Dasavatara and Bhagavatgita

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Dasavathara in the light of the Gita

 

1. What is an avathara?

A descent from higher to lower. The Lord coming from Vaikunta or KsheerabDhi to the mortal world in a form visible to all. This is the common conception. But avatharana, the descent means not from a place but from a higher realm of consciousness to a lower plane of consciousness. The divinity is everywhere , in every being but unmanifest. When it is manifest in a gross form it is an avathara. In this sense the avathara is happening always. Whenever the good overpowers the evil it is avathara. Gita says `parithraaNaaya saadhoonam vinaaSaaya cha dhushkrthaam Dharma samsThaapanaarThaaya sambhavaami yuge yuge, to protect the good and to punish the wicked I make myself manifest in every yuga.' The words yuge yuge should not be understood as once in a yuga. It means `in all yugas,' whenever necessary. But the dasavatharas among the 24 avataras described in Bhagavatapurana, in which the divinity has manifested for all to see, are the prominent ones.

 

2. What are Puranas and Ithihasas like Bhagavatapurana and Ramayana?

 

There are 18 puranas out of which Bhagavatapurana and vishnupurana are the ones where we find the description of the dasavataras of Lord Narayana. The purnas and Ithihasas are not cock and bull stories or fairytales as many think in modern days. They are not figments of imagination of the sages or mere mythology. They are pregnant with meaning. The sages, out of mercy for those who could not study and understand the sruthi and smrthi have given out the same truths in the form of stories that everyone can understand.

 

3. The whole Sanskrit literature can be classified into three heads.

Sruthi and smrthis- Vedas are sruthis and Bhagvat gita , Manusmrthi etc. which are corollary to Vedas are called smrthis. These are classified under the name Prabhusamhitha, because like a prabhu or master they give commands in the form of injunctions, prohibitions and instructions.

Puranas and Ithihasas are called suhrthsamhitha because like a suhrth, friend, advising what is good for us, they tell us about the same truths contained in the sruthi and smrthi in the form of stories in a friendly and suggestive manner.

 

There is a third class of works known as kavyas, comprising of drama, prose and poetry like the works of Kalidasa and other poets, which also contain the values of dharma and spirituality but like a kantha , a wife they convey the message in an entertaining and unobtrusive manner. A wife has to tell her husband what is good for him in an indirect and pleasant manner because no husband likes to be advised or instructed by his wife!

4. Dasavatara and Gita