[Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Doubt about Dasavtar

August 10, 2006

Dear Members , Hare Krishna! I have a doubt on Dasavtars. I have heard from my grandmother that the 9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu is BALARAMAN , but throughout in the internet if we search on this topic they are showing the ninth avatar as BUDDHA. Recently I had been to a Ram Mandir, & there also they had put up Buddha's picture as the 9th avatar. The serial on Krishna which is telecasted in Soorya , says the ninth avatar as Balaram. I request all the knowledgable members to clarify my doubt. Ohm Namo Narayana. Rgds, Bindya Suresh rajan nair <rajan_k_nair2002 wrote: Om Namo Narayana!!!This i could grab while surfing the net. Hope, thiswill help members like me (who have very littlespiritual knowledge) to know about Lord Vishnu and hisvarious forms.May God Bless allRajanVISHNUVishnu, preserver of human life is one of the threegods of the Trimurti. He is a generous God and knownas being ‘Sattvaguna’ (kind and merciful). Vishnu isthe only God of the Trimurti who is reborn wheneverthere is a crisis on earth. If ‘Dharma’ (righteousness) is disturbed, Vishnudescends to earth as an avatar (a human form) to fightthe forces of evil. The Puranas list the

Dasavatars’, ten avatars, Vishnutook on to sustain the cosmos. Seen in order, theyrepresent the evolution of mankind from the fish stageto ‘Purusha’ (man).These avatars were Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise),Varaha (boar ), Nara-simha (man-lion), Vamana (dwarf),Parashurama (a powerful warrior), Rama, Krishna,Buddha and Kalki (white horse). A romantic aspect of the myths, is that wheneverVishnu descends to earth he marries Lakshmi (hisGoddess wife). They are destined to marry on earth asin heaven. When Vishnu is Rama, Lakshmi is born asSita. As Krishna he marries her as Rukmini. Matsya (Fish) The story of the fish avatar, is Hindu, but thelikeness to Noah is uncanny. A great flood threatenedto submerge Manu (a patriarch who once ruled theearth). Manu asked a for a bowl of water which heneeded for his religious rites. In the bowl was a fishwho told Manu that if he looked after him, Manu

wouldbe saved from the flood. Manu agreed and took the fishto the ocean.In the ocean the Matsya grew to whale-likeproportions. Taught by Matysa how to build a ship Manucould sail during the flood. While the deluge ripped the land apart and treacherouswaves rose from the ocean, Manu was safe. Matsya washis tether who towed the ark to safety. When theyreached the shores they found a dead and barren landravaged by the storm .Manu found the cargo contained the seeds for everyform of life, from which he could sow the world.Vishnu as Matysa supported Brahma who renewed theworld together. After the deluge, many cosmic treasures sank deep intothe ocean. The Asuras (demons) were in race againstthe Devas (minor gods) to churn the oceans for amrit(the nectar of immortality). Vishnu appeared as Kurma (the tortoise) who sided withthe Devas. Together, they decided they would create

achurn for obtaining the amrit. The serpent Vasuki was threaded around Mount Mandarato create a churn. Kurma dived to the floor of theocean and balanced Mount Mandara on his back. In thegrip of Kurma’s cosmic force, Mount Mandara could notsink into the ocean bed.The Gods churned, and the nectar of immortality cameto their hands. As they continued to churn, fourteentreasures appeared. For Kurma the most precious wasLakshmi, the Goddess of beauty and good fortune whowould be his wife.When the demon, Hiranyaksha dragged Bhoomi Devi(Mother Earth) underwater, Vishnu took the form ofVaraha (a wild boar). After a fierce battle heoverpowered the demon and lifted Bhoomi Devi from thewaters. He pushed with his snout and the land puckeredforming the Himalayan Mountains. He dragged more landfrom the sea and shaped the Indian subcontinent. During the satayuga (first epoch) a tyrannical

Daitya(demon) tormented the world. No god could overcome himand with each battle he won, the Daityas pride grew.Crazed by his invincibility he shot an arrow at apillar to defy Vishnu. Vishnu burst out as Narasimha(man-lion) and tore Daitya to shreds. Later Bali, the King of the Daityas had become rulerof the world. He had wisely worshipped Vishnu who hadgranted him a special boon. Protected by this boonBali became a cause for celestial concern. When allthe other Gods were overcome they pleaded to Vishnufor help.Vishnu took the form of Vamana (a dwarf), and was bornas the stunted child of Kasyapa and Aditi. He went asVamana to a yagna (sacrifice) being performed by Bali.Bali was offering sweets to all those present at theyagna.. Vamana held out his hands and said he was apoor peasant. He asked for as much land as he (Vamana)could cover in three steps. Bali took a look at thedwarf peasant

and granted him this boon. Vamana expanded to a cosmic size. His first stepcovered the earth, the second reached heaven. Vamana’sthird step would have reached the lower world but Balibowed before Vamana realising he had to be Vishnu.Pleased by Bali’s humility, Vishnu spared him and gaveBali a kingdom of his own in the netherworld.In the Treta epoch, (the age of the sacred fires) thewarrior class were becoming dominant. Their weaponrymade them aggressive. They were subjugating ordinarypeople. The Gods wanted power to revert to thepriests. Vishnu appeared as Parashurama, and took awaythe powers of the warriors returned it to thescholars. As Rama, Vishnu came on earth to slay the demonRavana. A legendary man, his compassionate nature andhis belief in duty elevated him as ‘Maryada Purusha’,ideal man. In his eighth Avatar, Vishnu was Krishna the greatestteacher whose words form a

priceless Hindu scripture,‘The Bhagwad Gita’ or the guide to life. As the Buddha, Vishnu is a great religious teacher ofIndia. He revealed the secrets of moksha and the pathto Nirvana. Vishnu’s final avatar will be as Kalki (white horse).At the end of the present age (Kal-Yuga) he will comeback riding a white horse. Predictions say Kalki willbrandishing a flaming sword and destroy last demons onearth.In his cosmic form Vishnu is seen reclining on a manyheaded serpent called Ananta and the oceans liesubdued under him. He holds a chakra (discus) in ahand with which he maintains order in the universe.The shankha or conch was retrieved by him during thechurning of the oceans, and its deep humming sound isan evocation of the sea. He holds a lotus for peaceand a gada (mace) a controlling weapon. Garuda theeagle is his celestial vehicle.As god and in each of his avatars Vishnu plays

therole of the preserver making the earth a safe heavenfor his believers. ________ India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something newhttp://in.answers./

Stay in the know. Pulse on the new .com. Check it out.

August 10, 2006

Balrama is the eightth and Krishna is the ninth as per Bhagavatha and vishnupurana. Since kalki avathara which is mentioned as the tenth has not yet taken place it is a common practice tocite buddha as the tenth.But according to Bhagavatha purana and vishnupuramna kalki ie the tenth. Iam attaching herewith my article on the significance of Dasavathara . Saroja RamanujamBindya Suresh <bindyamenon80 wrote: Dear Members , Hare Krishna!

I have a doubt on Dasavtars. I have heard from my grandmother that the 9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu is BALARAMAN , but throughout in the internet if we search on this topic they are showing the ninth avatar as BUDDHA. Recently I had been to a Ram Mandir, & there also they had put up Buddha's picture as the 9th avatar. The serial on Krishna which is telecasted in Soorya , says the ninth avatar as Balaram. I request all the knowledgable members to clarify my doubt. Ohm Namo Narayana. Rgds, Bindya Suresh rajan nair <rajan_k_nair2002 (AT) (DOT) co.in> wrote: Om Namo Narayana!!!This i could grab while surfing the net. Hope, thiswill help members like me (who

have very littlespiritual knowledge) to know about Lord Vishnu and hisvarious forms.May God Bless allRajanVISHNUVishnu, preserver of human life is one of the threegods of the Trimurti. He is a generous God and knownas being ?Sattvaguna? (kind and merciful). Vishnu isthe only God of the Trimurti who is reborn wheneverthere is a crisis on earth. If ?Dharma? (righteousness) is disturbed, Vishnudescends to earth as an avatar (a human form) to fightthe forces of evil. The Puranas list the Dasavatars?, ten avatars, Vishnutook on to sustain the cosmos. Seen in order, theyrepresent the evolution of mankind from the fish stageto ?Purusha? (man).These avatars were Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise),Varaha (boar ), Nara-simha (man-lion), Vamana (dwarf),Parashurama (a powerful warrior), Rama, Krishna,Buddha and Kalki (white horse). A romantic aspect of the myths, is

that wheneverVishnu descends to earth he marries Lakshmi (hisGoddess wife). They are destined to marry on earth asin heaven. When Vishnu is Rama, Lakshmi is born asSita. As Krishna he marries her as Rukmini. Matsya (Fish) The story of the fish avatar, is Hindu, but thelikeness to Noah is uncanny. A great flood threatenedto submerge Manu (a patriarch who once ruled theearth). Manu asked a for a bowl of water which heneeded for his religious rites. In the bowl was a fishwho told Manu that if he looked after him, Manu wouldbe saved from the flood. Manu agreed and took the fishto the ocean.In the ocean the Matsya grew to whale-likeproportions. Taught by Matysa how to build a ship Manucould sail during the flood. While the deluge ripped the land apart and treacherouswaves rose from the ocean, Manu was safe. Matsya washis tether who towed the ark to safety. When theyreached the shores

they found a dead and barren landravaged by the storm .Manu found the cargo contained the seeds for everyform of life, from which he could sow the world.Vishnu as Matysa supported Brahma who renewed theworld together. After the deluge, many cosmic treasures sank deep intothe ocean. The Asuras (demons) were in race againstthe Devas (minor gods) to churn the oceans for amrit(the nectar of immortality). Vishnu appeared as Kurma (the tortoise) who sided withthe Devas. Together, they decided they would create achurn for obtaining the amrit. The serpent Vasuki was threaded around Mount Mandarato create a churn. Kurma dived to the floor of theocean and balanced Mount Mandara on his back. In thegrip of Kurma?s cosmic force, Mount Mandara could notsink into the ocean bed.The Gods churned, and the nectar of immortality cameto their hands. As they continued to churn,

fourteentreasures appeared. For Kurma the most precious wasLakshmi, the Goddess of beauty and good fortune whowould be his wife.When the demon, Hiranyaksha dragged Bhoomi Devi(Mother Earth) underwater, Vishnu took the form ofVaraha (a wild boar). After a fierce battle heoverpowered the demon and lifted Bhoomi Devi from thewaters. He pushed with his snout and the land puckeredforming the Himalayan Mountains. He dragged more landfrom the sea and shaped the Indian subcontinent. During the satayuga (first epoch) a tyrannical Daitya(demon) tormented the world. No god could overcome himand with each battle he won, the Daityas pride grew.Crazed by his invincibility he shot an arrow at apillar to defy Vishnu. Vishnu burst out as Narasimha(man-lion) and tore Daitya to shreds. Later Bali, the King of the Daityas had become rulerof the world. He had wisely worshipped Vishnu who hadgranted him a

special boon. Protected by this boonBali became a cause for celestial concern. When allthe other Gods were overcome they pleaded to Vishnufor help.Vishnu took the form of Vamana (a dwarf), and was bornas the stunted child of Kasyapa and Aditi. He went asVamana to a yagna (sacrifice) being performed by Bali.Bali was offering sweets to all those present at theyagna.. Vamana held out his hands and said he was apoor peasant. He asked for as much land as he (Vamana)could cover in three steps. Bali took a look at thedwarf peasant and granted him this boon. Vamana expanded to a cosmic size. His first stepcovered the earth, the second reached heaven. Vamana?sthird step would have reached the lower world but Balibowed before Vamana realising he had to be Vishnu.Pleased by Bali?s humility, Vishnu spared him and gaveBali a kingdom of his own in the netherworld.In the Treta epoch, (the age of the

sacred fires) thewarrior class were becoming dominant. Their weaponrymade them aggressive. They were subjugating ordinarypeople. The Gods wanted power to revert to thepriests. Vishnu appeared as Parashurama, and took awaythe powers of the warriors returned it to thescholars. As Rama, Vishnu came on earth to slay the demonRavana. A legendary man, his compassionate nature andhis belief in duty elevated him as ?Maryada Purusha?,ideal man. In his eighth Avatar, Vishnu was Krishna the greatestteacher whose words form a priceless Hindu scripture,?The Bhagwad Gita? or the guide to life. As the Buddha, Vishnu is a great religious teacher ofIndia. He revealed the secrets of moksha and the pathto Nirvana. Vishnu?s final avatar will be as Kalki (white horse).At the end of the present age (Kal-Yuga) he will comeback riding a white horse. Predictions say Kalki willbrandishing a flaming sword

and destroy last demons onearth.In his cosmic form Vishnu is seen reclining on a manyheaded serpent called Ananta and the oceans liesubdued under him. He holds a chakra (discus) in ahand with which he maintains order in the universe.The shankha or conch was retrieved by him during thechurning of the oceans, and its deep humming sound isan evocation of the sea. He holds a lotus for peaceand a gada (mace) a controlling weapon. Garuda theeagle is his celestial vehicle.As god and in each of his avatars Vishnu plays therole of the preserver making the earth a safe heavenfor his believers. ________ India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something newhttp://in.answers./ Stay in

the know. Pulse on the new .com. Check it out. May god bless you, Dr. Saroja Ramanujam, M.A., Ph.D, Siromani in sanskrit.

Stay in the know. Pulse on the new .com. Check it out.

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DASAVATARAS

and their

Significance

RASLEELA AND RADHAKRISHNA

Significance of the concept of Radha-Krishna and Rasleela

Sanjagau venunaa devakinandanah

When the mind is fully engaged in the Lord it becomes the flute in His hand, a hollow tube with full of holes through which all the impurities have been washed off. then His fingers move through the holes and fills it with divine music. When the mind wants to unite with Him but is not able to do so due to egocentric impulses that separates it from Him , the resulting sorrow is depicted as the viraha of the gopies and Radha.

The gopies went to meet Krishna but they were never missed at home, says Bhaagavatha Puraana. Their union was one of spirit and not of body. When the thought is centered on the object of love it is the union of the spirit. When every thought that occurs is centered on the Lord the devotee's mind becomes a stage for Rasleela. Each thought is the gopi having Krishna as its object. this idea is brought out beautifully in the sloka anganaam anganaam anthare Maadhavo Maadhavam Maadhavam anthare anganaa there was a Krishna between each gopi and there was a gopi between each Krishna. Then what happens is the divine music played by Devakinandhana, When all thoughts merge into one like the big fish swallowing the smaller ones or like a big wave absorbing the small waves the mind is filled with only one thought which is represented by the concept of Radha, who is the jiva, the individual soul.

When the jiva turns towards the Lord it finds that it is unable to do so blinded by ego born out of ignorance. Then the Acharya advises the jiva to shed its ego and approach the Lord with humility and love. This is the part played by he sakhi friend of Radha, in the legends of Radha-Krishna. The Lord is ever merciful and ready to receive the jiva with outstreched arms and He is as eager to unite with the jiva, if not more, as the jiva itself

The story of Gitagovinda, a lyric by Jayadeva, depicts the above idea beautifully. We go away from the Lord due to our ignorance and start blaming Him or our troubles which are all due only to our separation from Him. When He tries to contact us we spurn Him thinking that He does not care for us. But He does not mind our rebuff and patiently tries to bring us back to where we belong. Finally we come to realise that He had been kind to us all along though we were not aware of it till now.

DASAAVATHAARA-The ten incarnations

1 Matsyaavathaara

The story of Mathsyaavatara is as follows:

Hayagreevaasura took the Vedas when Brahma was supposed to be sleeping and hid them under the sea. Lord Vishnu assuming the form of a large fish retrieved them Now, Hyagreevaasura represents the men of wicked or perverted intellect who influence others and cause the extinction of the wisdom of the Vedas. The word hayaa in Sanskrit has ,besides horse , another meaning, a class of men, kaashta thulya vapur dhrshtah mithyaachaarascha nirbhayah, of strong build like wood , corrupt and fearless. Vedas being immersed in the ocean , Wisdom and Dharma submerged in adharma due to the absence of the guidance of the Vedas require Divine Grace in the form of pure intellect sarvajna which is represented by Mahaamathsya the Great Fish, which becomes all pervading, sarvavyaapi, in order to protect Dharma and Vedas.

Yathaa mahaamathsyah ubhe koole anusancharathi poorvam cha aparam cha –says Brihadhaaranyaka Upanishad. When the intellect is limited it is full of doubt and confusion, running here and there like a small fish swimming alternately between the two banks of the river. But the same intellect, when it becomes all pervading, being established in Brahman, Absolute Reality, is firm and unaffected by the cross currents of samsaara, transmigratory existence, Mahaan chaasau mathsyascha naadheyena srothasaa ahaaryah and saves the world from destruction.

2.Koormaavathaara.

When devaas, the celestial beings and the asuraas, their perpetual enemies were fighting the loss of lives on the part of devaas was immense and they wanted to churn the Milky Ocean to get amritha, nectar which will give them immortality. As instructed they carried Mandhara mountain with the help of the Lord Vishnu and started churning the Milky Ocean, using Vaasuki, the serpent as the rope. When they found the mountain sinking they appealed to Vishnu. He assumed the form of a tortoise and entering the ocean supported the mountain on His back. This was describe as the incarnation of the tortoise, koormaavathara.

Amrthamathana the churning for nectar signifies the emergence of wisdom jnaana by churning the mind. Mandhara is the firm resolve to do so which requires the help of God to keep it firm. The ocean of milk is the mind full of turbulence inside but complacent on the surface out of tamas ,inertia. Snakes stand for desires and Vaasuki ,the king of snakes is the king of all desires, mumukshutwa, desire for moksha. The lord helps at every step, carrying the mountain, supporting it on His back, churning along with them and entering into them to give them strength and enthusiasm. This implies that we need His guidance in all our ventures, at every stage of spiritual progress. The anaadhi vaasanaas, the impressions gathered through several lives which are the root cause of samsara, have to be expelled first, which is the Halaahala the fierce poison that comes out of the Milky Ocean at first. This is swallowed by Siva, who is the god of destruction. This mathana, churning , is happening all the time, mind being agitated by the good and bad impulses, when both come to surface one by one. The good things that came out of the ocean like Airaavatha the divine elephant,, Uchchaisravas the divine horse, the kalpavriksha, wish- giving tree are all the various siddhis , powers that come during the spiritual discipline. Devaas were warned against aspiring for these as they impede progress.

Before the emergence of amritha Goddess Mahaalaksmi, Sri, came out, who is the symbol of Divine Mercy of the Lord , without which the amritha cannot be obtained. That is why, She was chosen by the Lord as His consort. We cannot have Sri, good fortune, by mere wish and even if She comes She does not stay But when we pray to Her as the Purushakaarabhootha the mercy of God , Mahaalakhmi favours through the grace of the Lord and she stays permanently with the one who adores Her as being the dweller in the heart,hrdhayakamalavaasini of Lord Naaraayana.

Lastly amritha, nector, comes. Amritha means immortal. It is the knowledge of Brahman which leads to Self-realisation. But at the last minute before it is assimilated it is confiscated by the asuraas, evil impulses which implies that a spiritual aspirant should be alert till the end. As said in Bhagavatgita, Indhriyaani pramaatheeni haranthi prasabham manah , the senses are forceful and carry the mind away in an unguarded moment. We should never feel complacent about our progress because this may give rise to madha,pride or aalasya, indolence which will undo all that has been achieved so far.Bd thoughts can never be defeated by good thoughts unless Lord Naraayana overpowers them and weakens them through His Maya ,signified by His Mohini Avathaara, in which He deluded the asuraas and gave the amritha to the devaas. .Koorma stands for the intellect established in Brahman, sthithaprajna, which fecilitates the mathana, churning of the mind.

3.Varaahaavathaara.

The asura Hiranyaaksha took the earth and hid it under the ocean and Lord Vishnu assuming the form of a boar retrieved it and placed it back. The word hiranya means gold and aksha eyes. The one who has his eyes on the gold is a hiranyaaksha The hiranyabuddhi in contrast with bhagavatbuddhi denotes a materialistic outlook which envelopes the whole world eclipsing bhagavatbuddhi, the spiritual outlook. The whole world becomes immersed in materialism. The mahaavaraaha, the Big Boar is also vrishaakapi, dharma incarnate. Bhaagaavthapuraana describes the Varaaha as Yajnavaraaha, the embodiment of yajna. This idea is also presented in Bhagavatgita in chapter 3, where the Absolute Reality Brahman is said to be established in yajna. Thus Mahaavaraaha alone could save the world from hiranyabuddhi.

The earth was described as looking like a small ball on the tusk of the Varaaha implying that for those with bhagavatbuddhi the material world is thuchcha, of no value. The oceans were only knee deep for the Varaaha, the wild boar, who was fierce looking for the wicked but gentle to the devotees.

Hiranyaaksha and his brother Hiranyakasipu, kasipu meaning food and clothing, stand for materialism.It is said that both of them were the guards at the gate of Vaikunta the abode of Lord Vishnu and were cursed to be born as asuraas. They take birth as brothers for three times. Even though the Lord killed them both in one incarnation when they were born as Raavana, Kumbhakarna and as Sisupaala ,Dhanthavakra, He needed two incarnations, namely that of Varaaha and Nrsimha to kill them as Hiranyaaksha and Hiranyakasipu, who personify madha, arrogance, and krodha, anger respectively. Of the six internal enemies of man, Ravana stands for kaama, desire, Kumbhakarna for moha, delusion and Sisupaala and Dhanthavakra represent maathsarya envy and lobha, avarice. This shows that it is more difficult to conquer anger and arrogance than the others.

4.Nrsimhaavathaara

Hiranyakasipu, the brother of Hiranyaaksha, wanted to avenge his brother’s death and went in search of Lord Hari but could not find Him, not knowing that the Lord cannot be found except through bhakthi. Thinking that Hari, Lord Vishnu was hiding from him out of fear he went away to do penance and obtained a boon that he will not meet his death by animal or humans, night or day, in the house or outside and by any weapon. He forgot the Mastermind of all and thought that he had conquered death. Through the grace of the sage Naaradha his son Prahlaadha became a great vishnubhaktha which provoked his anger. Hiranyakasipu tried to change his son but could not do so and tried to kill him by various means.. But the Lord protected His devotee and finally killed Hiranyakasipu satisfying all the conditions of his boon.

Prahlaadha denotes bhagavatbhakthi which is hindered by hiranyabuddhi. When the true devotee is persecuted by the materialistic world the Lord manifests as a man-lion for the protection of His bhaktha. Hiranyakasipu’s boons signify the dhvandhva, the pair of opposites, the presence of which can never destroy the enemy within and without. The desire for gold, represented by Hirnyakasipu can only be quelled a dhvandhvaatheetha, the intellect that has transcended the pairs of opposites, sukha-duhka, joy and sorrow, laabha- alaabha, gain and loss, jaya –ajaya , success and failure. Nrsimha is described as na mrgam na maanusham , which does not mean that He is half man and half lion but that He is indescribable, being the Supreme Reality.

5.Vaamanaavathaara

Mahabali the asura king was arrogant with power and vanquishing the devas confiscated devaloka. On the request of Adhithi, the mother of the devas Lord Vishnu was born as her son Vamana the name given on account of his small stature as a Brahmin boy. He went to Mahabali, where the asura king was performing yajna and asked him to give land that can be measured by three footsteps. Mahabali amused at the request of this dwarflike Brahmin boy, tried to coax him to ask for more but seeing that he was determined started to give him what he asked for despite the warning of the asura guru, Sukraachaarya , who realized the true identity of Vamana. The next moment Vamana became Trivikrama assuming His cosmic form. The Lord as Trivikrama measured the earth with one foot and the sky with another and demanded space for His third foot. Mahabali, humbled, showed his head and The Lord placed His foot on Mahabali’s head and sent him to Paathaala, the world under, and made him the ruler of Paathaala. Since Mahabali was a devotee and also the grandson of Prahlaadha, he was not killed but blessed by the foot of the Lord on his head and also received the honour of the Lord Himself becoming his guard in his abode in Paathaala.

Vamana is the jnanaswarupa , thw embodiment of wisdom. Before the emergence of jnana, all virtues like dharma and dhana serve only to swell the pride of the doer But when the heart is filled with devotion, there arises jnana in a diminutive form as a vamana. Even a devotee could become inflated with pride over his services and offerings to the Lord, forgetting that what he offers has been given to him by the Lord Himself. This is the initial stage of bhakthi which, when ripened into self surrender ,attains the attitude vasudevassarvam , seeing everything in Him and Him in everything. Then the jnana becomes all encompassing like Trivikrama. To such a devotee the Lord is ready to do his bidding.

6.Parasuramavathaara

Parasurama was a partial avathaara as the divinity manifested only at the time of his destruction of kshatiryas .Parasurama ,so called because his weapon was parasu, axe, rooted out the kshatriyas under the pretext of avenging the murder of his father by Karthaviryarjuna because they were following the path of adharma. After uprooting them Parasurama gave the earth he has conquered to sage Kasyapa and retired beyond the ocean.

Parasurama signifies the yogi who has rooted out the inner enemies like kaama and krodha which are portrayed by the kshatriyas. When sattwa rises to the surface there is peace ,denoted by the gift of the earth to Kasyapa. The axe of Parasurama is viveka and vairagya, discrimination and detachment, armed with which one can conquer the inner foes. The incarnation comes to an end on the occasion of the meeting between Parasurama and Rama when the Lord assumes back His powers.

7.

Ramaavathaara

Rama was the incarnation of the Lord in human form as the son of Dasaratha, king of Ayodhya, in order to kill Ravana and Kumbakarna , who were born for a second time as asuras according to the curse of sanakaadhi rshis, while they were guarding Vaikunta as Jaya and Vijaya. He had to be born as a human being since Ravana was given the boon that he could not meet his death from any other being. When Dasaratha was compelled by Kaikeyi to send Rama to forest and Seetha and Lakhsmana accompanied him, Ravana abducted Sita and got killed by Rama for his misdeed.

Dasaratha, meaning one with ten chariots represents man carried away by the ten indriyas, sense organs, and his wivesKausalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra stand for bhakthi, karma, and jnana respectively. Rama as Valmiki says, was vigrahavan dharmah , dharma incarnate. Dharma has its root in Vedas and the purport of the Vedas is Paramatma, the Supreme Self. So, Rama is thus shown to be none other than the Lord. Lakshmana denotes Artha, the second purushartha which should always follow dharma ,the first. Bharatha implies Moksha, and satrugna indicates the third purushartha, Kama which must be always about Moksha, the fourth purushartha

When the man , Dasaratha gets attached to karma, without jnana, he becomes bound by it Desire motivated karma, Kaikeyi is indtrumental in banishing dharma, Rama from the kingdom. The reluctance of Dasaratha to do so denotes the conscience of man which makes him guilty in doing something he should not do but bound by his attachment and desire he becomes week and succumbs to the temptation as a result of which he faces destruction.

Sita and Rama are the jivatma and Paramatma as depicted in Upanishad as two birds which are one in reality.Dvaa suparnaa sayujaa sakhaayaa , of which one wanders away from the other eating fruits sour and sweet while the other simply looks on from above Thayorekah pippalam svaadhu atthi anasnan anyah abhichaakasithi.. When the former, jiva, climbs up and up while eating the fruits and nearing the other realizes that it is just the shadow of the one above, the Paramatma and .merging with it becomes free from sukha and duhkha and enjoys infinite bliss.

Sita relinquishing the comforts of the royal palace accompanied Rama to the forest which shows that the real happiness of the jiva is to be with the Paramatma and not in enjoying the sensual pleasures which are mixed with sorrow, As long as the jiva remains with the Lord it is enjoying infinite bliss. But the moment the jiva is tempted by the pleasures of the world, like the desire of Sita for the golden deer it gets separated from the Lord when the ten indriyas represented by the ten headed Ravana carries the jiva away and the jiva is imprisoned in Lanka which is the sarira and becomes surrounded by the sorrows of the samsara, the rakshasis of Asokavana. The jiva never realizes that the world is asokavana , a garden without sorrow in reality and only due to the ignorance of the jiva it appears as a sokavana, a forest of sorrow until the acharya helps to unite the jiva with the Lord.

The golden deer stands for the desires of the world, the most dangerous being that of gold, wealth Once it enters the heart one is carried far away into the land of demons, surrounded by the sea of samsara. Hanuman coming to the rescue of the grieving Sita signifies the acharya who is instrumental in uniting the jiva with Isvara, the Lord. The ordeal of entering the fire for Sita is the anthahkaranasuddhi, purification of the mind and intellect through bhakthi when the ignorance is destroyed and the jiva gains back its original state. Vibheeshana, the good brother of Ravana stands for sattva, while Ravana depicts rajas and Kumbhakarna, tamas. With the help of sattva , rajas and thamas, metaphorically potrayed as rakshasaas, are conquered.

Lakshmana, was supposed to be the incarnation of Adhisesha, the thousand hooded serpent who served as the bed of Lord Narayana. He never leaves the Lord. Sesha means one who is the property of and dependent on the seshi for whose purpose he exists. The lord is the seshi and all beings are His seshas. Of them Adhisesha as his name indicates is the oldest because he existed with The Lord forever. The thousand hooded serpent is only our mind with thousand thoughts and when they are all with the Lord it becomes Adhdsesha

Thus the epic Ramayana was a drama enacted by the divine in order to teach man how to live .Rama lived like a man, expressed His feelings like a man but His divinity could be discernible to those who had insight like Vasishta and Visvamitra. Even when Rama was depicted as being engrossed with the grief of separation from Sita it only indicates that the Lord is as sorrowful, if not more, when a jiva goes astray and takes the necessary steps at the right time to bring it back into the fold. Thus even His retribution is for redemption.

8.Balaramaavathaara

It is difficult to distinguish Balaramaavathaara from that of Krisna as Balarama was the elder brother of Krishna and they were together in all their exploits.Balarama being the incarnation of Adhisesha has been elevated to the status of being the eidhtth avathaara because of his super human powers and hence considered to be Samkarshana, one of the four vyuha forms of Lord Narayana. The plough and the mace, the weapons of Balarama are viveka and vairagya respectively, by which he ploughs the mind and breaks the shackles of desire.

9.Krishnaavathaara

It is a voluminous task to point out the allegorical significance of the Krishnaavathaara because from His birth Krishna proved to be the Jagatguru each and every episode of His life is pregnant with meaning as already made out in the explanation of the Radha Krishna concept at the beginning of this page. So it deserves a separate page altogether. As Krishna Himself says in the Gita, janma karma cha me dhivyam evam yo vetthi tatthvathah, “It is very rare to find someone who has perfectly understood My birth and deeds,” It requires an insight to understand the greatness of the Krishnaavathaara. He says in Gita, avajaananthi maam moodaah maanusheem thnumaasritham, “they are fools who consider Me as a mortal and superimpose on Me the common failings of men.” It requires a full account of Krishnaavathaara to understand His message.

Krishna never lived, felt and acted like an ordinary human being. The Divinity was manifest through out and hence it is not proper to judge His doings from our standards. The popular saying that one dhould live as Rama did but act like Krishna said is a misconception. He manifested Himself in Devaki and was not born to Devaki and His childhood exploits of killing the asuras depict only the destruction of evil impulses in man. Later His punishing the Kauravas and helping the Pandavas only means that the Lord will always be on the side of dharma and being the karmaphaladhatha, He sees to it that the miscreants suffer the result of their actions. This is the meaning of Krishna’s wprds in Mahabharatha, aham Pandava pakshapaathi , “I am partial to Pandavas.” Thus to comprehend the significance of Krishnaavathaara one has to go deep into the Dasamaskandha of Bhagavatha, which is a Herculian task This will be examined in a link page later.

The word Krishna itself has deep significance krishirbhoorvaachakah nasthu nirvrthivaachakah nithaantham nirvthah krishnah ithi vishnoh krishnanama, krsh means the earth and nakaara stands for infinite happiness and hence Lord Vishnu is known as Krishna. Brahman is defined as sat,chit,ananda and among the incarnations Rama represents the sat aspect, Vamana the cit and Krishna the ananda. Everything about Krishna is nothing but pure unalloyed joy.

10.Kalki avathaara.

Nothing much is known about this incarnation as it is yet to take place. As He is supposed to destroy evil forces by wielding a sword, it could possibly mean jnana asi, sword of wisdom, which kills the ajnana, ignorance , root cause of all evil.

The Vedas teach by injunction, the Ithihasa like Ramayana and Purana like Bhagavatha advise in a friendly manner.

A wise man will learn a lesson from every incident that happens in his life and all the stories in the epics are to be considered as great treasures left to us so that we can learn valuable lessons from them

August 10, 2006

!! Sri Rama Jayam !!

The confusion about Dashavatars is very common to most of us. Per ISCKON belief, Krishna is not considered to be an avatar (in it's best possible sense), but the supreme himself, unlike Rama, Narasimha or Vamana. And, further interesting to note is that ISCKON asserts the advent of Krishna having occured only in the last dwapara (28th). To the question then who incarnates in every dwapara has the answer that only Balarama comes on earth. I know it may look not that easy to accept it. This also confirms that there are 28 Vyasas ('Vyasa' is not the name of a person but a post similar to 'Brahmarshi') incarnated in every chaturyuga & the last among them called Krishnadwaipayana is considered to be the one who documented all 18 puranas having expanded & interpreted in various yugas by the former 27 vyasas. But 'Bhagavattam' is strictly a composition of Krishna Dwaipayana, the father of Shuka Paramahamsa.

Further, for our information, Jayadeva's famous composition 'Pralaya payodhi jale' in Gita Govindam celebrates the cycle of dashavatars - all directly referred to Krishna. Here again, Krishna is not adored as the avatara but the 'Parama Purusha' himself.

Hence, in reply to your doubt, I would say starting from Matsya to Kalki, there are ten incarnations including Buddha, but excluding Krishna.

I request senior members to share their opinion on this.

Hare Krishna

Hare Rama

guruvayur [guruvayur ]On Behalf Of Bindya SureshThursday, August 10, 2006 5:13 PMguruvayur Subject: Re: [Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Doubt about Dasavtar

Dear Members ,

Hare Krishna!

I have a doubt on Dasavtars. I have heard from my grandmother that the 9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu is BALARAMAN , but throughout in the internet if we search on this topic they are showing the ninth avatar as BUDDHA.

Recently I had been to a Ram Mandir, & there also they had put up Buddha's picture as the 9th avatar. The serial on Krishna which is telecasted in Soorya , says the ninth avatar as Balaram.

I request all the knowledgable members to clarify my doubt.

Ohm Namo Narayana.

Rgds,

Bindya Suresh

rajan nair <rajan_k_nair2002 (AT) (DOT) co.in> wrote:

Om Namo Narayana!!!This i could grab while surfing the net. Hope, thiswill help meembers like me (who have very littlespiritual knowledge) to know about Lord Vishnu and hisvarious forms.May God Bless allRajanVISHNUVishnu, preserver of human life is one of the threegods of the Trimurti. He is a generous God and knownas being 'Sattvaguna' (kind and merciful). Vishnu isthe only God of the Trimurti who is reborn wheneverthere is a crisis on earth. If 'Dharma' (righteousness) is disturbed, Vishnudescends to earth as an avatar (a human form) to fightthe forces of evil. The Puranas list the Dasavatars', ten avatars, Vishnutook on to sustain the cosmos. Seen in order, theyrepresent the evolution of mankind from the fish stageto 'Purusha' (man).These avatars were Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise),Varaha (boar ), Nara-simha (man-lion), Vamana (dwarf),Parashurama (a powerful warrior), Rama, Krishna,Buddha and Kalki (white horse). A romantic aspect of the myths, is that wheneverVishnu descends to earth he marries Lakshmi (hisGoddess wife). They are destined to marry on earth asin heaven. When Vishnu is Rama, Lakshmi is born asSita. As Krishna he marries her as Rukmini. Matsya (Fish) The story of the fish avatar, is Hindu, but thelikeness to Noah is uncanny. A great flood threatenedto submerge Manu (a patriarch who once ruled theearth). Manu asked a for a bowl of water which heneeded for his religious rites. In the bowl was a fishwho told Manu that if he looked after him, Manu wouldbe saved from the flood. Manu agreed and took the fishto the ocean.In the ocean the Matsya grew to whale-likeproportions. Taught by Matysa how to build a ship Manucould sail during the flood. While the deluge ripped the land apart and treacherouswaves rose from the ocean, Manu was safe. Matsya washis tether who towed the ark to safety. When theyreached the shores they found a dead and barren landravaged by the storm .Manu found the cargo contained the seeds for everyform of life, from which he could sow the world.Vishnu as Matysa supported Brahma who renewed theworld together. After the deluge, many cosmic treasures sank deep intothe ocean. The Asuras (demons) were in race againstthe Devas (minor gods) to churn the oceans for amrit(the nectar of immortality). Vishnu appeared as Kurma (the tortoise) who sided withthe Devas. Together, they decided they would create achurn for obtaining the amrit. The serpent Vasuki was threaded around Mount Mandarato create a churn. Kurma dived to the floor of theocean and balanced Mount Mandara on his back. In thegrip of Kurma's cosmic force, Mount Mandara could notsink into the ocean bed.The Gods churned, and the nectar of immortality cameto their hands. As they continued to churn, fourteentreasures appeared. For Kurma the most precious wasLakshmi, the Goddess of beauty and good fortune whowould be his wife.When the demon, Hiranyaksha dragged Bhoomi Devi(Mother Earth) underwater, Vishnu took the form ofVaraha (a wild boar). After a fierce battle heoverpowered the demon and lifted Bhoomi Devi from thewaters. He pushed with his snout and the land puckeredforming the Himalayan Mountains. He dragged more landfrom the sea and shaped the Indian subcontinent. During the satayuga (first epoch) a tyrannical Daitya(demon) tormented the world. No god could overcome himand with each battle he won, the Daityas pride grew.Crazed by his invincibility he shot an arrow at apillar to defy Vishnu. Vishnu burst out as Narasimha(man-lion) and tore Daitya to shreds. Later Bali, the King of the Daityas had become rulerof the world. He had wisely worshipped Vishnu who hadgranted him a special boon. Protected by this boonBali became a cause for celestial concern. When allthe other Gods were overcome they pleaded to Vishnufor help.Vishnu took the form of Vamana (a dwarf), and was bornas the stunted child of Kasyapa and Aditi. He went asVamana to a yagna (sacrifice) being performed by Bali.Bali was offering sweets to all those present at theyagna.. Vamana held out his hands and said he was apoor peasant. He asked for as much land as he (Vamana)could cover in three steps. Bali took a look at thedwarf peasant and granted him this boon. Vamana expanded to a cosmic size. His first stepcovered the earth, the second reached heaven. Vamana'sthird step would have reached the lower world but Balibowed before Vamana realising he had to be Vishnu.Pleased by Bali's humility, Vishnu spared him and gaveBali a kingdom of his own in the netherworld.In the Treta epoch, (the age of the sacred fires) thewarrior class were becoming dominant. Their weaponrymade them aggressive. They were subjugating ordinarypeople. The Gods wanted power to revert to thepriests. Vishnu appeared as Parashurama, and took awaythe powers of the warriors returned it to thescholars. As Rama, Vishnu came on earth to slay the demonRavana. A legendary man, his compassionate nature andhis belief in duty elevated him as 'Maryada Purusha',ideal man. In his eighth Avatar, Vishnu was Krishna the greatestteacher whose words form a priceless Hindu scripture,'The Bhagwad Gita' or the guide to life. As the Buddha, Vishnu is a great religious teacher ofIndia. He revealed the secrets of moksha and the pathto Nirvana. Vishnu's final avatar will be as Kalki (white horse).At the end of the present age (Kal-Yuga) he will comeback riding a white horse. Predictions say Kalki willbrandishing a flaming sword and destroy last demons onearth.In his cosmic form Vishnu is seen reclining on a manyheaded serpent called Ananta and the oceans liesubdued under him. He holds a chakra (discus) in ahand with which he maintains order in the universe.The shankha or conch was retrieved by him during thechurning of the oceans, and its deep humming sound isan evocation of the sea. He holds a lotus for peaceand a gada (mace) a controlling weapon. Garuda theeagle is his celestial vehicle.As god and in each of his avatars Vishnu plays therole of the preserver making the earth a safe heavenfor his believers. ________ India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something newhttp://in.answers./

Stay in the know. Pulse on the new .com. Check it out.

August 10, 2006

Dear Bindyaji,

Radhe Krishna!

Balarama is said to be an avatara of Adi-sesha. The ten avataras of

Vishnu are given in the sloka

"MATSYAH KOORMO VARAHAO NARAHARINAPATIR-VAMANO JAMADAGNYAH.

KAKUTSAH KAMSAGHATHEE MANASIJA-VIJAYO YASCHA KALKEE BHAVISHYAN"

Manasija-vijaya, I presume, is Buddha.

Regards

KVG

Bindya Suresh wrote:

Dear Members ,

Hare Krishna!

I have a doubt on Dasavtars. I have heard from my grandmother

that the 9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu is BALARAMAN , but throughout in the

internet if we search on this topic they are showing the ninth avatar

as BUDDHA.

Recently I had been to a Ram Mandir, & there also they had

put up Buddha's picture as the 9th avatar. The serial on Krishna which

is telecasted in Soorya , says the ninth avatar as Balaram.

I request all the knowledgable members to clarify my doubt.

Ohm Namo Narayana.

Rgds,

Bindya Suresh

rajan nair <rajan_k_nair2002 (AT) (DOT) co.in>

wrote:

Om Namo Narayana!!!

This i could grab while surfing the net. Hope, this

will help members like me (who have very little

spiritual knowledge) to know about Lord Vishnu and his

various forms.

May God Bless all

Rajan

VISHNU

Vishnu, preserver of human life is one of the three

gods of the Trimurti. He is a generous God and known

as being ‘Sattvaguna’ (kind and merciful). Vishnu is

the only God of the Trimurti who is reborn whenever

there is a crisis on earth.

If ‘Dharma’ (righteousness) is disturbed, Vishnu

descends to earth as an avatar (a human form) to fight

the forces of evil.

The Puranas list the Dasavatars’, ten avatars, Vishnu

took on to sustain the cosmos. Seen in order, they

represent the evolution of mankind from the fish stage

to ‘Purusha’ (man).

These avatars were Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise),

Varaha (boar ), Nara-simha (man-lion), Vamana (dwarf),

Parashurama (a powerful warrior), Rama, Krishna,

Buddha and Kalki (white horse).

A romantic aspect of the myths, is that whenever

Vishnu descends to earth he marries Lakshmi (his

Goddess wife). They are destined to marry on earth as

in heaven. When Vishnu is Rama, Lakshmi is born as

Sita. As Krishna he marries her as Rukmini.

Matsya (Fish)

The story of the fish avatar, is Hindu, but the

likeness to Noah is uncanny. A great flood threatened

to submerge Manu (a patriarch who once ruled the

earth). Manu asked a for a bowl of water which he

needed for his religious rites. In the bowl was a fish

who told Manu that if he looked after him, Manu would

be saved from the flood. Manu agreed and took the fish

to the ocean.

In the ocean the Matsya grew to whale-like

proportions. Taught by Matysa how to build a ship Manu

could sail during the flood.

While the deluge ripped the land apart and treacherous

waves rose from the ocean, Manu was safe. Matsya was

his tether who towed the ark to safety. When they

reached the shores they found a dead and barren land

ravaged by the storm .

Manu found the cargo contained the seeds for every

form of life, from which he could sow the world.

Vishnu as Matysa supported Brahma who renewed the

world together.

After the deluge, many cosmic treasures sank deep into

the ocean. The Asuras (demons) were in race against

the Devas (minor gods) to churn the oceans for amrit

(the nectar of immortality).

Vishnu appeared as Kurma (the tortoise) who sided with

the Devas. Together, they decided they would create a

churn for obtaining the amrit.

The serpent Vasuki was threaded around Mount Mandara

to create a churn. Kurma dived to the floor of the

ocean and balanced Mount Mandara on his back. In the

grip of Kurma’s cosmic force, Mount Mandara could not

sink into the ocean bed.

The Gods churned, and the nectar of immortality came

to their hands. As they continued to churn, fourteen

treasures appeared. For Kurma the most precious was

Lakshmi, the Goddess of beauty and good fortune who

would be his wife.

When the demon, Hiranyaksha dragged Bhoomi Devi

(Mother Earth) underwater, Vishnu took the form of

Varaha (a wild boar). After a fierce battle he

overpowered the demon and lifted Bhoomi Devi from the

waters. He pushed with his snout and the land puckered

forming the Himalayan Mountains. He dragged more land

from the sea and shaped the Indian subcontinent.

During the satayuga (first epoch) a tyrannical Daitya

(demon) tormented the world. No god could overcome him

and with each battle he won, the Daityas pride grew.

Crazed by his invincibility he shot an arrow at a

pillar to defy Vishnu. Vishnu burst out as Narasimha

(man-lion) and tore Daitya to shreds.

Later Bali, the King of the Daityas had become ruler

of the world. He had wisely worshipped Vishnu who had

granted him a special boon. Protected by this boon

Bali became a cause for celestial concern. When all

the other Gods were overcome they pleaded to Vishnu

for help.

Vishnu took the form of Vamana (a dwarf), and was born

as the stunted child of Kasyapa and Aditi. He went as

Vamana to a yagna (sacrifice) being performed by Bali.

Bali was offering sweets to all those present at the

yagna.. Vamana held out his hands and said he was a

poor peasant. He asked for as much land as he (Vamana)

could cover in three steps. Bali took a look at the

dwarf peasant and granted him this boon.

Vamana expanded to a cosmic size. His first step

covered the earth, the second reached heaven. Vamana’s

third step would have reached the lower world but Bali

bowed before Vamana realising he had to be Vishnu.

Pleased by Bali’s humility, Vishnu spared him and gave

Bali a kingdom of his own in the netherworld.

In the Treta epoch, (the age of the sacred fires) the

warrior class were becoming dominant. Their weaponry

made them aggressive. They were subjugating ordinary

people. The Gods wanted power to revert to the

priests. Vishnu appeared as Parashurama, and took away

the powers of the warriors returned it to the

scholars.

As Rama, Vishnu came on earth to slay the demon

Ravana. A legendary man, his compassionate nature and

his belief in duty elevated him as ‘Maryada Purusha’,

ideal man.

In his eighth Avatar, Vishnu was Krishna the greatest

teacher whose words form a priceless Hindu scripture,

‘The Bhagwad Gita’ or the guide to life.

As the Buddha, Vishnu is a great religious teacher of

India. He revealed the secrets of moksha and the path

to Nirvana.

Vishnu’s final avatar will be as Kalki (white horse).

At the end of the present age (Kal-Yuga) he will come

back riding a white horse. Predictions say Kalki will

brandishing a flaming sword and destroy last demons on

earth.

In his cosmic form Vishnu is seen reclining on a many

headed serpent called Ananta and the oceans lie

subdued under him. He holds a chakra (discus) in a

hand with which he maintains order in the universe.

The shankha or conch was retrieved by him during the

churning of the oceans, and its deep humming sound is

an evocation of the sea. He holds a lotus for peace

and a gada (mace) a controlling weapon. Garuda the

eagle is his celestial vehicle.

As god and in each of his avatars Vishnu plays the

role of the preserver making the earth a safe heaven

for his believers.

________

India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something new

http://in.answers./

Stay in the know. Pulse on the new .com.

Check it out.

August 10, 2006

HARE KRISHNA

About Dashavatar different devotees has different

views ...According to vaishnavas they don't consider

Lord Krishna as incarnation who appeared in his poorna

roop ... I am attaching with this the description of

avatars by a great devotee Jayadev in Geet Govind

.....Hope this may clear your doubt ...If you still

have doubt please go through Srimad Bhagavatam written

by Srila Prabhupad..

SanathanaDharma.com

Gita Govinda Mahakavya of 13th Century Poet Jayadeva

Introduction

Sri Jayadeva was the court poet of King Lakshmanasena

who ruled in Bengal in the twelfth century. His

mastery of the Sanskrit language was matched by his

proficiency in both music and dancing. He was a mystic

and a devotee of Sri Krishna.

Jayadeva's only known work, Gita Govindam, embodies

the great wealth of his devotion and mystical

experience. It is a great poetical masterpiece in

twelve cantos of mellifluous verses and songs in

Sanskrit, set to music and adapted to representation

through dance. The theme of it is the love of Radha

and Krishna, symbolizing the longing and striving of

the individual, for communion with God, culminating in

their blissful union. The language and the imagery

expresses the most intense form of love in all its

moods and phases.

The First Astapadi

The first section sings of the ten incarnations of

Lord Vishnu. The text, transliteration, and

translation of it are given here.The Dasavatara Stotra

is a hymn to Lord Vishnu. It is the first section in

the Gita-Govindam of Sri Jayadeva.

Incarnation is a special manifestation of God for a

specific purpose. The scriptures tell us that the

incarnations are innumerable. Some of these are

described in detail and the others are left to the

imagination of the devotee. The general principle is

that wherever some thing grand, beautiful, or glorious

is seen, it is to be understood as embodying a part of

God's glory.

In the Bhagavata, twenty-four incarnations are

enumerated and described. These include Kapila, the

great rishi a founder of the Sankhya school of

philosophy, and Rishabha whom the Jains revere as

their first prophet. By extending the analogy, all the

great sages, whose lives and teachings have reinforced

spirituality should be considered as incarnations,

descents, or embodiments of God's glory. All

incarnations have a common purpose, the protection of

the good, the destruction of evil and the

establishment of dharma.

Jayadeva enumerates ten of them. They are : (1)

Matsya, the Fish; (2) Kurma, the Tortoise; (3) Varaha,

the Boar; (4) Narasimha, the Man-lion; (5) Vamana, the

Dwarf; (6) Parasurama; (7) Rama; (8) Balarama; (9)

Buddhu; and (10) Kalki.

In the Fish incarnation the primary purpose was the

recovery of the Vedas, which has been stolen by a

demon and hidden in the waters. This required the

destruction of the demon. This symbolizes the

restoration of true knowledge, subverted by egoism,

which has to be destroyed in the process.

The second incarnation is the Tortoise. The gods and

demons undertook the Churning of the milk-ocean with

the mount Meru as the churn to obtain the nectar of

immortality. They found the churn sinking into the

ocean and were unable to hold it up. Then God appeared

as the great Tortoise on whose back the mountain could

rest and allow the process of churning to proceed,

bringing up different products, and ultimately, the

nectar of immortality.

When we proceed to churn the ocean of experience with

the churn of knowledge, in search of reality, we find

that knowledge itself requires a base to prove its

validity. The attempt to find an ultimate base on

which to erect our structure of reasoning can end in

an infinite regress, unless it reset on the immovable,

all-sufficient, all-sustaining basis of self-evident

truth symbolized by the Tortoise form of God.

The third is the Boar. God incarnated this time to

lift up the earth which had been taken away into the

regions of darkness, under the waters, by Hiranyaksha,

a demon. The demon was destroyed and the earth was

retrieved. In the both Vishnupurana and the

Bhagawatha, the Boar form of God is identified with

sacrifice. And Sacrifice, in its turn is not different

from God himself. This can be understood as

illustrating that stability or order, as contrasted

with instability or chaos, can be achieved only

through sacrifice, which is again based on the

absolute.

In the next, the Man-lion incarnation, the emphasis is

on devotion. This guarded the child devotee Prahlada.

He was put to endless tortures by this father,

Haranyakasipu, a demon, for repeating God's name

instead of his own. But Prahlada withstood all the

tortures with steadfast devotion. Finally God appeared

as Man-lion, of terrible form and killed the demon.

This Man-lion incarnation indicates that God is

incomprehensible, i.e. He is not limited by our

knowledge. It also illustrates that the real devotee

alone is truly fearless and even the terrible form has

no terror for him.

The dwarf incarnation shows us that valor finds

fulfillment only in complete surrender to God. King

Bali, the mighty, vanquished all gods, including

Indra, the lord of heaven. But he found his true

fulfillment when he surrendered himself completely to

God. When the might of the ego is thus crushed under

the holy foot of God, it is not annihilated but

transformed to everlasting blissful existence in the

awareness if His presence and protection and ultimate

union with Him.

Note the gradual change of form. The Divine appears

first as aquatic fish, then as the amphibian tortoise,

the land animal boar, and the half-animal-half-human

Man-lion. Finally emerges the pygmy, Vamana. This

transition for a wonder, anticipates the modern theory

of evolution of species.

Next is Parasurama. When the power conferred for

protection, grown mighty by its proper exercise, had

however degenerated into an oppressive tyranny, it had

to be crushed ruthlessly. The terrible Parasurama was

the appropriate form for this need.

Then came Sri Rama, perfect in his general dharma as

man and in his particular dharma as king. This is a

demonstration of how man can rise to divinity, by

unswerving adherence to the law of his being, his

dharma, in all its details.

In this text, the eighth incarnation is Balarama, the

elder brother of Sri Krishna. To Jayadeva and the

Vaishnavas, Sri Krishna is not an incarnation, He is

God Himself, here addressed as Hari and Kesava, the

Entity who appeared in the ten forms.

Buddha the ninth incarnation is the embodiment of

compassion. When a section of people was steeped in

ignorance and the scripture had become inaccessible to

them, when most of those who had access to such

knowledge were concerned more with the form than with

the spirit of their teaching, there was, then an

all-round spiritual poverty. The consequent misery of

the people stirred God's compassion and He appeared as

Buddha to show men the way out of misery.

The last incarnation of the ten is yet to be as Kalki,

the mighty warrior, born in a pious family, to rid the

world of the oppression of its unrighteous rulers.

Thus, while the general purpose of protecting the

good, destroying evil and establishing the law is

common to all the incarnations, it is possible to see

an emphasis on a particular aspect in each

incarnation.

Can we say, then, that each incarnation was a

manifestation suitable for a particular time and the

conditions then prevailing? This would be only

partially true, for the conditions that evoked the

different manifestations never totally ceased to be.

It would be more correct to understand them as

embodiments of an eternal message; an eternal response

of God in His unlimited compassion, to the eternal

need of His creatures, in the infinite variety if

their moods, temperaments and abilities, for guidance

in their struggle for communion with Him.

Jayadeva's DASAVATARA STROTRA

pralaya-payodhijale dhrtavanasi vedam

vihitavahitra-charitra-makhedam

kesava dhrita mina sarira

jaya jagadisa hare.

O God, in the form of a Fish! In the flood of

dissolution you have held up the revealed knowledge of

the Vedas, like a boat, without effort. Hail! Hari,

God of the world, Victory to Thee!

ksitirati-vipulatare tava tisthati pristhe

dharani-dharanakina-chakragaristhe

kesava dhrita kacchapa rupa

jaya jagadisa hare.

O God, in the form of the Tortoise! On the ample

expanse of your back, calloused by the burden of the

earth that it bears, securely stands the world. Hail!

Hari, God of the world, Victory to Thee!

vasati dasanasikhare dharani tava lagna

sasini kalankakaleva nimagna

kesava dhrita sukara rupa

jaya jagadisa hare.

O God, in the form of the Boar! The world rests in

peace on the tip of your tusk, like the dark marking

on the disc of the moon. Hail! Hari, God of the world,

Victory to Thee!

tava kara kamalavare nakhamadbhutasringam

dalita hiranyakasipu varabhringam

kesava dhrita narahari rupa

jaya jagadisa hare.

O God, in the form of Man-lion! In your hand of

lotus-like beauty, are the finger nails with their

wonderful tips which have torn asunder the most

powerful demon Hiranyakasipu, as if he was a huge

insect. Hail! Hari, God of the world, Victory to Thee!

chalayasi vikramane balim adbhuta vamana

padanakha nira-janita-janapavana

kesava dhrita vamana rupa

jaya jagadisa hare.

O God, in the form of the Dwarf! By planting your feet

you have cheated Bali, the mighty. Ganga, the river

which sanctifies the world, has come out of your

toe-nails. Hail! Hari, God of the world, Victory to

Thee!

ksatriyarudhiramaye jagadapagata papam

snapayasi payasi samitabhavatapam

kesavadhrita bhrgupati rupa

jaya jagadisa hare.

O God, in the form of the Lord of the Bhrigus, you

have bathed the world in the blood of the tyrannous

rulers, thus cleansing it of sin and destroying the

misery of its relative existence. Hail! Hari, God of

the universe, Victory to Thee!

vitarasi diksu rane dikpatikamaniyam

dasamukha-mauli-balim ramaniyam

kesava dhrita rama sarira

jaya jagadisa hare.

O God, in the body of Sri Rama! You have made a

beautiful offering of the ten heads of the demon

Ravana in battle to the guardians of the cardinal

directions. Hail! Hari, God of the world, Victory to

Thee!

vahasi vapushi visade vasanam jaladabham

hala-hati-bhiti-milita-yamunabham

kesava dhrita-haladhara rupa

jaya jagadisa hare.

O God, in the form of the Balarama, the bearer of the

plough! You wear on your immaculate body a garment of

the colour of the cloud, blue like the Yamuna,

darkened by the fear of being dragged by your plough.

Hail! Hari, God of the world, Victory to Thee!

sadaya-hrdaya darsitapasughatam

kesava dhrita buddha sarira

jaya jagadisa hare.

O God, in the body of Buddha, the enlightened! Out of

Compassion o your heart you have condemned the

ritualistic portion of the Vedas ordaining the killing

of animals. Hail! Hari, God of the world, Victory to

Thee!

mleccha-nivaha-nidhane kalayasi karavalam

dhumaketumiva kimapi karalam

kesava dhrta kalki sarira

jaya jagadisa hare.

O God, in the form of the Kalki! For the destruction

of the wicked, you carry a meteor-like sword in your

hand, trailing a train of disaster to them. Hail!

Hari, God of the World, Victory to Thee!

Ea`IjayadovakxvaoirdmauidtamaudarM

Ea`RNaR SauBadM sauKadM Bavasaarma\ |

koxSava QaRtadSaivaQar]pa jaya jagadISa hro ||11||

srijayadevakaverida-muditamudaram

srnu subhadam sukhadam bhavasaram

kesave dhrta dasavidha rupa

jaya jagadisa hare.

O God, who took ten forms! Please listen to this song

of jayadeva. It bestows goodness, and joy; it is the

essence of life. Hail! Hari, God of the world, victory

to Thee!

Hare Krishna

Padma

August 11, 2006

I don't know in case Krishna is not an avatar but Paramapurusha why shuld He be referred to as Poorna Avatar with all kalas.Buddha could be only a later addition just to fill the gap as the Kalki avatar is yet to come only.When and in which form we don't know.So excluding Krishna and including Buddha as an avatar seems to be little confused as all are not accepting Buddha as an avatar but accepting Krishna as avatar.Only a very highly qualified individual in the scrptures can answer this ticklish doubt and not by just going thru Gita Govindam or the theory of ISCKON which is very strange if one goes thru their concepts."PS, Vinod K (GE Infra, Energy)" <vinod.ps wrote: !! Sri Rama Jayam !! The confusion about Dashavatars is very common to most of us. Per ISCKON belief, Krishna is not considered to be an avatar (in it's best possible sense), but the supreme himself, unlike Rama, Narasimha or Vamana. And, further interesting to note is that ISCKON

asserts the advent of Krishna having occured only in the last dwapara (28th). To the question then who incarnates in every dwapara has the answer that only Balarama comes on earth. I know it may look not that easy to accept it. This also confirms that there are 28 Vyasas ('Vyasa' is not the name of a person but a post similar to 'Brahmarshi') incarnated in every chaturyuga & the last among them called Krishnadwaipayana is considered to be the one who documented all 18 puranas having expanded & interpreted in various yugas by the former 27 vyasas. But 'Bhagavattam' is strictly a composition of Krishna Dwaipayana, the father of Shuka Paramahamsa. Further, for our information, Jayadeva's famous composition 'Pralaya payodhi jale' in Gita Govindam celebrates

the cycle of dashavatars - all directly referred to Krishna. Here again, Krishna is not adored as the avatara but the 'Parama Purusha' himself. Hence, in reply to your doubt, I would say starting from Matsya to Kalki, there are ten incarnations including Buddha, but excluding Krishna. I request senior members to share their opinion on this. Hare Krishna Hare Rama guruvayur [guruvayur ]On Behalf Of Bindya SureshThursday, August 10, 2006 5:13 PMguruvayur Subject: Re: [Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Doubt about Dasavtar Dear Members , Hare Krishna! I have a doubt on Dasavtars. I have heard from my grandmother that the 9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu is BALARAMAN , but throughout in the internet if we search on this topic they are showing the ninth avatar as BUDDHA. Recently I had been to a Ram Mandir, & there also they had put up Buddha's picture as the 9th avatar. The serial on Krishna which is telecasted in Soorya , says the ninth avatar as Balaram. I request all the knowledgable members to clarify my doubt. Ohm Namo Narayana. Rgds, Bindya Suresh rajan nair <rajan_k_nair2002 (AT) (DOT) co.in> wrote: Om Namo Narayana!!!This i could grab while

surfing the net. Hope, thiswill help meembers like me (who have very littlespiritual knowledge) to know about Lord Vishnu and hisvarious forms.May God Bless allRajanVISHNUVishnu, preserver of human life is one of the threegods of the Trimurti. He is a generous God and knownas being 'Sattvaguna' (kind and merciful). Vishnu isthe only God of the Trimurti who is reborn wheneverthere is a crisis on earth. If 'Dharma' (righteousness) is disturbed, Vishnudescends to earth as an avatar (a human form) to fightthe forces of evil. The Puranas list the Dasavatars', ten avatars, Vishnutook on to sustain the cosmos. Seen in order, theyrepresent the evolution of mankind from the fish stageto 'Purusha' (man).These avatars were Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise),Varaha (boar ), Nara-simha (man-lion), Vamana (dwarf),Parashurama (a powerful warrior), Rama, Krishna,Buddha and

Kalki (white horse). A romantic aspect of the myths, is that wheneverVishnu descends to earth he marries Lakshmi (hisGoddess wife). They are destined to marry on earth asin heaven. When Vishnu is Rama, Lakshmi is born asSita. As Krishna he marries her as Rukmini. Matsya (Fish) The story of the fish avatar, is Hindu, but thelikeness to Noah is uncanny. A great flood threatenedto submerge Manu (a patriarch who once ruled theearth). Manu asked a for a bowl of water which heneeded for his religious rites. In the bowl was a fishwho told Manu that if he looked after him, Manu wouldbe saved from the flood. Manu agreed and took the fishto the ocean.In the ocean the Matsya grew to whale-likeproportions. Taught by Matysa how to build a ship Manucould sail during the flood. While the deluge ripped the land apart and treacherouswaves rose from the ocean, Manu was safe. Matsya washis

tether who towed the ark to safety. When theyreached the shores they found a dead and barren landravaged by the storm .Manu found the cargo contained the seeds for everyform of life, from which he could sow the world.Vishnu as Matysa supported Brahma who renewed theworld together. After the deluge, many cosmic treasures sank deep intothe ocean. The Asuras (demons) were in race againstthe Devas (minor gods) to churn the oceans for amrit(the nectar of immortality). Vishnu appeared as Kurma (the tortoise) who sided withthe Devas. Together, they decided they would create achurn for obtaining the amrit. The serpent Vasuki was threaded around Mount Mandarato create a churn. Kurma dived to the floor of theocean and balanced Mount Mandara on his back. In thegrip of Kurma's cosmic force, Mount Mandara could notsink into the ocean bed.The Gods churned, and the nectar of immortality

cameto their hands. As they continued to churn, fourteentreasures appeared. For Kurma the most precious wasLakshmi, the Goddess of beauty and good fortune whowould be his wife.When the demon, Hiranyaksha dragged Bhoomi Devi(Mother Earth) underwater, Vishnu took the form ofVaraha (a wild boar). After a fierce battle heoverpowered the demon and lifted Bhoomi Devi from thewaters. He pushed with his snout and the land puckeredforming the Himalayan Mountains. He dragged more landfrom the sea and shaped the Indian subcontinent. During the satayuga (first epoch) a tyrannical Daitya(demon) tormented the world. No god could overcome himand with each battle he won, the Daityas pride grew.Crazed by his invincibility he shot an arrow at apillar to defy Vishnu. Vishnu burst out as Narasimha(man-lion) and tore Daitya to shreds. Later Bali, the King of the Daityas had become rulerof the world. He had

wisely worshipped Vishnu who hadgranted him a special boon. Protected by this boonBali became a cause for celestial concern. When allthe other Gods were overcome they pleaded to Vishnufor help.Vishnu took the form of Vamana (a dwarf), and was bornas the stunted child of Kasyapa and Aditi. He went asVamana to a yagna (sacrifice) being performed by Bali.Bali was offering sweets to all those present at theyagna.. Vamana held out his hands and said he was apoor peasant. He asked for as much land as he (Vamana)could cover in three steps. Bali took a look at thedwarf peasant and granted him this boon. Vamana expanded to a cosmic size. His first stepcovered the earth, the second reached heaven. Vamana'sthird step would have reached the lower world but Balibowed before Vamana realising he had to be Vishnu.Pleased by Bali's humility, Vishnu spared him and gaveBali a kingdom of his own in the

netherworld.In the Treta epoch, (the age of the sacred fires) thewarrior class were becoming dominant. Their weaponrymade them aggressive. They were subjugating ordinarypeople. The Gods wanted power to revert to thepriests. Vishnu appeared as Parashurama, and took awaythe powers of the warriors returned it to thescholars. As Rama, Vishnu came on earth to slay the demonRavana. A legendary man, his compassionate nature andhis belief in duty elevated him as 'Maryada Purusha',ideal man. In his eighth Avatar, Vishnu was Krishna the greatestteacher whose words form a priceless Hindu scripture,'The Bhagwad Gita' or the guide to life. As the Buddha, Vishnu is a great religious teacher ofIndia. He revealed the secrets of moksha and the pathto Nirvana. Vishnu's final avatar will be as Kalki (white horse).At the end of the present age (Kal-Yuga) he will comeback riding a white horse.

Predictions say Kalki willbrandishing a flaming sword and destroy last demons onearth.In his cosmic form Vishnu is seen reclining on a manyheaded serpent called Ananta and the oceans liesubdued under him. He holds a chakra (discus) in ahand with which he maintains order in the universe.The shankha or conch was retrieved by him during thechurning of the oceans, and its deep humming sound isan evocation of the sea. He holds a lotus for peaceand a gada (mace) a controlling weapon. Garuda theeagle is his celestial vehicle.As god and in each of his avatars Vishnu plays therole of the preserver making the earth a safe heavenfor his believers. ________ India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something newhttp://in.answers./ Stay in the know. Pulse on the new .com. Check it out.

Here's a new way to find what you're looking for - Answers

Send FREE SMS to your friend's mobile from Messenger Version 8. Get it NOW

August 12, 2006

Regarding Dasavathara our earliest scriptural authority is srimadbhagavatha and vishnupurana according to which Krishna is definitely an avathar. I have not read Prabhupada's bhagavatha but if Krishna is not an avathar how is the birth of Ksrishna as the son of vasudeva and devaki is explained?As for Jayadeva the reason he has not mentioned Krishnavathara is not because he considered Him as Supreme soul, whcih nodubt He is, not only as Krishna but also as Narsimha ,Rama or any of His manifestations as mentioned clearly in Ramayana and Bhagavatha, but Jayadeva was addressing Krishna in his ashtapadi, 'Pralaya payOdhijale' and hence he mentioned Krishna as the one who had been taking all the avatharas. as nNarayana bhattadri did in Narayaneeyam.He must have included Buddha for sankhyaApooraNam, that is to complete the number to ten, perhaps by that time Buddha has come to be accepted by the people as the tenth avathara of Vishnu. That is

only by popular belief and not authorised by scriptures.in fact Bhagavatha mentions buddha indirectly saying that the Lord has taken the form of one who created illusion in the minds of those who misconstrued vedic injunctions and proceeded towards the forbidden path and Rshabha and Kapila, the founders of Jainism and sankhya have been mentioned directly as the avathatras of Vishnu though not included in the prime ten.Bhagavatha says the Lord took 24 avatharas of which buddha is also one besides numerous avatharas He took in order to save the world.(Ref.Bhagvatha-2nd skandha-chapter 7) From time immemorial devotees of Lord Narayana considered te ten avathars of the Lord as invluding Krishna excluding Buddha . Inthe vaishanvite tradition, I mean the followeers of Ramanuja , after whom the vaishnavite religion started to flourish, though it was Sankara who formulated the six mathams of worship including that of Vishnu, all the

vaishnavite acharyas like Desika have extolled only the ten avatharas, namely, matsya,kurma,varaha,nrsimha,vamana,parasurama,rama,balarama,krishna and kalki.Morover the aim of the incarnation has been set out in the Gita as 'parithranaya sadhunam vinasayacha dushkrtham' which point out only to these ten as avatharas.GANAPATHY RAMAN <agraman62 wrote: I don't know in case Krishna is not an avatar but Paramapurusha why shuld He be referred to as Poorna Avatar with all kalas.Buddha could be only a later

addition just to fill the gap as the Kalki avatar is yet to come only.When and in which form we don't know.So excluding Krishna and including Buddha as an avatar seems to be little confused as all are not accepting Buddha as an avatar but accepting Krishna as avatar.Only a very highly qualified individual in the scrptures can answer this ticklish doubt and not by just going thru Gita Govindam or the theory of ISCKON which is very strange if one goes thru their concepts."PS, Vinod K (GE Infra, Energy)" <vinod.ps (AT) ge (DOT) com> wrote: !! Sri Rama Jayam !! The confusion about Dashavatars is very common to most of us. Per ISCKON belief, Krishna is not considered to be an avatar (in it's best possible sense), but the supreme himself, unlike Rama, Narasimha or Vamana. And, further interesting to note is that ISCKON asserts the advent of Krishna having occured only in the last dwapara (28th). To the question then who incarnates in every dwapara has the answer that only Balarama comes on earth. I know it may look not that easy to accept it. This also confirms that there are 28 Vyasas ('Vyasa' is not the name of a person but a post similar to 'Brahmarshi') incarnated in every chaturyuga & the last among them called Krishnadwaipayana is considered to be the one who documented all 18 puranas having expanded & interpreted in various yugas by the former 27 vyasas. But 'Bhagavattam' is strictly a composition of Krishna Dwaipayana, the father of

Shuka Paramahamsa. Further, for our information, Jayadeva's famous composition 'Pralaya payodhi jale' in Gita Govindam celebrates the cycle of dashavatars - all directly referred to Krishna. Here again, Krishna is not adored as the avatara but the 'Parama Purusha' himself. Hence, in reply to your doubt, I would say starting from Matsya to Kalki, there are ten incarnations including Buddha, but excluding Krishna. I request senior members to share their opinion on this. Hare Krishna Hare Rama guruvayur

[guruvayur ]On Behalf Of Bindya SureshThursday, August 10, 2006 5:13 PMguruvayur Subject: Re: [Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Doubt about Dasavtar Dear Members , Hare Krishna! I have a doubt on Dasavtars. I have heard from my grandmother that the 9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu is BALARAMAN , but throughout in the internet if we search on this topic they are showing the ninth avatar as BUDDHA. Recently I had been to a Ram Mandir, & there also they had put up Buddha's picture as the 9th avatar. The serial on Krishna which is telecasted in Soorya , says the ninth avatar as Balaram. I request all the knowledgable members to clarify my doubt. Ohm Namo Narayana. Rgds, Bindya Suresh rajan nair <rajan_k_nair2002 (AT) (DOT) co.in> wrote: Om Namo Narayana!!!This i could grab while surfing the net. Hope, thiswill help meembers like me (who have very littlespiritual knowledge) to know about Lord Vishnu and hisvarious forms.May God Bless allRajanVISHNUVishnu, preserver of human life is one of the threegods of the Trimurti. He is a generous God and knownas being 'Sattvaguna' (kind and merciful). Vishnu isthe only God of the Trimurti who is reborn wheneverthere is a crisis on earth. If 'Dharma' (righteousness) is disturbed, Vishnudescends to earth as an avatar (a human form) to fightthe forces of evil. The Puranas list the Dasavatars', ten avatars,

Vishnutook on to sustain the cosmos. Seen in order, theyrepresent the evolution of mankind from the fish stageto 'Purusha' (man).These avatars were Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise),Varaha (boar ), Nara-simha (man-lion), Vamana (dwarf),Parashurama (a powerful warrior), Rama, Krishna,Buddha and Kalki (white horse). A romantic aspect of the myths, is that wheneverVishnu descends to earth he marries Lakshmi (hisGoddess wife). They are destined to marry on earth asin heaven. When Vishnu is Rama, Lakshmi is born asSita. As Krishna he marries her as Rukmini. Matsya (Fish) The story of the fish avatar, is Hindu, but thelikeness to Noah is uncanny. A great flood threatenedto submerge Manu (a patriarch who once ruled theearth). Manu asked a for a bowl of water which heneeded for his religious rites. In the bowl was a fishwho told Manu that if he looked after him, Manu wouldbe saved from

the flood. Manu agreed and took the fishto the ocean.In the ocean the Matsya grew to whale-likeproportions. Taught by Matysa how to build a ship Manucould sail during the flood. While the deluge ripped the land apart and treacherouswaves rose from the ocean, Manu was safe. Matsya washis tether who towed the ark to safety. When theyreached the shores they found a dead and barren landravaged by the storm .Manu found the cargo contained the seeds for everyform of life, from which he could sow the world.Vishnu as Matysa supported Brahma who renewed theworld together. After the deluge, many cosmic treasures sank deep intothe ocean. The Asuras (demons) were in race againstthe Devas (minor gods) to churn the oceans for amrit(the nectar of immortality). Vishnu appeared as Kurma (the tortoise) who sided withthe Devas. Together, they decided they would create achurn for obtaining

the amrit. The serpent Vasuki was threaded around Mount Mandarato create a churn. Kurma dived to the floor of theocean and balanced Mount Mandara on his back. In thegrip of Kurma's cosmic force, Mount Mandara could notsink into the ocean bed.The Gods churned, and the nectar of immortality cameto their hands. As they continued to churn, fourteentreasures appeared. For Kurma the most precious wasLakshmi, the Goddess of beauty and good fortune whowould be his wife.When the demon, Hiranyaksha dragged Bhoomi Devi(Mother Earth) underwater, Vishnu took the form ofVaraha (a wild boar). After a fierce battle heoverpowered the demon and lifted Bhoomi Devi from thewaters. He pushed with his snout and the land puckeredforming the Himalayan Mountains. He dragged more landfrom the sea and shaped the Indian subcontinent. During the satayuga (first epoch) a tyrannical Daitya(demon) tormented the

world. No god could overcome himand with each battle he won, the Daityas pride grew.Crazed by his invincibility he shot an arrow at apillar to defy Vishnu. Vishnu burst out as Narasimha(man-lion) and tore Daitya to shreds. Later Bali, the King of the Daityas had become rulerof the world. He had wisely worshipped Vishnu who hadgranted him a special boon. Protected by this boonBali became a cause for celestial concern. When allthe other Gods were overcome they pleaded to Vishnufor help.Vishnu took the form of Vamana (a dwarf), and was bornas the stunted child of Kasyapa and Aditi. He went asVamana to a yagna (sacrifice) being performed by Bali.Bali was offering sweets to all those present at theyagna.. Vamana held out his hands and said he was apoor peasant. He asked for as much land as he (Vamana)could cover in three steps. Bali took a look at thedwarf peasant and granted him this boon.

Vamana expanded to a cosmic size. His first stepcovered the earth, the second reached heaven. Vamana'sthird step would have reached the lower world but Balibowed before Vamana realising he had to be Vishnu.Pleased by Bali's humility, Vishnu spared him and gaveBali a kingdom of his own in the netherworld.In the Treta epoch, (the age of the sacred fires) thewarrior class were becoming dominant. Their weaponrymade them aggressive. They were subjugating ordinarypeople. The Gods wanted power to revert to thepriests. Vishnu appeared as Parashurama, and took awaythe powers of the warriors returned it to thescholars. As Rama, Vishnu came on earth to slay the demonRavana. A legendary man, his compassionate nature andhis belief in duty elevated him as 'Maryada Purusha',ideal man. In his eighth Avatar, Vishnu was Krishna the greatestteacher whose words form a priceless Hindu scripture,'The

Bhagwad Gita' or the guide to life. As the Buddha, Vishnu is a great religious teacher ofIndia. He revealed the secrets of moksha and the pathto Nirvana. Vishnu's final avatar will be as Kalki (white horse).At the end of the present age (Kal-Yuga) he will comeback riding a white horse. Predictions say Kalki willbrandishing a flaming sword and destroy last demons onearth.In his cosmic form Vishnu is seen reclining on a manyheaded serpent called Ananta and the oceans liesubdued under him. He holds a chakra (discus) in ahand with which he maintains order in the universe.The shankha or conch was retrieved by him during thechurning of the oceans, and its deep humming sound isan evocation of the sea. He holds a lotus for peaceand a gada (mace) a controlling weapon. Garuda theeagle is his celestial vehicle.As god and in each of his avatars Vishnu plays therole of the preserver making the

earth a safe heavenfor his believers. ________ India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something newhttp://in.answers./ Stay in the know. Pulse on the new .com. Check it out. Here's a new way to find what you're looking for - Answers Send FREE SMS to your friend's mobile from Messenger Version 8. Get it

NOW May god bless you, Dr. Saroja Ramanujam, M.A., Ph.D, Siromani in sanskrit.

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August 12, 2006

OHM NAMO BHAGAVATHE VASUDEVAYA; OHM NAMO NARRAYANAYA

Dear all,

As Genapathy Ramanji told, for ordinary peoples like

me cant accept ISKON theory. WE are considering

Krishna as " Poornavathar " . Its described in so many

books and publications. IN my belief ISKON is

transferred so many books according to their own way.

Its exactly far away from its real meanings.

OHM NAMO BAHAGAVATHE VASUDEVAYA; OHM NAMO NARRAYANAYA

Regards

Keerthi Kumar

--- GANAPATHY RAMAN <agraman62 wrote:

> I don't know in case Krishna is not an avatar but

> Paramapurusha why shuld He be referred to as Poorna

> Avatar with all kalas.Buddha could be only a later

> addition just to fill the gap as the Kalki avatar is

> yet to come only.When and in which form we don't

> know.So excluding Krishna and including Buddha as

> an avatar seems to be little confused as all are not

> accepting Buddha as an avatar

> but accepting Krishna as avatar.Only a very highly

> qualified individual in the

> scrptures can answer this ticklish doubt and not

> by just going thru Gita Govindam or the theory of

> ISCKON which is very strange if one goes thru their

> concepts.

>

> " PS, Vinod K (GE Infra, Energy) " <vinod.ps

> wrote:

> !! Sri Rama Jayam !!

>

> The confusion about Dashavatars is very common to

> most of us. Per ISCKON belief, Krishna is not

> considered to be an avatar (in it's best possible

> sense), but the supreme himself, unlike Rama,

> Narasimha or Vamana. And, further interesting to

> note is that ISCKON asserts the advent of Krishna

> having occured only in the last dwapara (28th). To

> the question then who incarnates in every dwapara

> has the answer that only Balarama comes on earth. I

> know it may look not that easy to accept it. This

> also confirms that there are 28 Vyasas ('Vyasa' is

> not the name of a person but a post similar to

> 'Brahmarshi') incarnated in every chaturyuga & the

> last among them called Krishnadwaipayana is

> considered to be the one who documented all 18

> puranas having expanded & interpreted in various

> yugas by the former 27 vyasas. But 'Bhagavattam' is

> strictly a composition of Krishna Dwaipayana, the

> father of Shuka Paramahamsa.

>

> Further, for our information, Jayadeva's famous

> composition 'Pralaya payodhi jale' in Gita Govindam

> celebrates the cycle of dashavatars - all directly

> referred to Krishna. Here again, Krishna is not

> adored as the avatara but the 'Parama Purusha'

> himself.

>

> Hence, in reply to your doubt, I would say

> starting from Matsya to Kalki, there are ten

> incarnations including Buddha, but excluding

> Krishna.

>

> I request senior members to share their opinion on

> this.

>

> Hare Krishna

> Hare Rama

>

> guruvayur

> [guruvayur ]On Behalf Of

> Bindya Suresh

> Thursday, August 10, 2006 5:13 PM

> guruvayur

> Re: [Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Doubt about

> Dasavtar

>

> Dear Members ,

>

> Hare Krishna!

>

> I have a doubt on Dasavtars. I have heard from my

> grandmother that the 9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu is

> BALARAMAN , but throughout in the internet if we

> search on this topic they are showing the ninth

> avatar as BUDDHA.

>

> Recently I had been to a Ram Mandir, & there also

> they had put up Buddha's picture as the 9th avatar.

> The serial on Krishna which is telecasted in Soorya

> , says the ninth avatar as Balaram.

>

> I request all the knowledgable members to clarify

> my doubt.

>

> Ohm Namo Narayana.

>

> Rgds,

> Bindya Suresh

>

> rajan nair <rajan_k_nair2002 wrote:

> Om Namo Narayana!!!

>

> This i could grab while surfing the net. Hope, this

> will help meembers like me (who have very little

> spiritual knowledge) to know about Lord Vishnu and

> his

> various forms.

>

> May God Bless all

>

> Rajan

>

> VISHNU

>

> Vishnu, preserver of human life is one of the three

> gods of the Trimurti. He is a generous God and known

> as being 'Sattvaguna' (kind and merciful). Vishnu is

> the only God of the Trimurti who is reborn whenever

> there is a crisis on earth.

>

> If 'Dharma' (righteousness) is disturbed, Vishnu

> descends to earth as an avatar (a human form) to

> fight

> the forces of evil.

>

> The Puranas list the Dasavatars', ten avatars,

> Vishnu

> took on to sustain the cosmos. Seen in order, they

> represent the evolution of mankind from the fish

> stage

> to 'Purusha' (man).

>

> These avatars were Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise),

> Varaha (boar ), Nara-simha (man-lion), Vamana

> (dwarf),

> Parashurama (a powerful warrior), Rama, Krishna,

> Buddha and Kalki (white horse).

>

> A romantic aspect of the myths, is that whenever

> Vishnu descends to earth he marries Lakshmi (his

> Goddess wife). They are destined to marry on earth

> as

> in heaven. When Vishnu is Rama, Lakshmi is born as

> Sita. As Krishna he marries her as Rukmini.

>

> Matsya (Fish)

>

> The story of the fish avatar, is Hindu, but the

> likeness to Noah is uncanny. A great flood

> threatened

> to submerge Manu (a patriarch who once ruled the

> earth). Manu asked a for a bowl of water which he

> needed for his religious rites. In the bowl was a

> fish

> who told Manu that if he looked after him, Manu

> would

> be saved from the flood. Manu agreed and took the

> fish

> to the ocean.

>

> In the ocean the Matsya grew to whale-like

> proportions. Taught by Matysa how to build a ship

> Manu

> could sail during the flood.

>

> While the deluge ripped the land apart and

> treacherous

> waves rose from the ocean, Manu was safe. Matsya was

> his tether who towed the ark to safety. When they

> reached the shores they found a dead and barren land

> ravaged by the storm .

>

> Manu found the cargo contained the seeds for every

> form of life, from which he could sow the world.

> Vishnu as Matysa supported Brahma who renewed the

> world together.

>

> After the deluge, many cosmic treasures sank deep

> into

> the ocean. The Asuras (demons) were in race against

> the Devas (minor gods) to churn the oceans for amrit

> (the nectar of immortality).

>

> Vishnu appeared as Kurma (the tortoise) who sided

> with

> the Devas. Together, they decided they would create

> a

> churn for obtaining the amrit.

>

> The serpent Vasuki was threaded around Mount Mandara

> to create a churn. Kurma dived to the floor of the

> ocean and balanced Mount Mandara on his back. In the

> grip of Kurma's cosmic force, Mount Mandara could

> not

> sink into the ocean bed.

>

> The Gods churned, and the nectar of immortality came

> to their hands. As they continued to churn, fourteen

> treasures appeared. For Kurma the most precious was

> Lakshmi, the Goddess of beauty and good fortune who

> would be his wife.

>

> When the demon, Hiranyaksha dragged Bhoomi Devi

> (Mother Earth) underwater, Vishnu took the form of

> Varaha (a wild boar). After a fierce battle he

> overpowered the demon and lifted Bhoomi Devi from

> the

>

=== message truncated ===

August 14, 2006

Please see below excerpts from Swami Sandeep

Chaitanya's talk on Bhagavad Gita. Bhagavan's avatar

is taking place within us!

http://gita108days.blogspot.com/

-----

It is in our minds that the Lord takes birth

The lord’s assurance is that “whenever there is a

decline in Dharma, I will take birth”. Adhrama happens

not in a particular geographical area, but it is in

the minds of each and every one of us. So also, the

Lord takes birth in our minds. The decline of Dharma

happens within an individual’s mind and there the Lord

takes birth as consciousness. Lord has no special

interest in this earth to take birth physically in a

particular place!

The birth of consciousness as a premonition that stops

us from taking a wrongful action is none other than

the Lord himself. It is the Dharma bodha (dharma

consciousness) that creates mental conflicts when we

are about to tell lies, for example. The Lord declared

that He will manifest incessantly to annihilate

adharmas and to establish dharma in the world. We are

all noble, but our actions may take good or bad turns.

The Lord does not call us sinners or evil, but we are

capable of doing evil acts. When we are awakened by

the continuous dharma consciousness, we will naturally

stay away from any wrong doings. This is what the Lord

does in us - his birth (reincarnation) and actions are

for creating this awareness in us. If we ‘know’ the

truth behind the Lord’s incarnations, he will not have

any more births. With this revelation, one comes to

realize that “I am not this body” and with this

realization, one gets liberated from the birth-death

cycle. The Lord’s weapon is ‘Sudarsana’, meaning

‘auspicious vision’. With this vision, he annihilates

all evil tendencies in us.

--- " PS, Vinod K (GE Infra, Energy) " <vinod.ps

wrote:

> !! Sri Rama Jayam !!

>

> The confusion about Dashavatars is very common to

> most of us. Per ISCKON belief, Krishna is not

> considered to be an avatar (in it's best possible

> sense), but the supreme himself, unlike Rama,

> Narasimha or Vamana. And, further interesting to

> note is that ISCKON asserts the advent of Krishna

> having occured only in the last dwapara (28th). To

> the question then who incarnates in every dwapara

> has the answer that only Balarama comes on earth. I

> know it may look not that easy to accept it. This

> also confirms that there are 28 Vyasas ('Vyasa' is

> not the name of a person but a post similar to

> 'Brahmarshi') incarnated in every chaturyuga & the

> last among them called Krishnadwaipayana is

> considered to be the one who documented all 18

> puranas having expanded & interpreted in various

> yugas by the former 27 vyasas. But 'Bhagavattam' is

> strictly a composition of Krishna Dwaipayana, the

> father of Shuka Paramahamsa.

>

> Further, for our information, Jayadeva's famous

> composition 'Pralaya payodhi jale' in Gita Govindam

> celebrates the cycle of dashavatars - all directly

> referred to Krishna. Here again, Krishna is not

> adored as the avatara but the 'Parama Purusha'

> himself.

>

> Hence, in reply to your doubt, I would say starting

> from Matsya to Kalki, there are ten incarnations

> including Buddha, but excluding Krishna.

>

> I request senior members to share their opinion on

> this.

>

> Hare Krishna

> Hare Rama

>

> guruvayur

> [guruvayur ]On Behalf Of

> Bindya Suresh

> Thursday, August 10, 2006 5:13 PM

> guruvayur

> Re: [Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Doubt about

> Dasavtar

>

> Dear Members ,

>

> Hare Krishna!

>

> I have a doubt on Dasavtars. I have heard from my

> grandmother that the 9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu is

> BALARAMAN , but throughout in the internet if we

> search on this topic they are showing the ninth

> avatar as BUDDHA.

>

> Recently I had been to a Ram Mandir, & there also

> they had put up Buddha's picture as the 9th avatar.

> The serial on Krishna which is telecasted in Soorya

> , says the ninth avatar as Balaram.

>

> I request all the knowledgable members to clarify my

> doubt.

>

> Ohm Namo Narayana.

>

> Rgds,

> Bindya Suresh

>

> rajan nair <rajan_k_nair2002 wrote:

>

> Om Namo Narayana!!!

>

> This i could grab while surfing the net. Hope, this

> will help meembers like me (who have very little

> spiritual knowledge) to know about Lord Vishnu and

> his

> various forms.

>

> May God Bless all

>

> Rajan

>

> VISHNU

>

> Vishnu, preserver of human life is one of the three

> gods of the Trimurti. He is a generous God and known

> as being 'Sattvaguna' (kind and merciful). Vishnu is

> the only God of the Trimurti who is reborn whenever

> there is a crisis on earth.

>

> If 'Dharma' (righteousness) is disturbed, Vishnu

> descends to earth as an avatar (a human form) to

> fight

> the forces of evil.

>

> The Puranas list the Dasavatars', ten avatars,

> Vishnu

> took on to sustain the cosmos. Seen in order, they

> represent the evolution of mankind from the fish

> stage

> to 'Purusha' (man).

>

> These avatars were Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise),

> Varaha (boar ), Nara-simha (man-lion), Vamana

> (dwarf),

> Parashurama (a powerful warrior), Rama, Krishna,

> Buddha and Kalki (white horse).

>

> A romantic aspect of the myths, is that whenever

> Vishnu descends to earth he marries Lakshmi (his

> Goddess wife). They are destined to marry on earth

> as

> in heaven. When Vishnu is Rama, Lakshmi is born as

> Sita. As Krishna he marries her as Rukmini.

>

> Matsya (Fish)

>

> The story of the fish avatar, is Hindu, but the

> likeness to Noah is uncanny. A great flood

> threatened

> to submerge Manu (a patriarch who once ruled the

> earth). Manu asked a for a bowl of water which he

> needed for his religious rites. In the bowl was a

> fish

> who told Manu that if he looked after him, Manu

> would

> be saved from the flood. Manu agreed and took the

> fish

> to the ocean.

>

> In the ocean the Matsya grew to whale-like

> proportions. Taught by Matysa how to build a ship

> Manu

> could sail during the flood.

>

> While the deluge ripped the land apart and

> treacherous

> waves rose from the ocean, Manu was safe. Matsya was

> his tether who towed the ark to safety. When they

> reached the shores they found a dead and barren land

> ravaged by the storm .

>

> Manu found the cargo contained the seeds for every

> form of life, from which he could sow the world.

> Vishnu as Matysa supported Brahma who renewed the

> world together.

>

> After the deluge, many cosmic treasures sank deep

> into

> the ocean. The Asuras (demons) were in race against

> the Devas (minor gods) to churn the oceans for amrit

> (the nectar of immortality).

>

> Vishnu appeared as Kurma (the tortoise) who sided

> with

> the Devas. Together, they decided they would create

> a

> churn for obtaining the amrit.

>

> The serpent Vasuki was threaded around Mount Mandara

> to create a churn. Kurma dived to the floor of the

> ocean and balanced Mount Mandara on his back. In the

> grip of Kurma's cosmic force, Mount Mandara could

> not

> sink into the ocean bed.

>

> The Gods churned, and the nectar of immortality came

> to their hands. As they continued to churn, fourteen

> treasures appeared. For Kurma the most precious was

> Lakshmi, the Goddess of beauty and good fortune who

> would be his wife.

>

> When the demon, Hiranyaksha dragged Bhoomi Devi

> (Mother Earth) underwater, Vishnu took the form of

> Varaha (a wild boar). After a fierce battle he

> overpowered the demon and lifted Bhoomi Devi from

> the

> waters. He pushed with his snout and the land

> puckered

> forming the Himalayan Mountains. He dragged more

> land

> from the sea and shaped the Indian subcontinent.

>

> During the satayuga (first epoch) a tyrannical

> Daitya

> (demon) tormented the world. No god could overcome

> him

> and with each battle he won, the Daityas pride grew.

> Crazed by his invincibility he shot an arrow at a

> pillar to defy Vishnu. Vishnu burst out as Narasimha

>

=== message truncated ===

August 14, 2006

Dear Sarojaji From childhood, I have been hearing about the ten avatars of God as matsya,kurma,varaha,nrsimha,vamana,parasurama,rama,balarama,krishna and kalki. Now also I firmly believe in this and shall continue irrespective of any confusion created by anyone Sincerely SyamalaSaroja Ramanujam <sarojram18 wrote: Regarding Dasavathara our earliest scriptural authority is

srimadbhagavatha and vishnupurana according to which Krishna is definitely an avathar. I have not read Prabhupada's bhagavatha but if Krishna is not an avathar how is the birth of Ksrishna as the son of vasudeva and devaki is explained?As for Jayadeva the reason he has not mentioned Krishnavathara is not because he considered Him as Supreme soul, whcih nodubt He is, not only as Krishna but also as Narsimha ,Rama or any of His manifestations as mentioned clearly in Ramayana and Bhagavatha, but Jayadeva was addressing Krishna in his ashtapadi, 'Pralaya payOdhijale' and hence he mentioned Krishna as the one who had been taking all the avatharas. as nNarayana bhattadri did in Narayaneeyam.He must have included Buddha for sankhyaApooraNam, that is to complete the number to ten, perhaps by that time Buddha has come to be accepted by the people as the tenth avathara of Vishnu. That is only by popular belief and not authorised by scriptures.in

fact Bhagavatha mentions buddha indirectly saying that the Lord has taken the form of one who created illusion in the minds of those who misconstrued vedic injunctions and proceeded towards the forbidden path and Rshabha and Kapila, the founders of Jainism and sankhya have been mentioned directly as the avathatras of Vishnu though not included in the prime ten.Bhagavatha says the Lord took 24 avatharas of which buddha is also one besides numerous avatharas He took in order to save the world.(Ref.Bhagvatha-2nd skandha-chapter 7) From time immemorial devotees of Lord Narayana considered te ten avathars of the Lord as invluding Krishna excluding Buddha . Inthe vaishanvite tradition, I mean the followeers of Ramanuja , after whom the vaishnavite religion started to flourish, though it was Sankara who formulated the six mathams of worship including that of Vishnu, all the vaishnavite acharyas like Desika have extolled only the ten

avatharas, namely, matsya,kurma,varaha,nrsimha,vamana,parasurama,rama,balarama,krishna and kalki.Morover the aim of the incarnation has been set out in the Gita as 'parithranaya sadhunam vinasayacha dushkrtham' which point out only to these ten as avatharas.GANAPATHY RAMAN <agraman62 (AT) (DOT) co.in> wrote: I don't know in case Krishna is not an avatar but Paramapurusha why shuld He be referred to as Poorna Avatar with all kalas.Buddha could be only a later addition just to fill the gap as the Kalki avatar is yet to come only.When and in which form we don't know.So excluding Krishna and including Buddha as an avatar seems to be little confused as all are not accepting Buddha as an avatar but accepting Krishna as avatar.Only a very highly qualified individual in the scrptures can answer this ticklish doubt and not by just going thru Gita Govindam or the theory of ISCKON which is very strange if one goes thru their concepts."PS, Vinod K (GE Infra, Energy)" <vinod.ps (AT) ge (DOT) com> wrote: !! Sri Rama Jayam !! The confusion about Dashavatars is very common to most of us. Per ISCKON belief, Krishna is not considered to be an avatar (in it's best possible sense), but the supreme himself, unlike Rama, Narasimha or Vamana. And, further interesting to note is that ISCKON asserts the advent of Krishna having

occured only in the last dwapara (28th). To the question then who incarnates in every dwapara has the answer that only Balarama comes on earth. I know it may look not that easy to accept it. This also confirms that there are 28 Vyasas ('Vyasa' is not the name of a person but a post similar to 'Brahmarshi') incarnated in every chaturyuga & the last among them called Krishnadwaipayana is considered to be the one who documented all 18 puranas having expanded & interpreted in various yugas by the former 27 vyasas. But 'Bhagavattam' is strictly a composition of Krishna Dwaipayana, the father of Shuka Paramahamsa. Further, for our information, Jayadeva's famous composition 'Pralaya payodhi jale' in Gita Govindam celebrates the cycle of dashavatars - all directly

referred to Krishna. Here again, Krishna is not adored as the avatara but the 'Parama Purusha' himself. Hence, in reply to your doubt, I would say starting from Matsya to Kalki, there are ten incarnations including Buddha, but excluding Krishna. I request senior members to share their opinion on this. Hare Krishna Hare Rama guruvayur [guruvayur ]On Behalf Of Bindya SureshThursday, August 10, 2006 5:13 PMguruvayur Subject: Re: [Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Doubt about Dasavtar Dear Members , Hare

Krishna! I have a doubt on Dasavtars. I have heard from my grandmother that the 9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu is BALARAMAN , but throughout in the internet if we search on this topic they are showing the ninth avatar as BUDDHA. Recently I had been to a Ram Mandir, & there also they had put up Buddha's picture as the 9th avatar. The serial on Krishna which is telecasted in Soorya , says the ninth avatar as Balaram. I request all the knowledgable members to clarify my doubt. Ohm Namo Narayana. Rgds, Bindya Suresh rajan nair <rajan_k_nair2002 (AT) (DOT) co.in> wrote: Om Namo Narayana!!!This i could grab while surfing the net. Hope,

thiswill help meembers like me (who have very littlespiritual knowledge) to know about Lord Vishnu and hisvarious forms.May God Bless allRajanVISHNUVishnu, preserver of human life is one of the threegods of the Trimurti. He is a generous God and knownas being 'Sattvaguna' (kind and merciful). Vishnu isthe only God of the Trimurti who is reborn wheneverthere is a crisis on earth. If 'Dharma' (righteousness) is disturbed, Vishnudescends to earth as an avatar (a human form) to fightthe forces of evil. The Puranas list the Dasavatars', ten avatars, Vishnutook on to sustain the cosmos. Seen in order, theyrepresent the evolution of mankind from the fish stageto 'Purusha' (man).These avatars were Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise),Varaha (boar ), Nara-simha (man-lion), Vamana (dwarf),Parashurama (a powerful warrior), Rama, Krishna,Buddha and Kalki (white horse).

A romantic aspect of the myths, is that wheneverVishnu descends to earth he marries Lakshmi (hisGoddess wife). They are destined to marry on earth asin heaven. When Vishnu is Rama, Lakshmi is born asSita. As Krishna he marries her as Rukmini. Matsya (Fish) The story of the fish avatar, is Hindu, but thelikeness to Noah is uncanny. A great flood threatenedto submerge Manu (a patriarch who once ruled theearth). Manu asked a for a bowl of water which heneeded for his religious rites. In the bowl was a fishwho told Manu that if he looked after him, Manu wouldbe saved from the flood. Manu agreed and took the fishto the ocean.In the ocean the Matsya grew to whale-likeproportions. Taught by Matysa how to build a ship Manucould sail during the flood. While the deluge ripped the land apart and treacherouswaves rose from the ocean, Manu was safe. Matsya washis tether who towed the ark

to safety. When theyreached the shores they found a dead and barren landravaged by the storm .Manu found the cargo contained the seeds for everyform of life, from which he could sow the world.Vishnu as Matysa supported Brahma who renewed theworld together. After the deluge, many cosmic treasures sank deep intothe ocean. The Asuras (demons) were in race againstthe Devas (minor gods) to churn the oceans for amrit(the nectar of immortality). Vishnu appeared as Kurma (the tortoise) who sided withthe Devas. Together, they decided they would create achurn for obtaining the amrit. The serpent Vasuki was threaded around Mount Mandarato create a churn. Kurma dived to the floor of theocean and balanced Mount Mandara on his back. In thegrip of Kurma's cosmic force, Mount Mandara could notsink into the ocean bed.The Gods churned, and the nectar of immortality cameto their hands. As

they continued to churn, fourteentreasures appeared. For Kurma the most precious wasLakshmi, the Goddess of beauty and good fortune whowould be his wife.When the demon, Hiranyaksha dragged Bhoomi Devi(Mother Earth) underwater, Vishnu took the form ofVaraha (a wild boar). After a fierce battle heoverpowered the demon and lifted Bhoomi Devi from thewaters. He pushed with his snout and the land puckeredforming the Himalayan Mountains. He dragged more landfrom the sea and shaped the Indian subcontinent. During the satayuga (first epoch) a tyrannical Daitya(demon) tormented the world. No god could overcome himand with each battle he won, the Daityas pride grew.Crazed by his invincibility he shot an arrow at apillar to defy Vishnu. Vishnu burst out as Narasimha(man-lion) and tore Daitya to shreds. Later Bali, the King of the Daityas had become rulerof the world. He had wisely worshipped Vishnu

who hadgranted him a special boon. Protected by this boonBali became a cause for celestial concern. When allthe other Gods were overcome they pleaded to Vishnufor help.Vishnu took the form of Vamana (a dwarf), and was bornas the stunted child of Kasyapa and Aditi. He went asVamana to a yagna (sacrifice) being performed by Bali.Bali was offering sweets to all those present at theyagna.. Vamana held out his hands and said he was apoor peasant. He asked for as much land as he (Vamana)could cover in three steps. Bali took a look at thedwarf peasant and granted him this boon. Vamana expanded to a cosmic size. His first stepcovered the earth, the second reached heaven. Vamana'sthird step would have reached the lower world but Balibowed before Vamana realising he had to be Vishnu.Pleased by Bali's humility, Vishnu spared him and gaveBali a kingdom of his own in the netherworld.In the Treta

epoch, (the age of the sacred fires) thewarrior class were becoming dominant. Their weaponrymade them aggressive. They were subjugating ordinarypeople. The Gods wanted power to revert to thepriests. Vishnu appeared as Parashurama, and took awaythe powers of the warriors returned it to thescholars. As Rama, Vishnu came on earth to slay the demonRavana. A legendary man, his compassionate nature andhis belief in duty elevated him as 'Maryada Purusha',ideal man. In his eighth Avatar, Vishnu was Krishna the greatestteacher whose words form a priceless Hindu scripture,'The Bhagwad Gita' or the guide to life. As the Buddha, Vishnu is a great religious teacher ofIndia. He revealed the secrets of moksha and the pathto Nirvana. Vishnu's final avatar will be as Kalki (white horse).At the end of the present age (Kal-Yuga) he will comeback riding a white horse. Predictions say Kalki

willbrandishing a flaming sword and destroy last demons onearth.In his cosmic form Vishnu is seen reclining on a manyheaded serpent called Ananta and the oceans liesubdued under him. He holds a chakra (discus) in ahand with which he maintains order in the universe.The shankha or conch was retrieved by him during thechurning of the oceans, and its deep humming sound isan evocation of the sea. He holds a lotus for peaceand a gada (mace) a controlling weapon. Garuda theeagle is his celestial vehicle.As god and in each of his avatars Vishnu plays therole of the preserver making the earth a safe heavenfor his believers. ________ India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something newhttp://in.answers./ Stay in the know. Pulse on the new .com. Check it out. Here's a new way to find what you're looking for - Answers Send FREE SMS to your friend's mobile from Messenger Version 8. Get it NOW May god bless you, Dr. Saroja Ramanujam, M.A., Ph.D, Siromani in sanskrit. Talk is cheap. Use Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.

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