HINDU ENCYCLOPEDIA

सनातन धर्म भूमिका

Meaning of "avatar"

Word

Avatar

Sanskrit

अवतार

IAST

āvatāra

In General

An avatar is an Incarnation of God. When adharma and wicked people spread too much on earth, then God himself incarnate on earth and restore Dharma. Some avatars were meant to kill bad people like Asuras and Rakshasas and some others were meant to test the faith of good and devout people. The worst case of adharma is when a devotee (bhakta) is not allowed to practice his belief. In most cases Vishnu take birth on earth in human form. Sri Rama and Sri Krishna are best example. In some cases Lord took the shape of an animal ( Varaha ) or half human ( Narasimha ), suddenly appeared and put an end to demonic forces.

Asuras and Rakshasas are people who obstruct the yaga of sages, kill the innocent people and attack the modesty of women. Hiranyakashipu, Narakasura, Ravana are some of the demonic forces killed by Avatar. Ten avatar of Vishnu are said to be most prominent: Matsya , Kurma , Varaha , Narasimha , Vamana , Parasu_Rama , Bala_Rama , Sri_Ramachandra , Sri Krishna and Kalki.

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Word Sanskrit IAST In General Veda Purana
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