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DASAVATHARAM
Lord Vishnu is the Preserver or Sustainer of life with his steadfast
principles of order, righteousness and truth. WHEN THESE VALUES ARE
UNDER THREAT, VISHNU EMERGES OUT OF HIS TRANSCENDENCE TO
RESTORE PEACE AND ORDER ON EARTH.
His Ten Avatars are
Matsya (fish)
Koorma (tortoise)
Varaha (boar)
Narasimha (half man half lion)
Vamana (the dwarf)
Parasurama (the angry man)
Sri Rama (the perfect human)
Balarama (Sri Krishna's brother)
Sri Krishna (the divine diplomat & statesman)
Kalki (yet to appear 10th Avatar).
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MATSYA - 1st of Lord Vishnu's Dasavathar.
Once King Manu was under strict penance and was performing
ablutions in the water of River Kritamala (Vaigai). He took a handful of
water and was surprised to find a small fish which requested him for
rescue. When this small fish started growing extraordinarily in size, the
king realised that it should be Lord Vishnu in the form of fish. At once
the king prostrated and the God predicted that the world will come to
an end shortly, ordered the king to carry each species in a huge boat
which HE appearing as a gigantic fish would propel the boat to Mount
Himavat. Everything went according to the prediction and thus King
Manu, being a noble man and an ardent devotee could become
successful in this allotted work.
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KOORMA- 2nd of Lord Vishnu's Dasavathar.
Once Sage Durvasa presented a flower garland to Lord Indra who
just gave it to his elephant Airavatam which trampled the garland. The
angered sage cursed the Devas to lose their immortality. In order to
regain their lost immortality, the Devas approached Lord Vishnu to help
them in their great task of churning the Milky Ocean to extract
Amrutam (Nectar) from the depths of the ocean. The divine serpent
Vasuki was used as a rope for churning the Mandara mountain which
was placed on the hard shell back of the Koorma Roopam of Lord
Vishnu.
Thus Lord Vishnu incarnated taking the form of amphibian (living both
in land and water) which is a gradual evolution to higher form than the
previous Pisces form (totally aquatic).
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VARAHA - 3rd of Lord Vishnu's Dasavathar
During ancient time, a powerful Asura (Demon) named
Hiranyaksha was creating havoc in the three worlds. Once while Lord
Brahma was in deep meditation, Hiranyaksha snatched Mother Earth
(Bhoodevi), the four Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharvana) and other
sacred scriptures. He pushed all these into the depths of the ocean. In
order to re-position Mother Earth, Lord Vishnu had to incarnate in the
form of Varaha (wild boar) to dive into the deep ocean. After a fierce
fight with the Asura, Lord Vishnu in the form of wild boar killed the
demon with HIS sharp tusks, got Mother Earth back and re-positioned
her. Thus from the previous amphibian form, there is an evolution to
higher form of a mammal/beast.
NARASIMHA-4th of Lord Vishnu's Dasavathar
A mighty demon king Hiranyakashipu gets a boon from Lord
Brahma that his defeat and death is highly impossible and neither a
man or animal can kill him. Prahlada, son of Hiranyakashipu is a
staunch devotee of Hari (Lord Vishnu). The father feels his son is his
enemy and tries to kill him but in vain since everytime Prahlada was
attacked, the God would save him. In a fit of anger Hiranyakashipu asks
his son who is this Hari and where does he live, the son answers that
the Lord is all pervading and is present everywhere. Pointing out to a
nearby pillar, the father asks whether Hari is here, Prahlada says 'yes'.
Now the outrageous demon king hits the pillar with his mace, it slits
into two halves and from within comes the strange being with Lion's
head and human body roaring and pouncing on Hiranyakashipu and
kills him. This avatar signifies the gradual evolution of a wild beast to a
beastly human form.
VAMANA-5th of Lord Vishnu's Dasavathar
King Bali, the grandson of Prahlada was a great devotee of Lord
Vishnu, conquered the three worlds. Due to this Indra and other
devatas feared their positions and sought help from Lord Vishnu who
took the form of Vamana (a dwarf ascetic). Thus Vamana appeared
before King Bali and requested for three feet of land which the King
accepted gladly though he was warned by his Guru - Sukracharya. Lord
Vishnu who was in the form of a dwarf took a gigantic form and
covered the entire Earth with one foot, the entire heaven or sky with
the second foot. When Lord Vamana asked for the third foot, King Bali,
who was fully aware that it was Lord Vishnu asked to place the third
foot on his head. Thus, King Bali was pushed to the Patala loka or the
netherworld. In this avatar, the evolution stage is from beastly man to a
dwarf human where there is a gradual evolution of civilized creature.
PARASURAMA - 6th of Lord Vishnu's Dasavathar
The incarnation of Lord Vishnu as a Brahmin who was born with
unusual physical strength to Sage Jamadagni and Renuka. He was gifted
with a Parasu or Axe by Lord Shiva and thus always holds it in his hand.
He takes revenge against kshetriyas as his father was killed by the sons
of King Kartavirya who steals Kamadhenu (the gifted cow) from
Jamadagni. In this incarnation, there is a further evolution to a
powerful human from a dwarf man in the previous avatar.
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SRI RAMA - 7th of Lord Vishnu's Dasavathar
Raguvamsam by Brahmasri Anantharama Deekshitar (3min Audio)
http://vedapatasala.com/Raguvamsam/3minutesaudio.mp3
Sri Rama, the eldest son of King Dasaratha and Queen
Kausalya in Ayodhya, is one of the most important avatars of Lord
Vishnu in the Treta Yuga. The divine character of Sri Rama, represents
the ultimate embodiment of truth, of morality, of chivalry and virtue.
An ideal son, an ideal husband, an ideal brother and above all, an ideal
king - Sri Rama is referred as MARYADHA PURUSHOTTAMA – the
Perfect Man/Lord of Self-Control/Lord of Virtue. Lord Vishnu took this
avatar to combat Ravana - the most powerful demon king. Considering
the stages of evolution from simple to complex beings, from a powerful
enraged human there is a gradual transformation to highly civilized
human.
BALARAMA-8th of Lord Vishnu's Dasavathar
Lord Vishnu incarnated as Balarama when Indra and the other
gods came and asked for release from the demon son Kamsa, king of
Mathura. Vishnu took one black and one white hair from his head and
promised that these two would come to fight against the demons. This
way, first Balarama (the white hair) and then Krishna (the black hair)
incarnated in the womb of Devaki. To save him from Kamsa, Balarama
was transferred secretly from Devakis womb to that of Rohini´s, from
which he was born. Both the brothers Balarama and Krishna grew up in
a cowherd's family.
At an early age, he killed the demon Dhenuka, accompanied
Krishna to Mathura and supported him until Kamsa was killed.
Balarama also released Krishna´s son, Samba, from Duryodhana's
prison.
Balarama is a symbol of strength, an obedient son, an ideal
brother and husband. He is a protector from desires, symbolizing duty,
honesty and simplicity. He increases the transcendental bliss of others,
hence the name 'Rama', because of his extraordinary strength he is also
called as 'Balabhadra'.
SRI KRISHNA-9th of Lord Vishnu's Dasavathar
Mother Earth and Lord Brahma unable to bear the burden of
sins committed by evil kings and rulers like Kamsa, prayed to the Lord
Vishnu, who assured them that he would soon be born as Sri Krishna to
end these forces. Kamsa, the ruler of Mathura (in northern India)
utterly terrified his people by his actions. On the day of his sister
Devaki's marriage, an akashvani or voice from the sky was heard
prophesying that her 8th son would be his destroyer, frightened by this
Kamsa imprisoned both Devaki and her husband Vasudeva thereby
killing all the new borns until the 8th one. Devaki and Vasudeva prayed
to Lord Vishnu, who appeared before them and said he himself was
coming to rescue them and the people of Mathura. Vasudeva was told
to carry the Lord just after birth to the house of his friend, the cowherd
chief Nanda in Gokula, where Nanda's wife Yashoda had given birth to
a daughter, exchange his boy and bring Yashoda's baby daughter back
to the prison.
Contd..2
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At midnight on ashtami , the divine baby was born in Kamsa's prison.
Remembering the divine instructions, Vasudeva held the baby above
his head (protected by five-mouthed snake-Adisesha) and reached
Gokula after crossing river Yamuna (which gave way). He exchanged
the babies and hurried back to the prison of Kamsa with the baby girl.
Early in the morning, all the people at Gokula rejoiced the birth of
Nanda's beautiful male child. When Kamsa came to know about the
birth, he rushed inside the prison and tried to kill the baby. But this
time it skipped from his hand and reaching the sky. She was
transformed into the goddess Yogamaya, who told Kamsa: "O foolish!
What will you get by killing me? Your nemesis is already born
somewhere else."
In his youth Krishna killed Kamsa along with all his cruel associates,
liberated his parents from prison, and reinstated Ugrasen as the King of
Mathura.
Lord Krishna preached Srimad Bhagavath Geeta to Prince Arjuna in the
battlefield of Mahabharat who was emotionally affected fighting his
own kith and kins.
This incarnation proves that there is an evolution of higher human with
high intelligence and smart human who could face all the difficulties
right from childhood and thus achieve success.
KALKI-10th of Lord Vishnu's Dasavathar
Kalki avatar is yet to be incarnated. It is believed that Lord Vishnu
will incarnate himself as Kalki, riding a white horse with blazing sword
in his hands. At the end of Kali Yuga (present eon), he will punish all evil
doers in this world, destroy this world and recreate a golden age again.
As Lord Sri Krishna says in Srimad Bhagavad Gita - Ch 4 Slokas 7 & 8
YADA YADA HI DHARMASYA GLANIRBHAVATI BHARATA
ABHYUTTANAM ADHARMASYA TADAATMANAAM SRUJAMYAHAM.
O Bharata, whenever there is decline of righteousness and rise of evil, I
manifest Myself.
PARITRANAYA SADHOONAAM VINASHAYACHA DUSHKRITAAM
DHARMA SAMSTHAPANARTHAYA SAMBHAVAAMI YUGE YUGE
For the protection of the righteous, for the destruction of wicked, and
for the establishment of Dharma, I am born in every age.