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I have some basic doubts, pestering me for long about the ten Avatars of Lord Vishnu. At the outset, I wish to make it very clear that these doubts are very genuine and my longing to know the answers also is very genuine. So I plead indulgence of all learned readers to show patience with me and answer me if they can, but not to castigate me simply for raising these doubts. I am listing them out below, requesting clarification:
1. Why ten, in the first place? If it is a question of one or two per Yuga, then ten is too many. On the other hand, if Kali Yuga is believed to be the time when adharmams and akramams will be on the increase, then logically, there should be more avatars in Kaliyuga than in any other, as pronounced by Himself in “Parithraanaaya Saadhoonaam … Sambhavaami Yuge Yuge” But, even the only one allotted is in dispute, with claims of several people claiming to be Kalki Bhagawans, while there is a general belief that the Avathaaram is due only after several years.
2. Some have even ventured to interpret the avatars, I guess, as a symbolic description of the Theory of Evolution, according to which Matsyavataram refers to aquatic life, which is believed to have originated first; Koormavataram refers to amphibians which came next; Varahavataram refers to mammalia barring man; Nrsimmavataram is perhaps the transition from animal to man; Vaamanavataram, the Pygmy man; Parasurama was a strong but primitive early man; then came Rama, a completely civilized man. I am not very clear how the remaining three avatars get interpreted in this evolutionary ladder.
3. The first five avatars seem to be only short-lived and action-specific. The Lord came in the form of a fish only to retrieve the Vedas stolen by an asura who was hiding in the ocean; nothing more is heard of this avataram, Perhaps, the purpose was over and the Lord went back to his abode. Later, he took on the form of a tortoise to act as a fulcrum for the great churning of the Ocean of Milk by Devas and Asuras. It also ended when several things started coming out of the ocean, two notable items being Goddess Lakshmi, whom Lord Vishnu Himself took as His consort and Amrutham which He distributed among the Devas, by tricking and fooling the Asuras. (I also do not understand why the Mohini Avataram he took on the same occasion is not counted at all among the listed Avatars at all. Then came Varahavataram in which the Lord in the form of a boar dived deep into the ocean to retrieve Earth lying at the bottom of a swollen ocean – interesting, because the concept of Earth being round seems to be inherent here, in contrast to the western thought till as recently as some 500 years or so ago, that it is flat! The Avatar also served the purpose of exterminating Hiranyaksha, to vanquish whose brother Hiranyakasibu the Lord took the next Avatar – Nrsimhavataram. Then comes Vamanavataram where we find the Lord resorting to pure guile to trick His own pious devotee and the great grandson of the Narasimhavataram-fame Prahlada, i.e., Mahabali, to relieve him of his entire kingdom and his head too to boot, just so Indra got back his kingdom! Incidentally, the Lilliputan like Vamanavataram is counted among the ten avatars, but NOT the Brobdingnag-like, or even much larger, Trivikramavataram which is NOT counted at all among the ten, I wonder why!
4. From the next Avatar onwards, I have more confusion. Out of two double avatars, only one has been included in some cases. Kurmavataram is in but Mohini Avataram is not; Vamanavataram is in but not Trivikramavataram. But when it comes to 'Rama', the son of Jamadagni and 'Rama', the son of Dasaratha, both are counted as Avatars; not only that, they even clashed with each other! The senior Rama outlives the junior to the extent of being found around even in the next Yuga, available to teach Dhanur Vidya to great yoddhas like Drona, Bheesma and Karna.
5. Then again, two simultaneous Avatars – Balarama and Krishna are generally included in the list, but there are people who replace Balarama by Buddha, moving Krishna to the eighth position vacated by Balarama and filling the ninth place by Buddha. More confusion here, is it not?
6. Another puzzling factor: Lakshmana, Rama’s younger brother and Balarama, Krishna’s elder brother, both are not the avatars of the Lord Himself, but they are avatars of his Divine Bed, i., Aadhisesha. But one of them is included in the list of Avatars of Lord Vishnu, but the other one is not! Why?
7. Who is the real Kalki Bhagwan? Has he come, or, is He yet to come? I am given to understand that there is also a belief going around among some Muslims that Prophet Muhammad himself is the Kalki Avatar.
8. Finally, why is Kalki Avatar the last avatar? Does this imply that men will all turn so virtuous when Kalki Avatar takes place (if it has not already taken place according to some beliefs!) that the good Lord need not take another Avatar, in the light of the famous Gita Shloka “Parithraanaaya Saadhoonaam … Sambhavaami Yuge Yuge”? I have heard some pravachanakartas aver that in Kaliyuga God guides humans only through mahapurushas. If that really is the case, what is the need and relevance at all of a special Avatar called Kalki Avatar in Kali Yuga?
9. The first five avatars, i.e 50 per cent of Dasavatharams seems to have taken place in the first Yuga – Kritha Yuga. The sixth and seventh seem to have taken place in Thretha Yuga, though, as I pointed out in Item 4 above, we find Parasurama appearing again in Dwaapara Yuga also, in which Balarama and Krishna appeared. While the time spans of the four yugas is considered to decrease in the ratio of 4 : 3 : 2 : 1, the “quality of godliness” of people living in the four yugas is also believed to decrease in the same ratio. If so, the need of the Lord to take avatars should in fact be in the reverse ratio, i.e., 1 : 2 : 3 : 4, if at all the Geetha Shloka “Parithraanaaya Sadhonaam” is to be taken seriously.
Can I have real and sensible answers to my above queries, instead of mere admonishments for my “cheek” in asking such questions? As I mentioned in the beginning itself, I am NOT interested in questioning or criticizing anything or anybody. I am only beseeching everybody to bear with me and give me honest answers.
1. Why ten, in the first place? If it is a question of one or two per Yuga, then ten is too many. On the other hand, if Kali Yuga is believed to be the time when adharmams and akramams will be on the increase, then logically, there should be more avatars in Kaliyuga than in any other, as pronounced by Himself in “Parithraanaaya Saadhoonaam … Sambhavaami Yuge Yuge” But, even the only one allotted is in dispute, with claims of several people claiming to be Kalki Bhagawans, while there is a general belief that the Avathaaram is due only after several years.
2. Some have even ventured to interpret the avatars, I guess, as a symbolic description of the Theory of Evolution, according to which Matsyavataram refers to aquatic life, which is believed to have originated first; Koormavataram refers to amphibians which came next; Varahavataram refers to mammalia barring man; Nrsimmavataram is perhaps the transition from animal to man; Vaamanavataram, the Pygmy man; Parasurama was a strong but primitive early man; then came Rama, a completely civilized man. I am not very clear how the remaining three avatars get interpreted in this evolutionary ladder.
3. The first five avatars seem to be only short-lived and action-specific. The Lord came in the form of a fish only to retrieve the Vedas stolen by an asura who was hiding in the ocean; nothing more is heard of this avataram, Perhaps, the purpose was over and the Lord went back to his abode. Later, he took on the form of a tortoise to act as a fulcrum for the great churning of the Ocean of Milk by Devas and Asuras. It also ended when several things started coming out of the ocean, two notable items being Goddess Lakshmi, whom Lord Vishnu Himself took as His consort and Amrutham which He distributed among the Devas, by tricking and fooling the Asuras. (I also do not understand why the Mohini Avataram he took on the same occasion is not counted at all among the listed Avatars at all. Then came Varahavataram in which the Lord in the form of a boar dived deep into the ocean to retrieve Earth lying at the bottom of a swollen ocean – interesting, because the concept of Earth being round seems to be inherent here, in contrast to the western thought till as recently as some 500 years or so ago, that it is flat! The Avatar also served the purpose of exterminating Hiranyaksha, to vanquish whose brother Hiranyakasibu the Lord took the next Avatar – Nrsimhavataram. Then comes Vamanavataram where we find the Lord resorting to pure guile to trick His own pious devotee and the great grandson of the Narasimhavataram-fame Prahlada, i.e., Mahabali, to relieve him of his entire kingdom and his head too to boot, just so Indra got back his kingdom! Incidentally, the Lilliputan like Vamanavataram is counted among the ten avatars, but NOT the Brobdingnag-like, or even much larger, Trivikramavataram which is NOT counted at all among the ten, I wonder why!
4. From the next Avatar onwards, I have more confusion. Out of two double avatars, only one has been included in some cases. Kurmavataram is in but Mohini Avataram is not; Vamanavataram is in but not Trivikramavataram. But when it comes to 'Rama', the son of Jamadagni and 'Rama', the son of Dasaratha, both are counted as Avatars; not only that, they even clashed with each other! The senior Rama outlives the junior to the extent of being found around even in the next Yuga, available to teach Dhanur Vidya to great yoddhas like Drona, Bheesma and Karna.
5. Then again, two simultaneous Avatars – Balarama and Krishna are generally included in the list, but there are people who replace Balarama by Buddha, moving Krishna to the eighth position vacated by Balarama and filling the ninth place by Buddha. More confusion here, is it not?
6. Another puzzling factor: Lakshmana, Rama’s younger brother and Balarama, Krishna’s elder brother, both are not the avatars of the Lord Himself, but they are avatars of his Divine Bed, i., Aadhisesha. But one of them is included in the list of Avatars of Lord Vishnu, but the other one is not! Why?
7. Who is the real Kalki Bhagwan? Has he come, or, is He yet to come? I am given to understand that there is also a belief going around among some Muslims that Prophet Muhammad himself is the Kalki Avatar.
8. Finally, why is Kalki Avatar the last avatar? Does this imply that men will all turn so virtuous when Kalki Avatar takes place (if it has not already taken place according to some beliefs!) that the good Lord need not take another Avatar, in the light of the famous Gita Shloka “Parithraanaaya Saadhoonaam … Sambhavaami Yuge Yuge”? I have heard some pravachanakartas aver that in Kaliyuga God guides humans only through mahapurushas. If that really is the case, what is the need and relevance at all of a special Avatar called Kalki Avatar in Kali Yuga?
9. The first five avatars, i.e 50 per cent of Dasavatharams seems to have taken place in the first Yuga – Kritha Yuga. The sixth and seventh seem to have taken place in Thretha Yuga, though, as I pointed out in Item 4 above, we find Parasurama appearing again in Dwaapara Yuga also, in which Balarama and Krishna appeared. While the time spans of the four yugas is considered to decrease in the ratio of 4 : 3 : 2 : 1, the “quality of godliness” of people living in the four yugas is also believed to decrease in the same ratio. If so, the need of the Lord to take avatars should in fact be in the reverse ratio, i.e., 1 : 2 : 3 : 4, if at all the Geetha Shloka “Parithraanaaya Sadhonaam” is to be taken seriously.
Can I have real and sensible answers to my above queries, instead of mere admonishments for my “cheek” in asking such questions? As I mentioned in the beginning itself, I am NOT interested in questioning or criticizing anything or anybody. I am only beseeching everybody to bear with me and give me honest answers.
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