Question 10
Child:Mom, can you tell me about divine incarnations in Hinduism?
Mother: Yes, dear. We believe that whenever there is decline in religious
activity on earth Lord Vishnu appears in order to save the human race from an
unrighteous way of life, to destroy evils, and to show people a path of
dharma (the right duty). The process of such appearances of God is referred
to as divine incarnations (avatars). There are ten famous incarnation
forms of God. They are the Fish (matsya), the Tortoise (kurma or kachhapa), the
Boar (varah), the Human-lion (nara-sinha), the Dwarf (vamana), Parashu-Rama (the
God with an axe), Rama of the (Ramchandra, the hero of the epic Ramayana and
destroyer of demon Ravana), Krishna (the teacher famous Bhagavad-Gita),
Buddha (the ascetic prince) and Kalki, (the yet to appear deity, riding on a
white horse).
Divine incarnations are an integral part of the Hindu beliefs. Each incarnation
is related to fulfilling a particular objective. The objective of the Fish form
was to save the sage Manu from his destruction by flood. The Tortoise form
helped the human race to recover from the ocean the essentials of life which
were lost in the deluge. Rescue of the earth from the grip of the demon,
Hiranyaksha, was achieved by the Boar form. The Human-lion form helped the human
race from the oppressions of the demon, Hiranyakasipu. The Dwarf form was
helpful in restoring the power of gods from the grips of the demon king Bali.
The furious God Parashurama destroyed the Kshatriya rulers who were oppressing
the people. Lord Rama and Lord Krishna were incarnated to destroy the demons
Ravana and the Kansa respectively. The objective of Lord Buddha was to stop
animal sacrifice and to teach piety. The objective of the Kalki form is
supposed to be the destruction of evils of the present age (Kaliyuga, the age
of strife) and the protection of virtues.
