The 10 Avatars of Lord Vishnu

Avatars of Lord Vishnu in various Yugas: Lord Shree Hari Vishnu is the preserver and the protector of all this world and of the creatures that live in this universe. According to what Lord Krishna said in Shreemad Bhagvad Geeta, his purpose is to come back to Earth during times of turmoil in order to right the scales between good and evil.

Vishnu’s followers, who are known as Vaishnava, place him at the top of the pantheon. Vishnu is the sole deity for Vaishnavas. Hindus believe he will be reborn one more time until the end of the world, making his total number of incarnations ten.

In this article we will be looking at the 10 avatars or incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

Hindus believe that when the earth is threatened by disorder or wickedness, Lord Vishnu would descend on it in one of his incarnations to restore justice.

The reincarnations of Lord Vishnu are commonly referred to as Avatars. According to Hindu mythology, Vishnu has taken on ten different guises or avatars. The ten incarnations of Vishnu worshipped by Hindus are known together as Dashavatara. Dasha means ten in Sanskrit, and Avatara means incarnation.

The fish-like avatar Matsya was Vishnu’s first incarnation.

In the Matsya avatar, Lord Vishnu is said to have rescued the first man, Manu, and the seven sages during the great Flood (huge cyclone), bringing a sample of every plant and animal species to the renewed earth on his boat.

Matsya can be pictured as a gigantic fish with a human torso joined to a fish’s tail.

The word “Kurma” refers to a turtle; hence “Kurmavatara” literally translates to “incarnation of Lord Vishnu as a turtle.” That was Lord Vishnu’s second incarnation at that time.

During this incarnation, Lord Vishnu worked alongside gods and demons to extract nectar from the milky sea by churning it with his stick.

Lord Vishnu took additional precautions to prevent the devils from obtaining the nectar.

Varaha, the boar-like avatar, was Vishnu’s third incarnation.

Lord Vishnu arrived as Varaha to rescue the earth from the demon Hiranyaksha, who had taken her and hidden her in the primordial waters.

After killing the demon, Varaha lifted the Earth out of the water using his tusks, bringing Bhudevi back to her rightful place in the cosmos.

The fourth incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, Narasimha, was a hybrid of human and lion.

Hiranyakashipu, the rakshasa (devil), was awarded a great boon from Lord Brahma, making it impossible for him to be killed by man or animal, indoors or outdoors, during the day or night, on Earth or among the stars, with a weapon that was either alive or inanimate.

Lord Vishnu took on a human form but a lion’s head and talons during his incarnation. The rakshasa was lying on his thighs at dusk on the threshold of his courtyard when he was disemboweled with his claws.

Lord Vishnu’s fifth incarnation, or avatar, was a short man named Vamana. This is the first time an avatar has looked like a human and been seen with an umbrella made of wood.

Vamana Avatar Vishnu came down from heaven to restore Indra’s rule over the heavens. Vamana asked King Mahabali for three paces of land. Vamana then showed his true form and grew to monstrous proportions, allowing him to walk effortlessly over all three dimensions.

With the first, he descended to Earth, and with the second, he descended to the Underworld. Due to his inability to keep his word, King Mahabali sacrificed his own head in order to appease the gods.

Vamana then put his foot down, granting the monarch eternal life in exchange for his modesty.

Parashurama was Lord Vishnu’s sixth incarnation. Parashuram, the son of Jamadagni and Renuka, was given an axe by Lord Shiva in exchange for his penance.

In Hinduism, he was the first Brahmin and Kshatriya (a warrior-saint) to share the responsibilities of both castes.

Twenty-one times, Parashurama swore vengeance on every Kshatriya on the planet. It is believed that Parashuram is still alive and performing penance on Mahendragiri mountain despite being an immortal Chiranjivi.

To know more about the 19 avatars of Lord Shiva, read our this article

Rama was Vishnu’s seventh incarnation. In Hinduism, the incarnation of Lord Rama is venerated as the archetypal brave male. The Ramayana, which tells his story, is a sacred text in Hinduism.

Ravana, the demon king of Sri Lanka, kidnapped Rama’s wife, Sita, the daughter of King Janaka, when he was exiled from his own country for 14 years with his brother Lakshman and the God Hanuman.

After killing the demon king, he went to Ashoka Vatika (or vanam) in Lanka to rescue Sita.

Lord Vishnu took on the form of Krishna for the eighth time. Lord Krishna was Devaki and Vasudev’s ninth child. He made an appearance with his older sibling Balarama. The majority populace sees Balarama also as an incarnation of Vishnu. Krishna played an important role in establishing righteousness during the time of Mahabharata war between Pandavas and Kauravas.

According to Hinduism, the god Vishnu will take the form of Kalki, which literally translates to “destroyer of evil,” as his tenth incarnation at the end of the Kali Yuga.

According to the Purana scriptures, when the time comes for Kalki to return, he will do so mounted atop a white horse and brandishing a flaming sword.

As per Hindu eschatology, he will be the one to announce the end of time, and then he will usher in the Satya Yuga that follows.

Lord Brahma (the creator), Lord Vishnu (the preserver), and Lord Shiva (the destroyer) are the three primary deities of Hinduism (the destroyer).

Since it is Lord Vishnu’s duty to keep the cosmos safe, he takes physical form whenever there is a crisis where good must triumph over evil and dharma (righteousness) must be reinstated.

As the gods came to destroy the Asuras, they fled to the hermitage of Sage Bhrigu. Kavyamata, the sage’s wife, fortified the hermitage with a formidable barrier.

Lord Vishnu utilized his Sudarshan Chakra to shatter the protection. He was ultimately successful in destroying it, but Kavyamata lost his life in the process.

Because of his fault of woman-slaying, Sage Bhrigu was furious with Lord Vishnu and condemned him to take many avatars on Earth, where he would endure the most suffering and captivity.

The majority of Lord Vishnu’s incarnations, known as avatars, have some connection to the evil Asura race.

Not only does Lord Vishnu protect humans, but he also assists the gods in regaining control of heaven from the Asuras.

One of his responsibilities is to eliminate malevolent Asuras.

According to Hindu belief, Earth is a goddess who represents the goddess Lakshmi in human form. If the Earth’s very survival is in jeopardy, he takes human form and fights for her.

The Vishnu Purana states that this has already occurred nine times and will occur again in this Yuga, the Kali Yuga (the dark age).