Avatar

In Hindu philosophy, an avatar, avatara or avataram (Sanskrit: अवतार, IAST: avatāra), most commonly refers to the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of a higher being (deva), or the Supreme Being (God) onto planet Earth. The Sanskrit word avatāra- literally means "descent" (avatarati) and usually implies a deliberate descent into lower realms of existence for special purposes. The term is used primarily in Hinduism, for incarnations of Vishnu whom many Hindus worship as God.

The word has also been used by extension to refer to the incarnations of God in other religions, especially by adherents to dharmic traditions when explaining figures such as Jesus.

Dasavatara: The Ten Avatars of Vishnu
Further information: Vishnu
The ten most famous incarnations of Vishnu are collectively known as the 'Dasavatara' ('dasa' in Sanskrit means ten). This list is included in the Garuda Purana (1.86.10-11) and denotes those avatars most prominent in terms of their influence on human society.

The majority of avatars in this list of ten are categorised as 'lila-avatars' as will be discussed below. The first four are said to have appeared in the Satya Yuga (the first of the four Yugas or ages in the time cycle described within Hinduism). The next three avatars appeared in the Treta Yuga, the eighth incarnation in the Dwapara Yuga and the ninth in the Kali Yuga. The tenth is predicted to appear at the end of the Kali Yuga in some 427,000 years time.

Matsya, the fish, appeared in the Satya Yuga.
Kurma, the tortoise, appeared in the Satya Yuga.
Varaha, the boar, appeared in the Satya Yuga.
Narasimha, the half-man/half-lion appeared in the Satya Yuga.
Vamana, the dwarf, appeared in the Treta Yuga.
Parashurama, Rama with the axe, appeared in the Treta Yuga.
Rama, Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya, appeared in the Treta Yuga.
Krishna (meaning 'dark coloured' or 'all attractive') appeared in the Dwapara Yuga along with his brother Balarama. According to the Bhagavata Purana Balarama is said to have appeared in the Dwapara Yuga (along with Krishna) as an incarnation of Ananta Shesha. He is also counted as an avatar Vishnu by the majority of Vaishnava movements and is included as the ninth Dasavatara in some versions of the list which contain no reference to Buddha.
Buddha (meaning 'the enlightened one') appeared in the Kali Yuga (specifically as Siddhartha Gautama).
Kalki ("Eternity", or "time", or "The Destroyer of foulness"), who is expected to appear at the end of Kali Yuga, the time period in which we currently exist, which will end in the year 428899 CE.

Types of avatars

Avatars of Madhvacharya. From top (in order of occurrence): Hanuman, Bhima and Shri MadhvacharyaAccording to the Puranas countless numbers of avatars descend into our universe. Theologically within Vaishnavism the many avatars have been categorised into a number of different types depending on their specific personality and role as described in scripture. Not all are recognised as 'full' or 'direct' incarnations of Vishnu. Some avatars are believed to be souls blessed with certain abilities of 'divine origin', although being a jiva themselves.

Purusha avatars: These are described as the original avatars of Vishnu within the universe:

Vasudeva
Sankarshan
Pradyumna
Aniruddha
Guna avatars: The avatars in control of the three modes (gunas) of nature.

Trimurthi
Brahma - Controller of the mode of passion and desire (rajas)
Vishnu - As controller of the mode of goodness (sattva)
Shiva - Controller of the mode of ignorance (tamas)
Lila avatars: There are too many lila-avatars to list. Lila translates to 'pastime', and the lilavatars are those which descend at regular intervals throughout time to perform a particular series of events in order to instruct others in the paths of dharma, bhakti or moksha. The Dasavatars and avatars from the Puranas (as below) are examples of this type.

Manvantara avatars: These are beings responsible for creating progency throughout the universe, said to be unlimited in number. For further information see: Manu.

Shaktyavesa avatars: These are of two types - a direct avatar of Vishnu and a partial avatar of Vishnu's power, given to a specific living being. There are said to be a great number of avatars of this second type in particular. An example would be Narada Muni or Buddha The secondary avatar class is sometimes called Saktyamsavatar, Saktyaveshavatar or avesha avatar. Other secondary avatars, include Parashurama in which Vishnu does not directly descend. Parashurama is the only one of the traditional ten avatars that is not a direct descent of Vishnu. According to Srivaishnavism, there are two types of secondary avatars: 1) Vishnu enters a soul with His form [citation needed]. (e.g., Parashurama) or 2) Vishnu does not enter a soul with His own form, but gives him extraordinary divine powers. (e.g., Veda Vyasa.) The secondary avatar class besides being called shaktyavesa avatar is also called Saktyamsavatar,or avesha avatar.

The secondary avatars are generally not worshipped as the Supreme being, only the direct, primary avatars are worshipped in this way. In practice, the direct avatars that are worshipped today are the Purna avatars of Narasimha, Rama and Krishna. among most Vaishnava traditions, Krishna is considered to be the highest kind of Purna avatar. However, followers of Chaitanya (including ISKCON), Nimbarka, Vallabhacharya differ philosophically from other Vaishnavites, such as Ramanuja and Madhva and consider Krishna to be the ultimate Godhead, and not simply an avatar. In any event, all Hindus believe that there is no difference between worship of Vishnu and His avatars as it all leads to Him.

According to Madhvacharya, all avatars of Vishnu are alike in potency and every other quality. There is no gradation among them, and perceiving or claiming any differences among avatars is a cause of eternal damnation. (See Madhva's commentary on the Katha Upanishad, or his Mahabharata-Tatparya-Nirnaya.)

According to Srivaishnavite doctrine, there are two types of avatars, primary avatars and secondary avatars. The most common type of primary avatars are called Svarupavatars, in which He manifests Himself in His Sat-cid-ananda form. In the primary avatars, such as Narasimha, Rama, Krishna], Vishnu directly descends. The Svarupavatars are subdivided into Amsarupavatars and Purna avatars. In Amsarupavatars, Vishnu is fully present in the body but He is manifest in the person only partially. Such avatars include the first five avatars from Matsya to Vamana except for Narasimha. Narasimha, Rama and Krishna, on the other hand, are types of Purna avatars, in which all the qualities and powers of the Lord are expressed. Narasimha and Rama are also additionally considered to be Lila avatars.