While the avatars differ in each record of old scriptures, there are 10 most popular avatars – they are Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parshurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki. The first 5 avatars are mentioned in Dashavatar- The 10 Avatars of Hindu God Vishnu Part 1.
Parashurama- Axed Sage WarriorAvatar
Parashurama, the son of Jamadagni and Renuka, is the first in Hinduism to follow the Dharma of both a warrior and a sage. He was granted a boon as an axe after performing penance to God Shiv. Legend says that once King Kartavirya Arjuna and his hunting party stopped at the ashram of sage Jamadagni, the father of Parashurama. He fed everyone in the hunting party with the help of his divine cow Kamadhenu.
The King demanded the cow from Jamadagni, who refused to hand it away. The King got enraged and took it by force, after he destroyed the whole ashram. Parashurama killed the King at his palace and utterly destroyed his army. As a revenge, the sons of Kartavirya killed Jamadagni. Parashurama vowed to kill every Kshatriya living on Earth 21 times over and he filled 5 lakes with their blood. Ultimately his grandfather, Rishi Rucheeka had to step in to put an end to his blood bathing rage. Please continue reading to know more about Avatars of Hindu God
Rishi Rucheeka is an immortal, who is believed to be alive even today, in penance at Mahendragiri. Parashurama is also credited with creating the coastal belt of Kerala and Karnataka. He threw his mighty axe and the place where his axe landed in the sea, got its water displaced and the land which emerged as a result was known as the coastal belt of Karnataka and the whole of Kerala.
Rama Avatar
The avatar known for their morality and follower of rules, Rama was the Prince and later, the King of Ayodhya. He is commonly worshipped in the Hindu religion as this common prince who had only his morals and no superpowers despite being a reincarnation. His entire story is told in the most widely read scripture of Hindu religion, the Ramayana.
During his exile in the forest with his brother Lakshman and wife Sita, he encountered various troubles. Sita was abducted by Ravana, the Demon King of Lanka (now known as Sri Lanka). He travelled all the way to Lanka and created a bridge Rama Setu, where the stones written with his name floated on water to rescue his wife and kill the Demon King Ravana.
The bridge still exists today. They returned home together with Lakshman and were crowned the King and Queen of Ayodhya. The day of their return is celebrated as the festival of Diwali all over India.
Krishna Avatar
Krishna was the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva and the foster-son of Yashoda and village chief Nanda. He is also a commonly worshipped deity in Hinduism as he is the centre of many heroic events, including Kansa Vadha and his imperative role in Mahabharata while being the embodiment of numerous qualities such as love, duty, compassion, and playfulness.
His birthday is celebrated every year on Krishna Janmashtami according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar, which falls in late August or early September of the Gregorian calendar. He is usually depicted as a man with a peacock feather in his hair and a flute in hand. He is also one of the main characters in Mahabharata, Bhagavat Purana, and the Bhagavad Gita.
Buddha Avatar
Gautama Buddha is the founder of Buddhism and is commonly included as an incarnation of Vishnu himself. Buddha is depicted in the Hindu religion as a preacher, who deludes and leads demons and heretics away from the path of Vedic scriptures. While another image portrays him as a preacher who teaches the compassionate teachings of the path of non- violence or ahimsa.
Kalki Avatar
Kalki is the final avatar, not yet appeared on Earth. He will appear at the end of Kaliyuga. He is depicted as someone riding atop a white horse, with his sword drawn and blazing like a comet. He will appear only when chaos, evil and persecution is prevailing, dharma has vanished in the era. He will end the Kaliyuga to go back to start the Satya Yuga and restart the cycle from the beginning. I hope this article helped you a lot to know about Avatars of Hindu God.
Do your online puja with us at Online temple. We offer pro online pandits who are learned and knowledgeable about all pujas.