The 10 Avatars (Dasavatara) of the Hindu God Vishnu!

As per Hindu beliefs, Vishnu is regarded as one of the most important deities, alongside Bramha and Shiva. Bramha, Vishnu and Mahesh(Shiva) together forms Trimurti (The foremost and sacred trinity) of Hindu religious practice. 

Out of his many forms, Vishnu is reckoned as the 'preserver cum protector' of the universe. As per Hindu mythology, whenever bedlam occurs to the humanity and some evil power takes the supreme control, Vishnu will incarnate and reincarnate for several times to reinstate the uprightness into this world. 

According to Hindu scriptures, each incarnation of Vishnu is termed as 'avatars' and it enunciates about the existence of ten avatars. As a whole, all the ten avatars of Vishnu is abbreviated as 'Dashavtaar'. There is a specific purpose for each of the archetype. They are believed to be present from the age of 'Satya Yuga' (Golden Age or Age of Truth), when god itself used to be a sovereign. Whenever mankind are dragged into inexorable troublesome situation, a particular avatar descends to confront the sinister. 

Why vishnu had to take so many of avatars? There are various mythological stories behind that. Some associates the birth of each avatar with cosmic cycle, referring that it follows the 'Time spirit'. They also consider each birth matching exactly with the need of the time. Other mythology stories suggest that the ninth avatar Balarama may have been the Buddha. As a matter of fact, we cannot conclude which myth is correct or which one is vague. The basic idea behind all the myths simply suggest us that the principles of 'Dharma' as preached by Hindu scriptures should be reestablished in it's natural form by the virtue of incarnations so as to combat the threats created by some dark evil forces in various time intervals. 

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The First Avatar: Matasya (The Fish) 

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Matsya is considered to be the very first avatar o Vishnu that rescued the first man, as well as other creatures of the earth, from a great flood. Matsya is sometimes depicted as a great fish or as a human torso connected to the tail of a fish. 

Matsya is said to have forewarned man about the coming flood and ordered him to preserve all the grains and living creatures in a boat. This story is similar to many deluge myths found in other cultures.

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The Second Avatar: Kurma (The Tortoise) 

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Kurma (or Koorma) is the tortoise incarnation that relates to the myth of churning the ocean to obtain treasures dissolved in the ocean of milk. In this myth, Vishnu took the form of a tortoise upon which to support the churning stick on his back. The Kurma avatar of Vishnu is usually seen in a mixed human-animal form.

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The Third Avatar: Varaha (The Boar) 

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Varaha is the boar that raised the earth from the bottom of the sea after the demon Hiranyaksha dragged it to the bottom of the sea. After a battle of 1,000 years, Varaha raised the earth out of the water with his tusks. 

Varaha is depicted as either a full boar form or as a boar head on a human body.

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The Fourth Avatar: Narasimha (The Man-Lion) 

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As the legend goes, the demon Hiranyakashipiu obtained a boon from Brahma that he could not be killed or harmed by any means. Now arrogant in his security, Hiranyakshipiu began to cause trouble both in heaven and on earth. 

However, his son Prahlada was devoted to Vishnu. One day, when the demon challenged Prahlada, Vishnu emerged in the form of a man-lion known as Narasimha to slay the demon. 

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The Fifth Avatar: Vamana (The Dwarf) 

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In the Rig Veda, Vamana (the dwarf) appears when the demon king Bali ruled the universe and the gods lost their power. One day, Vamana visited the court of Bali and begged for as much land as he could cover in three steps. Laughing at the dwarf, Bali granted the wish. 

The dwarf then assumed the form of a giant. He took the whole earth with the first step and the entire middle world with the second step. With the third step, Vamana sent Bali down to rule the underworld.

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The Sixth Avatar: Parasurama (Angry Man) 

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In his form as Parasurama, Vishnu appears as a priest (Brahman) who comes to the world to kill bad kings and protect humanity from danger. He appears in the form of a man carrying an ax, sometimes referred to as Rama with an ax. 

In the original story, Parasurama appeared to restore Hindu social order which had become corrupted by the arrogant Kshatriya caste.

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The Seventh Avatar: Lord Rama (The Perfect Man) 

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Lord Rama is the seventh avatar of Vishnu and a major deity of Hinduism. He is considered supreme in some traditions. He is the central figure of the ancient Hindu epic "Ramayana" and is known as King of Ayodhya, the city believed to be Rama's birthplace.

According to the Ramayana, Rama’s father was King Dasaratha and his mother was Queen Kausalya. Rama was born at the end of the Second Age, sent by the gods to do battle with the multi-headed demon Ravana. Rama is often depicted with blue skin, standing with a bow and arrow.

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The Eighth Avatar: Lord Krishna (The Divine Statesman) 

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Lord Krishna (the divine statesman) is the eighth avatar of Vishnu and is one of the most widely revered deities in Hinduism. He was a cowherd (sometimes depicted as a charioteer or statesman) who shrewdly changed rules.

According to legend, the famous poem, the Bhagavad Gita, is spoken by Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield. 

Krishna is depicted in a variety of forms because there are so many storiessurrounding him. The most common story describes Krishna as a divine lover who plays the flute; he is also described in his child form. In paintings, Krishna often has blue skin and wears a crown of peacock feathers with a yellow loincloth.

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The Ninth Avatar: Balarama (Krishna's Elder Brother) 

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Balarama is said to be the elder brother of Krishna. It is believed that he engaged in many adventures alongside his brother. Balarama is rarely worshiped independently, but stories always focus on his prodigious strength.

In visual representations, he is usually shown with pale skin in contrast to Krishna's blue skin. 

In a number of versions of the mythology, Buddha is thought to be the ninth incarnation. However, this was an addition that came after the dasavatara was already established.

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The Tenth Avatar: Kalki (The Mighty Warrior) 

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By 

Subhamoy Das

Kalki (meaning “eternity” or "mighty warrior") is the last incarnation of Vishnu. He is not expected to appear until the end of Kali Yuga, the current time period. Kalki will come, it is believed, to rid the world of oppression by unrighteous rulers. It is said that he will appear riding a white horse and carrying a fiery sword.