|
[FrontPage Include Component]
|
|
|
Incarnations of Vishnu |
|
|
Vishnu is the preserver of the cosmos, the keeper of universal laws, the sustainer of life, who resides in Vaikuntha, the highest heaven. He constantly participates in worldly affairs making sure all is well. When order prevails in the cosmos, he rests on the coils of Sesha-Naga, the serpent of time. When there is disorder, he mounts his eagle Garuda and battles with the forces of chaos. Vishnu descends from heaven ten times taking the form of man or beast to set things right. These are the ten incarnations of Vishnu. 1. The fish (Matsya) Manu came across a little fish or Matsya in the river. 'Save me from the big fish and I will save mankind," it said. Feeling sorry for the little one, Manu put it in a pot and carried it home. As the days passed, the fish kept growing in size. It had to be moved from the pot, to a pond, lake, river, and finally to an ocean. In time its side stretched across the horizons and its head reached the heavens. "Get a boat, Manu. Gather on it, the seed of all plants and a pair of all birds and beasts, if you want to survive." Manu did as he was told. A week later, a hundred thousand dark clouds gathered in the sky covering the sun and the stars. It rained until the whole earth - with its cities, forests and mountains - was submerged and all life was washed away. Only Manu survived. The giant fish towed his ship to safety. When the rains stopped and the world began anew, Manu went on to father a new race of men. He was eternally grateful to the fish, matsya, who was none other then Vishnu - the preserver of life. For those interested - The tale of the apocalyptic flood that destroyed the world occurs in the Bible where the lucky survivor is known as "Noah". The people of ancient Mesopotamia also knew this tale. They called their Manu, "Ut-Napishtim".
The Devas and the Asuras decided to churn the ocean to retrieve wonderful treasures. Vasuki, the king of serpents, served as their churning rope. Meru, the king of mountains, was used as the churning spindle. But no sooner was this cosmic churn set up, than it began to sink. Vishnu came to the rescue by taking the form of Kurma, the turtle. He placed Mount Meru on his back and kept the churn afloat. As the churning continued, fourteen magnificent treasures emerged from the ocean:
3. The boar (Varaha) Hiranyaksha, a demon, had dragged the earth to the bottom of the sea. He
had also obtained a boon from Brahma, ensuring that he would not be killed
by any of the creatures he named. However, while doing so, Hiranyaksha
omitted to name the boar. Therefore Vishnu assumed the form of a boar and
dived to the depths of the ocean. After defeating the demon, he balanced
the earth on the horn above his snout and surfaced safely with her.
Neither a man nor a beast could kill
the Asura Hiranyakashipu. He could
not be killed at day or at night, inside a building or outside, by a tool
or a weapon. This made him so arrogant that he came to believe that he was
immortal. "If Vishnu wants to kill you, he will," said Hiranakashipu's
son Prahalad. "Where is this Vishnu?" asked Hiranyakashipu. "Everywhere," replied
Prahalad. "I will break him as I break this
pillar." So saying Hiranyakashipu smote the pillar with his mace.
The pillar cracked. From within emerged a fantastic creature, part man and part lion. Roaring ferociously, it grabbed Hiranyakashipu by the neck and dragged him to the threshold of the palace, placing one foot outside the building and one inside. At twilight - when it is neither day nor night - the divine monster ripped open Hiranyakashipu's chest with his claws - which are neither tools nor weapons - pulled out his heart and drank his blood. Thus Vishnu killed the man who tried to outwit death.
Bali, leader of the Asuras, defeated the Devas and became lord of the three worlds. In his arrogance, he declared that he had more than enough wealth to give all creatures whatever they desired. " In that case, give me three places of land," said Vishnu, appearing before Bali as Vamana, a brahmin of diminutive stature. "Is that all? Take it,"said Bali. As soon as Bali uttered these words, the dwarf turned into a giant. In two steps, Vamana walked across the celestial regions and the earth. With his third step, Vamana shoved Bali under the earth where he belonged. Humbled by the experience, Bali emerges from his subterranean kingdom once every year. He brings with him the bounty of the harvest for the benefit of mankind. His ascent is celebrated as Onam in Kerala.
Vishnu took birth as Parashurama, the youngest son of the priest Jamadagni, to curb the rising arrogance and greed of the Kshatriyas. Jamadagni was the keeper of the celestial cow kamadhenu. Kartavirya, lord of warriors, coveted this miraculous cow that could produce all the milk that one desired. He tried to take her to his palace by force of arms. To stop the royal thief, Parashurama abandoned the non-violent approach of brahmins, picked up an axe and hacked Kartivirya to death. Kartavirya's sons avenged their father's death beheading Jamadagni. During Jamadgni's cremation, Parashurama watched his mother beat her chest 21 times in sorrow. Parashurama swore to go around the world 21 times and kill all the warriors of the world. When this was done, five great lakes were filled with the blood of warriors. Parashurama used blood instead of water to offer funerary oblations to his dead father.
Vishnu took birth as Rama, the eldest son of Dashratha, king of Ayodhya, to teach mankind the importance of duty over desire. His legend is told in the epic Ramayana. On the eve of his coronation, his father - compelled by the junior queen -ordered him to abandon the throne in favor of his half-brother Bharata and to live like a hermit in the forest for 14 years. Without a word of protest, Rama obeyed his father. His dutiful wife Sita and his younger brother Laxman followed him into the wilderness. Together they endured the inhospitable landscape for thirteen years. In the fourteenth year of exile, Rama rejected the amorous advance of a Rakshasa princess called Surpanaka. To avenge Surpanaka's humiliation, her brother Ravana, king of Lanka, abducted Sita and locked her away in his remote island kingdom. Rama, with the aid of his brother Laxman, raised an army of monkeys, built a bridge across the sea, launched an attack on the citadel of Lanka, killed its defenders including Ravana and rescued his wife. When the trio returned to Ayodhya, Rama was crowned King by his half-brother Bharata who had refused to accept the crown that his mother had procured by deceit. The people of Ayodhya, however, refused to accept Sita as their queen. In their opinion, her tryst with Ravana had lowered her dignity. So Rama - the royal servant of his subjects - ordered Sita to leave the kingdom. But he refused to remarry. Till his last breath, he remained eternally faithful to his beloved. Rama's unquestioning obedience to his father's wishes, his moral uprightness in the war against Ravana, his deference to the wishes of his people, his generosity in the face of personal loss and his marital fidelity has made him Vishnu's , most august and venerable incarnation. He is called maryada purushottama, the exemplar of social propriety
Krishna is said to be Vishnu's perfect incarnation. The epic harivamsa tells us the story of his early life as the romantic cowherd-hero. The Mahabharta narrates the events that occurred in the later part of his life when, as a nobleman of the Yadava clan, his shrewd political move and clear philosophy to life helped him establish righteousness on earth. He was born in response to the pleas of the earth-goddess to clear the world of arrogance and greed and to bring back romance and righteousness. As a child, he raided dairies for butter, played pranks on milkmaids and won the hearts of the cowherds of Gokul with his innocent mischief. As a youth, his winsome smile charmed the women of Vrindavana. Enchanted by the music of his flute, they would slip out of their houses on moonlit nights to dance and sing with Krishna on the banks of Yamuna. As a grown man, he was plunged into the world of politics. He established the kingdoms of Dwarka for the Yadavas and Indraprastha for the Pandavas by successfully overthrowing Kamsa, outmaneuvering Jarasandha and waging war against the Kauravas. As an elder, he witnessed the death of all his children and the annihilation of his entire clan in a civil war. He died when a hunter accidentally shot a poisoned arrow at his foot, mistaking it for the ear of a deer. All through his triumphs and tragedies, Krishna had a mysterious smile on his face that reflected his deep insight into the ways of the world. He knew that nothing - neither joy nor sorrow - lasted forever. , He involved himself wholeheartedly in life. Perhaps that is why he is known as leela Purushottama, the exemplar of joyous participation.
Some identify Buddha's ninth incarnation with Balarama. Others identify it with the founder of Buddhism. It is said he took this avatar to stop the sacrifice of animals in the name of religion. However, in many Puranas, Vishnu took the form a teacher for another reason. Three asuras worshipped Shiva until, pleased by their adoration, he gifted them three cities that could fly across oceans and over mountains. Flying across the universe, the asuras indulged in an orgy of rape and pillage, angering the gods who complained to Shiva. "So long as they worship me, I cannot destroy their cities," he said. To make them give up the worship of Shiva, Vishnu disguised himself as a monk - he shaved off his hair, wore saffron robes and carried a begging bowl in his hand. He visited the three aerial cities and with cunning arguments, convinced the asuras to give up adoring Shiva. He spoke against the practice of idol worship, fire sacrifice, the building of temples, the chanting of hymns and the offering of flowers. The asuras deluded by Vishnu's words, declared him to be ‘Buddha’, the enlightened one. They stopped worshipping Shiva and began following the way of ‘Buddha’ instead. This enabled Shiva to shoot a lethal dart and bring down the three flying cities.
Kalki is the final incarnation of Vishnu who will appear at the end of the eon, when corruption is beyond every measure of control, necessitating the end of the world. He will rise from the sea on a great white horse (some say the fire-breathing doomsday mare called Badavagini) with a sword in hand. He will destroy the impure world, killing everyone except those who seek refuge in him. Having thus dismantled the world, Vishnu will reassemble a new and pure world that will be inhabited by the believers and the faithful |
