayed for Him, He lectured to Alarka, Prahlâda and others about the transcendental.

7. Seventh born from Âkûti as Yajñ'a, the son of Prajâpati Ruci He, assisted by the godly, ruled over the change of the period of Svâyambhuva Manu together with His son Yama and others.

8.Eighth, from the wife of King Nâbhi, Merudevî, He took birth as King Rishabhadeva and showed the path of perfection respected by people of all stages of life.

9.Accepting His ninth incarnation from prayers by the sages, He ruled [as Prithu] the earth for the sake of its cultivation and produces, which made it beautifully attractive.

10.Like a fish [Mâtsya Avatara] in the water He kept Vaivasvata Manu after the period of Câkshusha Manu on a boat of protection afloat the waters when the world was deeply inundated.

11.Eleventh as a tortoise [Kurma] He sustained the Mandarâcala Hill of the theists and atheists which served as a pivot in the ocean.

12.Twelfth was Dhanvantari [Lord of medicine] and

13. thirteenth He appeared as an alluring beautiful woman(Lord Vishnu as Mohini to the atheists while giving nectar to the godly.

14.His fourteenth incarnation He appeared as Lord Nrisimha, who with His nails half as a Lion on His lap tore apart the king of the atheists like a carpenter does cane.

15.Fifteenth He assumed the form of Vâmanadeva [the dwarf-brâhmana] who, from the arena of sacrifice of Mahârâja Bali, begged only for three steps of land, while at heart willing to return to the kingdom of the three worlds.

16.In His sixteenth incarnation [as Bhrigupati or Lord Paras'urâma] He acted twenty-one times against the ruling class that negated the intelligentsia. Seeing the common people as being less intelligent .

17. He seventeenth incarnated as Vyâsadeva from Satyavatî by Parâs'ara Muni, to divide the desire tree of the Veda into several branches.

18.Next He performed superhuman in controlling the Indian Ocean having assumed the form of a divine human being [Lord Râma with Lakshmana] in order to act for the sake of the godly.

19-20 Nineteenth as well as twentieth He appeared as Lord Balarâma and Lord Krishna from the Vrishni-family and thus Bhagavân removed the burden from the world.

21.Thereafter in the Age of Kali His birth as Lord Buddha from Añjanâ in Gayâ will take place in order to delude the ones envious with the theists.

22.Following that at the conjunction of two yugas when there is hardly a ruler found that is not a plunderer, the Lord of Creation will take birth with the name of Lord Kalki as the son of Vishnu Yas'â.

Of these, Ten are considered as Dasavatars -

1.Matysa

2.Kurma

3.Varaha

4.Narasimhadeva

5.Vamandeva

6.Lord Parashurama

7.Lord Rama and Lakshmana together

8.Lord Krishna and Balarama together

9.Lord Buddha

and finally yet to come

10.Lord Kalki.

Please note : From the time of Lord Rama, Sankarshana has been with Lord as his brother always. We see Lord Krishna and Lord Balarama, then we see Lord Chatanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Nityananda together always.

Thus when some scholar or saint speaks of the Dasavatars, it is simply a question of mathematics, although the actual avatars are not just 10 in number but more, but since 10 is a round figure, many speakers simply mention 10 Avataras.

Also, This canto (Canto 1) does not mention the appearance of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, which is mentioned later in another Canto. (Canto 11,Chapter 5, verse 32). The Srimad Bhagvatam has been updated constantly, thus in the beginning you may not find all the information, which is available in the last two cantos.

krsna-varnam tvisakrsnamsangopangastra-parsadamyajnaih sankirtana-prayairyajanti hi su-medhasah

In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting (Harinaam Sankeertanam) to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the name of Krsna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krsna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.32, Karabhajana Muni speaks to King Nimi) Thus we have the movement started by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu 500 years ago, sweeping the world with waves of Bhakti, refreshing every spiritual seeker with new meanings from the Gita and Srimad Bhagvatam.

I always bow down before Srila Prabhupada by whose grace we have access to such vast literary wealth. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.